Posts filed under 'Children’s Cupcakes'
teacher’s pet
I made these cupcakes for MM who thought of a creative and delicious way to honor her children’s teachers during this past teacher’s day. Yes, I know this post is waaay too late but I was having trouble with my web host, so there.
Anyway, MM gave me the details to put on the label and one of them read: From Bumblebee Joshua. Later on when MM got the cupcakes, she explained that her son was in section Bumblebee in his kindergarten class. And of course bees abound where the flowers are so my Blooming Garden cupcakes were the perfect partner for my Buzzy Bee cupcakes as MM added them to the gift array. I bet Joshua and his brother earned extra points from their teachers!
November 23rd, 2010
Basketball Cupcakes – dome-shaped cupcakes decorated like a basketball, frosted with slightly sweetened whipped cream tinted orange and piped with semisweet chocolate markings. Price available upon request.
alley-oop time
This was my first time making basketball cupcakes and I debated in my mind how to decorate them. Do I make separate toppers or just decorate straight on the cupcake? As I am partial to chocolate, I thought of making chocolate toppers. Alas, I did not have enough time as I was given less than a week’s notice by E._ so I just decided to turn the cupcakes into edible basketballs.
My chocolate butter cupcakes are a perfect fit as they bake into a dome, unlike my devil’s food which have flat tops. I tried a creme ivoire topping (a white chocolate glaze courtesy of Rose Levy Beranbaum) and tinted it orange. I also tried a whipped cream topping. I told E._ that the whipped cream topping will most likely appeal to the children who will attend the party. She texted me back and said that the cupcakes were for grown ups. Oops, my bad. E._ must have been smiling (and probably laughing as well) while texting that message to me. 
Anyway, I suggested another flavor that I knew will be a hit with them: mocha with bits of chocolate coffee candies. So I made one batch chocolate butter and one batch mocha. Yum.
Later on, I found out from M._ who picked up the cupcakes that the desserts were for E._’s boyfriend who was celebrating his birthday. Thanks, E._! I’m sure your party was fab!
November 22nd, 2010
Glittering Flowers Cupcake – flower cupcake decorated with snipped marshmallows dipped in shimmering colored sugar. Price available upon request.
baking 160 cupcakes in a day? no problem!
These are the beauties I made simultaneously with a birthday cake and cupcake project that required a total of 160 cupcakes. And I baked all those cupcakes in one day. Honestly. What spurred me to do everything in one go was that I could not sleep the night before. I actually set my alarm for 3:30 am. For some reason—stress, maybe—sleep eluded me. So instead of counting sheep, I just got up at the ungodly hour of 2 am and started baking.
In the end, everything went well and this whole project made me try some new things. First, I was able to successfully freeze unfrosted cupcakes. Actually, freezing cakes and cupcakes and have long been written by dessert authors. According to “Cupcakes!” author Elinor Klivans, unfrosted cupcakes can be “wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, sealed in a container and frozen for up to two months.” I have frozen freshly-baked cookies before but never cupcakes. After reading some disaster stories from a cupcake forum—liners becoming soggy and peeling away from the cakes—I was hesitant to try it but I did it anyway and everything turned out fine. One note, though, I did not use these frozen cupcakes for this project. I saved them as my stash to find out how long they will last. After a month, they still tasted the same, stayed moist and retained their fresh-baked quality—yum! Freezing cupcakes will really save you some time if you are baking cupcakes by the bulk but you have to have ample freezer space.
Second thing I was able to try was to transform some of my regular-sized cupcakes into petite sizes. These are not like those baked in the mini-muffin pan. I still used the regular cupcake pan but put 2 oz cupcake liners. They are just slightly smaller than regular cupcakes but I think they will be great for those who love their cupcakes but dread getting a “muffin top.”
As for this cupcake’s design, client F._ actually wanted something that resembles a carnation to go with the motif of her baby’s christening celebration. She saw my Citrusy Sunflower cupcake and suggested just having all petals sans the chocolate chip center. Though I thought it looked more like a dahlia, F._ was happy with how the cupcakes turned out and she loved the cupcake base that went with it which was the golden butter cream flavor that I also use for my Confetti cupcake.
A plateful of these shimmering flower cupcakes is truly a delight to see. Another client G._ was so taken with the design (she said they were unique) that she is ordering them for her wedding. No problem, been there, done that, I told myself. Until I found out that G._ is having 130 pieces of these, with another 20 decorated with marzipan roses. Wow, I guess I should start snipping those marshmallows and dipping them in sugar right now! Watch out for my report on that project on my next post.
October 13th, 2010
all’s well that ends well
Carlie is turning one and she wants cake and cupcakes on her special day. Or so her mother I._ told me.
I already blocked September 26 and three days before that in my calendar for this event. I._ booked her reservation with me first week of August which gave me plenty of time to prepare. I got everything planned out and with time to spare leading to the big project (one cake and 100 cupcakes), I got into talks with another client F._ who needs pink flower cupcakes for her daughter’s christening on September 11. Everything was going according to plan … the plans of mice and men! I got a call from I._ first week of September asking if the 12th is still open in my calendar as she was forced to re-schedule due to an unforeseen circumstance. At the same time, F._ confirmed her order of 60 cupcakes for September 11.
Fortunately, all’s well that ends well as I was able to work things out and that included baking 160 cupcakes in one day! But that’s another story.
There was actually a cake included in the package where the party was held but I._ told me she wanted something more. My cake—devil’s food chocolate filled with ganache and covered in shiny chocolate glaze— was to be for display purposes only as the family plan to bring it home; the party cake will be served to the guests. The similarly-flavored cupcakes were to be part of the party favors.
I had my camera at the event but I._ shared with me her and Carlie’s lovely mother-daughter portrait. How cute is Carlie in her birthday regalia? I._ also graciously invited me and my crew to partake of the kiddie feast. They really loved the cake and the cupcakes, she told me afterwards. The children even plucked the chocolate letters off the cake! Thanks, I._for choosing my cake and cupcakes to mark your precious daughter’s special day. It was a real treat working with you!
September 19th, 2010
Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes v.2 – two-toned cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate, frosted with a swirl of slightly sweetened whipped cream and decorated with a two-toned chocolate button. Price available upon request.
new and improved
Some of those who inquire about my cupcakes ask about swirled fluffy toppings with sprinkles on top. There is indeed something seductive about a swirl of frosting. And ain’t it sweet when someone bites into an iced cupcake and reveals a frosting mustache after?
This cupcake is a rework of my Ebony and Ivory cupcake. To improve the vanilla flavor, I used my homemade vanilla sugar and pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract by Lorann Gourmet. I also used low-fat milk that has a very vanilla flavor. I accidentally added a bit more milk but fortunately the cupcake turned out fluffier. Since I cannot find my favorite chocolate bar (Frey) that has 72% cocoa solids, I used the one with 55% and it worked better for this cupcake.
I must say that this version of the cupcake really has an improved flavor and texture. There is a nice balance of flavors and you can taste both the very vanilla and dark chocolate notes each without overpowering the other. Using real Madagascar vanilla extract and vanilla sugar really makes a difference—see the nice specks of the vanilla bean seeds throughout the cupcake!
I frosted each cupcake with a rosette of slightly sweetened whipped cream to appease those who love fluffy swirled frostings. My other version of this cupcake has a ganache frosting. Although I am partial to ganache, the whipped cream topping is also great and lets the two cupcake flavors be the stars.
The two-toned chocolate button atop the frosting is actually just a white chocolate disc. I dipped half of it on melted dark chocolate to complete the two-toned theme of the cupcakes. Looks like the black and white cookies New York is famous for, right?
These are among my favorite cupcakes. Although making them are still fiddly (no overlapping of different batters, please!), the taste and look are worth the effort. Yum!
July 20th, 2010
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