Ben & Beckie Get Hitched

My Tiki and Tacos Moment

When the pinatas and tacos happen, you know the party is gonna be good! This is a tribute to my Tiki and Tacos and a birthday surprise party to make me feel very clever :)

This is vanilla butter cake with vanilla buttercream, tinted green for guacamole. The mini tacos are made from gum paste and filled with various colors and flavors- the ground beef is actually ground chocolate!

It was a bit of a rush job but overall, a great experience.

Vanilla Cherry Yum

Vanilla Cherry Cake with Vanilla Cherry Creamcheese Frosting. Happy 40th Birthday, Brother!

Pink and Purple Birthday

Smidgencakes has a customer who wants cupcakes for her one year old's birthday celebration. She asked for bright pink, light pink, lavender, purple, and white smooth icing...Butterflies, flowers, pixie dust (edible glitter) and such... One big cupcake and 30 regular sized cupcakes...

The only problem I had with this project is that the flavors weren't really specified but I assumed vanilla would be ok. I should have went with my instincts on the icing other than what I went with. Royal icing is the smoothest icing but it doesn't taste very good. Had I followed my instincts, I would have just made a smoother buttercream so that the taste profile fit the prettiness of the cupcakes.

Morale of the story: Follow your instincts. Cupcakes are made with love and if you don't love it, don't do it.

Roller Derby Cupcakes

 

Lemon Raspberry

 

Chocolate with Peanutbutter Buttercream

Here- Taste this.

I have to say, my partner in crime is such a trooper. I force him to try my various cakes and frosting combinations. He dutifully opens his mouth and allows me to insert whatever I happen to have at the end of a spoon!

Fortunately, he gives me honest responses to how he feels in regards to the taste, texture and flavor profiles. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes, not so good.

The good news is that we had another success this weekend! Almond cupcakes with key lime buttercream, topped with a SugarRobot butterfly and fresh lime zest...

I love you to Pieces!

This weekend, I went to a bbq at a friends house. Due to my last name starting with a "T", I had to bring a dessert...oh darn! Another chance to prove my cupcakeness? I think so!

This is a mini chocolate cupcake with a mini peanutbutter cup baked inside, frosted with triple chocolate and peanutbutter buttercreme, filled with crushed Reeses Pieces. As an added bonus, each cupcake was topped with one additional mini peanutbutter cup.

   

White Russian Cupcakes

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Liquor Cupcakes Adventure No. 2

Bring on the Jack and Coke Cupcakes! Adventures in Liquor part 2. I don't really like Jack Daniels. I am sorry but it is true. My friend drinks Jack & Coke all the time so I decided a little play on cakes for his birthday might be good.

Lets start with the cake. No matter how much cola syrup you add to your batter, it just doesn't make it to cola flavor. When I thought I finally had the right flavor of cake, I baked the batter. Wouldn't you know it? It comes out tasting more like root beer than cola. At least the cake was dense and moist!

Moving on to the butter cream...As I stated, I'm not a fan of JD. I added shot after shot to my butter cream because I didn't think I could taste the alcohol. Eventually I let my partner in crime taste it because I thought maybe my taste buds were on strike. The look on his face was that of a man who just took a shot of whiskey. Apparently, one could really taste the alcohol!

Great! I topped the cupcakes with a black  colored sugar and a Gummy Cola bottle.

Everything was going according to plan but then the birthday boy didn't show up until 2 days later. Most of the alcohol flavor had evaporated out of the butter cream and the root beer flavor seemed to get stronger. In the end, they were cute and neat but must be eaten right away!

Let's Get Liquored Up!

Recently, I have had a few male friends with birthdays. Rumor has it that boys don't appreciate regular cupcakes like us girls do. One thing they do appreciate is liquor! I had asked a friend what kind of cupcake he thought his brother might appreciate. I didn't get much of a response so I guessed. He is Irish (go figure with the last name of Conkey) so I decided to make him Irish Cream Cupcakes :) I read a few recipes and decided I was ready to experiment on my own. I made chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes with Starbucks Coffee but replaced 80% of the water with Saint Brendan's Irish Cream. Next, I made a Brendan's & Starbucks Coffee Buttercream. I topped these delightful little cakes with a square of Jameson Irish Whiskey Chocolate Bar. Cheers to the Birthday Boy!

MMMM Cupcakes....

French Vanilla Cupcake with Lavender Frosting Topped with White Chocolate Decor 

Triple Chocolate Cupcake with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Baked in the Center Frosted with Charity's Peanut Butter Buttercream

Vanilla Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Topped with White Chocolate Decor

Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes covered in Lemon Buttercream  Folded with Fresh Strawberries Topped with True Lemon

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcake with Mini Eggs baked in the Center Frosted with Champagne Buttercream Adorened with Mini Eggs