1st Birthday Giant Cupcake (Chocolate bottom)

Yesterday I showed you the 1 cookies made for a special 1 year old homeless boy in a shelter close to home. Many of you know I bake for a charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids in shelters around Washington. If you ever have extra party supplies or toys please think of Birthday Dreams, we can all make a child's special day be just that special! Since a First birthday NEEDS a smash cake or a special cake for the baby. I had to make a giant cupcake!

I had a large cupcake pan that my mother in law bought me a few years back and I put it to use. I started first with a chocolate base to fit my cupcake in! After I had chocolate poped out I filled my giant cupcake pan with the cupcake mix an baked up my cupcake.

What you Need:

Wilton Chocolate Melts
Giant Cupcake Pan
Frosted Cupcake

Sprinkles if you want

Melt your chocolate melts in the microwave (mine took around 30 sec). I sprayed my pan first with pam. I then put melted chocolate into the pan. I used a spoon to coat the pan. I put the pan in the freezer to harder fast. After that I resprayed the pan and baked up the giant cupcake. NOW ou can cut down the bottom to fit into the chocolate better but I just shoved it in. I frosted it to the MAX and added some special sprinkles!

Click HERE to see who I link with.

1st Birthday Cookies Made (Royal Icing)

A few weeks back I was signed up for a cake delivery for a special 1 year old homeless boy in a shelter close to home. Many of you know I bake for a charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids in shelters around Washington. If you ever have extra party supplies or toys please think of Birthday Dreams, we can all make a child's special day be just that special! They didn't have a theme just that it was a FIRST birthday so I thought I'd make some fun 1's to go on top of cupcakes.

I did some googling on fun birthday cookies and stumbled across and idea of a one with dots. I picked blue and green since those are boyish colors.

I'm a bit obsessed with royal icing cookies right now. I've been using the cookies as the toppers for my cupcakes I make. It's like the best of all words a cupcake with tons of frosting and a cookie to eat also!! My youngest is obsessed with this technique, yup he's so my child all about the sugar (I have no clue where he would get this from ... as she whistles and looks away .... lol). Below are the cookies used and the cupcakes assembled.

Lesson learned on these cookies! I let the cookie dough sit out a little too long before I baked it which sadly made my dough expand. To say I panicked is a little understatement! Thankfully I quickly thought of a solution while the cookies where still warm. I took my cookie cutter and stamped them out and go rid of the extra (well Caden ate a few scraps before I could throw away).

What you Need:

1 Cookie Cutters
Frosted Cupcakes

Royal Icing - Tinted Blue and Green (see recipe below)
Americolor Blue Food Gel 
Americolor Green Food Gel 
Piping Bag (or in my case a ziplock bag)

 

I used the dipping method with my royal icing. I started to do the dipping method about 6 months ago to speed up my decorating time. You can pipe each cookie which is a little cleaner but I find the dipping method to be the best. You get your royal icing to the outline consistency and put into a pie dish (I find this is not too deep). BEFORE dry you can add your details. I added royal icing to a ziplock bag (since it was a small amount I didn't want to waste a pipping bag). I added the dots to the one's. Tap them down to make the dots blend into the white.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.

Minnie Mouse Cookie as a Cupcake Topper (Royal Icing)

I signed up for another birthday cake for a 2 y/o homeless little girl. My favorite Charity brings birthday's to homeless kids living in shelters or temporary homes. If you ever want a worthy charity to donate to please check out Birthday Dreams. 

This time I signed up for Minnie Mouse, I've done Minnie before but as you all know I'm a bit obsessed with royal icing cookies right now. I've been using the cookies as the toppers for my cupcakes I make. It's like the best of all words a cupcake with tons of frosting and a cookie to eat also!! My youngest is obsessed with this technique, yup he's so my child all about the sugar.

What you Need:

Minnie Mouse Cookie Cutter (also used Mickey Mouse cutter)

Bow Mold

Frosted Cupcakes

Royal Icing - Black and Pink (see recipe below)

Pink Modeling Chocolate

I used the dipping method with my royal icing. I started to do the dipping method about 6 months ago to speed up my decorating time. You can pipe each cookie which is a little cleaner but I find the dipping method to be the best. You get your royal icing to the outline consistency and put into a pie dish (I find this is not too deep). Once you dip the top of the cookie you tap off the extra icing and then you let dry! Once dry you can add your details.

For the Black I made a modeling chocolate in pink to make bows and attached them with royal icing. I used a bow mold to make the bows, very easy to make and pop out. Once hardened I added to the cookies with a little royal icing to hold them on.

For the Pink I used a bag of black royal icing and piped a 2 on for the little girls age. I made M's on the other one's that I had extra to pass out to others.  

Always add a little sticker for my special friend

Click HERE to see who I link with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.

Minion Cupcakes (Modeling Chocolate Toppers) for Birthday Dreams Charity

Here's another post I'm behind on posting. These cupcakes I made a few months back. I signed up for for a Minion themed party for Birthday Dreams (bringing birthday's to homeless kids). I did a little searching on Google and found some minion faces and I went to decorating. Some modeling chocolate and bam cupcake toppers!

What you Need:
Modeling Chocolate in yellow, purple and black (See Recipe at the bottom)
Circle Cookie Cuter

Square Cookie Cuter (formed into straps for eyes)
Candy Eyes
Black Food Marker 

Frosted Cupcakes

I had modeling chocolate in several different colors made up before from previous projects. I took yellow and purple and cut out circles. For the faces I cut out black for the straps of the eyes. I added candy eyes to the faces, for the circles around the eyes I added circles around they eyes. For the yellow faces I took some silver dust and went around the eyes. Purple I left purple around the eyes. I took the black food marker to draw on hair and mouths. I then put the toppers on top of frosted cupcakes.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

Modeling Chocolate

12oz Candy Melts

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).

Football Cupcakes (Modeling Chocolate toppers - Steelers theme)

Here's another post I'm behind on posting. These cupcakes I made a few months back. I signed up for for a Steelers themed party for Birthday Dreams (bringing birthday's to homeless kids). I did a little searching on Google and found the Steelers logo. Some modeling chocolate and bam cupcake toppers!

What you Need:
Modeling Chocolate in yellow, green, red, white, brown and blue (See Recipe at the bottom)
Circle Cookie Cuter

Square Cookie Cuter (or if you have the star cutter - molded into stars)
Number Mold  

Frosted Cupcakes

I had modeling chocolate in several different colors made up before from previous projects. I took yellow, red and blue and cut out squares then molded into stars. I placed the stars on a white round I cut out. For footballs I took a oval cutter and cut out brown football. I took white to make the details. I placed on top of a green circle. I took white and made a 30 and line for the 30 yard mark. Place on top of a green circl. I then put the toppers on top of frosted cupcakes.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

Modeling Chocolate

12oz Candy Melts

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).

Birthday Dreams ... Lego Cupcakes

I'm behind posting some cakes a few months back. I signed up for for a Lego themed party for Birthday Dreams (bringing birthday's to homeless kids). I had a lego man and brick models left over from Cole's party several years back. Some modeling chocolate and silicone molds and bam cupcake toppers!

What you Need:
Modeling Chocolate in yellow, orange, green, red, white, purple and blue (See Recipe at the bottom)
Lego Man Silicone Mold

Lego brick Silicone Mold 

Frosted Cupcakes
I had modeling chocolate in several different colors made up before from previous projects. I took yellow and filled the head part of the mold. I then took blue and filled in the pant part of the mold. I then took different colors to make the shirts. I took a few different colors and made bricks in the silicone mold. I was in a hurry this time so I popped the molds into the freezer to firm them up quickly. I then popped them out, the best part of a silicone mold is it's flexible. I then put the toppers on top of frosted cupcakes.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

Modeling Chocolate

12oz Candy Melts

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).