Tuesday 16 July 2013

5 Easy, Delicious Baking Hacks!!

Hey guys!
Long time no blog!
Anyways, today I'm going to show you some super duper, easy, delicious, simple baking hacks to make your baking life SOO much easier.

1. Molten Cupcake Centers
Bake cupcakes for five minutes and then drop a Hershey's kiss into the center and continue baking for the normal baking time. The chocolate kiss sinks to the middle and creates a molten center.

2. Chocolate Letters
Put letter stencils in whatever font  you want underneath wax paper for chocolate letters...simply trace with an icing bag and then you have a gorgeous, simple topper.

3. Pancake Bites
Need something quick to eat on the go? Your kids love pancakes, but you don't want the stress and mess of making huge ones that they never finish? Then pancake bites are for you!

Use a muffin pan. Use your favorite pancake mix (or scratch) pour into pan, add fruit, nuts, bacon, sausage, chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. These are totally amazing for rushed school mornings.

4. Paper Wrappings

Iron tissue paper between two sheets of wax paper for easy food wrappings. You can use any pattern, color, etc. of tissue paper to match party themes! Great for little gifts to neighbors too!

5. Jello Icing
My personal favorite. Did you know by just stirring some Jell-O into your frosting, it will change the color and flavor? Great for parties and picky little eaters!


There you have it! Five simple baking hacks to make your already hectic life a little less hectic.
Hope this helps all my fellow Baking Buddies!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Race Car Cake!!

Hey bakers!

It was my cousin's fifth birthday a few days ago, so I baked him a chocolate race car cake!
First of all, I started with a box cake, and made that!
 

Then I cut out the shape of a five out of cardboard, placed it on the cake, and cut it out to make a five!
 

Then, I made marshmallow fondant and dyed it green. I thinly iced the sides of cake and covered it with the green fondant to look like "grass".
 
I purchased edible black fondant paper and cut out rectangles. I thinly iced the top of the cake and covered it with the black paper, then using yellow-dyed fondant, made a "start" and "finish" line! I also used a white icing pen to create track lines.
 
 
With the white icing pen and blue sprinkles, I spelled out the words start and finish on the yellow spaces!
 

 
Also, using cardboard, I cut out a shape to use on the cake, and with pink fondant and the white icing pen, I spelled out my cousin's name!

I cut out black paper to make flags for the race track!
 
Last but not least, I used some toy cars to top the cake!


 
Hope you enjoyed this race car cake tutorial!!
 
Later bakers!

 

Friday 22 March 2013

RECIPE!!!

Hey bakers!

This recipe is for when you're in the mood to bake just one cookie....maybe for a stay-at-home day or vacay!!!

INGREDIANTS:
-1 tbsp. melted butter
-1 tbsp. white sugar
-1 tbsp. brown sugar
-3 drops vanilla extract
-pinch of salt
-1 egg yolk
-1/4 cup flour
-2 tbsp. chocolate chips (optional)

MICROWAVE 40-60 SECONDS IN A CUP OR BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Delicious :)

What about baking just two cupcakes, for you and a friend, hubby, or sibling?
We've got that too!!
INGREDIANTS:
-1 egg white
-2 tbsp. sugar
-2 tbsp. melted butter
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 tsp. baking powder
-pinch of salt
-1 1/2 tbsp. milk

BAKE FOR NORMAL AMOUNT OF TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Delicious :)

Hope you like these simple recipes!!! Yum!!!


Later bakers!

Monday 18 March 2013

Shamrock Sugar Babies!!

Hey bakers!
Today, I'm going to show you how to bake some superbly, amazingly delicious St. Patrick's Day Sugar Babies!!
My sister and I baked them for St. Patty's!
Hope you like!!

RECIPE:

-1 cup butter, softened
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-2 eggs, room temperature
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, and combine well. Increase speed on the hand mixer after both eggs have been added and make totally fluff-alicious!!
4. Add vanilla extract.
5. In a large bowl, mix togeher the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. GRADUALLY incorporate the dry mixture into the butter mixture until it is all combined.
7. Roll out your cookie dough on a flat, flour-covered surface and use a cookie cutter to cut whatever shapes you want. We used a shamrock-shaped one for St. Patrick's Day!
8. Grease the cookie pan and bake for 7-8 minutes, or until they are fully baked.

DELICIOUS! These were a huge hit. My younger siblings had one each in their school lunchbags, and my sister said they were "the best cookies I've ever ate!"
We also used Duncan Hines whipped vanilla frosting and dyed it green to ice the Sugar Babies green. And don't forget the green sprinkles!
Here are some pics:

The flour mixture
 
The butter mixture
 
combining the two mixtures
 
TIP: Grease cookie pans with the butter wrappers!!
 
Cutting out the shamrocks!
 
They were so good! not raw, I mean.....
 
Seriously, who would not want one of these festive green Sugar Babies????? I sure would!!
 
There you have it! The PERFECT, delicious way to celebrate this green holiday.
 
Later bakers!!
 
 
 
 

Saturday 16 March 2013

How To Make a Box Cake Taste like a Bakery Cake!!


Hey bakers!

Today I'm going to tell you how to turn this:
Into this!
That's right! How to easily make a tasteless box cake taste like a delicious, amazing bakery cake for nearly FREE!!

1. Look at the directions on the box.
2. Add one more egg (or two if you want it extra, extra rich!)
3. Use melted butter instead of oil, and double the amount (Like if you need a 1/2 cup of oil, use 1 cup of melted butter!)
4. Instead of water, use milk.
5. Mix well and bake for the recommended time on the box
This is really good to know....can't wait to try it out!!

Feel free to tell me if you have any ideas or anything that I could post next!! Thanks!!

Hey bakers!

Friday 15 March 2013

Recipe Time!!

Hey bakers!
It's time for a delicious recipe that will make everyone ask for it!!
SNICKERS CUPCAKES!!

INGREDIANTS:
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 cup hot water
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-3/4 tsp. baking soda
-3/4 tsp. baking powder
-3/4 tsp. coarse salt
-16 tbsp. unsalted butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-2 large eggs (plus one egg yolk)
-1 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
-2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
-caramel sauce
-32 mini fun-size Snickers bars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and the hot water until smooth and set aside. In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside also.
In a medium saucepan, combine and butter and sugar over medium heat. Stir occasionally to mix until the butter is melted. When it is melted, transfer into a bowl and add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, then the cocoa mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the dry mixture into it in two separate batches, and finally add the sour cream.
Divide the batter into the paper liners and bake for 18-20 minutes.

When they are cooled, use a sharp knife and cut a small hole into the tops of the cupcakes.
Chop up 24 of the Snickers bars.
 
Mix with a 1/3 cup of caramel sauce. Drop a spoonful of the mixture in each hole.
 
Ice with fluffy vanilla icing. You can use a piping bag to make them look extra stylish.

Drizzle the cupcakes with additional caramel sauce, like pictured above.

Yum! Those look completely devine! Can't wait to try them out!
P.S. Credits go to Annie's Eats.


You can also substitute the Snickers for Mars Bars if wanted.

Later bakers!

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Spruce Up Your Desserts!

Hey bakers!

So you baked delicious cupcakes, iced them beautifully, and have them out ready for a party. But they look so plain.....so boring......Well, here are some ways to spruce them up!

Sprinkles
Yes, this dollar-store find is one of the easiest ways to dress up a cupcake/cake. Any color or any shape. Whether you cover the cupcake completely or drop a few on, it looks fabulous either way.



 

Paper
Some of you may be thinking, you're joking! No. This is probably the simplest idea of them all! Whether you print something off of the Internet or draw something up yourself, this is amazing no matter what. You can even personalize them for the theme of the party or the birthday person's name!
    
 
Candy
Yup, any candy or chocolate of ANY kind is a great cake decorator. Seriously, you can use any candy or chocolate, and even mold it or twist it to become the shape you like! You can use any color to coordinate with the colors of your party, or just the colors you would like.
 
     
 Heart with Candy Canes!! A mini-cupcake topper with a Reese!  Pies with Starbursts!
 
Of course, there are many, many more. How about candles? Or fruits? If you have any more ideas, feel free to tell me and I will put your ideas in the next post!
 
Later bakers!