2012 is Here--Happy New Year

Happy New Year folks!  I take it everyone has set their resolutions and goals?  Great!  Let's see them through to fruition.  I have lots going on in 2012, but I won't bore with my stuff...on with the description of the chocolate delights below:

I call this my "Mocha-Choca"!  Anyone who really knows me, is privy to the fact that I DO NOT...I repeat DO NOT like coffee, latte's, mochacchinos, or anything coffee related...I'm a 'hot tea with lemon & honey" type of girl (and hot chocolate on occasion).  WELL!  Contradictions abound, I love the taste of these bad boys and the frosting has coffee in it.  Gasp!  Say it ain't so!  Oh, but yes.  The cupcake is my moist devils food chocolate (I'm talking supermoist here) and the frosting is a mocha-caramel buttercream with unsweetened chocolate and Starbucks Via Caramel flavored coffee.  They are topped with either homemade caramel drizzle or chocolate jimmies. I've gotten rave reviews on these, so try them out for yourself.  Enjoy! 

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!

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! 

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!

Brighten Your Day

These are my "Brighten Your Day" cupcakes. Yellow buttermilk cupcake with lemon zest frosted with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting and topped with candied lemon slices...So zesty!

H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y Cupcakes

Birthday Cupakes! These cupcakes were done for a birthday celebration. "Happy Birthday Laura" was piped out on the 18 cupcakes and the remaining 6 were decorated with melted buttercream frosting and piped with a flower. Cupcake flavors were yellow and chocolate with buttercream frosting.

Mini Moe's

Mini Moe's to go! These tasty mini bites are just as scrumptious as the regular cupcakes, but I must warn you---You will eat more of the mini's! Yellow cupcake with buttercream frosting. Try them out!

~ Yellow cupcake with double cream cheese frosting ~

All packaged and ready for delivery. Glad to brighten up someone's day!