One Million

Hello friends! Something special happened this weekend . . . our all time history count tells us that we've reached over one million views! It's a little unbelievable, but hopefully the stat isn't tricking us, because we we want to thank you.

Thank you for visiting our blog. Thank you for commenting on our posts. Thank you for following us on facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and all of the other neat platforms. Thanks for sticking around and reading about our food adventures and kitchen stories. We wish we could give each and every one of you a bouquet of cupcakes. Since no one has invented a cupcake-teleportation device, we hope that you'll accept this for now:

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes
(Makes about 22 cupcakes)

2 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line your tray with cupcake liners.
2. In your bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, warm water, and vegetable oil together.
3. Sift in the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the mixture. Mix until incorporated (don't over mix).
4. Using an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the batter into the cupcake liners.
5. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cook before frosting.

You can use your favourite buttercream or frosting recipe. Make sure the consistency is firm enough to hold the shape of the flowers.

Vanilla Buttercream

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
Gel colour dyes

1. Using a stand mixer, put the butter into the bowl and cream until smooth. Add in the icing sugar in three batches. Slowly start the mixer as you don't want the icing sugar to fly out! When it is all incorporated, add the vanilla extract.
2. You will need to use your own judgement here, add the milk a tablespoon at a time and check the consistency of the buttercream. It should not be so stiff that your spatula can stand upright if you stuck it in the middle of the ball of buttercream. It shouldn't be so soft that it won't hold it's shape after piping.
3. Add the gel colour you prefer and scoop the buttercream into your piping bag. Fit it with a large petal decorating tip (we used Wilton 127).

Holding both the cupcake and your piping bag, with the wider end of the tip on the bottom, rotate the cupcake as you pipe a small volcano. There should be a small opening on the top and a wide base at the bottom.

Then, pipe three petals around the middle, notice that these are not full petals. They don't go all the way around. Try surrounding the middle tip in three overlapping parts.

Continue and slightly angle your piping tip so that the petals eventually lay flat on the edge of the cupcake.

Even if the buttercream ruffles, tips over, or doesn't fold exactly where you want it to, it'll still look beautiful!

Try a different colour! It is almost spring!

We can't say it enough. Thank you!

Now let's eat cake!

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I have been craving whoopie pies. I was in dire need of one. Everywhere I turned I was reminded of whoopie pies. I would see macarons in the grocery stores and wished they were whoopie pies. I would look at my sandwich during lunch and really wished that it was a delicious cake with sweet filling. I would see this book and this pan in Crate & Barrel. Then today, Marthe Stewart's Cookie of the Day alert popped in my inbox - Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Okay! It is time for me to whip something up. Luckily, I was able to find the classic chocolate whoopie pie recipe online and watched a cute little video about making them. I felt ready to bake! Here we go, my first whoopie pies:

Here is my little batter scoop!

I was pretty nervous about leaving enough space in between all the batter, but it turned out fine! Only two of them decided to touch once they were baked. But it was a tiny bridge that I easily separated.

Here they are baked, let them cool before peeling them from the parchment paper. The tops aren't as smooth as I hoped they wood be, but that was okay with me. As long as they had the right cakey texture, I was over the moon!

Flipped! I would advise you to let them rest on a cooling tray/rack. Otherwise you might ruin the tops as crumbs from the parchment paper will stick to it! In other words, don't do what I did. =P

Mmmm, you can use a piping bag to fill the whoopie pies. Spatulas or knives work as well! That was the hardest photo to take today. With only two hands, I had to hold the piping bag and work the camera with my left hand - not ideal!

Place your other cake half on top of the filling.

Gently press down so that the filling squeezes outwards. Enjoy!

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies
From Whoopie Pies
(Makes about 12 medium-large whoopie pies)

1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
1 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and have all ingredients at room temperature. Lay out your parchment paper on your baking trays (I used two trays).
2. Using your mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt (as I am typing this, I just realized I forgot to add in the salt this morning!).
5. Add half of the dry mixture and half of the milk to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
6. Add in the remaining half of the dry mixture and the milk. Mix until completely combined.
7. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, drop 1 (mini) or 2 (medium-large, what I made) tablespoons of the batter onto your parchment paper. Remember to evenly space the batter. I was able to fit twelve of the 2 tablespoons on one tray.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly tapped. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes.
9. Gently remove the cakes from the parchment paper and allow it to cool.
10. Make your favourite frosting to fill the whoopie pies!

My mom and I were the first to try them. We broke one in half and ate it after lunch. She liked it! I wasn't expecting her to, but since the chocolate cake wasn't very sweet, I heard praises! I used a simple vanilla buttercream for the filling and coloured it pink. Yummy yummy! =)

Guest Baker: Thanks!

We had a special guest baker with us today. =)

She just got back from teaching English in China for a year.
She spent 11 days in Tibet.
Her Mandarin is much better than mine.
The day before, she was walking around downtown Toronto in a bridal gown (to promote a wedding contest).
She sends me postcards from her travel.
She sent in these lovely lyrics before.

It's Julia!

Our friend was in town (and in the country) and had been craving cupcakes for a year now. So we had her over to bake. We taught Julia some simple fondant work and gave ourselves a mini contest.

The Three Blind Mice Contest

• Using the extra pink fondant, make a little mouse.
• No extra details are required, only the body, tail, and ears.

So Howard, Julia, and I each made our simple mouse. We would love if you could judge them. I've labeled them L, M, and S (Large, Medium, and Small) here so you can keep track of the different camera angles:

The top view.

The front view.

The back view.

So who made the best mouse? Please let us know in the comments below which one you liked (L, M, and S). We'll reveal who made which later on! ;)

Check out the beautiful cupcakes of "Thanks" Julia made for her friend Carolyn!

Collar Cupcakes

Well I heard you.

Batter photos make you lick your monitor.

What about this one?

Vanilla Cupcakes
Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
(Makes about 36 mini cupcakes)

1 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of whole milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and have all ingredients at room temperature. Also have your cupcake liners ready.
2. With your electric mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter on low speed until everything is combined.
3. Gradually pour in half the milk and mix.
4. Whisk the egg, vanilla extract, and remaining milk together. Then pour into the mixture.
5. Scrape and continue mixing until the batter is smooth.
6. Divide your batter evenly into the paper cups, about 2/3 full, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.
   

I wanted to make little collars. To do these, before you pour the cupcake batter in, take a pair of clean scissors and make a small cut. Then, fold down the left and right side to make a collar.
Don't you think these would be great for Father's Day, a corporate look, or as shirts? I think I'll add a bow tie next time!


Pink Grapefruit Buttercream

1 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups of confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup of grapefruit juice

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together.
2. Add in the honey and mix until combined.
3. Slowly add in the grapefruit juice until buttercream is smooth.
4. Optional: add one tiny drop of red food colouring or pink gel paste to dye the buttercream pink.
   

Bonus tip: The collars make it easier to rip off the shirt, err, I mean peel the liner from the cupcakes. Easier access! ;)

Paris-Themed Bridal Shower Cupcakes

Someone is getting married!

No, not us! But, the bridal shower is a Parisian theme! Very cool right?!? Naturally, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe come to mind. So we took on the challenge and managed to create them in fondant. This was no easy task, it took some thinking... but we're pretty pleased with the way they came out. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe were all handmade - we couldn't find a Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe fondant cutter unfortunately. These decorations also needed to be dried on powdered sugar, otherwise the tower will droop! And more sugar doesn't hurt, right?

The pink and green buttercream colours are inspired from Ladurée, a patisseries in Paris.


Bridal showers are all about the amour!


And who can forget the ooh la la!


The famous Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe!


The fondant decorations are resting on vanilla buttercream and chocolate cupcakes.


What a beautiful sunny day for a bridal shower! Sigh...


Leftover buttercream pour moi!

Pink Princess Birthday Cupcakes

Do we remember Brian's little red car birthday cake? Today is his cousin's birthday! Ashley's favourite colour is pink and she likes princesses. Her favourite princess story is Cinderella, so we made a castle, some crowns, a magic wand, and the famous slipper from fondant.

We heart chocolate cupcakes!


Castle, magic wand, "glass" - fondant slipper, and flowers!


Crowns fit for a prince and princess! Check out the sprinkle "jewels" embedded into the crowns.


Plaques made from fondant.


Happy 6th Birthday Ashley!

As always, there are more photos posted on our facebook page and flickr account!

Butterflies and Cross Christening Cupcakes

We made some cupcakes for a very cool mom this weekend. The christening was for her daughter and her son told us he wanted butterflies on the cupcakes! How cute is that request? So of course we're making cute butterflies fluttering around the crosses!

To make tiny fondant butterflies, we:

1. Used food colour gel to tint the fondant to the desire shade.
2. Rolled the fondant smoothly to a thickness of about 3-4mm.
3. We don't have a butterfly cutter, so we used a tiny cookie cutter we had in the shape of a club:
   
   
   
4. Of course we had to cut off the extra section of the club shape. We did this twice for one butterfly.
5. Now, you know that extra section of that we sliced off? We used this for the body of the butterfly. Knead the fondant for the body and attach the two wings by pinching the underside.
6. Let your butterflies dry on one side of the wings.

Pink butterflies on pink vanilla buttercream.

Vanilla and Chocolate

Pink butterflies and crosses on vanilla buttercream and chocolate cupcakes.