My Easter Table

Self-isolation and social distancing sucks and I think most people would agree with me on that.  I've been in it for a little over a month at this point, ever since San Francisco issued the shelter in place orders at the beginning of March.  I have my good days and bad days to be sure, but with Easter coming up I was determined to do things that would lift my spirits.  Plus, it gave me a great excuse to do even more baking!

Although I can't host the Easter brunch that I would have liked this year I can still decorate my table, right?  I took advantage of the online promotions at Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn and bought a colony of ceramic bunnies and eggs to use as props.  I also found some really cute paraphernalia and tons of Easter candy at my local Target.
 

I didn't really have any preset idea of what I wanted my table to look like.  My main goal was to create something that was pretty and I think I've accomplished that.  Pastel colors are used throughout the tablescape to evoke spring and renewal.  And who doesn't need that right about now?  

The baked goods I made included iced sugar cookies, mini bundt cakes and gluten-free carrot cupcakes.   At the center of the table was the pièce de résistance, an Easter bunny made of Rice Krispies treats.   Can it get any cuter than that?  It was so simple to make using a Nordicware Easter bunny pan I bought a few years ago (similar pan found here.)

This Easter table is bringing all the good feels for me and I hope it's  sparked a little joy for you.  Happy Easter to anyone who is celebrating and to everyone out there, please stay safe, healthy and STAY HOME!

Resources:

Scalloped Green Plates and Raffia Drinking Glasses: Aerin x Williams-Sonoma 

Placemats: H&M Home

Wooden Egg Placecard Holders, Happy Easter Place Cards, Raffia Carrots, Pastel Egg, Gold Cutlery: Target

Hydrangea Cupcakes

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and sometimes I'll pick up a few bunches at Trader Joe's or Costco to decorate the house.  I love the massive blooms and vibrant colors they come in.  When I saw that you could make cupcakes to look like hydrangeas I knew I had to replicate them for myself.  The technique couldn't be simpler and the results are so beautiful.  They're the perfect addition to your spring or Easter table.

While searching YouTube I found this great video that demonstrates how to pipe the flowers using buttercream.  The key is to have the right piping tip.  Most posts I had seen recommended the Wilton 2D, a large closed star tip, so that's what I went with.   I used my favorite frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, since it takes to colors so well. 

Are you doubting that you can create these hydrangeas for yourself?  You have nothing to worry about!  If you can squeeze a piping bag with a modicum of control then you've basically mastered the technique. Trust me when I say these flowers are the most impactful with the least amount of effort.

Vanilla Cupcakes

After 9+ hours of binge watching House of Cards Season 4 this weekend I must say I was more than happy to get off my bum and do some baking.  If you haven't seen the show yet do yourself a favor and start.  It's seriously some of the best television ever and the latest series does not disappoint in the least.

While the show is dark, cunning and ruthless these Vanilla Cupcakes are anything but; you could even call them "anti-Underwood".  I was craving something happy and light and these beauties fit the bill perfectly.  Even better, sour cream was used in the recipe, an ingredient of which I had plenty in the fridge.   The cupcake recipe can be found here on the Cupcake Project and I frosted them with Cook's Illustrated Easy Vanilla Buttercream.

I'm definitely feeling House of Card withdrawals, already!, but hopefully these cupcakes will ease the pain until next year.   Please, please, please Netflix...there MUST be a Season 5!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate and Peanut Butter.  What flavor combination could be more All-American than those two?  Little did I know that it's popularity extended beyond the borders of the red, white and blue.   

Case in point: Before heading to a work conference in Basel this past summer I had asked my co-workers if they wanted anything from the US.  How surprised was I when they requested Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?   Really....Reese's?   Ironic since they live in a country that produces some of the best chocolate in the world.    

So I dedicate these Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes to my friends and colleagues in the CH.  The cupcakes are super easy to make (no mixer required) and the addition of sour cream in the batter makes the crumb really tender.  For an extra treat I put a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup in the center before baking.   As for the frosting, I could have gone the cynical route and made Swiss meringue, but instead I opted for fuss free American style buttercream.   

 

Strawberry Cupcakes 2.0

I've featured strawberry cupcakes on this blog before but I found a new recipe that takes it up another level, hence the post title "2.0".   I have no shame in admitting that I love supermarket/bakery cupcakes and frosting.   People are normally surprised by this because of my passion for baking, but it's the texture that really draws me in - nothing beats a moist and tender crumb - and it's hard to replicate at home.  Until now!

A few years ago I stumbled upon a great blog for Woodland Bakery in New Jersey, which at the time was owned by pastry chef Gretchen Price.   Gretchen was one of the first people I've seen that actually posted recipes from her bakery on the web AND for free.   Professional quality results at home?  Sign me up!  Recently she sold the bakery and started her own blog called what else, Gretchen's Bakery.   Check it out because she has excellent recipes and instructional YouTube videos.

These strawberry cupcakes are a variation of her Moist Fluffy White Cake and Buttercream recipes.  For the cupcakes I just replaced about 1/3 cup of the milk with strawberry puree (also found on her blog).   With the frosting you just add some strawberry puree at the end, to taste.   Finally...supermarket/bakery treats from my kitchen! 

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

I've had these Cookies & Cream cupcakes on my mind for quite a while and now that budget planning is over at work I finally found some time to make them. Let's just say they've definitely lived up to my expectations. They're quintessentially American and so delicious.

Every component of the cupcake is bursting with cookies and cream flavor.  For the cake I simply used Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cream Cheese Butter Cake recipe and added crushed Oreo bits.   I did the same for the frosting and added more cookie bits to a whipped vanilla buttercream.  

Strawberry Cupcakes

We Californians are definitely spoiled, from the beautiful weather to the overabundance of delicious fruit and veg.   I grew up in the central region of the state, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, and my parents continue to make their home there.   On my last two visits I made it a point to stop by the local stand near the house where miles and miles of strawberry fields thrive under the sun.  The strawberries are some of the most amazing that I've ever had, as sweet as candy.  They're picked daily so you know you're getting the fruit at the height of its deliciousness.

With all this luscious fruit I was looking for a recipe to showcase their wonderful flavor.  I remembered seeing a recipe for Strawberry Dream Cake in Cook's Country that would foot the bill.  But since I didn't feel like making a layer cake I converted them to cupcakes.  I used a different recipe for the frosting than the one included in the cake recipe.  I had fantastic results with the Easy Vanilla Frosting in the past so I tweaked it slightly by adding strawberries.  AMAZING!  It tasted exactly like strawberry ice cream.    

Gluten-Free Funfetti Vanilla Cupcakes

I'm making my way through ATK's amazing newest publication,  The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook,  and this weekend I decided to give their birthday cupcakes a go.  It's a basic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, but I funfetti-d them by adding rainbow sprinkles to the cake batter.  

If you have children who are gluten intolerant you MUST make these cupcakes for their next birthday party.  The cake itself was moist and delicious and their easy vanilla frosting tasted just like whipped vanilla ice cream.   

So far I'm batting 1000 with every recipe I've tried so far.  I can't sing it's praises enough.  Run, don't walk, to buy it!  Check out this site for a few of the recipes including buttermilk waffles, light and fluffy biscuits and chocolate chip cookies.

S'mores Cupcakes

Did you know August 10 is National S'Mores Day?  I didn't, until now!  To celebrate this all-American camping treat of toasted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers I made my own rendition, in the form of a cupcake.  Much easier to eat than the traditional s'more.

Break the cupcake down to its three main components and you'll see how easy they are to create: graham cracker crust, chocolate cake and marshmallow meringue frosting.   Oh, and don't forget the blow torch at the very end to achieve the toasty marshmallow effect. 

Game, Set, Match Cupcakes

Tennis is one of my all-time favorite sports and I've been fortunate enough to attend three of the four Grand Slams.  (The last one, the Australian Open, is on my bucket list.) Of the three, Wimbledon is definitely my absolute hands-down favorite.  

I love everything about it: the tradition, the beautiful grounds of the All-England Club, the public queue for tickets, Henman Hill, strawberries and cream...I could go on and on.   If you're ever in London at the end of June I highly recommend you make the trip to SW19 - you won't regret it.

In honor of today's Mens Singles Championship between Andy Murray and Roger Federer I made these tennis ball cupcakes.  I got the idea from Martha Stewart.  You'd be surprised at how easy they are to make.  Just use your favorite cupcake and frosting recipes.  The decoration is as simple as dipping the frosted cupcakes in yellow dots or sprinkles then piping the "seams."

Game, Set, Match...these cupcakes are a winner! 

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Congratulations to Jordan and Robyn who are the giveaway winners of the two-month enrollment to America's Test Kitchen's Cooking School!

Jordan's entry:

I'd like to win the cooking school enrollment so I can stop drooling on my computer screen and learn to cook that delicious-looking chicken noodle soup!

Robyn's entry:

We eat through the best of times, we eat through the worst of times, and unless I want to turn the former into the latter, I need to cook all those celebratory or comfort-providing foods with an understanding of solid ATK-supplied culinary foundations. 

You'll receive an email directly from ATK with more information about your prize.   Go forth and cook!!!

Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes

Sending birthday wishes to my dear friend Anne Marie today.  If only I could send these to you overseas!

GRATULERER MED DAGEN!

Candy Corn Cupcakes and a Halloween Giveaway

If ever there was a king of Halloween candy it's got to be candy corn.  Love them or hate them they've been around since the 19th century and I think they're here to stay.   

Candy corn may not be my personal favorite, they were normally the last things to be eaten from my trick-or-treat loot bag, but I think I've reinterpreted them in a fun way with these cupcakes.  How great would these be for kids or kids at heart to make?   

To make my life easy I used a mix for the cake.  Don't judge!  I grew up on them and look how I turned out...lol!   

Now to the Halloween giveaway.....

The nice people at McCormick sent me their "Tricks for your Treats" kit to sample.  And the best part is I was able to procure another kit to give away to one of my blog readers.  If you love Halloween baking this is right up your alley!  

Here are just some of the things included in the kit: food colors, cupcake liners, a silicone baking mat, an oven mitt and a Le Creuset silicone spatula.

To enter, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post by 12pm PST Monday October 17th.  The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on October 18th.  

What's your favorite Halloween candy?

RULES: Only one entry per person and you must leave your email address in the comment.   In addition McCormick's cannot ship to P.O. Boxes so be sure you have a physical mailing address in the US. 

Hi-Hat Cupcakes

My friend Brian's birthday was a few weeks ago and as a belated gift I wanted to make him some sweet treats.  I first saw these hi-hat cupcakes on Martha Stewart and they've been on my "must-make" list for quite some time.  Aren't they fun and whimsical?

You can personalize hi-hats with any flavor combination you want for the cupcakes and frosting.  The original recipe uses seven minute frosting, but I'm not much of a fan because it's a bit too sweet for my taste.  Instead I used chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.    The main thing to remember is to pipe the frosting high!

Happy Birthday B!!!

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

My parents and I are driving down to Southern California later this week to visit relatives and also go to The Price is Right game show...lol, it's on my dad's bucket list!   While we're there my cousin is having a party to celebrate her twin boys' first birthday.  I offered to help with the baking so I've been testing out new cupcake recipes.  

Since we'll be making a lot I needed something that would come together quickly and please the palates of both kids and adults alike.  Think I found it in this yellow cupcake recipe from Cook's Illustrated.  No messing with the creaming of butter and sugar, etc.  All the ingredients for these cupcakes are dumped in the bowl and mixed together in one go..easy peasy!

Chocolate ganache  is probably the easiest frosting you can make and is comprised of only two ingredients: heavy cream and chocolate.  Once whipped it tastes so much like chocolate mousse you wouldn't believe it.  Next time I might forgo the cupcakes altogether and just eat the ganache with some whipped cream.  For these cupcakes I used dark chocolate, but to appeal to the little ones I would suggest the  milk or semisweet variety instead.

Ad Hoc Carrot Cupcakes

Since I had success with his rendition of white cupcakes I decided to try another one of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home cupcake recipes.  This time it was carrot cake and once again I wasn't disappointed.  

These cupcakes are really moist and absolutely delicious.   Just between us...by the time I finished writing this post I had eaten four unfrosted ones!

Instead of frosting them with the recipe included in the cookbook I opted for a cream cheese version of miracle frosting.  The milk-based frosting is so light and fluffy and the addition of cream cheese really sets it apart from the rest.  It tastes just like cream cheese flavored whipped cream...yum!

This batch of cupcakes is in honor of Silja, a fellow avid baker who's been looking for a great carrot cake recipe.   Happy baking my friend!

Ad Hoc White Cupcakes

I bought Thomas Keller's cookbook, Ad Hoc At Home, a few years ago with every intention of recreating their famous buttermilk fried chicken.  Well, I never got around to making it.  The thought of deep frying in my small kitchen was a bit too daunting (and messy!) for me.   Fortunately there are plenty of other delicious recipes in the cookbook to try.  

My goddaughter's christening is this spring and, just as I did for her mother's baby shower, I'm going to assemble a dessert table for the party.  The color theme is white - so clean and crisp and  perfect for such a special occasion.  

One treat I definitely want to serve are white cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.  I've found some great recipes for homemade chocolate cupcakes but I haven't had much luck with white ones.  Unfortunately my favorite high ratio yellow butter cake doesn't translate well to cupcakes....I've tried a few times without any success.

So I turned to Ad Hoc At Home for inspiration.  White cupcakes are one of three cupcake recipes found in the cookbook; the other two are devil's food and carrot cake.  Anything from Thomas Keller has to be good and these cupcakes don't disappoint.   The cake is moist and delicious and they hold their shape really well.  I actually prefer them unfrosted but I dare not omit the buttercream for fear of a riot.

Virtual Valentines

Sending virtual hugs and kisses (and some mini red velvet cupcakes and chocolate macarons!) to those near and dear to me.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

xoxo,

T

Miracle Frosting

Can't believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away.  I'm one of those overzealous people who likes to extract as much holiday spirit out of the season as possible.  Where was I the morning of Black Friday?  Not in line at the mall, that's for sure.  I got up super early and headed to Home Depot to get my Christmas tree of course!

Christmas is also the busiest time of year for me and my kitchen.  So far I've made about 25 pounds of cashew toffee and that's only half of what I need.  My poor fridge is busting at the seams with it.  Thank goodness I stopped eating the stuff a long time ago. 

I needed a break from candy making and wanted to bring a treat in to the office for my boss's birthday.  He likes anything chocolate so I went with cupcakes since they're easy to serve.  Instead of frosting them with my usual swiss meringue buttercream I ended up trying something new.

Coconut Cupcakes with Mango Curd

I think most people have a love/hate relationship with coconut.  Which side are you on?  Me, I'm definitely pro-coconut.  But I caveat that by saying I absolutely love coconut in sweets, not savories.   Oh gosh, not in the savories please.  

 

These cupcakes have a refreshing tropical flare to them.  The white cake is tender and moist with just a hint of coconut.  The mango curd has a silky texture and a bit of tartness from lime juice, which is a great contrast to the cake and swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  

Just seeing the mounds of coconut piled on top of the cupcake brings a smile to my face.  If you weren't pro-coconut before I challenge you to try this recipe.  Who knows, you just might change your mind.  

Cheeky Monkey Cupcakes

These cupcakes are so darn cute, aren't they?   And the fact that they're super easy  to  recreate  makes them even more delightful.   Got the idea to make these when I was passing by the bakery counter of an upscale supermarket the other week.

I loved the idea of a cupcake resembling a monkey.   What I didn't like was the $5 price tag.  Why pay so much when you can make them yourself.  And they'll taste better too.

When I got home I set about doing some internet research and found so many adorable  versions.  The design I ended up using seemed like the most simple to make.

All you need are some cupcakes, chocolate and vanilla frosting and vanilla wafers.  You don't need to make these from scratch either..a boxed cake mix and canned frosting will work just fine, although I do find they are a lot sweeter than homemade recipes.

I think these would be so cute for a kid's birthday party or a baby shower.  Or for anyone who loves monkeys.   Try it!