I’m not dead.  I got a promotion at work and baking has taken a backseat!  I miss it so much.

Now that the summer is approaching, I think I am going to make Lemonade cupcakes! 

Miss you guys!

Serving Size: 1 frosted cupcake
Calories: 500
Fat: 27g
Sodium: 430mg
Carbs: 62g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 45g
Protein: 6g

POINTS® value 12*

Ingredients listed below, click here for the complete recipe!
For Frosting
Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
Cool Whip Free, thawed
fat-free cream cheese, softened
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

For Cupcakes
Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Devil’s Food**
Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Classic Yellow**
diet hot cocoa mix packets
fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
red food coloring
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
salt

They look really yummy! I think I will try these in the near future.

I have submitted so many photos to TasteSpotting and only two made it.  I guess my photography or my blog is just not good enough.  Tastepostting is like a really cool club that makes you stand on line and they point at you if you are dressed the right way to get it.  I am going to have to work on getting over my need to fit in with them.  2 photos out of 20, is really sad.  I hate giving up, but the disappointment is too much.  I actually get really sad, and I am not blogging to be sad, I am blogging for fun.  So, starting today I am going to work on my posting to tastespotting addiction.  Some way, some how.  I’m done sending my lil ole’ photos to them.

Broken, but not beaten 

Cupcake Hero’s ingredient of the Month is: Coffee

3/4 cup of Flour

1/2 cup of natural & Dutch Process Cocoa SIFTED

1 tbsp ground coffee

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup Milk

2 tbsp instant coffee

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cocoa powder ~ ground coffee ~ baking powder ~ baking soda & salt

whisk sugar, oil, and egg until smooth ~ Add flour mixture, beat until combined

whisk together milk, instant coffee, and vanilla until coffee is dissolved. Add this to the batter, beat until smooth

Scoop into baking cups ~ Bake 20 -25 mins.

****************************************************************************************************

Ivory Water Icing

2 cups of confectioners sugar

Water

Ivory food coloring

mix the confectioner’s sugar with a FEW DROPS of water at a time to form a thick yet workable icing

Add a little ivory food coloring

pour over cupcakes

The taste tester feels that the coffee taste does not stand out enough. (Maybe because I used a store brand instant coffee) ~ BUT The cupcake is very tasty!!!!!

Today I purchased more baking cups! I brought more Martha Stewart cups and Easter baking cups with Pics.

I also got yellow ducky cups, I may use those for a friends baby shower!

One of my coworkers has been on me for Red Velvet cupcakes. For some reason, I thought that it would be very very hard to make Red Velvet cupcakes. I followed a recipe that I have in one of my books. They did not turn out like I wanted them to. They turned out more like Chocolate cupcakes with red food coloring.

My Red Velvet Cupcakes

• 4 oz of shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 oz red food coloring
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350f
2. Cream shortening and sugar until light & fluffy
3. Add eggs beat in one at a time
4. Make a paste with cocoa & food coloring (Did not make a paste, just clumps)
5. Add salt and buttermilk
6. Add flour, vanilla, vinegar, and baking soda mix after adding each one
7. Fill cups at least halfway
8. Beat for 15 - 20 mins

* One of my co-workers said this was not one of my best cupcakes

something good happened. My friend Jessie from CakeSpy drew a Naughty Cupcake photo for my blog! It is so awesome, I could not wait to tomorrow to post it! You can see the photo in my title! She does great work and I think she is doing one of my baby Zoe with a cupcake! Thank you Thank you! On a bad baking day she sent me, just what I have been waiting for! Check out Jessie’s blog ~ Cakespy. Thank you, Jessie!!!

* Make sure you check out the detail.  Do you see the frosting on the inside of the measuring cup?  Oh how I hate when the frosting comes off, that really is a naughty cupcake! 

no matter how sad it may be, so that we call all learn from my mistakes! Today, I set out to make Strawberry cupcakes. My taste tester wanted Strawberry cupcakes. I know I still need to make those Ferrero Rocher cupcakes, that Stef won’t let me off the hook for I had my fresh strawberries and a really cool recipe from Flickr.

Everything was going well, I even got them in the oven with no mishaps! But, I forgot my friend was making stew while I was baking. Well the banging of the spoon on the stew pot, made my cupcakes sink into liitle nothings, I think! They were just nothing, burnt sunk in and nothing was there. But then I remembered, I did not whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt before I added it to my egg, sugar, and butter mix. So, I really think it was my fault. But then I started thinking that should have all mixed when I put it all together, so I am blaming it on my taste tester, it was the banging! What do you think? I am not mad at anyone, whatever the case, it always the chef’s responsibility. I was really upset because it is hard for me to bake during the week, I get home late and I never have enough time to get my butter to room temp. Oh well, I thought I would share my woes with web/blog friends

Receipe found on Flickr: Posted on Flickr by SpeedM:

strawberry cupcakes

ingredients

cupcakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry sauce
1/4 cup milk

strawberry sauce:
2 cups of fresh strawberries, cut in half and stem removed
sugar to taste

cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces or 1 package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
approximately 1/4 cup of strawberry sauce

instructions

cupcakes:
Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk and strawberry sauce together. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/strawberry sauce mixture and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes). Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F until a cake tester comes out clean.

I learned a new cooking word: see below Macerate - Was I the only baking blogger that did not know this word??

strawberry sauce:
Macerate strawberries with about 1-2 tbs sugar for 15 minutes. Put strawberries in a small saucepan and heat under medium heat with lid on. Cook strawberries for approximately 15 minutes till strawberries cook down and become soft and saucy. Adjust sweetness with sugar until you get the desired sweetness. Using a hand blender, puree until you get the desired smoothness or chunkiness. Cool before using in recipe.

cream cheese frosting:
Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

Okay, so tomorrow is another day and the bakingdiva will try again. Probably something I can bake with shortening or vegetable oil ~ no time for room temp butter

Quiet Saturday and I feel a little post crazy. So, I decided to post a few of my old and new things.

Cupcake Liners

I love the Nut & Candy cups that you can use for cupcakes. It makes them look really nice. It is just to difficult for people to get the cupcake out of the cup. - Great for decorating - Not for eating

My pink and white Martha Stewart Cups, I love them. They are so cute, I never want to use them.

Christmas cup liners, they were ok. I felt that they did not make a big enough presence. The cupcake seemed to seep through or something and the Christmas theme really could not be made out. Ba - Humbug!

Valentines Day Cups - I have not used those yet. But I can’t wait to.

Burgundy Lined cups - Those are great. A little short, but cupcakes never stick to those cups. They are really nice.

Brown & Gold Cups - I have not used those yet. I am saving them for my version of the Ferrero Rocher Cupake

Pans

I found these at the Dollar store. Not sure when or for what recipe I will use these for. They are so cute. I can use the heart next month for Valentine’s Day ~ maybe

New Experiment

I want to try and use fondant to decorate my cupcakes. I purchased Rolled Fondant and a few shape cut outs. I am waiting for my book to arrive from Amazon to do this. The Artful Cupcake book.

  <————– You can copy this to link with me! 

Potluck at work, and I did not want to attempt to make anything to difficult. I can’t believe everyone at work said that the cupcake was one of the best that I have made. It was so easy and really nothing but Pineapples. My Frosting was a little runny and I did not like that, but that is because I used low fat cream cheese and a little too much pineapple juice & crushed Pineapple. I know, this cupcake is so ugly. After my pretty Mojito cupcake, I hated to even look at this one. But, it was still tasty!

A Julie Hasson Cupcake recipe

• 1 Cup of King Arthur All-Purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup of pineapple

My Pineapple Cream Icing

• 3 Oz of Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 4 cups of Confectioners Sugar
• 1 tablespoon of drained crushed pineapple (You can add less or more)
• 1 Tsp of pineapple juice

* Be careful with the juice and crushed pineapple in the icing it makes it runny, but it makes the icing so yummy.