Pirate Ship Cake

So a colleague of mine asked me to make a cake for her son’s birthday.  She told me that he would really love a pirate ship and a sea monster would be cool too.  After a little research into what has been done before, I adapted many different tricks and trials and this is what I came up with!

For the cake, I added an extra egg to each batter (a Funfetti cake and a chocolate cake) which definitely made the cakes easier to carve.  I also put them in the freezer for a few minutes before shaping them which also helped.  I used Twix for the side boards and Hershey chocolates to wood boards down the center of the boat (dusted in gold sprinkles).  I used kabob skewers for the sails and put them through a Rolo candy at the base.  The sea monsters are made of mini cupcakes with marshmallow eyes and the beach is chocolate frosting topped with honey nut cheerios that I put in the food processor.

Needless to say, Hayden was all smiles when we delivered the cake to his front door this morning!!

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Twinkie Cupcakes

What kid doesn’t love Twinkies? So one of my advisee’s who is also lives in my dorm’s birthday is today, and he LOVES Twinkies!  So in honor of his birthday I decided to make the Twinkie Cupcake recipe that I found on Pinterest.  While they are quite sweet for my liking (must be the bag of confectionery sugar and two cups of Fluff), Twinkie lovers will go weak in the knees for these bad boys.  Thanks to thedomesticrebel.com for the recipe!!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box
• 1 box Instant Vanilla pudding

Cupcake Filling:

• 1/2 cup Fluff
• 1 stick butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 teaspoons very hot water

Frosting

• 1/2 cup Fluff
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• About 1 bag (32 oz) powdered sugar (I used a little less)

Cupcake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, adding the pudding mix and divide amongst cupcake tins.  Bake according to box directions (about 15 minutes).  Cool completely, the core out the cupcake’s middles (I used the top of my garlic press, but you can use anything round).

Filling Directions:
1. Dissolve the salt into the hot water. While the water is cooling, in a separate bowl beat together the marshmallow cream, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy. Beat in the salt water. Mixture should be light but not as stiff as frosting.
2. I spooned the filling into the hollowed out cupcakes, but you could also pipe the filling into each cored cupcake, filling just to the top. Refrigerate cupcakes while you prepare the frosting.

Frosting Directions:

1. Beat together the fluff, butter and vanilla until creamy. Gradually begin adding powdered sugar in, about one cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy.
2. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes covering the filled part of the cupcake.

Girl on Fire Cupcakes

So for about a year my friends have been telling me to read The Hunger Games.  They were enthralled by the series and couldn’t put them down.  However, when I heard them all talking about the storyline and the books in general, I always thought to myself, that sounds freaken awful!  A government that throws teenagers into a “Colosseum” to kill each other, definitely not for me. But I think we can all see where this is going…

When our librarian asked for teachers to volunteer to lead book groups over our March break, I told her I’d love to lead one.  I rarely find time to read when classes are in session so I figured it was a perfect time to catch up.  She sent a few suggestions based on books I was interested in, but when I saw the commercial for The Hunger Games movie, I thought, perfect.

I had a pretty large group of kids sign up to read it and will be leading my first book group discussion tomorrow night.  In honor of The Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen, I made some “Girl on Fire Cupcakes.”  I used a box mix, as kids often don’t appreciate the work that goes into making things from scratch, but I’m looking forward to their feedback!  Sometimes teenagers can be the toughest critics!

 

They weren’t too difficult to make.  As I said, I used a boxed yellow cake, making it according to the directions.  Then I divided the cake into 3 semi even bowls and died one red, one yellow, and one orange (yellow + red) and swirled a bit with a toothpick.  Next, I layered the colors in the cupcake tins with the red on bottom and yellow on top.  After baking according to box directions, I let them cool (important).  While cooling I mixed 2 cans of frosting (1 decorating and 1 vanilla) and split into 3 bowls.  I dyed them orange, red, and yellow and put into my decorating syringe layering them and frosted the cupcakes!  Good luck making them them…

“May the odds be ever in your favor…” – Suzette Collins, The Hunger Games

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

So I had a few friends over last night, and they requested a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner since Saint Patrick’s Day is this weekend.  I don’t eat corned beef, and I’ve surely never made it, but I decided to try throwing it in the slow cooker with a few bottles of Guinness, pickling spice, garlic, and onions (a recipe adapted to the crock pot from SteamyKitchen.com).  I paired that with some Irish Soda Bread, but wanted a WOW dessert.  I had seen beer cupcakes on my Pinterest site, but  nothing for Guinness, and since I had to buy a six pack for the 2 to cook the corned beef, I wanted to put at least one more to use.

Then I stumbled across Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes from browneyedbaker.com.  Ummm, heck yes!  I made a few substitutions (Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream and made a different frosting) but they are mostly the same. If you’ve never had an Irish Car Bomb, you need about 3/4 a pint of Guinness and a shot glass layered with Bailey’s on the bottom and Jameson on top.  You drop the shot into the pint and chug it before it curdles.  The cupcakes are the same layering of alcohol idea.

The base of the cupcake contains the Guinness which really enhances the chocolate flavor.  After baking the cupcakes are hollowed out and this is where you put the Chocolate Whiskey Ganache filling, and the frosting is spiked with Bailey’s.  The end result, not too boozy, but the taste is there.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup butter (room temp)
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup Greek Yogurt

Whiskey Ganache Filling:
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting:
1 stick butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbs Baileys Irish Cream

CUPCAKE MAKING:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Simmer 1cup Guinness over medium heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until combined.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.  In your mixing bowl, beat together eggs and yogurt until combined.  Add the Guinness mixture and beat to combine.  Lastly, add the dry ingredients and blend until the batter is smooth.  My batter made 24 normal sized cupcakes and 10 minis.  (Normal size cupcakes took about 20 min, minis about 10)

WHISKEY GANACHE MAKING:

Put 1 cup chocolate chips into a bowl.  In a sauce pan, heat the heavy cream until it simmers and pour it over the chocolate.  After a minute (I was inpatient), use a rubber spatula and stir from the center of the bowl outward.  While still warm, add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.  I found that this mixture wasn’t getting thick enough, so I put in the fridge for a while and it did the trick.

BAILEY’S FROSTING MAKING:

Take 1 stick room temperature butter and beat on high until light and fluffy (a few minutes).  Then slowly add the confectionery sugar.  As it begins to thicken, add some of the Bailey’s, and alternate confectionery sugary and Bailey’s until it reaches your ideal consistency (it should be light and fluffy).

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

After the cupcakes cooled, I used the bottom of a large decorating tip, or you can use a small round cookie cutter, or whatever you can dream up, cut the centers of the cupcakes about 2/3 of the way down.  Then you can pipe the ganache into the cupcakes.  I just used a spoon since the wholes were wide enough.  Then frost with either a decorating tip or spatula and enjoy!!