30th Birthday Bash

Today was my boyfriend's 30th birthday.  He doesn't like cake or sweets very much, how the hell I ended up with a man who doesn't like desserts is beyond me.  So every year I try to come up with something different.  I've made him a meatloaf cake frosted with mashed potatoes, bacon roses, and German Chocolate Pie (why is it every man likes German chocolate?)
Things that he does like....whiskey and bacon, among other things.  So I made whiskey bacon cupcakes.

 

I just made my chocolate cupcakes, for those of you that haven't found this recipe I'll post again, because it is AMAZING and crazy easy to make:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tea baking soda

1 tea salt

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk (I never have this on hand so I just mix lemon juice and room temp whole milk)

2 eggs

1 1/2 tea vanilla

1 cup boiling water

 

Mix all ingredients (except boiling water) together then add boiling water.  This is a pretty soupy batter don't worry that's normal.

Bake 300 until just done. About 20 min for cupcakes 30-40 for cakes but all ovens are different.  Set timer for 15 then check every few minutes.

 

So easy, perfect cake every time!

 

Fill with ganache:

I don't have an exact recipe for my ganache, I add butter to mine to keep it soft, if you want it to harden up more, don't add.  No butter: equal parts chocolate and heavy cream.  With butter subtract amount of butter used from heavy cream, usually about 1 tabl per 8 oz chocolate.  I added whiskey until I could taste it.

 

Buttercream:

I almost always start with my Italian Meringue Buttercream then add my flavors to it.

mix 2 cups sugar

1/3 cups water in pan

clip on candy thermometer heat to 248 degrees

While sugar heating mix 5 egg whites and 1 tea cream of tartar in bowl of standing mixer with whisk attachment.  Mix until soft peaks form.

With mixer on lowest setting add sugar mixture.  Careful it's super hot!  Turn mixer on high, let mix till it cools down, about 15-20 min.  You want it at around 70-80 degrees, it should feel room temp.  If it's too hot it will not work! If it's too cool, it works butter the texture seems greasy or something, almost like a shortening frosting, blech.

Turn mixer to med speed.  Add room temp (soft) butter one tablespoon at a time.  Make sure totally mixed in before adding more.  This takes awhile. The mixture will start to deflate and my get either soupy or cottage cheesey looking.  Don't worry turn the mixer speed up a notch or two and keep adding.  I add anywhere from 4-6 sticks of butter.  When you get the right consistency add your vanilla bean paste (yes paste, my secret weapon in yummy frosting, also I use regular salted butter).

 

For this recipe I then added maple flavoring and chopped bacon.

 

The garnish:

Place cool bacon in pan.  Once starts to cook and fat melts,add a bunch of brown sugar (1/2 cup or so, cover the bacon), turn bacon over, coat with more brown sugar.

 

There, sounds like a lot of work, and well, it is.  But I'm a bit manic remember?

 

 

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

I just had my 30th birthday and I thought that was a perfect time to test out a pink champagne cupcake recipe that I've been holding onto for a while.  No, I didn't actually have to make my own birthday cake, I got an awesome death by chocolate cake made by my mother-not-in law.  I made the cupcake for a BBQ that we had the weekend after.
A friend of mine sent me the recipe, but it's from good-'ole Betty Crocker.  http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-cupcakes/26f6f790-0852-4bfc-8f73-8d4cfc8cf496
I prefer baking from scratch, but every once and a while you can find a good recipe using a box mix, (as long as it's tweaked a bit).  As usual I used less sugar in the frosting then it calls for, if you add it very slowly you can thicken your frosting without adding as much.  I also made mini cupcakes, nobody ever goes for the regular sized ones, but if you make mini everyone will try one- or five.  So you only have to bake for 5-7 minutes.

Burger Cupcakes

I have made these several times in the past year or so.  I made them for a company picnic, my friend's birthday that has a thing for cheeseburger anything, and for Super Bowl Sunday, might even make them again this year for Father's Day.
They are so easy and delicious!  All you need is:

• basic yellow cupcakes cut in half
• brownies, cut in to patty shape using a biscuit cutter or anything handy
• green, red, and yellow frosting.  The red and yellow frosting I just smeared onto cupcake bun and patty for the mustard and ketchup.  I used a leaf tip on a pastry bag for the green, but a sandwich baggy with the corner snipped works just fine.
• sesame seeds
• little bit of water to wet the tops of bun to make the seeds stick
• tooth picks to hold all together and give authentic look

See, so easy and major crowd pleaser.  I think I will make them again soon, but this time add 'fries' on the side out of sugar cookies.