Circus Time!

So I saw the movie Water for Elephants today and it was simply amazing. It is one of my favorite books and the movie was done so well in staying true to the book. There is something I absolutely love about vintage circus. In the times when they rode the rails, city to city, and the entire town would come out to watch them set up the big top. It inspired me to look at what people have done with cakes and the circus :)

A simple, yet adorable cupcake idea,

Seals don't automatically come to mind for me when I think circus, but this was too cute to not include,

a more monochromatic big top

Tim Burton inspired?

 

Did I mention elephants are my favorite animal???

lovely banner,

These are so dang cute!!!

I need this kit!

A collage of circus party elements, I'm now must make that apron,

another circus themed party

This is actually scrapbook paper that I have for inspiration,

Whoopie Pies!

I love the look of whoopie pies and have been hearing about them more and more, lately. Today at work, we had a rather short to-do list so decided to try something new. We had never made whoopie pies before and they proved to be rather easy and very delicious!

Here is the recipe...

3.5 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1.5 c. cocoa powder

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 c. butter, room temperature

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. buttermilk, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 400.

sift flour, salt, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder together, set aside.

cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

add eggs and vanilla.

alternate adding the dry with the buttermilk.

scoop onto lined baking sheet with a black handled scoop (1 to 1.5 inches)

bake 10 to 12 minutes.

let cool and fill with seven minute frosting.

these can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

Seven Minute Frosting

1.5 c sugar

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

6 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

In mixing bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, and whites and set over saucepan of simmering water.

 Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 160 degrees, about 2 minutes.

Attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Beat mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes.

Beat in vanilla.

Use immediately.

You can also replace the vanilla (or part of the vanilla) with other flavors...we used peppermint :)

Put a Bird on It

Okay, I had to reference the show Portlandia, because it is so incredibly hilarious...but all joking aside these cakes online with birds on them, are crazy cute!

I think this next one is my favorite of the bunch...

I need this stand....

Cupcake Beauty

Want to smell like a cupcake and not have to bake?

Here are some options to do so...

Cupcake lotions!

more lotion and a magic towel

soaps..

and if you want your house to smell like a bakery...



Spring is Here!

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days! Life has been crazy!

But hey, it's Spring! And when I think of Spring, I think of flowers, rain, and butterflies (even though I think they are actually around more in the summer).

I thought I would share some amazing butterfly cakes I found online with you all.

Now, all the cakes above do not use edible butterflies, and while absolutely stunning, there is something about having a nonedible element on a cake that just doesn't sit well.

So here are some with edible butterflies...

Love them.

Espresso Chocolate Chip

Espresso is one of my new found loves. I used to hate anything that had the slightest hint of any coffee flavor, now I love it...though I still don't like it plain :)

Here are some fabulous chocolate chip cookies for all you fellow espresso lovers.

The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips but I thought it would be great with a little white chocolate. So I substituted half the semi-sweet for the white. Kinda like a white chocolate mocha, right?

gooey goodness

Here is the recipe for you:

7oz sugar

7.5 oz brown sugar

8oz butter

1oz ground espresso

2 eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

15.5oz flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in small bowl, set aside.

2. Cream sugars, espresso, and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl well after each addition.

4. Beat in vanilla.

5. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.

6. Mix in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 min, rotating halfway through.

Let cool, eat, and enjoy! 



Sugar Cookies

Here are some photos of sugar cookies I made this weekend. They are frosted with royal icing which is easy to use, but takes a while to dry. Enjoy !

Poodle!

All packaged up and ready to go

A family of ducks in honor of Spring...

Then I did some basic rounds to try out some stenciling. Here they are frosted and sitting out to dry.

Fun with stencils!

I also tried out some stamps using food coloring as ink

I can't wait to try out more!