June's Cupcakes, Light Versus Dark

I made cupcakes for Relief Society's June meeting. No surprise there. The hardest part is always deciding what flavor to make. I know some people don't like chocolate, so I when I know I'm making something chocolate, I try to offer a second choice. I was told they were both really good, and I have one person who has been waiting for me to post the recipes, so here they are. 

It gave me another reason to use my new ladder display that we (Bud, Laura and I) made last month. I'm loving that thing!

Forgive the off-balance display of the cupcakes. One container of chocolate cupcakes tipped over and were no longer presentable, so we were a little lopsided on how the remainder were arranged on the stand. None of the cupcake recipes are original, so I will just link you to where I found them. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes, by Lizzy Mae Early (Your Cup of Cake), found here. The only thing I did differently was to drizzle some leftover peanut butter ganache over the top of the cupcake and used a regular chocolate frosting instead of the peanut butter frosting. 

Chocolate Frosting (this may or may not have been the frosting I used. Sorry if it is not!)

1 lb. powdered sugar (that's about 4 cups or so)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat the butter and cocoa powder in a standing mixer until mixed well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until you've added it all. Slowly add in the cream and beat for about five minutes until it is smooth. 

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, again by Lizzy Mae Early, found here. 

After I made the cupcakes (I only put in the zest of one lemon instead of two, but I did use 1/4 cup lemon juice as directed), I cored out the center of the cupcakes and added a dollop of lemon curd from Leigh Anne Wilkes (Your Homebased Mom), found here. I replaced the top of the cored-out cupcake and frosted it with OBB's strawberry cream, found here, then added half of a strawberry to the top. 

That's pretty much it! If you tried one, I hope you liked it. If you didn't try one, you should have come to the Relief Society extra meeting! 

A Double Birthday Celebration

On Friday, June 3, my mom turned 85. We were supposed to have a party for my step father in May when he turned 95, but it was postponed because my mom had a 24 hour bug. Laura and I made a few desserts for the party. I baked everything and she did almost all the decorating. Her skills far and away outshine mine. 

Walt and Mom were given leis by my mom's sister, and my niece, Amy, had the very same idea, so my mom is wearing two leis! 

Here's the dessert table-

Mom was happy with how everything turned out. Here are a few close-up pictures of what we made. 

The cupcakes were supposed to be stuck into a styrofoam ball which had been glued to a clay flowerpot, but it was so warm that the cupcakes wouldn't hold onto the toothpicks, so because I didn't have enough time (traffic was miserable and it took twice as much time to drive there as it normally does) to go to plan B, which was to add frosting to the ball as a glue, I gave up on that idea and just set the cupcakes on the little table stands. 

The flowerpots are holding Rice Krispies treats. The flowers were supposed to be on a stick and standing up in the silicone pot, but I didn't put enough treats inside the pots for a base, so they wouldn't stand up. After the party, I had to fish through the trash can to find two of my little pots that had been thrown away. Yikes!

Here's the premier for the ladder stand that I made with some assistance from Bud and Laura. It had been so long since I used my scroll saw that I forgot a few key elements, but eventually we got it all to work. I'm happy with how it turned out. I bought the little stands as separate pieces from The Wood Connection, then stained and glued them together. I forgot to bring the doilies I bought to put under the large cookies. I always forget something! 

The sunflower ganache balls were a little too delicate and I had trouble keeping the petals in tact when I tried to peel away the liner. 

The sugar cookies were the hit of the party. Laura's diligence in making the flowers which went on top of the cookies had everyone in awe.

These puff pastry shells were filled with whipped cream and topped with a raspberry-chocolate chip flower. We had a different plan for these guys too, but went with a time saving option instead.

Laura made and arranged the flowers for the six layer orange-flavored cake. At the base of the cake are mini lemon tarts with homemade lemon curd. We never cut the cake. Cheryl took it home. 

The cupcakes are filled with strawberry cream. I didn't try one on the night of the party, but the couple bites of scraps I tasted earlier in the day were yummy. 

So there you have it. My mom provided the appetizers on a separate table. I think the guests who came all had an enjoyable time. I know these kids had a good time! 

Cupcake Recipe found here at McGreevycakes.com. This is a great recipe to use when you need to doctor a mix. We used half of the recipe, using one cake mix. 

Strawberry Cream Filling for the cupcakes found here. Bonus on this one is you get the recipe for cream puffs as well as ganache. Thanks OBB girls!

Swig Sugar Cookies copycat recipe found here at the Idea Room. Please try to overlook her misspelling of tartar (as in cream of). The cookies are fabulous. 

Lemon Curd found here at Your Homebased Mom.

Ultimate Bakery-style Rice Krispies Treats found here on Brown Eyed Baker who adapted it from Cookies and Cups, but this is a double recipe which makes a ton. I've done the math for you in case you want to make a single batch. 

Ultimate Bakery-style Rice Krispies Treats- slightly adapted (half recipe)

5 T. unsalted butter (71 grams)

16 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows (453 grams), divided

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 cups (158 grams) Rice Krispies cereal

Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large pan, melt the butter, then add 8 cups (340 grams) of marshmallows. Over low heat, stir until the marshmallows are melted, then remove from heat. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Stir in the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until they are well coated. Add the remaining marshmallows and stir briefly. Don't over-mix though. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down lightly (don't compact it). When treats are cool, cut into bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days. 

Happy birthday to Mom and Walt. I hope you had a fun party! 

SaveSave