Good Luck Steph!

My roommate Stephanie just took an awesome job opportunity and is moving out. She flew out to start apartment hunting and her first few weeks so I made these apple spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting before she left. I wanted them to be princess like, as she likes the Disney Princesses.

Andrea says they look like a gospel choir.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Sugar Pearls

Strawberry Cheesecakes for the Spring Semester

Happy Wednesday- I made these cheesecakes for the first day back to school last week. Graham cracker and chocolate chip crust with a pureed strawberry sauce and strawberry slice.

^This ones for Mark. He appreciates the process photos. :)

Zebra cheesecake on my newest cupcake plate (I'll take a photo of it another time.)

Saturday in NYC

Saturday I headed to NYC to tour and interview at The Institute of Culinary Education. I'm so excited now to move this summer. The tour was great and my parents and Mike were able to come along for the experience. We were pretty hungry afterwards though- it was the most aromatic tour I've ever been on..

Dolce de Leche Cupcake from Big Booty Bread Co.

We found it! Actually stumbled upon on our way back to our parking garage. It's right down the street from ICE so I know we'll become great friends :)

Before we found BBBCo. we went on a mission to Magnolia's Bakery.

Dad with a Peanut Butter Blondie with Toffee bits.

Hummingbird- Banana Cake with Cream cheese frosting and pecans

Amazing, amazing cupcakes. I appreciate moist cake like no other, and after a few dry cake experiences earlier in the week, this was heavenly.

Pirate Pride

I made these vegan chocolate orange cupcakes for some family friends. It was their daughters first time cheering at a home basketball game so I decided to make up these "Pirate Pride" cakes. Our school colors are orange and black, so no, it's not Halloween in January. I was really excited to use the sugar pearls my mom just sent from Bake it Pretty too!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Pillsbury Cream Cheese Frosting with a hint of orange

Caking

Caley and I met up at Mike's Pastry yesterday for some sweets. I've never had a cupcake there! I ordered the golden cupcake with gobs of chocolate frosting. I don't think it was fresh from that morning and was a little dry. The frosting was fudge sticky and yummy though.

I went over to Sweet afterwards. I've been curious about their cupcakes since they opened another location in Harvard Square. I got a Madagascar vanilla bean cake with chocolate buttercream and the Organice Karat, carrot cake with pineapple and cream cheese frosting.

I'm heading to NYC this weekend to tour the Institute of Culinary Education. They'll be more bakery trips to post on Monday. Happy Thursday!

Spike, the world's best most awesome cake ever

"Spike", the Chocolate Fudge Funfetti Cake!

I visited the Adams this weekend! We baked a Funfetti cake, and while I went to watch Katrina's basketball game, the other girls decorated it with chocolate fudge frosting and rainbow sprinkles. (And Katrina won!) It was super yummy. Nice and chocolatey, just the way we love it!

Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix

Shaw's Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Z's 22nd Bicycle Birthday

My first cake of the year coincided with Z's 22nd birthday. He just painted his bike brown this winter, so I decided to add chocolate bicycles to a two-tiered Southern Comfort cake.

Southern Comfort Cake

Recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, diced
• 1 cup milk
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup Southern Comfort

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 9x13 inch cake pan.

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well blended. Add vanilla extract

3. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix

4. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk until well blended. Mix in Southern Comfort.

5. Pour into 9x13 inch cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Southern Comfort Buttercream

Recipe:

6 tablespoons butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup Southern Comfort

2-5 tbsp milk

1. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

2. Add vanilla extract and half of the Southern Comfort. Mix until blended.

3. Add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix until blended smooth.

4. Add rest of Southern Comfort. Frosting may become dry and thick. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Peanut Butter Raisin

My brother gave me the "Cookie Bible" for my birthday last year. I made the crunchy peanut butter cookie recipe in it and added some raisins for good fun.

Crunchy Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature, diced

3/4 cup firmly packed soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup raisins

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. In another bowl, mix egg and vanilla, gradually beat into butter mixture

3. Stir in peanut butter and blend thoroughly. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into mixture to form soft dough. Fold in raisins. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes until firm.

4. Preheat oven to 350F/Gas 4. lightly grease two baking sheets.

5. Spoon out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll into balls.

6. Place balls on baking sheets and press flat with a fork, into rounds about 2 in in diameter. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly colored.

A New Year, A New Pancake

Happy New Year! 2010 was brought in with some pumpkin spice pancakes with chocolate chips.

I'm going to try to include recipes with all my posts this year. Some will be links if the recipe isn't my own.

Pancake recipe

Extra touch:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 tsp cinnamon