Giant Sandwich Cookie Pan From Williams Sonoma

I love new kitchen gadgets, so of course I absolutely love these giant sandwich cookie cake pans from Williams Sonoma.   I first discovered these on Baking Bites, a great site BTW.  Yum…a cake that tastes like a creme filled chocolate cookies and looks like one too,  on the recipe hunt now.  I think I know what Jody is getting for her birthday .

French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes

You’ve heard the expression, “everything is better with bacon” – well, who knew that this included cupcakes.  Frankly, I don’t believe I have ever met a person who can resist the magical powers of bacon.  The scent, the flavor, just thinking about bacon makes my mouth water.  It’s funny how bacon plays well with so many other flavors and types of foods. Bacon can instantly take the everyday sandwich or salad to a new level.  Bacon wrapped steak, scallops, chicken livers, or dates…the possibilities seem to be endless.

Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel did a episode on Portland, Oregon.  Voodoo Doughnut was a strange local shop that specialized in unique donuts, one being a maple cream stick with crisp bacon.  This is where the idea of the French Toast and Bacon Cupcake was born.  Savory and sweet work so well together, and since I already drown my bacon in maple syrup, why not?  Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit more vanilla are the key extras in this yellow cake recipe that give it a French Toast feel.  I should note, these cupcakes smell amazing while baking!

I whipped up a Maple Buttercream to frost them with and finished them with the crown jewel…crispy bacon.  For aesthetics I left the bacon in one piece, but would prefer it crumbled for easy eating!  Enjoy!

French Toast Cupcakes

What You’ll Need:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 ½  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• Maple Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
• Crisp Bacon
• Equipment: A six cup jumbo muffin pan or 12 cup regular muffin pan

French Toast and Bacon Cupcake Ingredients

Directions:

1.) Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line the muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

2.) In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.)

3.) Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla, and also set aside.

4.) Add the egg yolks to the creamed butter one at time, waiting for each one to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

5.) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next (scrape the bowl down occasionally). Raise the speed to medium and mix briefly until a smooth batter is formed. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.

6.) Thoroughly clean the bowl of the mixer and put the egg whites inside. Whip the egg whites on high speed, using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks are formed.

7.) Working in 3 batches, using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter, until just incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the cups in the muffin pan. Bake, rotating the pan once, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

8.) Remove the cupcakes  from the oven and cool completely.

Maple Buttercream Frosting
Yield: about 1 2/3 cups, enough for 6 large or 12 regular cupcakes

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

1.) In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

2.) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the heavy cream and maple extract.. Raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Crisp Bacon

Bacon works well for me baked in an oven at 425 degrees on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 12-15 minutes, drain grease, and bake another 5-7 minutes or until crisp.  You can do it in a pan as well.

Finally – Frost the cooled French Toast Cupcakes with the Maple Buttercream Frosting and top with a Crisp piece of Bacon!

Inside of a French Toast and Bacon Cupcake

Afrin Nose Spray Cake

My girlfriend Vicki has a love affair with Afrin Nose Spray, let’s just say they’re stuck like glue.  I thought it would be funny to present her with one giant Afrin shaped cake…for the ultimate relief!  

I used a 9×13 pan to create the body of the Afrin Nose Spray.  After frosting the cake I proceed to cover it in white fondant.  I created the tip of the spay bottle out of the remaining fondant and used a bit of gum paste to detail the rest of the nasal tube. 

With a toothpick I mapped out where I would paint the details on the base if the cake.  I used gel food coloring as paints for the cake  and a bit of shimmer to give it that pearly shimmer!  The cake was hilarious and Vicki loved it!

Yellow Cake

What You’ll Need:

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk

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Bluebird Cupcake

This year while scrolling through Martha Stewart’s website I came across the cutest baby bird cupcakes.  I immediately knew I was going to make this for Easter Sunday.  What better than baby birds in a toasted coconut nest to represent Sping and the Easter holiday. 

I chose a very basic Yellow Cake for the cupcakes and used my favorite Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Martha’s served only for inspiration, the recipe and technique were all mine. 

I used disposable piping bags for the frosting and just cut the tips off at different points in order to get different thicknesses.  The nest was a simple circle of frosting with and extra layer to give it height. 

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Nurse Cake with Gumpaste Stethoscope

This cake was created for a girl who recently passed her nursing exam. I was concerned this cake wouldn’t come out all that well due to the fact it was last minute.  However, I am coming to realize some of my best work is spur of the moment.

This time around  I decided I would try my hand at decorating with gum paste. The nurses cake is decorated with several “nurse related” items.  The stethoscope, pill capsules and bandages are made out of gum paste.  I baked a very basic 1-2-3-4 cake and filled it with apricot.  The frosting, swiss meringue buttercream, is my all time favorite!  All in all I think the results were good!

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Spongebob Cake

This year for my son Alex’s 7th birthday I decided to take on the task of creating a Spongebob Squarepants cake.To Alex the cake is always a very important part of the Birthday process. Weeks before his actual birthday we scan websites on the Internet for different cake ideas. I was truly amazed at the work people were doing from their own home…Bravo! 

After lots of looking, we decided that Spongebob was what we would go with. Who doesn’t love Spongebob?  He’s kind, colorful, and just plain funny. Spongebob started as a 9×13 basic yellow cake in which I shaped in order to give him that special spongy shape.  I chose to fill and cover Spongebob with a simple pineapple cream cheese buttercream due to the fact he lives in a pineapple under the sea.

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Amy's Baby Shower Cake

Early I signed on to handle all things cake related for my friend Amy’s baby shower. I should add I’ve been tooting my own horn amongst my non-baking friends about how good I have become at this whole cake thing. Let’s just say the expectations were a bit high and I have lost a tad bit of sleep over the whole baby shower cake. Prior to this cake, all cakes I have ever baked have been for my immediate family or a single close friend.

This cake was different. Not only did it have to be 2 tiers it also was to be displayed in front of a gathering of women. Oh, and I forgot to mention the cake had to be chocolate…my sworn enemy.

Chocolate cake and I have had a long history of not getting along. I would say a good 80% of the recipes used have come out DRY!  The kind of cake that looks and smells great while baking, but when it comes to eating it is more of a disappointment.

I spent the weeks before the cake scouring the Internet for just the right recipe. There are thousands of recipes to look through so which one would I choose? I look for a couple things: Who’s recipe is it?…Is the recipe overly complicated?…What kind of feedback has the recipe gotten? These three steps generally make my selection process a whole lot easier. Ina Garten otherwise known as “The Barefoot Contessa” is who I borrowed this chocolate cake recipe from….I’m not sure I’ll be giving it back!

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