My newest obsession "COOKIES"

I've decided to try my hand at cookies.  Just another medium for me to play with.  I also thought it might help with my piping skills.

Mother's Day - Rose Cupcake Bouquet

Cupcakes for Mothers Day!!!

My mother loved her peacock cake, I'm still amazed that I actually made it.  The only thing is that it's a LOT of cake,  how would she ever be able to eat all that cake.  

(On a side note, she kept the peacock from the top of the cake and froze it.  As if she was going to eat it at later date.) I guess she just couldn't waste all my hard work by eating it. lol

She ended up taking it to work and sharing it with her co-workers, secretly I think she just wanted to show it off. "Look what my daughter did"  So I was determined to find a way to make something beautiful that she wouldn't have to share, unless she wanted to of course.  

I decided cupcakes... hmmm... rose cupcakes... mmmm , Oh! I know...

A Purple Rose Cupcake Bouquet

 So I tried several techniques and decided the best way to make them would be to hand pipe pedals directly on the cupcakes. (I'll deal with the carpel tunnel later).  I used floral sticks to mount them in a vase full of crystals. 

My mother really loves purple.  It's not every day you see a purple rose bouquet.  

The pictures make them look muted. 

On the way to deliver her bouquet, I took pictures.  There's just nothing like natural lighting. Note to self: Cupcakes should be extra cold, as they tend to slide down the stick as they warm up. 

Happy Mothers Day Mom! I love you!

"Peacock Cake" for Mom's 60th Birthday

Mom's 60th Birthday Cake 1/19/2012

This cake was a special cake as I made it for my mother for her 60th birthday.  She loves Peacocks and I thought it might be fun to do some hand painting.  The inside was her favorite my white wedding cake recipe which I have spent many many months perfecting.  I swirled some color into the batter to create a whimsical look when you cut into it.  I used her favorite colors Purple, Blue etc.

this was my first attempt at multi color swirls

once the cake was complete, I began to stack and fill it with vanilla butter cream and raspberry filling.

Then we are on to the fun stuff...

I pained each feather individually and created the topper out of rice crispy treats.

and the final product...

She loved her cake and it made her 60th Birthday memorable.  The beautiful thing about making cakes for those I love is that I actually get to see them enjoy them.  Only problem was that my mother could not eat all of that cake and took the remainder to work with her to share with her co-workers.  

I have an idea for smaller cakes... stay tuned...

on a side note, I wanted to share with you what it looked like once it was cut into...

When it all started

     Over the weekend I was at my mothers house celebrating Easter a week late. The boys were swimming in the pool and the grownups were at the table talking about my newest passion "cupcakes" I brought a plate of cupcakes over for the party. I had spent several days making a matcha green tea cupcake homemade with homemade butter cream frosting. It was the first time I played with fondant, I made little pink flowers for the top with a little green ball rolled in crystallized green tea powder. They were minis which just meant that you could eat more than one without feeling guilty. My family was rating the cupcakes and from what I can gather they were a success except for the frosting which was very thick and sweet.

     My mother started talking about some of my first experiences with cake baking. I'm trying to remember how old I was the first time I baked a cake. I was probably 9 years old, it was my mothers birthday and a las I had a reason to bake something.  I remember we were out of baking powder so I decided I would substitute baking soda. Needless to say, that cake was the thinnest cake filled with the most love a 9 year old girl could make. I remember making the frosting with powdered sugar and water, so it was like a glaze. Wow... that was a long time ago.  I remember when I was 11 I somehow talked a neighbor lady into helping me make a birthday cake for my mom and we made a ziggy cake. It was adorable.  Does anyone remember Ziggy cartoons?


     When I think back I have many memories I can associate with baked goods. I remember when my niece was younger and more interested in spending a day baking with her Aunt Shell, we made cupcakes which we decorated with bugs, butterflies and flowers, we used the brightest colors and the finished plate was soooo memorable. I'll have to see if my sister Dina still has the pictures.
    

     I started thinking back through my life and I was remembering the Santa Clause Cakes, The Easter Bunny Cakes, The 4th of July Jello Cake, My oldest sons 21st Birthday cake which I adorned with a can of Budweiser and a bottle of Wild Turkey.  I can't help but think that all of these cakes shared a memory, a memory in a child's mind that they will never forget.  Mine, My Children, My niece... Cake is a force... a force in my life that I intend to explore further...

Introduction

Well hello, I would like to start by introducing myself, My name is Michelle and this is my life in a nutshell or rather a cupcake.

 (This is me and my two youngest sons Devon in the blue and Dylan my red head.)

I want to thank you for being patient with me as I stumble through blogging... but most of all I want to thank my boys for being my little taste testers and all of those who have put up with my kitchen experiments through the years.  I love to cook and love to feed people.  My oldest son Thomas thinks that I should be a master chef, however I think he just misses his mom's cooking :)  I thought this would be a great place to share with the world my passion for cooking and baking.  I hope you enjoy.  oh and Bon Appetit!