cakes, cupcakes, and more cupcakes!

So, what started as a birthday cake has snowballed into weekly cupcakes.. or so it would seem!  Last weekend I made the most fabulous chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.  Why were they so fabulous?  Because, dear reader, they were dipped in chocolate at the end making them reminiscent of the best Reese's peanut butter cup EVER!  I won't reinvent the wheel by reposting the entire recipe when it can be found on my favorite blog.  Visit Jenny's blog for the recipe, stay for the company.

If you aren't following this blog, you should be!  She is so inspirational.  Not only for being candid about being a breast cancer survivor, but for her unique view on the challenges so many of us face day-to-day.  She's open about her struggles, doesn't try to be perfect, but does try to learn from them and share with the rest of us so that maybe we can learn a thing or two about ourselves as well.  Reading her blog is like sitting down to coffee with a friend.  You feel at ease immediately.

Ok - a tad off topic but I seriously love her blog.  Back to the cupcakes!  I made 36 of these puppies and they disappeared in a blink.  I am not even the biggest peanut butter fan and I was in love with this buttercream.  I love swiss meringue buttercreams anyway because they are so smooth and less sweet than american buttercream.  If you've never made a swiss meringue buttercream, be advised that it does take a bit more work but the results are delectably worth it!  Let me know if any of you try it!

Blueberry Cupcakes

Apologies for this being late... I saved it as a draft and am just getting back to it....

I can't wait to tell you about these fabulous blueberry cupcakes I took to my friend's house.  His birthday was on January 22 and I was going to his house for dinner.  Knowing he wasn't a baker (to be honest his cooking skills surprised me as well), I asked him what his favorite cake was.  He said he'd been craving blueberry cake with warm cream poured on it.  Well, with that as inspiration I set out to find something that would invoke the essence of that.

First, let me just say that there are not a lot of straight up blueberry cake recipes.  Blueberry muffins, sure.  Blueberry cake... not so much.  I didn't want something as dense as a muffin, I wanted light fluffy cake.  And, although I get that blueberry and lemon pair beautifully, I was very conscientious about making sure the blueberry was the star.  Again, going for berries and cream comfort, not summery blueberry lemonade :)

I ended up deciding on a catering cake recipe I found here. 

As soon as he said blueberries and cream, I knew exactly what frosting recipe I wanted to try.  My friend at work had been telling me about this whipped frosting that started as a roux of milk and flour... that's right folks... I said FLOUR.  That recipe is here.

While on my quest for the perfect blueberry cake, I did come across this blueberry jam recipe to use as a filling.  I couldn't resist :)


Now, I am a gild the lily kind of a person... so I also made some sugared blueberries and candied meyer lemon peel for the garnish.  If you've never done this (I hadn't), just google it - it's super easy.

Sugaring the blueberries involved dipping in a beaten egg white and then rolling around in granulated sugar.  See - not that tough...

The candied peel took a little more effort but was totally worth it.  You basically boil them in a cup of water until soft and then you pull them out and add a cup of sugar.  You bring that to a boil and then add the peel, simmer until translucent.  Strain the peel, reserving the syrup for yummy things like iced tea, and let sit and dry out for a few hours (I twisted mine).  The last step is to roll in some granulated sugar which keeps them from sticking to each other or anything else.  Careful, if you have a lemon fetish like me you might not have any left for garnish!  I could NOT stop eating them!  Pics eventually but for now at least I got the hard bit down and out :)

German Chocolate week

So, this is, apparently, German chocolate week.  Sometime last week I got a Paula Deen article that included a twist on the traditional German Chocolate cake.  It had a buttermilk based chocolate cake, a cream based custard coconut pecan filling, and chocolate ganache.  Last Friday, I got hit up by my sis to make her Dad's b'day cake.  When I heard his fave was German Chocolate, well, ya know.....

I think it turned out to be a passable option.  However, I found it so rich and dense that I couldn't eat very much of it.  Very sweet.  I did really enjoy the chocolate frosting boost from the ganache though.

So, although it wasn't 'bad', it wasn't going to make the keeper file (Sorry Paula!  You know I love ya girl!)  Fast forward to this work's potluck.  What a perfect opportunity for a German Chocolate remake. 

I will start by saying that due to time constraints I went to the box for the cake.  Figured easier and quicker for week night baking and of the pieces I wanted to revamp, the frostings were higher on the list. 

Thus began the internet search for the perfect coconut pecan frosting/german chocolate cake recipe.

This first link get's honorable mention for having an amazing host of yummy cupcakes and ideas.  The Cupcake Project has a great post on German Chocolate cupcakes and although the presentation wasn't my fave, it does include history of the cake (which is because of the chocolate, not the country of origin). 


For my cake, these are the winners!  I'll post later and let you know how it went over with the guinea pigs/coworkers :)

This chocolate cream cheese buttercream won because I thought the tangy-ness of the cream cheese would cut the sweetness of the coconut pecan frosting.  So without further ado - THE Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream (and decoration inspiration) I went with.


The Coconut Pecan Frosting I used was a Martha Stewart recipe.  I have to say - this had the best caramel smell as it was cooking.  Just heavenly!

Inspiration

Not sure exactly if anyone really reads this but me but lately the blog I adore is Jenny's.  Today's message is more sobering but struck very true to heart on several levels. 

http://www.jennymeyerson.com/uncategorized/project-health-and-a-sobering-reality/#comment-1865

I, thankfully, haven't had to face a serious illness like cancer but I can relate to her on so many other levels.  I have been calling 2012 my year.  I've been actively reaching for my goals instead of passively hoping they come my way.  When I first came across Jenny's blog, I was struck by her zest for life and her list of to-do's.  I've stuck around for her sense of humor in life, wise words, and cupcakes/general craftiness :)

Today's post dealt with weight loss/health which is one of my goals I'm realizing this year.  But it also dealt with the side issue of how quickly a critical word can cut you down.  She speaks of this one negative comment and how that affected her whole day and spilled over to her family.  As a mom, how often have I had that happen.  Where one thing snowballs and the people who suffer are the people around you.  I think what she's provided was a moment of grace and humility that would be hard for many of us to achieve.  My friends will tell you that I often give the advice that you can't always control a situation or another person, you can only control yourself and how you react.  She echoes this sentiment in her post and it clearly influenced her response.  This is a good lesson for today.

Long time no see!

Hi Everyone -

I've been out of it a bit... So much going on to blog about and so little time.


The summary since we last spoke:
Moved from Orlando, FL to Olathe, KS
Went from working at Apple to working for AMC Theatres!

Obviously there is more to those 2 statements than meets the eye but both changes thus far have been very positive. 

More later....

All Things Paper - Klutz Paper Flowers Book

Found this during my blog stalking.... looks like it would be more exposure to paper flowers and a great summer project for my daughter and me.  They're giving away 2 books here

Fly By Night

A followup to my previously rambling post.

I was listening to the radio when Fly By Night by Rush came on... now I've loved Rush for a minute as a kid that was the type of music my mom was listening to and so it's definitely 'comfort music' for me now.  Music has always had a calming affect on my world.  It's funny how your brain picks out lyrics that match your state of mind.  Good or bad most people naturally gravitate toward the 'mood music' that represents them at a particular place/time.  And, as we all know, music can transport us.  When I hear the Eagles greatest hits I am instantly transported back to a road trip I had years ago!

As usual, I digress.....

The point to today's post was that when I heard this song I had to look up the lyrics because they seemed to exactly capture my pensive chaotic thoughts. 

"Fly By Night"

Why try? I know why
The feeling inside me says it's time I was gone
Clear head, new life ahead
It's time I was king now -- not just one more pawn

[Chorus:]
Fly by night, away from here
Change my life again
Fly by night, goodbye my dear
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend

Moon rise, thoughtful eyes
Staring back at me from the window beside
No fright or hindsight
Leaving behind that empty feeling inside

[Chorus]

Start a new chapter
Find what I'm after
It's changing every day
The change of a season
Is enough of a reason
To want to get away
Quiet and pensive
My thoughts apprehensive
The hours drift away
Leaving my homeland
Playing a lone hand
My life begins today

[Chorus]

I still don't know if I'm staying or going but I know change is coming.  The one thing I know is that when something isn't working you need to find what's broken and try to fix it.  You might not be able to but sitting in place spinning your wheels doesn't get you anywhere.