tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26625572163643788522024-03-13T23:25:08.365-05:00Sweet SimplicitySweet. Simple. Perfection.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662557216364378852.post-37869188136650781232011-04-07T13:42:00.001-05:002011-04-07T13:45:20.090-05:00Fun Easter Cupcakes<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are my adorable Easter Cupcakes. These were super easy to make and I think they are just perfect for any Easter party. I started by baking my simple vanilla cupcake; here is the recipe I use:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Simple Vanilla Cupcake</u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1 cup white sugar<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1/2 cup butter<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">2 eggs<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">2 teaspoons vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1/2 cup milk<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><b>Directions<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. </span> </span>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 2. </span></span>In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 3. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 4. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 9.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5. </span></span>Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">I have a convection oven so I only set it to 325 degrees and I bake them about 15 minutes. I also use whole milk; I think it makes them taste the best. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">Then I made an easy buttercream icing that I colored with Americolor’s Mint Green or Wilton’s Violet Gel Coloring. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><u>Buttercream Icing</u><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1/2 cup shortening</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">1/2 cup butter, softened<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -9.0pt;">1<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">4 cups confectioners' sugar<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">2 tablespoons milk<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><b>Directions</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><b></b><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">I usually don’t add milk if I am going to add a significant amount of color; I do this so that the consistency stays firm and I can pipe it well.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">I then used the Wilton tip #233 to pipe “grass” on the cupcakes or I used Wilton Start tip #2E and I placed Reeses Pieces Eggs on top of both <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akFOuxbgiZU/TZ4DH--gGyI/AAAAAAAAACw/1fxSj55Xio8/s1600/DSC01165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akFOuxbgiZU/TZ4DH--gGyI/AAAAAAAAACw/1fxSj55Xio8/s320/DSC01165.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't find my #233 tip at the time I took this picture (organization is definitely NOT my strong suit) so I just grabbed this one from Google so you could see it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cakesbysam.com/store/images/pi_21667.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.cakesbysam.com/store/images/pi_21667.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">Here is a picture of the finished product. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8jTP0DFvh0/TZ4EDFMTHuI/AAAAAAAAAC0/OfzMNs0IvRg/s1600/DSC01105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8jTP0DFvh0/TZ4EDFMTHuI/AAAAAAAAAC0/OfzMNs0IvRg/s320/DSC01105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">I absolutely love them and I hope you enjoyed reading this! Please comment and/or follow me!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.6pt;">*The recipes on this post came from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/">here</a></div>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662557216364378852.post-37468989839987686042011-04-05T12:41:00.000-05:002011-04-05T12:41:47.527-05:00Mini Cupcake Adventure<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I like the idea of mini cupcakes they are great one or two bite snacks and they just look so cute. This weekend I made 140 mini cupcakes. That’s right 140. I didn’t realize how many I had made until I laid them all out and began to ice them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJSzkzwdjVA/TZtTKOL1kBI/AAAAAAAAABY/ZyWlnINMiS4/s1600/DSC01135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJSzkzwdjVA/TZtTKOL1kBI/AAAAAAAAABY/ZyWlnINMiS4/s320/DSC01135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">That’s just the table this was what the rest of my kitchen looked like</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-scp9wHmHycU/TZtTXOoa0JI/AAAAAAAAABc/BP0sUzxhR7g/s1600/DSC01131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-scp9wHmHycU/TZtTXOoa0JI/AAAAAAAAABc/BP0sUzxhR7g/s320/DSC01131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMHN3gSqmh8/TZtTYejYQsI/AAAAAAAAABg/a8AJ8VtsCPw/s1600/DSC01132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMHN3gSqmh8/TZtTYejYQsI/AAAAAAAAABg/a8AJ8VtsCPw/s320/DSC01132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This was my first attempt at mini cupcakes so I had no idea how many mini’s that a regular cupcake recipe would make. I found out that a recipe that makes twelve regular sized cupcakes makes thirty-six mini cupcakes. That information will come in handy in the future. Everything seemed to work quite well actually. There were no major issues (other than running out of butter but that was just a minor issue that was taken care of quickly) in this adventure; which is usually not normal when I bake. These particular cupcakes were made for an event at the school my mom teaches at so I made the icing maroon because that is their school color. Here is a picture of the finished products on my new cupcake stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KlnbSt7aVIg/TZtUTVonyJI/AAAAAAAAABs/YrvP8eGqqmU/s1600/DSC01146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KlnbSt7aVIg/TZtUTVonyJI/AAAAAAAAABs/YrvP8eGqqmU/s320/DSC01146.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Overall this was fun experience and I am looking forward to making more mini cupcakes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662557216364378852.post-18544241086822077712011-03-30T10:56:00.000-05:002011-03-30T10:56:09.860-05:00FacebookI now have a Facebook account where I post pictures and what I am doing with my business! You can access it <a href="http://facebook.com/KristensSweetSimplicity">here</a>. I plan on blogging weekly from this point on about different cupcakes I am trying, ideas I have, kitchen disasters or anything relevant to cupcakes! Hope you enjoy it :)<br />
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I will leave you with a cute cupcake picture (and also an idea I want to try) from <a href="http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2011/03/28/cupcake-push-pop-peeps/">Love from the Oven</a> blog.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/peeps-push-pops--500x750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/peeps-push-pops--500x750.jpg" width="213" /></a>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662557216364378852.post-85518025498087977182011-01-16T19:04:00.000-06:002011-01-16T19:04:59.807-06:00Cupcakes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eIsBp9HvSKc/TTOVKozcnpI/AAAAAAAAAAw/iYMZYYUXbGg/s1600/red+velvet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eIsBp9HvSKc/TTOVKozcnpI/AAAAAAAAAAw/iYMZYYUXbGg/s200/red+velvet.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
This is an example of my Red Velvet Cupcakes. My cupcakes are $25 a dozen or $40 for twenty-four. I can make any cupcake that you would like. I will have more examples of specialty cupcakes to come. If you have an idea of something you would like message me and we can discuss it.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662557216364378852.post-6997550777916517022011-01-16T19:00:00.000-06:002011-01-16T19:00:46.391-06:00What I am all about.I love baking. I love to create food that tastes really really good. That is what this blog is all about. My food adventures. I also plan on using this blog to promote my sweets. I am trying to go to a Christian conference, <a href="http://268generation.com/passion2011/#/home">Passion</a>, in April and I am raising money by selling my sweets :) anything on this blog will be available to purchase. The prices will vary depending on what you purchase. Message me if you would like to order something.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11659416006489837684noreply@blogger.com1