Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you are having a super fantastic day!! This is a crazy busy week for our family, it seems like I am running all over town playing chauffeur for the kids – even more than usual!

I found the time to make some super delicious, made with love cupcakes for some special ladies over the weekend. I made a batch for my younger sister’s baby shower on the weekend. These delicious little nibbles were chocolate cupcakes from this recipe, topped with chocolate fudge sauce and vanilla buttercream.

I also made these yummy desserts for a friend’s bridal shower at work this week. These are chocolate cupcakes (again from this recipe), filled with Jello Cheesecake Pudding and topped with vanilla buttercream. I have been asked time and again for my icing recipe, and since it certainly isn’t a trade secret, I thought I may as well share it here for all of you!

I have been making this very basic vanilla buttercream recipe for years. I am not sure where it originally came from, because I don’t need the recipe anymore, it’s stored in my head!

No cupcake is complete without a fancy swirl of icing on top, am I right? The swirl which looks so fancy and difficult is actually really really really easy! I use a 16” featherweight Wilton icing bag (though a smaller one would be fine, I just tend to bake in BIG batches, so I need a BIG bag to hold the icing) and a Wilton 1M icing tip. To make the swirl stand nice and tall, pipe a little wee star in the middle of the cupcake, then pipe in a circle around and over the star. That’s it! See? I told you it was easy!!

This icing recipe will cover 24 regular cupcakes, fancy swirl included!

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature (don’t take it out of the fridge and thaw in the microwave, it never turns out right… just leave it on the counter until it’s nice and soft)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (yes, one tablespoon!)
4 cups icing sugar
2-4 tablespoons of milk, a splash at a time

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix another 20 seconds until well combined. Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, beating between each addition.

When all four cups of icing sugar have been added, leave the mixer a-mixing for another minute or so, you’ll find it will come together a bit more. At this point, add milk, one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency for your icing. I like my piping icing to hold up, and be sort of the consistency of room temperature butter. If I was using the icing to frost a cake, I would add a bit more milk to thin it out.

Assemble your icing bag, with the coupler and the tip, fill the bag, and get piping!! If you are new to piping icing, lay some wax paper on the counter and practice! Anything you pipe you can throw back into the bag and use again. This icing also colors well. My favourite icing colors are made by Duff. You can also freeze this icing if you make a huge batch and have leftovers. Just put the icing into an airtight container and use it the next time you are baking.



Linking to Joyful Homemaking, Not Just a Housewife and A Bowl Full of Lemons.

LalaLoopsy Birthday Party!

Can you believe it? My little baby bean turned four this week! When asked what theme she would like for her party, she picked her favourite toy of the minute – Lalaloopsy dolls! Over the past year my girls have amassed a fairly large collection of these adorable dollies.

For those of you outside the little girl loop, these super cute dolls is created with a fictional theme, reflecting the day she is born, the fabric she is sewn from, and her pet. 

Google was my friend when designing Miss E's birthday party invitations.  I found a Lalaloopsy image and put the party details into a text box.  I printed out the invite, used double sided tape to attach the invite to cardstock and then glued on some buttons to liven them up a little.

After scouring Pinterest for some ideas, I got straight to work! I used dessert plates, black cardstock and a circle punch and created buttons. I tied them together into a row and used them as the backdrop for the party. 

I created Happy Birthday Eila labels for the water bottles and juice containers, to add a little cute factor to the food and drink table.  We went simple with the food, just fruits, veggies and the kids favorites - cheetos and popcorn twists!

The first day we started planning the party, Miss E picked out her cake. It was super easy to put together. We made this chocolate cake and made marshmallow fondant. I ordered a button candy mold to make the decorative buttons on the sides, and popped a few Mini Lalaloopsies on top of the cake.

I used a button lollipop mold to make these yummy bites for the kids to take home after the party.

A quick and easy Happy Birthday bunting came together with Valentine hearts and printed letters, and printed out pictures of the Lalaloopsy dolls taped to some craft twine became our party decorations.

Check out this cutie playing a fun game of pin the crown on Jewel Sparkles.

 Since the Lalaloopsy dolls slogan is “Sew Magical” I created a gift tag to put on the outside of the goody bags thanking Miss E’s friends “SEW” much for coming to her party. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the goody bags.  They were pretty easy to put together.  Candy, candy and more candy filled the bags!!

The kids played games, and did crafts, and had a LOT of sugar and a great time! It looks like this sweet little girl had a really great party!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by to read today. 

I am linking to some of these fun linking parties:

I'm An Organizing Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons , Delightful Order , and Joyful Homemaking

Menu Plan Monday - Feb 18, 2013

Hello world! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! The girls were invited to a birthday party at Build A Bear! I think they had more fun than the birthday girl! We also had a big family dinner to celebrate my brother and my sister’s birthdays.

I made some delectable double chocolate cupcakes and we all crashed from the sugar high early!

We have a crazy crazy crazy week ahead of us this week! Our little bean is turning F-O-U-R! I can’t even believe it. Remember last year, when I started this little blog? The bean turned three what seems like yesterday, and the year has just flown by!

Miss E picked a LalaLoopsy theme for her party this year, so this week I’ll be making crafts with buttons, cookies in the shape of buttons and a cake with LalaLoopsy dolls! I’ll post the goodies next week; it will be so much fun!

On the menu this week:
Monday: Chicken Macaroni Bake 
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Breast, potatoes and veggies
Wednesday: Lasagne Wednesday

Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie from the Freezer
Friday: Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Dinner out
Sunday: Family BBQ dinner for Miss E’s birthday!

Thanks for swinging by for a read today!  I'm so happy you stopped by :)
I’ll be linking my menu plan up to OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday – check it out!!

Caramel Apple Spiced Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

Aaahhh.. The Quest continues! 

I decided earlier this year to embark on the Quest for the Perfect Cupcake. It has been a great adventure, with some classic cupcakes (Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting), some strange (Dr. Pepper) and some perfectly perfect (Peanut Butter Cupcakes and Turtle Cupcakes). I also tested out Pink Lemonade Cupcakes and Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting.

When I first put the quest out there I asked for some suggestions. Apple cupcakes were on the request list - and with autumn upon us, Caramel Apple Spiced Cupcakes were definitely on the menu.
I found the basis for this cupcake on Pinterest. It was set up as a cake, but turning the recipe into cupcakes was an easy fix.

I know that I really should have made my own caramel for this recipe, and in the future I probably will (using the recipe from my Turtle Cupcakes) but I just did not have time this weekend. Store bought (gasp!) caramel ice cream topping to the rescue!

Caramel Apple Spiced Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream and Toffee Bits
Adapted from The Great Cake Company
Makes 48 regular cupcakes
Caramel Apple Spiced Cupcakes

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice (I use this one)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups applesauce
Caramel Dessert Topping
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line your cupcakes tins for 48 cupcakes. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and apple pie spice into a large bowl.
In your mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl, alternating with the applesauce, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix all ingredients until well combined.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about ten minutes. 

Spoon about 1 tsp of caramel topping onto each cupcake. Spread around using the back of a spoon. Leave the caramel topped cupcakes to cool completely while you make the icing.
Caramel Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
8 cups icing sugar (I know, it sounds like a lot, but it's for 48 cupcakes!!)
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup caramel dessert topping
Skor bits, for decoration
Cream the butter until creamy add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add icing sugar one cup at a time. The mixture will be dry, so add milk 1 tbsp at a time until icing smooths out. Add the caramel dessert topping and mix until well combined.

Using a Wilton 1M tip, swirl icing onto the top of each caramel topped cupcake. Sprinkle the iced cupcakes with Skor bits.

I brought these cupcakes in to work and they were gone!! If you make them, let me know how they turn out!!

Miss A's Birthday Party Extravaganza!

Two weeks ago, my firstborn little princess turned six! To go along with a sixth birthday, all little girls need a party!

 

Miss A requested a Hello Kitty Cupcake Decorating Party. And that’s what Mama gave her!

Inspired by Pinterest we made a backdrop out of crepe paper and plastic table cloths to hang behind our fantastic cupcake and candy buffet.

Instead of goody bags, each little girl got to pick their own apron and bring it home after the party.

We decorated boxes to bring cupcakes home.

We made five colors of icing to top our cupcakes.

We had twelve kinds of candy and sprinkles to top our icing.

We played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty.

don't mind the blue teeth- the girls raided the candy buffet and had Ring Pops!

There were presents!

We had CAKE!

It was a wonderful day filled with amazing family and friends and it was a day Miss A will never forget! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

Each month in my office we do a “birthday celebration” and a cake, cupcakes or some other treat is brought in (sometimes homemade, sometimes store-bought, all depends whose turn it is that month for planning the party). With our summer staff leaving at the end of August, my name mysteriously was added to the planning list for August!

Along with my name on the list came the request for my chocolate peanut butter cake. I made this earlier this year and it was absolutely devoured by everyone in the office.

As you may know, starting in April, I began the Quest for the Perfect Cupcake. So far I have made Dr Pepper Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, Turtle Cupcakes – my personal favourite, Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream, and Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.

Recipe

So far, the Turtle Cupcake is as close to perfection as I can imagine, with salty and sweet melted into ooooey goooey perfection. But you never know if you have had the best until you try the rest! So, time to make my famous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup cake into cupcakes for my friends to rate and decide how they fare on my quest!

Notice that there are a LOT more wrappers than peanut butter cups....
had to taste test, you know, for "quality control"

The best part of these cupcakes is the slightly melty Reese Peanut Butter Cup baked into the middle of the cupcake. When you bite into the cupcake it’s like an extra burst of deliciousness to bring it all together. Topped with fluffy peanut butter frosting and chopped Reese Peanut Butter Cups, and paired with a BIG glass of milk, they are absolutely heavenly!
This recipe made 24 regular and 24 mini cupcakes. You could scale it back to make fewer, or just enjoy the fact that this recipe will make you the most popular girl on the block, in your office and in your entire family!

Melt in your Mouth, Eat Them with a Glass of Milk, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

Recipe adapted from here 

Ingredients
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
10 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cold water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
24 – 36 Reese Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cupcake pans with paper liners. This recipe made 24 regular and 24 mini cupcakes.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix well with a fork, then stir in oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. When dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened, pour in cold water and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared cupcake liners, filled no more than 2/3 full.

Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and place one unwrapped Reese Peanut Butter Cup Miniature top down into the batter. Put the cupcakes back into the oven for another 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the edge of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
**I didn’t put any Reese cups into the mini cupcakes. I didn’t think there would be room, and at the end of it all, once they were iced, they didn’t need the extra peanut butter.
Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting 
Recipe adapted from here 

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
2.5 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons milk, or as needed
6 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

I'm sure you could pipe this icing with your favorite icing tip, but I started baking late and by the time it came to ice the cupcakes, I used my mini cookie scoop to plop the icing on and just spread it around a little.  Then, sprinkle with chopped Reese Peanut Butter Cups, and serve!