Tools

When it comes to baking there are many moving parts involved.  It's not just the ingredients in your recipe but it's the tools used that make everything work.  When I initially started out baking I only had a hand held whisk and a cookie sheet.  I moved up to a hand mixer which made life a lot easier.  Then for Christmas about a year ago, I received my very first KitchenAid stand mixer.  Boy, did I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  I had been eyeing that mixer for months and wanted it not only because it looked pretty but because of all the amenities.  Not only can this sucker mix your cake and cookie mixes but it can create a beautiful meringue or a basic homemade whipped cream.  It doesn't stop there - if you purchase attachments - the list continues.  Homemade ice cream, sausages, pasta, bread, etc etc.  It's the one tool that I believe is a necessity! It's worth the investment and I promise you that once you have one of your very own, you'll never go back to your hand mixer.  Plus they come in all sorts of pretty colors! Go check 'em out!! 

I have an order coming up and I've been anticipating it since it's my biggest order yet.  Well it's only my second order but I am bit nervous about it.  I will be making 36 red velvet cupcakes and a double layer 8" red velvet cake.  It's for a 90th birthday so I have to make it ultra special! I just purchased my first tool that will be essential in my cake making.  The cake turn table! It's going to make frosting and decorating the cake easier so I don't have to contort my body uncomfortably.  Another tool that I cannot live without are my decorating tips! These are essential in creating beautiful decorations on your cupcakes and cakes!

I just took a trip to Michael's this past weekend and picked up a few extra tools needed for my upcoming order.  Since it will have a Christmas theme - actually the only thing that is Christmas about it, is the color.  Hahaha... Anyway, I decided to get red cupcake liners and thought the ones with the polka dots were just adorable.  I also picked up edible red sparkles to add to the cupcake frosting.  I think it'll add that special touch at the end.  I'm SO excited to work on this next order - which will be my next post! Hopefully, it'll look just as pretty as I envision it to be! Stay tuned...

Thanks for reading!

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite holidays is just a day away and not only do I love eating turkey smothered with gravy, homemade crisp stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes. But, most importantly, desserts! C'mon, obviously this was heading somewhere sweet, right?

As most people indulge in turkey dinner - I ALWAYS leave room for dessert. So on this particular holiday I'm going to give thanks to the good ole fashioned pumpkin pie!

For this pumpkin pie, I added cream cheese and half n half to add a creamier and smoother filling. I believe by doing this the pie stays rich, creamy and moist. Instead of using, a graham crust, I decided to go for a flakier and sweet crust which adds a nice balance between the pumpkin and it's spices. To top the pie off, I made homemade whipped cream! (just a side note, I try to not use anything pre-made, it just tastes more delicious that way!).

What better way to give thanks to your family and friends!

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

adapted by Paula Deen

8oz. package of cream cheese

1 can of pumpkin puree

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

3 large eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with mixer. Add pumpkin and beat until combined. Add sugar, salt, and beat until combined. Add eggs, half and half, butter and beat until all combined. Then add vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger and fold in until all incorporated.

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, unbleached

7 tablespoons of unsalted butter, diced

1 1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

Sift flour in a bowl and rub in butter with your hands. Add sugar and combine together. Mix in the egg yolk and add just enough cold water to make mixture into a dough. Wrap in foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough with some flour to about 1/8" thick. Line a 9" pie pan and pinch the edges off (you can pinch the edges to make a design as well), cover with foil and add pie weights or dried beans on top. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil and place in oven for another 5 minutes or until the crust is lightly colored and firm.

Add the pumpkin filling into the crust until you hit the edge of crust. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Homemade whipped cream

1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Beat cream on high in a chilled stainless steel mixing bowl for a minute or so then add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!

I love all things Fall

One of my favorite seasons is Fall. All the leaves change color, the weather drops just enough, I get to wear my fave military parka and riding boots, but what excites me the most is Fall baking!

Not only do I love the food at Thanksgiving, the desserts that come at the end send me straight to dessert heaven. Pumpkin, gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, sweet potato, maple syrup the list goes on! There are so many great ingredients that you can combine to make sweet, luscious, and decadent desserts!

Today's post is dedicated to one of my all time favorite spice - ginger! I love all things ginger - with sushi, in drinks, in food, and especially in desserts! :) So here is my ode to ginger... A gingerbread cupcake with maple buttercream frosting. The addition of molasses in the cake takes it to the next level and the sweet and earthy flavor of maple syrup rounds all of it together. Giving this cupcake just enough of sweet and spicy. I decide to decorate the cupcake with a rose design - this is for my bestie Erin who had sent me a pic of a rose cupcake. Wish you could be here to taste it with me! Happy Fall everyone!

Welcome!

Welcome to my very first blog post! As I am new to this, I'd like to first introduce myself.... I am a dessert lover and appreciate all types of baked goods. I would like to use this platform to express my passion and creativity for baking. Please follow my journey as I chronicle all of my baked goods in the pursuit of one day opening my very own bake shop!

I've been playing around and making desserts on my down time for the very reason that I love doing it. I also end up with a bunch of leftovers that my boyfriend and I cannot finish. So what do I do with it all? I don't throw them away, I am too proud to dump them in the trash. What I do is give it away - friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and neighbors. I don't want to toot my horn but I've been receiving great feedback which leads me to believe that I might be onto something....

Then out of nowhere, I receive a cupcake order from my boyfriends co-worker. She wants Halloween themed cupcakes - preferably pumpkin flavored. I, of course, agree to do it with so much excitement and all of my creative juices start flowing into my brain. I do some research and come up with a jack o lantern and mummy design. I stick to what she requested which were the pumpkin spiced cupcakes and decide to use cream cheese frosting.

Here are the results!