Cake Batter & Crumbs

Wilton Classs - Week 4 Graduation Day

Last night was our final Wilton decorating class in Course 1. We spent the first hour learning how to finish creating roses. These were slow going at first as my icing kept tipping over at the base. I had to secure my rose bases with a line of icing at the bottom. The humidity here in central Pennsylvania made icing difficult to get to the right consistency. Anyway, after several attempts, I finally had something that resembled a rose! I learned that if I tilt the tip away from me, the petal will fan out nicely and look more natural.


I took this picture at class. My first few are at the top left and then they follow down to the better ones after I got the hang of it.

We ended class by learning to make bows, sweet peas, and leaves.


By the end of class my hand was so sore from squeezing the icing bag. I don't know how professional cake decorators do it. My knuckles were actually swollen! I'm sure over time you develop better hand strength, but I could barely squeeze the bag towards the end of the 2 hours.


At the end of class we received a certificate done in nice calligraphy. Overall I had a lot of fun. I learned a lot about different icing and decorating techniques. I'd love to take class 2, but living an hour away from the store puts a lot of stress into the week. We're possibly going to look into some Saturday classes later on, but for now at least... it's back to our regularly scheduled program.

Wilton Class - Week 3 Flowers & Cupcakes

Last night was our third class in cake decorating. We went over shell borders, figure piping (little faces, animals, and clowns which actually turned out kind of cute), star flowers, and swirl flowers.

I found that the shells were actually harder than I was expecting. I couldn't get the "tails" to form well, so I have to practice those. Likewise, the swirl flowers were kind of tricky for me too. My icing keeps raising up, which could partly have been due to having too thin icing. I'm going to make some icing and practice these over the weekend. I think the properly done swirl flowers look really pretty, so I want to be able to make them well.



We're going to Knoebels on Saturday, which is an amusement park here in central Pennsylvania, so Sunday will be devoted to practicing my flowers & shells! Also, if I see any cake stores along the way I'm making the guys pull over!

Our instructor also showed us how to put swirl icing on top of cupcakes. I already learned how to do this by making a swirled ring around the outside of the cupcake and then creating another swirl in the middle. Our instructor just made one large continuous swirl from outside through the middle. I think it really just matters how big the tip is. Last night we used 2D tips; I've also used the 1M tips. I think the swirls look really sweet, especially with sprinkles. Unfortunately, I didn't have any last night.


One class to go. She said we'd be having a graduation next week... not sure what exactly that means.. but we'll find out!

Key Lime Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Topping

My father-in-law loves key lime pie, and since tomorrow is father’s day, I decided to try making some key lime flavored cupcakes. I found a key lime pie cupcake recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cupcake book. I used the recipe in the book for the cake base and created my own whipped filling and topping.

The cake recipe used a yellow cake mix as the base and added lime zest, lime juice, and coconut to create the tropical flavor.   

 

 

 

The original recipe called for a center filling of sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice. I was concerned that this might make the cake soggy, so I made a key lime flavored whipped filling instead. Since I’m not a big fan of it, I also changed the topping from a coconut meringue to a coconut whipped topping.   

I was surprised at how well these turned out. The cake has a really nice light lime and coconut flavor with little specks of lime zest in throughout. The whipped cream really complemented the cake well and I sprinkled some key lime zest on top. These are nice light, not too-sweet cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since these cupcakes contain whipped cream, they have to be stored in the refrigerator. I’m not expecting them to last long around here. I’m going to swipe a few to take to my own dad in the morning.

 

 

Key Lime Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cupcake book

 

1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
4 large eggs
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

   

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

 

2. Prepare the cupcake batter: With a citrus zester or fine grater, zest the lime and reserve 1 teaspoon. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over a strainer into a small bowl; you should have 2 tablespoons. Set aside. Separate 3 of the eggs, placing the yolks in a mixing bowl.

 

3. Add the remaining egg, cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, coconut flavoring and lime zest and juice to the yolks. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

 

4. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.

 

 

   

Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream

 

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

   

Beat whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar on high speed with whisk attachment until cream holds peaks.

      

 Key Lime Flavor Whipped Cream
Scoop out one cup and fold in the juice of two key limes.

      

Coconut Whipped Cream
To remaining whipped cream, add 1 teaspoon coconut extract and zest from 2 key limes.

Wilton Class - Week 2 1st Cake

Last night was our second Wilton class. We were required to bring in a baked and frosted cake to decorate. I brought a 2-layer spice cake and frosted it with yellow icing.    

Getting everything ready was a huge task. My mom and I live around 45 minutes away from the Michaels where the cake decorating class is taught. But, I work in the same city as the Michaels, so I had to get everything ready the night before to have it there in time for my class after work. I ended up going through 3 batches of icing because we had to take in different amounts of each stiff, medium, and thin consistency icing. The recipe we had to use didn’t make enough for all of those in one batch, plus I had to ice my cake. Wednesday night the kitchen was a disaster area. I had powdered sugar everywhere along with globs of icing all over everything. I’m a VERY messy baker/cook, but I’m trying to get better at it.

   

In class we practiced making stars, zig-zags, dots, writing, and the base for roses. After about an hour and a half of practicing, she left us go to decorate our cakes. Then the feeling of being overwhelmed set in. I stared at my cake and had no clue what to do. This is always a problem for me! I really liked the way the zig-zags looked as a border, so I decided to go with that. It’s a little harder actually decorating the cake versus the practice board. But as our instructor said, every cake will have a back to hide mistakes!

   

I’m really pleased with how the colors turned out. The pink really shows up against the light lemony yellow background. Since we were really limited in what we can do at this point, I decided to try writing on top. This time I used the larger disposable bag to pipe on the icing for writing. After using both the parchment and disposable bag, I learned that I have a much more control when using the parchment since I can hold it more easily in my hands. From now on, it’s parchment for writing all the way!

   

Next week we’re allowed to bring in cupcakes. I’m soooo excited about this because I absolutely love them. I think we’ll be learning another flower and some other border options.

Happy, Happy Birthday Cake

So here's my first attempt at a decorated cake.....

I baked two 9-inch cakes and sliced them in half to make 4 layers. Then I alternated the layers with chocolate and vanilla icing and then attempted to make a shell border and used a pattern to do the scroll designs. I think it actually reminds me of something Disney-like with the color choices and scroll work.

My mom was surprised. She and everyone at the party liked it and thought it was pretty tasty. Obviously, I'm still "perfecting" my decorating skills, but I don't think it's too bad for my first attempt.

Billy Reese’s Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

I had a vacation day off from work today and decided to bake up a small batch of Billy Reese's Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes with his butter cream icing. I've heard lots of good feedback on these cupcakes, so I decided to give them a try myself. As expected, I was not disappointed. My overly sweet-sensitive husband thought they were delish even with their butter cream icing.



The original recipe makes around 30 cupcakes. I thought that might be overdoing it for just the two of us this weekend, so I halved the recipe. Next time I'll make sure to not fill the cupcakes as full as I did because they got too high and not very pretty. I bought an ice cream scooper today to use for filling my cupcakes, and thought I needed the jumbo size scooper. Boy was I mistaken! A full scoop filled the cupcake liners to the very top, so I had to use less than a full scoop and even that ended up being too much! I think I may be on the hunt for a new scooper!



All in all these cupcakes came out a bit sloppier than I like, but they definitely do taste good.

Billy Reese's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes 

Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4   cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4   cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2   cups sugar
1   tablespoon baking powder
3/4   teaspoon salt
1   cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4   large eggs
1   cup whole milk
1   teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Billy Reese's Vanilla Buttercream

Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

1   cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8   cups confectioners' sugar
1/2   cup milk
1   teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Cake Decorating Class

Last night my mom and I attended the first session of our Wilton Course 1 classes at our nearest Michaels craft store. The course is divided into 4 classes throughout the month and teaches the basics in cake decorating. My mom and I are newbies when it comes to decorating. We purchased a lot of the equipment but were never sure quite how to use it properly.   

By the end of the course we should be able to create basic shells, stars, flowers, dots, leaves, sweet peas, and the ultra intimidating rose. Our instructor guaranteed that we’ll be able to do all of this… obviously she’s never met my mom or me!

   

The way the class works, is each week we are required to bring a cake to class that we’ve baked and frosted. At class we’ll learn techniques to decorate it and then get to take our cake home with us.

   

Mom and I are really excited to be doing this and I’ll post my progress pictures throughout the month. Our class last night was all introduction, but we already learned so much like icing consistencies, how to level cakes and properly frost them. Today I’m excited to go through my cake supplies and take inventory of what I have and what I someday hope to purchase.

   

Tomorrow I’ll be baking and attempting to decorate a cake for my mom’s official birthday party that we’re having on Saturday. I guess it will be a good way to see what my decorating level is now and compare that to what Ill be able to do at the end of my course.

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Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

In celebration of my mom’s birthday tomorrow, I decided to make her favorite, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Chocolate and peanut butter, what’s not to love? These turned out beautifully, and I can’t wait to deliver them to her tomorrow night. Maybe I should give her a carton of milk with a bow on it as well, because these go so perfectly together! 

 

 

I found these cute birthday cupcake liners at a local store, but unfortunately the chocolate cake made the birthday pattern hard to see.

 

 

The cakes were made using a slightly modified recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cupcake book. I chose the Chocolate Almond cupcake recipe and swapped the almond extract for vanilla extract. I wanted a good chocolate base recipe, and this seemed to fit the plan for a mid-week bake when time is at a premium.

 

 

To make the icing, I used a recipe from Allrecipes.com for Fluffy Peanut Butter Icing. It got a large number of high reviews, so I figured I’d give it a try. I was delightfully pleased with the icing. It had a creamy texture and I didn't think they were too sweet or rich. Although  my husband and father-in-law always think any icing is too sweet. I, however, thought it worked well with the chocolate cake. I topped the them with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups. Yum.

 

 

 

Fluffy Peanut Butter Icing

 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

   

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat      with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to      get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the      sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at      least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

 

 

 

 

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice cream cone cupcakes always bring back memories of growing up. These were always a special treat, looking so cute, just like the real thing. The saltiness of the cone goes well with the sweetness of the cake and icing.

Someday I hope to own one of the fancy baking pans that can handle the ice cream cones, but until then I'll just carefully transport them in and out of the oven.

For these cakes, I just used a box mix and filled the cones only half way. I've had some spillage problems in the past. The icing recipe is from Taste of Home's Cupcake & Muffin magazine. It holds up well to create the swirls and also does not harden over easily. The recipe makes a lot of icing, so I didn't use it all for my 24 cupcakes. I tinted the icing with lavender coloring gel and added sprinkles to complete the ice cream cone look.


Bakery Frosting Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shortening
1/2 cup nondairy creamer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1  package (32 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening, creamer and extract. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough water until frosting reaches desired consistency.

cupcake