i heart cuppycakes.

wanted to share some more fun things i have been doing over the last few months! it's amazing how quickly time flies by!

 

 

WWE Wrestling Theme Cupcakes!

 

fondant stars, wrestling belts and suits, and a mini wrestling ring! happy birthday james!

"diamond" bridal shower theme!

 

vanilla and lemon cupcakes with diamond heart topper accents. the royal sugar cookies were in the shape of engagement rings, wedding dresses and white hearts. congrats Jaimie!

 

mini carrot cake cupcakes!

 

i just love mini desserts, especially when it involved cream cheese frosting! happy birthday Ryan!

 



a hippie 60's birthday party theme.

 

fondant peace signs and "60" toppers. sugar mold flowers. groovy!

 

 

that's all for now! my next post will be totally random and not related to baking AT ALL. i have some super awesome photos to share about my newest obsession, DIY home design. you've been WARNED.

 

 

love.love.love & happy baking!



A Cupcake Frenzy

before twenty. twelve. comes to a close, i wanted to pull together a collection of the most recent stuff i've been doing. i'm sorry to say my posts have fallen to the wayside at times. i started this blog over a year ago as a place to journal all of my baking adventures. in the course of that year i have not only found a sincere passion for baking, but an overwhelming amount of support that has motivated me beyond belief.

the last few months have been busy baking for bridal & baby showers, birthday parties and weddings. the people who have allowed me to be a part of these special moments, even in a small way has made this that much more worthwhile. i bake to make people happy. and in the end, i have found happiness myself.

thank you all for the continued support you have given me to fulfill my dreams. it means more than you know.

 

a thomas the train themed birthday party!

 

 



 

a tiffany blue bridal shower!

  

 

 

 

pittsburgh sports team groom's cakes!

 

 

 

 

a halloween themed birthday party!

 

 

 

a halloween work party treat!

 

 

 

a "team safari" baby shower!

 

 

 

a sunflower country wedding theme!

 

 

festive christmas cookie cups!

 

 

i truly cannot wait to see what 2013 brings.

 

love.love.love &  happy baking!





Forget Me Not Cupcakes

Alpha Phi Fraternity celebrated 140 years of sisterhood last week. That's a pretty awesome thing. My college experience wouldn't have been the same without the women in my chapter.

I am sure you can identify with the close relationships you form within your college years even if you aren't greek. Some of the best women I know joined Alpha Phi. They were present at my wedding, congratulating me when I purchased my first home, and supporting me in all my baking aspirations.

Without becoming too much of a sap, I wanted to thank the organization that has given so much to me. In honor of 140 years of awesomeness, I made these Forget Me Not cupcakes. These flowers are one of the symbols of my fraternity and have such a special meaning behind them. We won't ever forget our sisters, near or far.

Happy Founder's Day Alpha Phi. Here's to 140 more years!
love.love.love & happy baking!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

holy blog post batman. i've done it again. neglected to post in a timely fashion. i promise one day i will get the hang of juggling everything on my to do list.

please accept these red velvet white chocolate chip cookies as my apology.

i made these a few months back for a lovely young lady named kelli. she, like my mother, loves some red velvet. and i have to say, i'm pretty obsessed with this cookie now too. they're super easy, super chewy and will be super gone in 15 minutes. i have proven this theory already.


Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (i may or may not have added more than this. meaning, i did!)

The How To:

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and combine until smooth.
Beat in red food coloring.
Stir in cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt until just combined, scraping down the sides when needed. Fold in chocolate chips.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of dough and set on baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

These would probably be good as cookie sandwiches. Slap something icing between them? The wheels are turning....

love.love.love & happy baking!

Pupcakes! A Cupcake for Your Canine.

 

hugo had a birthday.

 

and dogs need cupcakes too.

 

 

 

i can't tell you how many times i have wanted to make a pupcake, something delicious and safe for a canine to enjoy.

 

but it's not always an easy task. you really have to be mindful of what you're putting in the batter. get rid of that all-purpose flour, throw chocolate out the door, and start thinking organic and healthy.

 

 

should i be embarrassed that i tried these forgetting they might not taste so good to me?

they weren't so bad, but one bite was enough. i will leave these to the pups.

 

the cake was made with some whole wheat flour, peanut butter, shredded carrots and honey. I topped with a whole wheat cream cheese frosting and an adorable little milkbone treat.

 

 

no worries, i didn't leave the humans out! i made some delicious chocolate/vanilla cupcakes similar to the dog bone cupcakes i did a few weeks back.

 

 

and then some lovely red velvet cupcakes too. these were just too pretty to me!

 

 

i hope they made hugo and the humans happy!

 

have any awesome puppy baked goods you've made lately? i'd love to hear about them.

 

love.love.love & happy baking!

Cake Batter Blondies

how is summer already over?! i am completely disappointed in the amount of times i made it to the beach considering i live 10 blocks from it.

wait a minutteee, i take that back! i don't live 10 blocks from it any longer, because we bought a HOUSE! yes, my hubs and I took the plunge and signed on the dotted line about 3 weeks ago. it's been amazing! what hasn't been amazing is my lack of blogging. but i have an excuse right?

had a few people asking about this recipe for awhile, so i'm hitting you all with it now. i am obsessed with cake batter anything. heck, i will even risk the raw egg to stick my finger in a bowl for that sweet goodness. if you make these, you will probably make them again two nights later.  i seriously could not stop eating these suckers. i wish you the best, i can't control what happens to your waistline.

Cake Batter Blondies
 
1 box yellow cake mix
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sprinkles (i used rainbow! weeeee!)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

The How To:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spray 11×7 baking pan with nonstick spray.
Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible.
Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.
Pour into prepared baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.
Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

The blondies will look they aren't totally done. Kind of gooey in the center, you want them this way! Bring on the ooey gooeyness! :)

Who else likes cake batter as much as I do? Speak to me people. I'm awful lonely.

love.love.love & happy baking!

Dog Bone Cupcakes

Everyone knows the saying, "dogs are people too". And it's true. They become a full fledged member of your family the day they pee on your carpet. So I didn't find it odd in the least when one of my girlfriends asked me to make some cupcakes for her pup's 7th birthday. (hey! he's 21 in dog years!)

Mind you, these cupcakes were for the humans, not the dog, but the idea of throwing a birthday party to celebrate your dog's life is a pretty amazing concept to me. When I have a canine of my own, you can bet your booty we will throwdown for him too!

Happy Birthday Hearty America! These patriotic doggie bone cupcakes were for you!

Hearty is patriotic pup so I tinted the icing red and blue and made little white bones out of sugar sheets. I used a stencil to trace the dog bone shape.

super cute liners, right? i am a huge fan of purchasing foil liners instead of paper. the color doesn't fade after you bake them. it's fabulous.

and here's the birthday boy! he doesn't look a day over 16! :)

love.love.love & happy baking!