Seafoam Frosting - Happy Valentine's Day!

Move over buttercream! There's a new frosting in town! Introducing Seafoam Frosting. (Made pink for Valentine's Day.)

Impress your loved ones (or in my case, my friends and coworkers) with this fun frosting. It's very easy to make and even easier to apply to cake.

When I was young(er), every year for my birthday I would request chocolate cake with seafoam frosting.

See? I wasn't lying. This is me on my third birthday blowing out the candle on top of my seafoam frosting. My love for it started at a young age. :) 

Seafoam is great for those who like cupcakes, but don't like how sugary buttercream frosting can get. This is a light topping that adds a bit of sugar and flare to the cake. Since the frosting peaks, you can decorate it many ways.

You can make tons of peaks and swirls or...

One swirl with one peak at the top. (Aren't they cute?!)

Since this is such a special recipe, it must be eaten the same day it's made. Ok, ok. It really needs to be eaten the same day it's made since the frosting will start to seep into the cake and it will lose it's texture and flavor after a day. Best thing is to whip it up, decorate, and eat right away. (I know...so hard to HAVE to eat cake right away.)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and maybe you'll be requesting it for your next birthday, too!

Seafoam Frosting from my Mom's Best Recipes Cookbook
Ingredients
2 egg whites
3/4 C white table sugar or light brown sugar
a little bit of vanilla (Erika's extras - I used about a 1/4 t since I wanted more of a vanilla flavor)
1/3 C light corn syrup
2 T water
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/4 t salt

Place in the top of a double boiler while water is boiling. Beat with electrical hand beater on top speed or second to top speed until it will stand in peaks (stiff). This will take any where from 5 to 10 minutes. (Add food coloring within the first minute of beating the frosting.)

Erika's Extas: The picture above is what your beater will look like when the frosting is done.

Bake well and prosper!

Sometimes You Throw Away Your Camera's Memory Card

What? You've never thrown away the memory card to your camera? I hadn't either until two weeks ago. I was throwing away some trash and didn't notice that my card and card reader were in the pile I threw away. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if there weren't pictures of the desserts I had made that week on there. But they were.

I was asked by Deana of Lost Past Remembered to make some desserts for a movie filming in Queens. Even though I was super busy with work and operas, I decided this would be too cool to pass up.

The assignment consisted of making a citrus tart, a chocolate icing cake, and something else that I felt like making.

Thankfully, Deana took some pictures of the desserts I made while they were on set. (You can see her whole post on the food for the film here. She made some great dishes!)

The Citrus Tart

Deana sent some pictures of what to make and I read up on the process of candying lemons. I was really happy with the outcome. However, my recipe didn't have a carmelization process and the director wanted a darker looking citrus top. (I wish I had my pictures to show you how yellow and fresh the lemons were when I made it.) Thankfully, Deana is a master in the kitchen and easily whipped up a topping to add to the lemons to make them darker. She also let me know that one of the producers really liked the tart and wants the recipe. (See bottom of post.)

The Cake

I was also sent a picture of a round cake with chocolate icing and some white frosting swirls. Deana said to make the cake and make it pretty. So I put shredded coconut in a circle on the top edges of the cake. Well, the director really wanted those swirls so Deana came to my rescue again by taking off the coconut and adding the swirls (and some canned frosting...over my butter cream frosting! For shame!) ;)

The Extra

I had decided to experiment with my mom's recipe for Orange Drop Cookies. I figured they would make cute little tarts if baked in a cupcake pan. Well, they made cute little cupcakes instead. Hmmm. I iced them quickly because the lady from the movie crew who was picking up my desserts was close by. Once again, Deana spruced them up by adding white icing and a raspberry on top. Now why didn't I think of that? They are so cute like that!

What I learned from this experience is how to make candied lemons. Oh, and that directors have a vision.

Lemon Tart recipe found at Epicurious. (I used premade pie crust since I needed to save time where I could.)

Bake well and prosper!

Another Entry into a Cupcake Competition

After posting so many recipes before Christmas one would think that I would stay away from the kitchen and rest from baking for a little bit. Ah, well. Maybe next year. I wanted to experiment again and so I made cupcakes for the Chocolate Adventure Contest while presenting them as birthday cupcakes for my coworker. (Two birds...one cupcake.)

Since I can't share the recipe with you (yet), I figured I would share some pictures of the snow NYC saw this past week. 

It started snowing on Sunday, Dec 26 at 10 am and I went for a run. Yes. I went for a 6 mile run. Crazy, I know. By the time I had come back to my apartment the snow was sticking and quickly!

Later that evening when I arrived at my apartment again, I saw a site that confirms I'm truly a Texan even though I've lived in the northeast for almost 10 year.

Yep. That would be snow that had blown in on my curtain since I forgot to shut my window. Whoops!

The next morning I walked across the south side of Central Park to take pictures of the snow. Wow! So much pretty snow! 

It was comforting to know that I had cupcakes ready to keep me warm and happy.

I found this road sign really hilarious. What about you? 

I safely made it to my office. This Texan isn't afraid of snow! :)

At my office I took some shots of the snow from above.

Then I hunkered down to work and left the snow alone. But not the cupcakes. I ate those. :)

Have a great new year!

Bake well and prosper! 

No Recipe For You!

Do you guys remember the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld? Well, if you do, please read the title of this post with his accent.

I baked this weekend. Oh yes. But I can't share the recipe for my creations.

This is because I'm creating new recipes to enter into The Chocolate Adventure Contest. Or at least I am trying to create a new cupcake recipe to submit. Not sure yet if I am going to use my ideas from this weekend or not.

I CAN tell you that it has Scharffen Berger chocolate in it and that I used sweetened condensed milk as my adventure ingredient.

I felt like a "mad scientist" as I tried many variations on my idea for my cupcake. The end result of this round DID involve frosting, but that's all I can say. :) So, for now, enjoy the pictures!

UPDATE ON FALL

As you can see from the picture above, Fall is still happening. The trees in Central Park decided to change colors. Well, half of them did. The ones that did are beautiful!

Bake well and prosper!

Girl & Boy Meet

I recently went to a friend's engagement party and ended up making cupcakes because a guest (and friend of mine) asked me to bring some. (Hi Michelle!)

I had a box of organic vanilla cake mix bequeathed to me from some people who left my apartment building. (For more info, see here: Me, as told by Cupcakes) So, to make more shelf space in my tiny apartment, I decided to whip up some quick cake batter. I also decided to decorate the cupcakes in pink and blue and added hearts to show the love of the couple (and to make them not look like they were for a baby shower.)

So now....a love story told by cupcakes:
Girl meets boy at a party.
Boy and girl start hanging out.
After many dates, laughs, mishaps, awkwardness, fun times, and miles of running, they realize that they have "love, true love" and get engaged.
(Below photo could represent the wedding...or the kids they will have.)

Ha! In all seriousness, congrats to Tiny Jenna & Tall Boy!

Recipe for cake and frosting: Me, as told by Cupcakes

(Why do cupcakes talk to me/tell stories? I should get this look at.)

Bake well and prosper!

Me, as told by Cupcakes

There are a lot of things I do in New York City, and there are a lot of things that seem to frequently happen to me in NYC. For instance, strangers seem to like giving me free stuff. Take last week: I went to a friend's fashion show and then to a cabaret bar after it. When leaving the bar, two guys came up to me and said they saw me at the show and liked my fashion. (Why, thank you!) They had an unopened bottle of wine that they didn't want to carry around for the rest of the night and thought they'd offer it to me. My friends who were with me confirmed that this kind of stuff only happens to me. Hmmm... (Too bad that when I was walking home with it I was looking at my blackberry and NOT the sidewalk and tripped and fell. I was fine, but the bottle of wine didn't do as well - it broke clear in half. Now there's a drunk sidewalk on Bleecker Street!)

Good thing cake mixes come in boxes.... A couple of months ago, a guy on the same floor in my apt was moving out. I bought a shelving unit from him and then he gave me 4 different types of organic cake mixes for free!I finally got around to using one. I decided to make special cupcakes with the organic chocolate cake mix. It calls for three eggs and once again, I saw a face in the cracked eggs. This time it had a mustache!

And, seeing it's me, this is how gracefully I poured the batter in the cupcake liners.

Oh, you say it's supposed to go IN the liners, not on them? Hmmmm....I will work on that.

For these special cupcakes I made buttercream frosting for the first time! It's not hard at all! Just a little messy....or at least, I was a little messy.

I also made chocolate toppings to go with the frosting. I was inspired by a cake I saw online that used chocolate bark/candy coating to make a bridge. I decided to make a couple of things with the chocolate.

AHEM.

Without further ado, here is a little bit about me, as told by cupcakes:

Erika Beth went to college for singing. She originally wanted to be a Broadway star, but her voice was too big and vibrato-y (or as she says, "more suited for opera.") She eventually got the hang of opera and currently sings in a lot of shows around the city.She also happens to sing in churches. Church is nothing new to her seeing she's a pastor's daughter. You know what they say about pastor's daughters... *AHEM!* Cupcakes...continue please!

Alright, alright. Well, obviously, she bakes. (Yeah, that's a cupcake on a cupcake.) She also loves to eat anything that is sugary (and it's an added bonus for her if it contains chocolate!)We also think she's crazy because she runs a lot. She claims it relieves stress and that she has always loved running. (Yep, she was a big time tom boy.) She averages about 20 miles a week. She has to burn off all these sweets somehow!

Through all these activities she still makes sure to hang out with friends. She says that lots of time the best fun is just sitting at a bar and chatting the night away. Yeah, yeah...whatever, lush.

*SCREECH* Whoa. These cupcakes sure are feisty! Here, let me finish this.

Put all of these things together and I'm a very happy girl (and a very busy one too.)

And of course, I can't forget that all these things happen in the greatest city in the world. :)

Now, time for a nap (seeing I think I'm developing voices in my head)!

Buttercream Frosting

1 stick softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Beat in the sugar and the vanilla. Pour in the milk. Frosting should be at a good texture, but feel free to add more milk to change the consistency of the frosting.

Chocolate Toppings

Draw a design on a piece of paper, or find a design online and print it out. Put a sheet of wax paper over the design, waxy part up. Melt the chocolate bark/candy coating and put it in a plastic piping bag (or, if you don't have one, put it in the end of a plastic sandwich bag and cut the tiniest hole at the corner.) Trace the lines while lightly squeezing the chocolate in the bag. Place in freezer for about a minute to solidify and then take out. It should easily slip off the wax paper.

Bake well and prosper!

Egg on my fingers (you thought I was going to say face, didn't ya?)

There must be some professional way to separate an egg. I am sure there are videos on youtube about it. However, I've never researched the topic. Instead, I gingerly crack the egg and break it apart while keeping the yolk on one half. Then I pray and cross my toes that while I transfer the yolk back and forth in the shell halves that it doesn't slip out with the egg white. Well, I am usually successful. I just end up with some egg on my fingers. So, here's a lovely recipe that requires the separating of an egg. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Miniature Cakes (from my Mom’s Best Recipes Cookbook)

3-oz pkg of cream cheese, softened

1 egg, unbeaten

1 egg yolk, unbeaten (save white)

sugar

salt

1/2 C chocolate chips

3/4 C water

1/3 C salad oil (aka vegetable oil)

1 egg white

1 T vinegar

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1/4 C cocoa

3/4 t baking soda

silvered almonds

(I used this for my cocoa. Silly Cow Farms. How could I resist?!)

In small bowl at medium speed, beat cheese, egg, egg yolk, 1/4 C sugar, and dash of salt until smooth; then stir in chocolate chips. Set aside. In large bowl bowl, combine egg white, water, salad oil, vinegar, and vanilla; beat well with fork. Sift into this flour, 1 C sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 t salt. Stir with spoon until well combined. (See the two finished mixtures below.)

Fill each cupcake paper about half full with cocoa batter. Onto center of each, spoon 1 T cream cheese mixture. (Smaller if you are making minis)

(Isn't that picture beautiful? Doesn't it make you want to cry just thinking about all those mini cups of goodness?!)

Generously sprinkle tops with sugar and almonds. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until cupcakes are golden. Cool in pans 10 minutes; then remove to rack to finish cooling. Makes 15 large cupcakes, or ~30 minis.

Bake well and prosper!