First Birthday Pull-apart Cake

This is really a whole bunch of cupcakes (55 to be exact). Then you pull them apart and eat away!

This Week's Cakes

Lemon Buttercream

Hello all! Last week I made cookies and cupcakes for my mom to take to work for a fundraiser. I made half lemon and have vanilla, and they are delicious! It is really easy to adapt a basic buttercream recipe to create different flavors. Using this basic recipe from Wilton, you can be creative and have delicious tasting cupcakes all the time!

Ingredients:

·        ½ cup butter, softened (one stick)

·        ½ cup shortening (Crisco)

·        1 teaspoon lemon extract (or any other extract: vanilla, raspberry, almond…)

·        4 cups confectioners sugar

·        2 teaspoons milk (**you may need a little more or less depending on weather & humidity)

Directions:

1.      First cream the butter and shortening together. Then add the extract (in my case, I did a vanilla recipe and then a lemon recipe).

2.      Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, making sure not to create a catastrophic poof of sugar all over the kitchen!

3.      Add milk, slowly. The glory of this is that you can add more or less in order to get the right consistency for your recipe.

Be creative and try different extracts for different flavored cupcakes! It’s great to use a plain vanilla cupcake, add a little filling, and then complement the flavor with a flavored buttercream. For instance, raspberry filled vanilla cupcakes with lemon frosting, yum! 

I added a little royal icing flower to differentiate between the vanilla and lemon cupcakes (along with the frosting color). 

This Week's Cakes & Cupcakes

Cupcake Accessory: Message Flags

These message flags are great to add on to cupcakes that won't have writing on them. On a cake it is easy to write a message like "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations," but sometimes cupcakes are easier to handle than cutting a cake all up. These flags get your point across and can all have the same message or different messages on them. Plus, they're super easy to make!

Supplies:

• Paper
• Paper Cutter (or ruler and scissors)
• Tacky Glue
• Q-tip
• Toothpicks
• Marker (or other decorative supplies)

1. First, cut out colored paper that will match or complement your cupcake colors. I cut an 8.5x11" standard sheet of paper in half, then cut 1" pieces (about) using a paper cutter.

2. Next, Fold the paper slices in half, and cut a little triangle shape on the end that is not folded (you could also just cut straight across with a pair of decorative scissors if you preferred). Then write your message or decorate the flag as you wish.

3. Using tacky glue and a q-tip, spread glue onto one side of the flag and then a little on the other side of the fold so that the toothpick will stick. Then press closed, make sure to match up the pointed ends!

4. Place finished flags under something heavy (like a baking sheet or book) to let them get flattened out and stuck together even more. Note: If using glitter glue or some other decorative supply besides a marker, skip this step! We don't want your decorations getting messed up.

Voila! You have finished your flags and they are ready to accessorize your beautiful cupcakes! For these baby shower cupcakes, I used dual colored frosting (see how in this previous blog post here), sprinkled some crystal sanding sugar, and stuck the toothpick in a charm so that guests would have a "take away" after the shower.