Cherry & Almonds

Almond extract, in my opininon is one of the more stronger flavorings, but I happen to love it!  So much so, I re-created this recipe for Cherry-Almond cupcakes.  This is an almond-vanilla flavored cupcake with cherry (maraschino) and almond buttercream frosting topped with a maraschino cherry.  Yum!

'Tis The Season!

(Singing) "It's Christ-maaas, all over the world"...the New Edition version (my era, sorry! :-).  What better way to continue the 'eat sweets for the holidays' (in moderation that is) tradition than to savor a vanilla cupcake with peppermint frosting topped with crushed peppermint candy.  Doesn't that red swirl just scream Candy Cane?!  Yup, it's the Holiday Season alright!

Vanilla cupcake with peppermint frosting topped with crushed peppermint candy

Holiday Tree Lighting Event

This past weekend I had a large order for a Christmas tree lighting event.  The three cupcake flavors I made were vanilla w/peppermint buttercream frosting, red velvet (RV) and devil's food chocolate (DFC) w/cream cheese frosting and before I go any further I have a disclaimer: Vanilla cupakes are not the easiest cupcake to make contrary to the thought that they are (in fact hard-as-heck in terms of getting the perfect fluffly & light cupcake).  I feel like my RV & DFC I have down packed, but those vanilla's can be a bear.  WELL! I think I've found what works and garners the best results.  This time I switched up my mixing methods (did away with the creaming method for this flavor) and I was sa-tis-fied!!  Yay to me for conquering such a feat..lol  So moving on, each cupcake was placed in an individual cupcake box which was wrapped in a gold or crimson bow.  Oh yeah, I labeled each box with a Christmas tag indicating the flavor of the cupcake.  I love these type of projects!

Cotton Candy Mania!

Thanks again to my invent-a-flavor game, a friend of mine suggested I try cotton candy cupcakes!  Not that it hasn't been done before (you'll be hard-pressed to find a cupcake flavor that has yet to be discovered, BUT, if you do, let me know and I'll try it), it's just that I had never tried it.  The end result was what you would expect...Cotton Candy Goodness (if you're a cotton candy fan)!  The cupcake and frosting are both filled with cotton candy, so you won't miss that sugary taste!

Mini Sweet Potato Pie Treats!

When I saw these mini sweet potato pies, courtesy of http://www.bakerella.com/, I knew I had to experiment, but I also knew I had to switch it up a little.  Bakerella uses pumpkin filling for her pies and since I'm no fan of pumpkin pies and a HUGE fan of sweet potato pies, I deided to use sweet potato filling instead and Viola!  Even though it would seem like these pies would be best suited for the holiday season, these tasty mini treats can be enjoyed all year-round!  Read on for the recipe and instructions and I hope you enjoy them as much I do!

Pie Crust

~ 4 cups all purpose flour

~ 1 3/4 cups butter flavored Crisco shortening

~ 3 Tbsp granulated sugar

~ 2 tsp kosher salt

~ 1 egg

~ 1/2 cup ice water

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2) In a bowl add the flour and cut in the Crisco, until it resembles bread crumbs.

3) Stir in the sugar & the salt.

4) Mix the egg up inside the ice cold water. Pour into the crust mixture and stir until combined.

5) Turn the crust mixture out onto a flour surface and gather it into a large ball. You may need to kneed it lightly just to get all of the dry crumbs to incorporate into a ball.

6) Divide the ball into  two pieces. (Store the other ball in the refrigerator and use it for another yummy  pie in the future!)

7) Roll the dough out about 1/4 inch thick and using a flower cookie cutter, cut shapes from each pie crust.  Be sure to roll out dough a little thin  (view link here to see an example of the flower cookie cutter)http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM5233581401P 

8) Press dough shapes into a 24-cup mini muffin tray.  Apply egg whites (brush on) to the tops of the crust to get a shiny crust look.

9) Refrigerate until ready to use.

* In place of homemade crust and as a time saver, try refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts (Pillsbury Dough)

Pie filling 

~ 2 cups sweet potatoes (2 medium sweet potatoes usually does it. I always have a bit extra left)
~ 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
~ 1/2 cup white sugar
~ 1/2 cup brown sugar
~ 1/2 cup evaporated milk
~ 2 eggs
~ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
~ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
~ 1/4 teaspoons ginger
~ 1 Tablespoon flour
~ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and fill with water just until it covers them. Bring to a boil and boil for 45 -50 minutes or until they are  fork tender.

2) When done, let cool and then remove the skin. It should peel off very easily.

3) Place peeled sweet potatoes in bowl and break it up with a fork.

4) Use a mixer to mix the sweet potatoes until smooth and creamy.

5) Add in butter and mix to combine.

6) Add in sugars, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and flour. Beat until mixture is smooth. It may be a lil speckled, don’t worry it won’t be that way when it’s done.
7) Pour into prepared pie crust and back for 40-45 minutes. (don’t be alarmed if the pie puffs up while cooking. It will sink down)  Let cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then let chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to fully set.

The recipe used will yield approx. 96 mini sweet potato pies...A LOT!  To reduce the number of pies by half, halve the dough and pie filling ingredients.  If you use the refrigerated crust, you will only need one box. Enjoy!

* Recipe adapted from www.divascancook.com

The "Simply Strawberry" - Revisited

By far, one of That's So Morie Cupcakes' most requested flavors is the "Simply Strawberry"!  Maybe it's the fresh strawberries...perhaps the cream cheese crosting...or it could be the strawberry sauce.  Personally, I think it's a combination of all of the above, but you'll have to taste it to decide for yourself!

Strawberry cupcake made with fresh strawberries, topped with cream cheese frosting, drizzled with strawberry sauce, and topped off with a strawberry - Very Good!



Trying Different Flavors - "Peaches-n-'Roc"

 

A little while back, I asked for help in inventing a flavor. A friend by the name of Lisa D. had an idea for a peach cupcake w/cream cheese frosting topped w/pecans. Thanks to her awesome suggestion, That's So Morie Cupcakes now has the "Peaches-n-'Roc". Aptly named because the peaches are marinated in Peach Ciroc! Enjoy!



Pecans are roasted and dipped in a brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk coating...Yummm!

  

Can you see the peaches...?



...wait, is this better?...can you see them now?...peaches, peaches everywhere!!



CALLING ALL TARHEEL FANS...TARHEEL NATION IS IN EFFECT!!

College basketball season is not far away, and in light of the ongoing NBA lockout (who knows when we'll be able to see Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls work his magic again), basketball fans still have college basketball to look forward to, which, if you really think about it is more exciting than pro-basketball anyway (that league doesn't get excited until playoffs...aren't I telling the truth)...Anywho, for all of the Tarheel fans out there (I'm a Maryland Terps fan by the way), these little mini cakes are for you.  It's simply a yellow cupcake decorated with tinted buttercream...Enjoy! 

I love all colors! No discrimination here!

'Pink & Green' is the flavor for the day!  Yellow

cupcakes with buttercream frosting tinted lime green and pink

Cookies & Thangs

M&M Goodness!!  Lots of M&M's throughout these cookies

Fall is Here!

 These are my 'Cinna-Ma-Yum' cupcakes!  A cinnamon mixture is swirled throughout a vanilla cupcake with brown sugar cream cheese frosting topped with sifted cinnamon.  Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk (and weird as it may sound, I prefer ice in mine)!

My 'Peanut Butter & Jelky's'!  Ok. So I loooooove peanut and jelly sandwiches...I mean I have at least two (or three) a week and they must be served cold AND on wheat bread, but I'm not picky or anything when it comes to them...ah, yeah right! 

Now how this name was coined has to do with my childhood. When I was a kid, I could not pronounce double L's to save my soul (or so I was told).  I pronounced a cousin's name Kelky (Kelly) and jelly of course turned into (jelky).  So there we have it--Peanut Butter & Jelky!  These are yellow cupcakes filled with strawberry preserves topped with peanut butter buttercream frosting and a heaping dollop of strawberry jam. 

Flower Power

These are my "Flower Power" cupcakes. Yellow cupcake with buttercream frosting (tinted)...Yummy!

Basketball Lovers

Calling all B-ball lovers! Perfect for a kid boy's birthday party, little/big league basketball team, or if you're just a b-ball fan, these cupcakes will serve as the perfect compliment to the perfect game. Enjoy!

Strawberry & Cherry Cheesecake Cupcake

Cheesecake aaaand a Cupcake?! Brilliant combination! Graham cracker crust at the bottom of a strawberry and cherry cupcake infused with cheesecake and topped with a strawberry or cherry glaze. DE-LI-CIOUS!

Mojito Specials

Taking it back to the MIA with this one--I present to you my "Mojito Specials"! Yellow buttermilk cupcake with rum and lime zest with a rum glaze spread over the cupake (and it's NOT used sparingly). The frosting is a lime and mint buttercream with a splash of rum (Rum is all throughout these badboys) I dare you...have a Mojito Special!

My Gift to You

The bow on top gives the cupcake a little something extra for the look and the taste. The cupcake is strawberry with chocolate ganache (think chocolate covered strawberry's...yummm!) and the bow is made out of white chocolate. "My Gift to You"! Delish...Enjoy!

Baby Shower

These are my first babyshower cupcakes made for a friend. Since I try to stay away from fondant (so far anyway---due to the taste), I wanted to stick with buttercream for the design. For the next time, I think I'll try royal icing...that will probably give more of a sheen and be a little more forgiving than the buttercream. However, changing the consistency of the buttercream will probably work just fine as well--so many decisions! Moving on, the cupcakes are yellow with lemon zest and the frosting is a lemon glaze with tangy lemon buttercream for the letters & numbers.

Dora Birthday Party

These are my first attempt at Dora Princess cupcakes. One of my best friends' neice had a Dora themed party for her 3rd birthday and she gave me free reign to concoct my own cupcake and this was the result! It's a basic yellow cupcake with vanilla buttercream (tinted pink). The princess hat is made out of a mini ice cream cone and it is covered with melted buttercream and adorned with 'edible' crystals. The long bow off of the hat is a grape fruit roll-up, but I will be using taffy on the next go 'round. Finally, the frosting on the cupcake is decorated with multi-colored 'edible' confetti. The look will improve, but they tasted really good!

The Usual Too

These cupcakes were made for a baby shower and the reception went over very well! "The Usual Too" cupcakes are rich devil's food chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and of course you're familiar with the "Simply Strawberry's". If not, see previous post.

Simply Strawberry

My absolute favorite! I love, love, love these cupcakes and trust me--you will too! Strawberry Cupcakes (fresh strawberries might I add) with Cream Cheese Frosting; drizzled with strawberry sauce and topped off with a strawberry. You will LOVE these!

The Usual

It's nothing like a yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting... A lot of times, "The Usual" can be good...just like the taste of these cupcakes!

All Red Everything

"ALL RED EVERYTHING"! Red velvet cupcake with red cream cheese frosting (sprinkled cake crumbs)...and lets not forget my signature bows around the cupcake...in RED!

Love on Top

Thanks to one of my Bestie's KB (or her alias Keyonce'), I call these my "Love on Top" cupcakes. They're red velvet flavored cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and cake crumb sprinkled on top. If you like red velvet cupcakes, you'll love these!...Enjoy!