Aug 012010
 

  

And now for something completely different. Let’s talk about boob cupcakes (I really don’t know how else to start this posted except to dive right in).

How, you ask, is this relevant to a family-related blog. What do boobs have to do with family…well quite a lot actually…but I digress.

A month ago, I decided to make some special cupcakes for a girls get-together. I thought it would be easy. A quick google for the recipe and presto. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

A lot of research online got me nowhere fast, so I whipped some great looking boobies together all by myself, using the advice I’d collected from the 4-corners of cyberspace.  

So sit back and relax (your prayers have been answered), here are step-by-step instructions for some swell boobie cupcakes. They’re sure to be a hit at your next girls get-together, baby shower or even a breast cancer fundraiser. Now go forth and bake.

BTW…these were the easiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. You know how you give yourself a certain timeframe to bake and then find it takes you 4 times what you estimated…NOT THESE BABIES! That was a first for me.  It actually took me a third of the time I estimated…a modern day miracle.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sourmilk
1 cup strong back coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F
  2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and beat with hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thin).
  4. Pour batter into a muffin tin lined with paper sleeves. Fill almost to he top ( I left 1/8th of an inch at the top of the paper)
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes and test with toothpick inserted into the center. When removed, the toothpick should be clean with no batter sticking to it.
  6. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before icing.

Decorating:

These cupcakes are dipped in warm icing which gives them a  smooth, glossy sheen. It also allows you to ice about 24 cupcakes perfectly in roughly 10 minutes…which is SWEET!!!! (pun intended)

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small containers of white store-bought icing (Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines)
Food colouring (gel works best) red, yellow, brown
Wilton pre-made fondant

Icing the cupcakes:

  1. Refridgerate cupcakes for 30 minutes prior to icing, this helps the cupcake stay together while dipping.
  2. Transfer icing into a small, deep bowl and tint with food colouring to achieve your desired skin tone.
  3. Microwave the tinted icing at 10 second intervals, stirring between each interval until the icing has the consistency of Elmers glue.
  4. Dip cupcakes in warm icing up to the paper, let excess drip off, and set back on tray.
  5. Let icing firm up.

Note: DO NOT overheat the icing or it will separate and you’ll need to head back to the store for more icing. If the icing is too thick it will pull on the cupcake and not give you a thin, smooth glaze. You may need to re-heat the icing halfway through the process to keep the perfect consistency. It sounds tricky but it’s not, just give it a try.

Creating the Nipple:

I laughed my way through this whole process. Initially, I made a demo out of bubble gum. Effective but sticky. In a pinch, I think the Bubble Yum would work but it may get mushy and bleed into the icing. If you ever try it, let me know the results. I opted to use fondant.

I’d never worked with fondant before and it was dead easy. A girlfriend ( thanks Bethie) gave me her fondant rolling pin and some white, pre-made fondant (a little goes a long way). The most tedious part was kneading the colour into the fondant for the nipple colour. It took a forever because I was uber cautious…a drop of this a drop of that. I should have been more agressive with the colour. Eventually, I ended up with an odd brick colour (perfectionism is overrated).  The metal lid from a salt shaker became my cookie cutter, which worked perfectly. I cut out small circles, then rolled a piece of fondant into a snake, cut 1/2 inch pieces, flattened the ends and attached one to each circle (nipple style). I suggest using a tiny bit of water and some pressure to attach the mounts to the circles (ok…that sentence makes me laugh). Finally the tray of completed nipples (that visual makes me laugh too…sorry, no pictures) were gently placed on the iced cupcakes and pressed into place…VIOLA!

BTW…Transportation was brutal . Perhaps if you left them out over night the icing would firm up more. Even with a few dings, they were still a big hit and super easy to make (all things considered).

Jun 102010
 

Years and years and YEARS ago, I made these bars. They were so good I vowed never to make them again and locked the recipe away in “the vault”. (I have no will power when is comes to food like this and will eat the whole pan in a heartbeat).

A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was safe to whip up a batch . I was going away for the weekend to visit friends and wanted to take something really good. This recipe is simple, idiot-proof ( a favorite recipe trait of mine) and quick to make. Plus, these bars are always well received. Give them a try next time you need to bake but are stuck for time.

Note: The crust will appear “butter soaked” just turn a blind eye and proceed. I used unsweetened coconut, even though the recipe calls for sweetened. Nobody missed the extra sugar (these babies are super duper sweet). Also, I cut down on the chocolate chips and nuts….probably because I felt so guilty about the butter. No worries…they still rocked.

Magic Cookie Bars

Serving: 24 bars

Ingredients
2 cups (500 mL) graham wafer crumbs
3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, melted
1 can (300 mL) Regular or Low Fat Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) chopped pecans (I only used 1 cup)
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only used 1 cup)
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) flaked coconut (I used unsweetened coconut)

Directions
Combine graham crumbs with butter; press evenly onto parchment-lined 13 x 9″ (3.5 L) baking pan.

Pour Eagle Brand evenly over crumb crust.

Sprinkle with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut; press down firmly.

Bake in preheated 350ºF (180ºC) oven* 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly and cut into bars. (Store loosely covered at room temperature.)

Hide from your family and most importantly…from yourself.

Recipe courtesy of the Eagle Brand website

May 112010
 

 Ok…so I made two pies as my contribution to the Mother’s Day festivities. I headed into uncharted territory with this one but was keen to use up two packages of frozen rhubarb, so I forged ahead. After a quick online investigation into the handling of frozen rhubarb, I decided to thaw it and lightly squeeze out the excess water.

This pie took no time to whip together and got rave reviews from a skeptical audience (Yes, I saw the looks). Once again, I used Liberte Yogurt (this time Maple flavored) and cut the sugar down to a scant 1 cup. The results were very, very good. The last piece of pie (shown below) never made it to the fridge. I will make this pie again and am on the lookout for more rhubarb. Tis the season.

Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble Pie Recipe

Ingredients

Filling
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
3 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries
10″ unbaked pastry shell (I used tenderflake deep dish)

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, yogurt, rhubarb and strawberries. Spoon mixture into unbaked pie shell.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pie.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

Note: If you serve this pie hot or warm, the filling it will ooze everywhere. If you serve at room temperature or cold the filling sets nicely and cuts like a dream.

Recipe courtesy of the cookbook Aces (More Recipes from the Best of Bridge), page 183