Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

My husbands best friend is getting married in a few short weeks.  Bachelor party #1(yep...there were 2) consisted of some of the guys going up to my inlaws cabin for a weekend full of boyish shenanigans.  In an attempt to keep the costs relatively low I sent them with some food so they wouldn't have to buy so much when they got there.  One of them was these Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. 

 I know cupcakes aren't exactly the most manly things in the world and definitely not what comes to mind when you hear the words "bachelor party" but I didn't get any objections

I guess this post is really more just a peanut butter frosting recipe.  The cake is from a box.  Yes.......a box.  I think boxed cake mixes can be great. They can serve as such a great base to build onto.  Sometimes I add chocolate chips, cherries, coffee in place of water etc.  This time I went simple and  just used milk in place of water for more richness.

And while I have never tried a peanut butter frosting that was bad, they just weren't quite peanut butter enough for me....so I developed my own. If I'm having a chocolate peanut butter cupcake I kinda wanna get punched in the face with peanutty goodness...ya hear? I used a whole jar of peanut butter.  I don't mess around man.

Peanut Butter Frosting

18 oz jar Peanut Butter

1 Cup Butter

4 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

4 TB. Heavy Cream

Cream together the peanut butter, vanilla, and butter until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically.  Slowly add in your powered sugar about a cup at a time, also scraping down the sides for even mixing. Add your cream to reach desired consistency

*You may use more ore less of the powdered sugar and heavy cream to reach the consistency you desire whether it be for a spreading consistency or piping. 

Add a cute little peanut buttercup on top for garnish

 

Giant S'mores Cake Tutorial

My favorite cakes to make.... well...I kind of hate making all cakes now. The fun got completely sucked out of it when it was a side business that completely took over my life and home and made me hate it....alot....but I digress.  

I should rephrase it to "The cakes that don't make me want to bash my head in nearly as soon into the process" are cakes that are more kitchy and fun like my Giant Hamburger Cake, or the time I made a hairy butt crack cake...or this cake that's a giant Smore.   These are the kind I enjoy more

The cakes that are 2 tiered with stripes, polka dots, little balls, or EXACT replicas of decorations drive me crazy

(Where is this cake anger coming from?  Whoa Nelly)

The second my sister told me Elsa was having a camping themed birthday the image of a giant smore would not leave my head

So I set to work. 

After a long day at work. 

All night. 

Covered in sugar.  

Till 2 AM.  

But it's all good

You will need (2) 3in square cakes and (1) 9 inch round 

If you want to fill your cakes then slice them across the middle and fill. I find that partially frozen cakes are much easier to slice.  Make sure that if you are filling it with something different then just the same frosting that you are covering it with then you will need to "dam" it to keep it from seeping out the sides.

On this layer I did chocolate frosting as my filling and marshmallow butter cream was going to cover the cake

Put the top on and then frosted it with the marshmallow butter cream.  Then I covered the entire thing in homemade marshmallow fondant dyed tan.  This will serve as the bottom graham cracker of our smore

Then next layer was our "chocolate bar"  Take one of your square cakes and trim the sides a little bit so it's a tiny bit smaller than the bottom cake and repeat the process, only this time I did the frostings reversed from the last time.  I cut and filled it with the marshmallow and then covered the entire cake with the chocolate buttercream and DIDN"T cover it with fondant because I wanted to keep that melty frosting look

Now me just being me....I would have stacked the layers perfectly, but The Boy convinced me to put it on a little twisted so it would look more casual....like you just threw this smore together.

Totally not what I would have done on my own but I think I like it 

See those things stuck into the cake?  Those are bubble tea straws....the big wide straws.  I used them as supports in my cake as opposed to just dowels.  They are easier to cut and are awesome at bearing the weight of cake tiers.  Just cut them all the same height right at the cake height

For the next layer it's the marshmallow of course!  Cut and fill your 9 inch round cake.  If you're wondering why I said 9 in when the squares are all 8 inch...let me explain.   

You now how when you make a smore for real once you put the toasted marshmallow on and you push down on it with the top graham cracker and it kind oozes over the side?  Well that's what I was going for.  I wanted it to be a smidge bigger so it would look like it got pressed down in the sandwich making process.  Does that make sense?  A smooshing effect?

If it doesn't make sense at all you can ignore me completely and use and 8 inch round

After I cut and filled it I covered it in plain white fondant  (for that smooth marshmallow look) and placed it on a piece of cardboard the exact same size as the cake . I made a small hole in the middle of the cardboard before hand

Then, I placed a dowel, (or in this case a skewer) in the middle of the bottom two layers of cake and gently lined up the hole in the cardboard with the skewer and pushed it down.  This way the cake "sits" on those straws I put in the cake and doesn't push down on the cake and smoosh it

If I were placing this layer on top of a fondant layered cake it would be no problem, but since this was going on top of a frosted cake I cut out a small circle of waxed paper that would keep the frosting going all over the top cake board

Then I made another graham cracker the same way I did the other one and stuck it on top of the marshmallow

I used some of my old cake decorating tool....the ones with the ball ends (I don't know the names of these things...obviously) to make the little dimples and the one that looks like a little spatula to make the perforated lines

 

With this design I planned that when it came to cake cutting time I would take off the top 2 layers and cut those two layers together as "slices"  then move onto the bottom two layers and slice those up.

It was delicious!  Graham cracker flavored cake, chocolate, and marshmallow.  

Here's the picture I posted on instagram that night of the finished cake along with my poor sugar coated kitchen

Cake messes are the worst because the sugar ends up EVERYWHERE.  And when it's 2am and you're tired and cranky the aftermath will literally make you want to cry....or maybe that's just me

The birthday girl loved it.  In the midst of the cake eating frenzy with her friends she even made a point to leave the table and ran over to me in the other room to give me a hug and say thank you.  I guess that makes the kitchen disaster a little worth it ;)

New York Crumb Cake (Also known as Christmas Crumb Cake in my family)

DISCLAIMER: If you're a food snob who has a problem with using store bought cake mixes....I suggest you leave now

I have a soft spot for cake mix.  It really saves you a lot of time and you can easily doctor them up and make them your own

I just like the idea of knowing I only have to make sure I have one box of cake mix instead of having to check to make sure I have enough flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder if I'm making chocolate cake, and possibly pudding,

And they're cheap

My high school culinary arts teacher always made this AMAZING coffee cake for teachers meetings and breakfasts at the school and she would always bring back the leftovers or us to eat in class

A handful of times I gorged myself on this cake and hoped one day we would make it in class

Well....the end of the semester came and we never did.  So I walked up to her on the last day of class and asked for the recipe.  She quickly pulled out a copy from a filing cabinet and I was on my way.  Had I known it would be that simple I would've asked for the recipe months ago....but I was major chicken shit back then and I always got nervous asking people for things

I made it for my mom to take to her work a few times and it was always a huge hit.  Then I started making it a Christmas morning tradition

I find that you're so busy opening gifts, then hurrying to get ready to make the family rounds, and cooking for dinner that it doesn't leave much time for breakfast

That's why this crumb cake is so perfect.  Just make it the day before and have it with some coffee or hot chocolate and everyone will be happy

Just mix up a box of yellow cake mix according to the directions below and spread evenly in a well greased sheet cake pan.  Bake for 15 minutes

While it's baking combine all the ingredients for the crumbs.  It will form a big lump like this

After the 15 mins that the cake baked, let it cool slightly.  Then begin breaking the dough up into large crumbs to cover the top of the entire cake

Bake another 15 mins and then let cool completely before eating

Here's a bonus story (lucky you!) on the fiasco I had this year making this cake

Now, normally I am pretty good at checking to make sure I have all the ingredients before I start making something....but of course the one time I'm not.....I don't have any freakin cinnamon!  I could have sworn I had some because I ALWAYS do.  Here I am cake baked and everything in the bowl to make the crumbs, minus cinnamon.  By this time its 9pm on Christmas Eve.

I hurry to the car to see if I can catch a place before they close.  Frys:Closed. Safeway:Closed.  Even Walmart which is my go to at 3am for emergencies is closed

So I get this bright idea in my head.  Don't they have cinnamon packets at gas stations?  Near the coffee?  I only need 2 tsp....I'll just grab a handful of those.

After passing 3 closed gas stations I get to an open Circle K.  I am looking all over the sugar packet area...no cinnamon.  I walk around a little while and check again.  Still none. (as if they were going to magically appear) I can feel the cashiers watching me.  I can only imagine what they thought.  Crazy lady in her pajamas wandering aimlessly and digging through the sugar packets.

Now I fully intended on buying something if they had the cinnamon....because you can't just pick up packets and go without buying anything

If they didn't have any I planned to just leave, but I realized at this point I have made myself a suspicious target.  

I serve myself the smallest cup of hot chocolate they have and walk up to the register.  The cashier looks at me like I'm a freak and says..."that it?"  

"Yep," I say.
 "You sure?" he replies
"I'm sure"

I want to know what this guy thought of me.  I really, REALLY do.

So I drive home and pick up The Boy.  We decided to break into his parents house and steal some since they were out of town.  

But for the record, it's not really breaking and entering when you have a key.

I wouldn't want you all thinking I break into homes. That's just terrible! Geesh!

But it is still stealing

On our drive over there we noticed an open Walgreens.  The Boy ran in on a last ditch effort and luckily came out with the loot.

It saved is from being Christmas Eve thieves and I got to finish my cake

I hope everyone thought it was especially tasty this year.....they better damn it!!    

Now I'm wondering if there are any gas stations at all that have cinnamon packets.  Or was this just a crazy delusion of hope I made up in my sleep deprived head?

And for the record I didn't even drink a single sip of that hot chocolate.   Lame.

Moral of the story...check for all your ingredients.  Especially on Christmas Eve 

New York Crumb Cake (Christmas Crumb Cake)

1 Yellow cake mix
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 C. Milk
2/3 C. Oil

Crumb Topping

4 C. Flour
2/3 C. Brown Sugar
2/3 C. White Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 tsp. Cinnamon
3 sticks melted butter

Combine the cake mix, egs, milk, and oil.  Beat until smooth.  Spread in well greased sheet cake pan.
Bake for 15 mins at 350.  Meanwhile combine all ingredients for crumb topping.  

After 15 mins pull cake out and let cool slightly.  break apart crumb topping dough into large crumbs and cover the entire cake.  Bake and additional 15 mins

Let cool completely before serving

Peppermint Frappe

I love me some candy canes...peppermint is delish!  But after Christmas there always seems to be an abundance of them lying around from every ones stockings

I blame it on the fact that they take so long to eat...unlike maybe a mini Twix bar for example....which were completely devoured by somebody before Christmas night was even over. 

 Every.  Single.  One.

So while the Twix, Kit Kats, amd Reese's Christmas tree never seem to be an issue....I hate to see those canes go to waste

Fear not....I have a solution

For years now in my family it has been a tradition to make Peppermint Frappes for dessert Christmas night

This year was the first time in 6 years that I didn't get to host Christmas  

And if you were doing the math  (I know you're not cuz really....nobody cares) yes that means I have been hosting Christmas since I was 17

Again this damn "earning a living" crap is cramping my style...so since it was held at my sisters house this year the Frappes didn't happen

BUT I just made some last night for me and The Boy as I was gathering up all the leftover candy

Here's all you  need

Some Sprite "esque" soda, nilla cream cream, and your candy canes

Now this is a total Nonrecipe recipe

Do it all to your taste 

Just crush up your candies...either by whacking them in a ziplock bag or in the food processor

Then blend with your ice cream and some splashes of the soda to get it all going

Make it as minty as you like or however thick or thin you want

Some people like to suck it through a straw, I like it thick with a spoon

I haven't been able to find the top to my blender in over a year....but I keep holding out hope I'll find it.  So the blender sits in the cabinet and I used my immersion blender instead

Take a look at my mess

I want my top back!!!

Anyways....I like to hold back some of the crushed candies to spinkle on top.  I mix it through for a little added crunch

Go gather up your candy canes and get to blending!

Spice Cake Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream

We were having a cookie swap at work earlier this week and I decided to be a rebel and bring cupcakes instead.  

After all I am the crazy cupcake lady so it only seemed appropriate

I wanted to do something "Christmasy" so I decided Eggnog would be perfect

And then of course spice cake is the cake of the season (minus fruit cake)

 

For the cake I used Duncan Hines spice cake mix.  I added a touch more cinnamon to my taste but it was pretty good as is

For the eggnog butter cream I followed my basic Coffee Creamer Buttercream ratio

But I subbed the eggnog for the coffee creamer.  It wasn't as "eggnoggy" as I wanted so I added more cinnmaon and clove and just under a tablespoon of dark rum and a 2 teaspoons of vanilla

You can really play with it to make it just how you like....clovey....boozy.....whatever!

And here was our little cookie table.....with me being all cool and different.  Ya know....I'm a badass like that!

Full Body Mummy Cake

A few days ago I posted THIS mummy cake

Like I said, I made it many times but when it came time for a big Halloween party (go HERE to see the food from that party) I needed a cake that would feed alot more than that little mummy head could

Soooo....

I decided to do the full body version of it

I drew a template onto poster board and cut them into various pieces (legs, arms, torso) that I fit onto 2 sheet cakes.  I also baked a cake in a small bowl for the head

Piece it all together and frost well

Cover in your strips of fondant and add spiders

He's a cute little guy isn't he?

Mummy Cake

I first made this mummy cake for a Halloween party at my sisters 4 years ago

and I've made it many many times since

It was one of my most requested cake designs ever

  

It's super easy to make yourself too!

All you have to do is bake your cake mix in an oven safe bowl in whatever size you want.  Mine was either 8 or 9 inches

Then just frost the entire cake except leave some of the cake bare on top  for where you're going to place the eyes.

Cut strips of white fondant (I always made my own out of marshmallows)  and place all over the cake, pressing it into the frosting a bit.

Make your eyes and place over the area you left plain, securing with frosting.

Add a spider on top of the head for a touch of fun

And that's it!  Perfect for a kids party

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Confession.  

This isn't truely "homemade"  So I'm a big liar

This is more of a Sandra Lee approach to Oreos.  A little more effort than buying a sleeve of them, but not a daunting task.

Speaking of Sandra Lee I gotta say....I can't stand that woman!  I admit I watched her show for years just for the pure entertainment of watching a complete lush try to function on national TV. 

 Every once and a while she had an alright recipe.....but I don't think adding some chopped up parsley to a boxed rice pilaf should make someone as much money as it has made her.  I think she bullshits her way through the "cooking" portion of the show just to get herself to the "Cockatil Time" that she so happily announces at the end of every episode.

I mean I know I've been known to throw back a few...but damn!  Lady be boozin 24/7!

But alas....I give you the Boozy Aunt Sandy version of Oreo Cookies

All it is is my Coffee Creamer Butterceam piped between 2 store bought chocolate cookies.  I bought these at work but you can find similar ones in almost any grocery store bakery.

Simple right?  

Something even a big boobied, blonde haired, boozer could handle

And for the record I don't feel that bad for what I said about her.  A friend of mine works at a popular resort and she came to stay there.  Apparently she was a big Bi-atch to everyone.

She must be an angry drunk

Reese's Cup Cookies

My brother in-law loooooves peanut butter.  So for the past 2 years I've given him peanut butter themed gifts.

The other things have changed, but both times I've baked him these cookies.  It's your basic peanut butter blossom recipe....you know....the ones with the Kiss pushed into the cookie.

But to make it more peanutty buttery I use Reeese's cups instead.  

I've seen alot of different recipe variations for the blossom cookie, and I've tweaked them over and over to get the taste I like.

Cream together your peanut butter and butter shortening.  Scrape down and add the egg, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Beat until fluffy

Combine all your dry ingredients...flour, salt, baking soda....and gradually mix into wet ingredients.  scrape down sides and mix until well combined

Roll into balls the size of walnuts and roll in white sugar

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  While they are still warm, press the Reese's cup into them...letting the cookie sort of crack and open up.  Let cool. 


If you want to speed up the process, you can place the cookies in the freezer for a few minutes to make them easier to transport without getting chocolate all over the place 

 This here is my husbands bite ^^^



Blossom Cookie Recipe



1/2 C. butter flavored shortening
1 C. creamy peanut butter
2/3 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

White sugar
Candy of choice

Cream shortening and peanut butter.  Add brown sugar, vanilla, and egg and beat until fluffy.  Stir together dry ingredients and gradually add to wet until well mixed.  Roll into walnut sized balls and roll in white sugar.  Bake for 10 mins. at 350.  While warm press candy into cookie, allowing it to "crack" open

Bunny Cake Tutorial (Easy....I promise)

So I know that only like.....3 posts ago...I said I don't do cakes anymore.

Well,.......... I spoke too soon.

I just delivered one today.

Yep.  I caved yet again.  At least the times I give in are much fewer and farther between........right?

Progress????

(I sound like a smoker.   "I'm down to 5 a day.....no wait....4!")

One of my supervisors asked me to make a bunny cake for her nieces birthday who was visiting from out of town.   

And I don't know about you but I sure as hell have the hardest time saying no.  It's bad enough over text or facebook or email.....but in person......forget about it!   I cave in about 90% of the time if it's to my face.  

And it kills me cuz I say it so perky too

I'm all "Oh yeeeaaa.  Nooo problem at all.  Oh yea....absolutely.   Just let me know the details"

When inside I'm screaming  "NOOOOOOOO!  Don't do it!  Custard filling?  F*** that!  SAY NO!  SAY NO!  For the love of god woman get it together and just say you're busy!!!"

It's an exhausting internal battle.

And then the night comes to do it.  I worked a 10 hour day and I have to go home and create an edible bunny masterpiece.  I'm pissy......shaking like a leaf on the verge of a heart attach from all the Rockstars I've consumed.....and yet I'm still tired as ever.  The whole time I do it I'm grumbling and wishing I was on the couch crafting and watching The Golden Girls.  Crafts have no due date.....generally speaking.  You can take your sweet ass time.

But through all the shaking and swearing I managed to snap a few photos so you can see how this bunny comes together

I used an 8 in cake pan, and 8 in oven safe bowl, a 6 in oven safe bowl, and the smallest baking pan I have (I think it's 4 in)

 

Fill each pan 1/2-3/4 full and bake.  You will need 2 of the smallest cakes.

After they have cooled, fill and stack the dome shaped 8 in cake onto your regular 8 in cake layer

Next, slice a little bit off the edge of the 6 in dome cake so that it can lay flat on the board and be pushed against the other cake to form the head.  Put a dowel through both cakes as you put it in place

Crumb coat the entire cake using buttercream.  MY RECIPE works great

Here's how it will look

It reminds me of an igloo.  So note to self....someday if my kids ever have to do a project on the arctic....I'll know what to do.


Next, trim off the tops of you 2 mini cakes making them about an inch tall.  Then cut them like this

One basically in half...(minus a tiny bit in the middle) to be the back legs


And then the other trimmed a little off the sides to make smaller front legs.


Stick those to the sides and frost as well

I know what you're thinking....it kinda looks like ass.  But I promise it'll get better

Now comes the fur!  

Pipe on the buttercream using the grass tip.

I know it seems super daunting when you see this big huge cake and this little tiny tip....but here's what I found helps.

Make sure you give it a good coat of frosting with a spatula first.  That way when you sort of miss little spots that aren't perfectly close together you won't notice.  Especially with chocolate cake....it can be a bitch to cover.

Also, create little sections for yourself as you work.  It makes it go much faster to just look at on small area at a time to concentrate on

Here it is all covered

And with a big open tip swirl on a cute little cotton tail

Using fondant, make your cheeks, nose, eyes, and in this case because it was for a little girl...some girly little eyelashes!

(that's just cornstarch on there,,,,just rub a little shortening and it'll go away)


And of course a bunny isn't a bunny without those ears!


Form ear shapes out of rice crispy treats and cover in fondant.  Place a wood dowel through them that has been measure to make sure it is the right height to fit into the head.  Make these at least a day ahead of time so they can dry out a bit and harden up

Stick them in and you have yourself a bunny!

 I just noticed I didn't take any side pictures of it.....darn it!  But you did see the back in the butt picture