Red Velvet Cake Pops

Update: Second attempt at cake pops was much more successful and pretty!

The cupcake trend is over, at least in New York, which is really what counts.   I would venture to say the whole cupcake trend really got started back in 2000ish when Carrie and Miranda enjoyed Magnolia cupcakes on Sex and the City.  Once Magnolia hit it big, cupcake shops were popping up everywhere.  They’ve had a good run.  And, don’t get me wrong, I still love a good cupcake and will continue to bake them from time to time; however, I am glad to throw some different celebratory treats into the rotation.

On that note, a coworker recently mentioned making cake pops.  The only time I’ve had cake pops was in the form of insane deliciousness at Townhouse.  Those are cheesecake and the presentation is something to talk about in and of itself.  

Mine weren’t as divine as David Burkes, but then again this is an amateur venture. 

The recipes I found when googling “cake pops” basically involved crumbling cake mix, adding canned frosting to form balls, and then covering them with some sort of candy coating.  While I may not be David Burke, I also refuse to be Sandra Lee so I wasn’t about to use a cake mix and canned frosting.    Because the pops would be for Emily’s birthday (she turned 29 again, as I will in a few months!) I went with her favorite cake combination and combined red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate candy coating.  I have to say, these were rather party-perfect in their miniature size. 

The best part is these can be done in any combination of cake and frosting flavors you can imagine - vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, lemon/vanilla, red velvet/cream cheese, cheesecake, chocolate/mocha, chocolate/peanut butter.  Coat in candy shell (better than chocolate because it hardens at room temperature and doesn’t melt) and decorate as desired.  Trust me you will impress people, and as I continue to say, that is really what it’s all about.

Happy Popping! 

Confetti Cupcakes

I grew up on Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix.  While I am certainly not a fan of cake mixes these days, I do admit that there is a tendency for cakes from a mix to come out perfectly moist, whereas cakes from scratch are much harder to get just right.  I am always searching for a great cake recipe… nothing fancy, but one where I control the ingredients (I’d prefer to avoid Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, and yellow food dye).  Not surprisingly, I found my new go-to on Smitten Kitchen.  Described as the Best Yellow Cake, it really is easy, moist and delicious. 

This time, I decided to get a little crazy.  A friend just mentioned that she had homemade Funfetti cake for her birthday and I thought Clare’s birthday would be the perfect occasion to add a little pizazz to the plain yellow cake.  Funfetti is actually a Pillsbury cake mix, but I figured all I needed to make my own confetti cake was some rainbow sprinkles.  As they dissolve in the batter of a simple yellow cake they form colorful, confetti-like spots.  The results were yummy and adorable…

Happy Caking!

Lemon Kissed Cupcake Tarts

So, I’m not a very good blogger. I haven’t been cooking much lately, and I tend to question what meals are truly blog worthy. But, today I finally whipped up a dessert creation I’m calling “lemon kissed cupcake tarts.” When I made the fragrant yellow cake in March I had some leftovers. I tried to make thin layers but the first attempt came out way too thin so I froze them and started from scratch. Today I took the frozen layers out of the freezer, cut them in tiny circles, and frosted them with lemon frosting. Yum.

Happy leftover-ing!

Yellow Cake with Meringue Buttercream Frosting

I feel like I’ve been on a never ending search for the perfect cake recipe. I even attended a class at the Institute of Culinary Education about Making and Decorating the Perfect Birthday Cake. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the recipe - it seemed a bit heavy. Recently, in my search for a cake, Kritsa (Krit’s sister) shared the following recipe with me. I have found that cakes made with oil, instead of butter, tend to be more moist, so this cake worked in that sense, and also included wine which was a surprisingly delicious addition.

To complement the cake, I used a strawberry filling and a meringue buttercream. I think it would also work well with a simple whipped cream frosting.

Happy baking!

Fragrant Yellow Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup dry, fragrant white wine
• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and beat for about 1 minute. Then pour mixture into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 30 minutes (until cake pulls away from the sides).

Strawberry Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strawberries – fresh or frozen, halved
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup of water
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Ingredients listed are approximate. Add ingredients at your discretion and to your taste. Lemon juice, rind, additional sugar, honey etc may all be added as needed.

Directions:
Add all ingredients together over low heat and mix until sauce begins to thicken. Mash strawberries or use an immersion blender to smooth out sauce.

Meringue Buttercream

*recipe from the Institute of Culinary Education

Ingredients:

• ½ cup egg white (about 4 large eggs)
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 3 sticks softened unsalted butter
• 1 tbls. vanilla

Directions:
Place egg whites, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk gently and constantly until egg whites are hot and sugar is dissolved (about 140 degrees or too hot to put your finger in for 5 seconds). This will take about 3-4 minutes.

Take the bowl off the heat and whip the meringue by machine using a whisk attachment, until thick and cooled, about 5-10 minutes. (**Be patient! It is very important that the mixture is cool to the touch so that the butter you add in next does not melt). Switch to the paddle attachment and beat in the butter until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable. (**If it becomes a funny texture at some point during the process be persistent and keep mixing until it becomes smooth).



Use the buttercream immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature and beat smooth by machine. Just before using the buttercream add in flavoring. Beat in the vanilla and continue beating until smooth.

(For a different flavor, you can substitute 2-3 tbls. of lemon juice, 3 tbls instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbls of water, or 2-3 tbls liqueur etc. for the vanilla).

Enjoy!!!