Wine Party ... Sparkling Wine Cupcakes With Sparkling Wine Butter Cream

Onto the Cake and Cupcakes for the Wine party. As it turns out my bestie's birthday is right before mom's and guess what type of party she was having? OH yes you guessed it a wine party! PERFECT time to try out a recipe I was making the follow weekend for my mom's party! I came across this AMAZING recipe for Sparkling Wine Cupcakes With Sparkling Wine Butter Cream on Food.com's Website. NOW the frosting I had to tweak when I did mom's since the weather has been crazy hot here and I needed something sturdy so I used my Sturdy Buttercream Frosting and added a little of the wine into it.

I have never gotten so MANY compliments on a recipe before this one was a HIT!

What you need:

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup sparkling wine, room temperature
• 6 egg whites

Butter Cream

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 -6 tablespoons sparkling wine, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Prepare a cupcake pan with paper forms.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with sparkling wine.
3. In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
5. Make Butter Cream: With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter (or margarine). Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes. Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute. Frost cupcakes!

For the Cake I doubled the recipe and baked for 35-40 minutes. I found that the Middle Sister Bubbly Sweet White Wine was fabulous and had a perfect flavor for the cake.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Angry Bird Cupcakes (Modeling Chocolate) .. Birthday Dreams

Cake #2 of 3 of last week for Birthday Dreams (bringing birthdays to Homeless Kids) was an Angry Bird theme.  This was FAVORITE cake so far I made ... NOW the mom I delivered to turned out to be the rudest person ever but as I told my husband it's for the kids not the parents.  I love the people at Birthday Dreams they were so nice and sent an email on my behalf to let them know the hard work I put into these cupcakes and this behavior is not acceptable.  The party was scheduled for 3pm well the mom decided to start the party at like 1p instead.  WELL this volunteer was working and didn't get there until 2:30p the mom actually took the cupcakes from me and then turned her back to me, not saying one word to me!  I was speechless, Rick wanted to take the cupcakes back.  I calmed him and let him know it was for the kids and that is all that matters!

These cupcakes took me about 5 hours to make but they were so cool!

What you need:

Modeling Clay (Red, White, 

Large Circle Cutter

Small Circle Cutter

Medium Oval Cutter

Small triangle Cutter

Candy Eyes

Frosted Cupcakes

Cupcake Box (I bought mine on Amazon)

Modeling Clay

12oz Candy Melts (In Pink and White)

1/4 Cup light corn Syrup

Melt your Candy Melts in microwave (mine takes about 2 minutes). Stir them to become smooth and add the corn syrup.  It will become thick and form a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit out and dry.  Takes a few hours or over night is best. (Alexis note: I found to roll this out use a little powder sugar (like you would do with flour), also you have to kneed it a little like you would dough to make it easy to roll out).

Green Pig was my fav!

Green Modeling Chocolate

Black Modeling Chocolate

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Small Circle Cutter

Medium Oval Cutter (or circle and form into oval)

Cut the Large circle in green, 2 small for ears and medium oval for nose.  Add 2 candy eyes and 2 small black circles for ears and 2 black lines for nose.  I cut a rectangle and then cut out triangles to look like a crown.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

Blue was a cut too!

Blue Modeling Chocolate

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Small Triangle

Cut out a large blue circle for the face.  Add 2 candy eyes and 2 blue tuffs for hair above the eyes. for the mouth I made 2 small triangles of yellow and 2 half moons for under the eyes.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

The classic Red

Red Modeling Chocolate

White Modeling Chocolate

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

Black Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Small Triangle

Cut out a large red circle for the face.  Cut a white circle, cut in half and then I flipped it to make an oval shape (couldn't find my oval cookie cutter). Add 2 candy eyes and 2 red tuffs for hair above the eyes. For the mouth I made 2 small triangles of yellow and 2 black lines for eyebrows.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

Yellow was pretty cool too :)

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

White Modeling Chocolate

Red Modeling Chocolate

Black Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Small Triangle

Cut out a large yellow circle for the face.  Cut a white circle, cut in half and then I flipped it to make an oval shape (couldn't find my oval cookie cutter). Add 2 candy eyes and 2 black tuffs for hair above the eyes. For the mouth I made 2 small triangles of yellow and 2 red lines for eyebrows.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

White Bird

White Modeling Chocolate

Black Modeling Chocolate

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Medium Oval Cutter

Cut out a large white circle for the face.  Cut a black circle, cut in half and then I flipped it to make an oval shape (couldn't find my oval cookie cutter). Add 2 candy eyes and 4 lines for hair above the eyes. For the mouth I made a oval of yellow and cut to make a mouth and 2 black lines for eyebrows.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

And the last one Black 

Black Modeling Chocolate

Yellow Modeling Chocolate

Red Modeling Chocolate

Candy Eyes

Large Circle Cutter

Small square Cutter

Cut out a large black circle for the face.  Cut a black circle, cut in half and then I flipped it to make an oval shape (couldn't find my oval cookie cutter). Add 2 candy eyes and 1 line for hair above the eyes ad a small circle of white at bottom and small oval yellow at top. For the mouth I made a small square of yellow and a small triangle to go above to make the mouth and 2 red lines for eyebrows.  If you have problem with the chocolate connecting to each other use a little water.

Phew sorry for the long post!  These did take a lot of time but I just love how they came out I didn't get to meet the kid to see his face but I so hope I was able to bring a smile to his day.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Hello Kitty Cupcakes for Birthday Dreams

It was a super busy week last week for me, I took on a little more then I should have.  My kitchen is still down but my bestie let me invade her house and my cupcake making mess.  I signed up for THREE cakes for Birthday Dreams (Charity bringing birthdays to homeless kids).  One cake I had was for a little girl who requested Hello Kitty.

I went on ebay and ordered a Hello Kitty Cookie Cutter and Hello Kitty cupcake liners. WELL both arrived hours after I had the cupcakes done and had to deliver them .. lol.  I had to go with plan B.

What you Need:

White Modeling Chocolate (Candy Clay)

Pink Modeling Chocolate (Candy Clay)

Black Gel

Circle Cutter

Triangle Cutter

Frosted Cupcakes

Bow Cutter

I found from watching the Food Network the Candy Clay I make is called Modeling Chocolate to many decorators.  Hmm go figure!  I made white Modeling Chocolate, I had pink left over from the Monster High Cupcakes.

Modeling Clay

12oz Candy Melts (In Pink and White)

1/4 Cup light corn Syrup

Melt your Candy Melts in microwave (mine takes about 2 minutes). Stir them to become smooth and add the corn syrup.  It will become thick and form a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit out and dry.  Takes a few hours or over night is best. (Alexis note: I found to roll this out use a little powder sugar (like you would do with flour), also you have to kneed it a little like you would dough to make it easy to roll out).

For the kitty I rolled out the white modeling chocolate, with a circle cutter I made the face. For the ears I made triangles and pushed them onto the circle.  I used the pink modeling clay along with the bow from the Monster High Cookie Cutter (you can make a bow by hand if needed).  I marked out where the whiskers would go and used a little black gel to make them along with eyes and a nose.  Attached the bow with a little water.  

I topped these onto to frosted cupcakes!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Fireworks & Booms ... The Bomb Cupcakes & Red, White & Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

4th of July is almost here, not that my neighbors would know this since they have been lighting off fireworks for the last few days.  We will be doing our normal plan of going to my parents house on the lake to watch all the other people blow off their money!   Of course I want to do something fun for the food so I found some fun cupcakes and then I also made a dessert for our neighbors who had the kids over all day yesterday and let me work and clean in peace!!

I'll start with the Bomb Pop Cupcakes, I saw them all over pinterest but no real step by step so I winged it like usual!  Here is what I came up with I think they turned out pretty good!

What you need:

Baked Cupcakes

Frosting (White, Red & Blue)

Popsicle Sticks

Clear Cups (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Clear Bags (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Alexis Notes: I made a batch of my homemade yellow cake mix and sturdy buttercream frosting (I've created a page so each recipe has their own post no more weeding through my ramblings).

Frost cupcakes with blue first I did a good amount of blue.  Then I went to the white frosting (I wish I would have made another batch and made this layer a bit thicker).  You then top with red frosting.  Last stick a popsicle stick into the center of the cupcake.  I now put my cupcakes in a clear cup and put in a clear bag.  Tie off with a ribbon (I used red, white and blue - Well my red was a burnt red but I wasn't making anymore trips out tonight).

And we end with a special gift I made for my neighbors.  Those who know me know I'm a complete lover of strawberry cheesecake so this of course was a killer to make but I made sure it went straight out the door.  This Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars on Recipe Girls Website.  It smelled so good, I so wanted a bite but I resisted.

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Nice lower fat option for weight watchers.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
1 1/2 packages (12 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh raspberries (more or less, as desired)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (more or less, as desired)


Directions:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. In a food processor (or with an electric mixer) blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest just until smooth. Do not over-beat.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the crumb crust. Scatter raspberries and blueberries on top.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until touch to center feels slightly firm and set.

6. Cool completely before cutting. Use foil to lift cheesecake out of pan and onto a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut into clean-looking bars (wiping blade clean with a paper towel between cuts). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Points Plus Program: 5 Old Points Program: 5

Source: RecipeGirl.com

I hope you give one of these a shot both pretty easy to make and both look so yummy!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Star War's Party ... Princess Leia Cookies & Chocolate Darth Vader - Made into Cupcake Toppers

And we end this week of treats for Cole's class with the cupcakes made.  NOW don't worry we still have the actual party to come and that will be more post of we have Light Saber Napkins, Light Saber Fruit Roll ups, Light Saber Pool Noodles, Light Saber Pretzels, Wookie Cookies, Storm troop Cupcakes, Jabba Jigglers, Space Ship Watermelon and whatever else I can fit into these next two weeks. 

So now  on to the cupcakes made for the class. I thought it would be fun to do two different kinds one for Boys and one for Girls.  I bought a Darth Vader mold of amazon so I had that already to go for the boys cupcakes.  But for the girls I saw really cute Princess Leia Cookies on Favor's by Lauren's on her Etsy site.  Now her's totally rock and look professional, mine are cute for a class party ... lol.  Let's just say I have to master my skills on this one.  I do plan on making them again for the party in 2 weeks so we'll see how those turn out.

I made the homemade yellow cake mix recipe I'm not going to put it here again since I've already done 2x you probably are sick of seeing the recipe ... hehe.  I took half and dyed it black and left the other the white/yellow.  I wanted to do a black and white cupcake kind of like the good vs evil.  

What you Need:

homemade yellow cake mix recipe (or your favorite or boxed)

Black Gel Food Coloring (Wilton's)

Cupcake Liners

Fill cupcakes 1/3 with white/yellow and then top with a 1/3 black.  Mine came out a little funny looking but hey it's still fun!

Next on the list to make was the chocolate Darth Vader's.  This one of the most simplest things I did for these cupcakes.  I swear by Wilton's Candy Melts, you can find them at Walmart, Target or Michael's for around $2 to $2.50.  They melt the best and easy to work with.

What you Need:

Darth Vader Silicone Mold

Candy Melts (black)

I put the melts in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, don't let them burn!  Stir them around and then put a glob in your greased mold (I use cooking spray). You can put in the fridge for 1/2 to 1 hour or if a hurry like I usually am put in freezer for 10 minutes.  Be careful when taking out of the mold, they can break!

I used the Darth Vader's on top of the cupcakes I frosted with the white so they would pop.

Next on the list was my most challenging one yet!  These Princess Leia cookies look so easy.  WELL that could be the case if you found white chocolate dipped oreo's which I DID NOT.  Then the darn hair was a pain in the butt!  I think the more I practice the better mine will look.  But for a first attempt I say not bad!

I also made a version where I just drew the hair on

SOOO much easier and I think she is cute :)

What you Need:

Oreo's - White chocolate dipped if you can find them

White Candy Melts / Almond Bark - if you can't find the chocolate dipped oreo's

Mini Oreo's

Black Candy Melts

Wilton's Black Licorice Strings

Wilton's Edible Pens (MUST be the Candy Melt Version)

1. Dipped Oreo's in melted almond bark or White Candy Melts (IF you can't find white chocolate coated Oreo's).  Put on a silicone mat in fridge to firm up.  
2. Dip a mini Oreo in melted black candy melts.  Put on a silicone mat in fridge to firm up.  
3. When White Chocolate is firm, Add the licorice strings for the hair. I added a dab of chocolate to hold them down and just made it look like hair.
4. When the licorice is set, put in fridge if you need to help firm up.
5. Add a dab of frosting to the chocolate covered mini Oreo.  Add one to each side of the face (to resemble buns).
6. When everything has set up, take a edible Pen, use black to make eyes and red to make the mouth (you can make a heart and it's a cute mouth).

Here is step by step.  LOT's of steps!

Click on picture to enlarge and help :)

ALEXIS Notes: NEXT I will use white melts instead of almond bark, melts nice and looks cleaner. Also NEXT time I will use some gel food coloring to make little swirls on the black mini Oreo's to resemble the buns in her hair.

There you go it was a lot of work but the kids really did enjoy them and it helped me do a practice run for the actual party.  I did the cupcake in the clear cup (dollar tree 10 for $1) idea again and put it in the clear bags I found at the dollar tree (25 pk for $1).  I have come to the thinking that this is the best way to serve cupcakes for parties!

Here's a recap of what I did :).

Again click the picture if you need it will help to see details.

For the invites and RSVP's I made click HERE

Have a GREAT day!

May the Force be with You!!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.