So what better way to celebrate and honor the 2010 Winter Olympic Games then with a collection of the best Winter Olympic inspired goodies I could find.  Really, this search was prompted by one shining example, Marian’s Olympic Mascot Cookies from Sweetopia.net.  She is a true sugar master.  The time that goes into these cookies is incredible.

Sweetopia's Olympic Mascot Cookies - Miga and Mukmuk

Sweetopia's Olympic Mascot Cookies - Quatchi

The mascots this year are comical.  Quatchi is  a sasquatch – how funny is that?  A sasquatch that wears boots and earmuffs no less.  And Mukmuk…a marmot. “Hey, nice marmot!”

Another great example of an Olympic inspired sweet is this is Olympic mascot cake done by Anne Elizabeth Cakes.  I love the mascots – she did an excellent job.

Anna Elizabeth Cake's Olympic Mascot Cake

Of course we need a cupcake – so here it is…the Olympic Ring cupcake done by Clever Cupcakes in Montreal, Canada.

Clever Cupcake's Olympic Ring Cupcake

Since the Olympics are being held in Vancouver, British Columbia we should probably have a native dessert as well.  The Nanaimo bar is named for the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia and consists of wafer layer, a custard layer and then is covered in chocolate.    Here, The Kitchn shows us their version of this Olympic inspired treat.

Yum...Olympic Inspired Nanaimo Bars

I hope this inspires you to make your own Olympic themed treats  to eat while cheering on Team USA, of course.  Win Big Team USA – you make me proud to be an American!

Photo courtesy of Joshua Wood Photography

December is a month full of activities.  Holidays, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and if you have children, well they are home from school for half the month.  This past December I took on a new task, one that was not only stressful but also worthwhile as it would test both my organization and baking abilities…I signed on to do my first wedding.

Weddings are a whole other department in the baking world.  This isn’t just someone’s graduation cake or birthday cake…this was someone’s WEDDING!  Most brides want it to be the most perfect day of their entire life…that’s a lot to live up to. 

The bride and I met back in April for a cake tasting. She sampled the four flavors of cake I had so skillfully prepared…Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Butterceam, Spice Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream, Funfetti with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and Strawberry Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

Along with eating cake we discussed her vision for the wedding.  One thing that remained an unchanged constant was the wedding cake.  She brought me a photograph from Real Simple, the cake was elegant and understated…quilted white fondant with silver floral and pearl accents – perfect for a winter wedding. 

Fondant that has a quilted effect and pearl accents.

The wedding cake was going to be used simply for display and the cutting ceremony; whereas, the cupcakes were to be served as the actual dessert. The bride wanted each guest to receive three mini cupcakes, in three different flavors: chocolate, spice and funfetti.  Each cupcake would be decorated with a gum paste flower that would mimic the flowers on the wedding cake. 

The wedding cake consisted of three layers, each a different flavor.  The bottom layer was Funfetti Cake; Funfetti being the bride’s favorite cake flavor from her childhood.  The middle layer was Chocolate Cake…who doesn’t like chocolate?  The top of the wedding cake was Spice Cake; her fiancé’s personal favorite.

Once the month of December hit, my stomach went into knots.  I found myself thinking about it day and night.  Was I up to this challenge?  I found my mind racing at night while lying in bed.  “How much butter?”, “How many eggs?”, “How much gum paste is needed for 650 daisies?”. 

Gum Paste Daisies, 650 of them...

One thing I knew for certain is that I needed to organize myself by creating a timeline.  The timeline was crucial for staying on task. Baking is the easy part in my eyes.  The real time comes in the decorations and details. 

The gum paste flowers for 650 mini cupcakes were definitely the first order of business. The next step was figuring out how much butter, sugar, flour, etc. I would need.  I did this by breaking down recipes and with a couple of calculations…viola, the list was together. 

The week of the wedding came and I had briefed my family on the rules.  There was to be no whining, no hanging out in my work space, no friends over, and we would be doing a lot of carryout meals. 

The kitchen became more of an assembly line on certain nights with my good friend Bridget and my husband Tom working the line. They were incredibly helpful…love you guys!  Somehow it all came together just in time.  I officially have a wedding under my belt, and boy am I proud of myself and my work.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Wood Photography - www.JoshuaJWood.com

Special thanks to photographer, Joshua Wood, for the use of his gorgeous photos of the cake and wedding. www.JoshuaJWood.com

Pumpkin Cupcakes

This morning I awoke to our first real hard frost, I must admit it saddened me. October and Halloween are over. The leaves have all fallen and there is a nip in the air.  As a native Ohioan one would think I would be accustomed to the arrival of “The Snow”.  Well, this is just not the case.

Along with snow comes wet boots, cold hands and feet, warming up the car, scraping the windshield, shoveling, and the awful truth that it will be dark before 6.   Am I ready? Probably not.  Do I have a choice? Definitely not.  So I better learn to make the best of it. 

One thing that I know will cheer me up is the fact I can bake till my heart’s content. The oven can be on for hours and my kitchen will feel and smell warm and toasty.  Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberries and nuts come out to play this time of year. 

With Thanksgiving being just around the corner, I plan to experiment with all things pumpkin.  I just love pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin moon pies, pumpkin bread pudding and the list goes on and on.

On that note… I made some very tasty pumpkin cupcakes for my family and friends over Halloween weekend.  I personally feel like they are an anytime cupcake and even good enough to eat without frosting.  This recipe is also one that can be modified easily to give it that personal touch.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten until frothy
• 1 ½  cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation:

1.)   Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl.

2.)   Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in mashed pumpkin.

3.)   Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition; stir in chopped walnuts or pecans.

4.)   Spoon batter into well-greased and floured or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Fill about 2/3 full.

5.)   Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool.

6.)    Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting, Whipped Cream, or leave plain. Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Perfectly Pink POM Cupcake to support Breast Cancer Awareness

Recently, when on my way to check the mail, I was pleasently surprised to find a package waiting at the front door.  Had I purchased something online and forgot about it?  Was it a package for my husband or possibly something for the kids?  After careful review of the box, I came to realize it was from POM Wonderful.  POM Wonderful had written LifeWithCake a week ago asking if we would enjoy a care package of their POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, to which we replied – heck yeah!  We rarely will pass up anything free.

Now, I have tried POM before, mainly for its health benefits, but I have never enjoyed “cooking” with it.  This is our mission – to find some interesting and unique ways to incorporate POM Wonderful into some tasty dishes and drinks.  The first being our Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcake, the Perfectly Pink POM Cupcake. 

Along with the juice samples, the people at POM kindly included some interesting information regarding the health benefits of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice.

Did You know?

• Only POM Wonderful products are backed by $32 million in medical research.
• POM Wonderful is the only brand to contain 100% authentic pomegranate juice.
• POM Wonderful grows, picks, and squeezes their own fruit along with manufacturing their own bottles.
• All Pomegranate orchards are located in sunny California.  Their juice is never imported.
• POM juice is the only juice to be made exclusively from the “Wonderful” variety pomegranate.
• The “Wonderful” variety is known for its deep crimson color, delicious taste, and most importantly its unique combination of super antioxidants.
• Hundreds of scientific tests show POM to be a superior source of antioxidants, with more and better antioxidants than red wine, grape juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, green tea, vitamin C and Vitamin E.  That is something to drink to indeed!

These are just a sample of facts about POM Wonderful 100% juice. More health information along with recipes and products can be found at their website POM Wonderful.

To create the Perfectly Pink POM Cupcake to support Breast Cancer Awareness, I looked through countless recipes on the internet, trying to find one that captured that clean delicious pomegrante taste.  Most comments left about  pomegranate cupcakes said basically the same thing, ”good tasting but not much like pomegranate”.

I decided to cheat a bit with this cupcake by using a store bought cake mix.  This allowed me to maxamize my use of POM Wonderful by omitting the water and replacing it with POM Wonderful.  The result was a moist sweet cupcake with the tang and distinct flavor of pomegranate.

Add POM in place of liquid...

Of course, I couldn’t leave it at cake alone, I whipped up a pomegranate buttercream by making a classic buttercream and using POM Wonderful in place of milk. The POM Wonderful gave the frosting a light pomegranate flavor and a beautiful pink hue.

October being Breast Cancer Awarness Month, along with the health benefits associated with POM Wonderful, prompted me to top this cupcake with a pink ribbon made of fondant – The Perfectly Pink POM Cupcake is born.

I want to say thank you to Kristen Cavanaugh for the genorous gift of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice!  Megan and I are tickled PINK. We will continue to use your products in good health! We are now working on a POM Wonderful martini to celebrate.

Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcake is Perfectly Pink

Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcake
(aka Perfectly Pink POM Cupcake)

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• POM Wonderful juice

Follow box directions omitting water and replacing with POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice. 

Pink Pomegranate Frosting

 Ingredients:  

• 1 stick unsalted room temperature butter
• 1/2 pound powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice

Directions:

1.) Whip butter until smooth.  

2.) Slowly add powdered sugar.

3.) When the mixture becomes to stiff, add POM Wonderful.  Then add remaining powdered sugar and blend until smooth.

Milk and Cookies Cupcakes

Classic food combos are the topic for today.  So many foods which are great on their own become something spectacular when paired with their perfect partner.   What’s a burger without fries?  If you are going to eat a burger you simple need a mound of fries.  Eggs seem lost without their salty, savory friend bacon.  Buffalo wings and blue cheese…yes, I’ll take some!   PB & J, strawberries and cream – the list goes on and on.

Milk and Cookies is the combo that inspired this cupcake.  It never fails that if you’re eating cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies, you are gonna need a cold glass of milk…right?  

I’m sure you’ve seen this cupcake before as there are a few versions of it on the internet, but I just had to give it a try.  I started by using a new cake recipe courtesy of Martha Stewarts’ Cupcakes (thanks Megan).  This cake recipe is a great basic for any baker, and can be altered with different frostings and fillings to fit any palate.   This particular cupcake, the Milk and Cookies Cupcake, is filled with ooey, gooey cookie dough. 

Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough was my cheat in this recipe, but feel free to whip up a batch of your favorite cookie dough instead.   I simply rolled small balls of the cookie dough and placed them directly on top of the cake batter.  Refrain from pushing the cookie dough down into the batter, it will drop down on its own. 

Cookie dough is placed in the center of the batter...

After the cupcakes where baked and cooled, I gave them a generous dose of my old friend, Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  I decided on Swiss Meringue Buttercream because of its lightly sweet velvety texture. 

Finally, I baked off a couple mini chocolate chip cookies for the top of each cupcake.  The flavor was exactly what I expected, and very reminiscent of the classic pairing – Milk and Cookies.  My boys, who have become some of my official taste testers, gave these a big thumbs up.  So I guess I’ll have to add them to the keepers list!  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Makes 36

• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

From Martha Stewart Cupcakes, June 2009

Introducing …(drumroll please)
Frosted – cakes, cupcakes & homemade treats!
  We are now accepting orders for the Akron-Canton area.
Email us at Jody@LifeWithCake.com if you are interested in ordering up some of our scrum diddly umptious goodies!

Now you can have your cake and donut too...

With so many tempting treats out there, it’s hard for me to pick just one favorite.  However, there are few foods that can make me weak in the knees like a warm, hot off the press, Krispy Kreme original glazed donut.  Maybe it’s the way they melt in your mouth; maybe it’s how light and airy they are; or maybe it’s their magical aroma.  Whatever it may be, they give me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I eat one. 

Today while enjoying a warm Krispy Kreme I came across a new donut they are offering…the Mini!  Krispy Kreme Minis come in original glazed, chocolate glazed, and chocolate glazed dipped in sprinkles.  These little guys gave me the inspiration to try out a new cupcake today – The Coffee and Donut Cupcake! 

I have seen a few versions of this cupcake on the Internet already and decided I needed to put my own twist on it.  I wanted the base of the cupcake to be dense, yet moist, able to withstand a dunk in coffee.  The cake also couldn’t be overly sweet, lord knows the donut and frosting would handle that aspect.  So a sour cream coffee cake cupcake became the base of this masterpiece.  Coffee Swiss meringue buttercream would make the perfect creamy pillow for the mini donut to rest upon. Viola…a divine breakfast treat!   

Coffee Cake Cupcakes
Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Line muffin pans with paper liners.
3.) Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy, use paddle attachment. With your mixer set on a low speed, add the eggs one at a time…blending well after each egg. Add vanilla, buttermilk and sour cream, blend until smooth.
4.) In a separate bowl sift all dry ingredients together.
5.) With mixer on low speed add dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
6.) Fill cupcake liners and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and your cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.

Note:  A hint of cinnamon would also be nice with these, or even a streusel topping. I chose to go simply this first time around.

How cute are these?

Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Directions:

1.) In a small bowl, dissolve espresso powder in 2 tablespoons hot water; set aside. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes.

2.) Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.

3.) With machine running on low speed, add butter to the egg whites, beating until smooth. Add the espresso mixture, and continue beating until incorporated.

Jumbo Chocolate Cupcakes

Our Basic Cupcake Making Tips

Downsize your favorite cake…

You can turn almost any cake recipe into cupcakes. I recently decided to turn a chocolate cake recipe that was a success into something even more spectacular – cupcakes.  King size cupcakes that is, which in turn equals about 2 ½ regular cupcakes.  Almost any cake recipe can become a cupcake – jumbo, regular, or mini.  Just be sure to keep watch over your oven; baking times vary.  The safest bet is to a keep your eye on them.

What to do after baking…

After baking I am quick to remove my cupcakes from the pan, maybe a bit too quick.  I fear by letting them sit in a hot pan they will “over-bake”.  Once they are out of the oven, I use my offset spatula to pop them right out.  Then I immediately place them on a cooling rack.

I must admit, I am a “last minute” kinda girl and have often been tempted to frost early…this is a no no!  Unless your recipe calls for it, do not try frosting before the cakes are completely cooled – it never ends well, trust me. 

The subject of frosting…

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can frost. A generous amount of frosting is always good, but don’t go overboard.  Frosting tends to be extremely sweet, so a little goes a long way.  Try to create a balance of cake and frosting.

Directly after frosting, I get the cupcakes into the fridge. This helps set the frosting.  Buttercream, in my opinion, tastes best when it’s not too cold.  It can become hard and unappealing if it’s too cold – it is butter, after all.

It is best to keep your cupcakes chilled up until 15-30 minutes before serving.  Letting them come to room temperature will ensure that the frosting tastes its best.

My Food Finds - Unique Cakes, Cupcakes and Cookies

Check out Clever Cupcakes for ideas for your next party.  Or, even better - order some if you are ever in the Montreal area.

Creative Cake Art
You won’t believe these cakes and cake toppers!  Sarah Cowell of Melbourne, Australia is a true cake artist to say the least.  Her ultra-realistic chameleon cake is just one of the many cakes in her portfolio that will have you ogling.

Her cake portfolio includes life-like replicas of her clients, creepy characters, bachelor party cakes and much more.  Check out her incredible cake portfolio.

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Adorable Bridal Shower Cookies
Marian, from Sweetopia, is a master of cookie decorating.  I love the combination of green apples and blushing brides.  The detail in these cookies is incredible; the white line down the apple to accentuate the curve, the jeweled details and disco dust on the brides dress – so perfect! 

Her cookies are little works of art.  View all of her decorated cookies here - the Rainbow Tea Party Cookies are colorful masterpieces as well.

Sweetopia's Green Apple Bridal Shower Cookies

We love Martha Stewart – so of course we are super excited that today is the book launch of Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes!  This paperback which sells on Amazon for $14.99, has “175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat”.   Everyone could use some cupcake inspiration! 

This cookbook contains several recipes for cakes, frostings and fillings, not to mention incredible decorating ideas.  As with all Martha Stewart Books, the photography is stunning.  Each cupcake is accompanied by it’s own photograph. 

From the Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes summary:

“Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes  includes templates and clip art for decorative flourishes, an equipment glossary, and step-by-step instructions for basic and advanced decorating techniques, plus ideas for presenting and packaging the cupcakes in Martha’s trademark style.”   Woo hoo!

Want to get your hands on a copy?  Click here to order yours today!