Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
So you have your cake, it’s cooled and ready for some frosting—only what kind? Well, cream cheese frosting of course! This cream cheese frosting recipe is painfully easy and tastes so great on any cake or cupcake.
If you’re looking for a frosting that packs a little more of a punch, try some fun variations! Because this recipe is so basic, there are many different options when it comes to “spicing up” your deliciously simple cream cheese frosting. Read more
Sailboat Cupcake Recipe
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me! With these fun boating cupcakes, that’s what you’ll be singing all day long! These cupcakes are so tasty and very creative! The little boats look kind of hard to make, but in reality they’re so simple.
I found these cupcakes to be very fun and made them one day for some family friends. They were going down to the lake for a couple of days and these sailboat cupcakes were a great way to let them know that we’d miss them while they were away.
Whether you’re a boating expert, just like to dunk your feet in off the dock, or simply love cupcakes, this sailboat cupcake recipe is sure to please. [singlepic=84,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- Pre-made cupcakes
- Blue icing (butter cream with blue food coloring)
- Decorating Tip No. 5
- Red Icing (have fun switching up the different boat colors!)
- Corn starch
- Toothpicks
- Construction paper
- White cellophane tape
Directions:
1. Ice the pre-made cupcakes with blue icing, pulling up a little bit with each wipe of icing to create the desired “wave” effect.
2. Pipe in tip No. 5 oval boat bottom shape on the top of the cupcake (smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch). Outline the shape with tip No. 5 and pipe two more times to build up the boat sides.
3. Cut the sail shapes from construction paper and tape to the toothpick; insert into the boat on the cupcake to finish.
4. Enjoy!
Catch a wave, catch a tan, or catch a sailboat cupcake. These cupcakes are easy, adorable, and great for the marina lover in all of us. This recipe will make you wish you could whip the sail up and go out for the day. Call the office and tell them you’re out baking boat cupcakes… be back on Monday!
Popcorn Cupcake Recipe
Movie nights, for me, are the perfect way to spend any evening, but where would a movie be with no popcorn? Well, it would just be wrong. That’s what makes these cupcakes so much fun. I found them at familyfun.com and I just love the idea. This recipe allows you to create creative little popcorn cupcakes and gives off the image of a bucket of popcorn.
I’ve found that these cupcakes are great for parties, gatherings, or a fun girl’s night in! Who would have ever thought that marshmallows could be popcorn! So go ahead, pop in a movie, pop down on the couch, and don’t worry about popping that popcorn. These popcorn cupcakes already have it all taken care of! [singlepic=82,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- Premade cupcakes
- White icing
- Mini marshmallows (white or pastel yellow and white)
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- Clean paintbrush
- Scissors
- White construction paper
- Blue and red markers
Directions:
1) Frost the cupcake with white icing. To create each piece of “popcorn,” cut one mini marshmallow in half and squish the two pieces back together into a whole mini marshmallow, pinching firmly.
2) Pile the finished popcorn onto the frosted cupcake. For a buttery look, either dilute a drop of yellow food coloring in water and brush it on with a clean paintbrush or mix pastel yellow marshmallows in with the white.
3) To make the band, cut a strip of construction paper about 1 1/4 inches by 8 inches, or to fit your cupcake, and decorate as shown. If you’re creating many cupcakes, design just one band and color photocopy it. Wrap the band around the cupcake and secure with tape.
Well, that’s it. With these simple instructions and a little creativity, you too can enjoy a popcorn cupcake to accompany any movie night! This popcorn cupcake recipe is a fun twist on a traditionally salty snack!
A Cake's Crumb Coat
So, you’ve taken your cake out of the over and it has cooled. What now? You’re ready to frost it! Woah, Speedy Gonzalez! Put down the butter knife and the rubber spatula. We’re not there yet.
So for smoothing a cake well, you first need to cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting called the “crumb coat”. Many people don’t understand the importance of the crumb coat, but it is critical to any successful cake. The crumb coat is the same icing you’ll use to cover the top of the cake, only it is thinner. Usually, about the consistency of sour cream is just right.
All you need to do is spoon out a dollop or two of the icing you’re using for the rest of the cake into a small bowl. Add a tad of water to the frosting to thin it out. Cover your cake with a thin layer of the crumb coat and then set it aside to stiffen up or create what is called an “air crust”. Some people choose to put it in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up the process, but I think the wait is best spent at room temperature. [singlepic=20,320,240,,right]
The addition of a crumb coat is crucial to a good cake. First, a crumb coat (obviously) contains the crumbs. These crumbs came from leveling the cake, after it was cooled. The leveler helps you to create a more even and balanced finished product.
The second purpose of the crumb coat is to seal in the freshness! When the air crust forms, you are sealing in the goodness and then it is coated with a second layer of icing! That’s double the freshness! The second layer of icing on a cake is like the paint and the crumb coat is just the primer. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, but it has to cover the cake (lightly) and be efficient.
I’d recommend for your first time experimenting with a crumb coat, go lighter than heavier. If a crumb coat is too heavy, you may not have enough icing to frost the rest of your cake with the regular icing. It’s easier to realize if you didn’t’ have enough crumb coating and to add more next time. Also it’s not the end of the world if a crumb ends up on the outside of your cake. Just stick a tooth pick at it and scoop it up.
I know at my house, my cakes don’t have to stay fresh for too long before they’ve been all gobbled up, but without the crumb coat—I’d have some serious problems!