Heavenly White Cupcakes

These cupcakes SO beat a cake mix! Not only do they look pretty, they taste even better! Unfortunately, words and pictures can't describe the fabulous taste of these heavenly white cupcakes. You'll just have to try them and see for yourself!

Heavenly White Cupcakes

2 3/4 cups flour

1 Tabl. and 1 teas. baking powder

3/4 teas. salt

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teas. vanilla extract

1/2 teas. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating until meringue will hold up in soft peaks. Cream in the butter. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in milk, a small amount at a time. Mix in flavorings.

Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely.

Next, prepare Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teas. clear vanilla extract

2-3 Tabl. milk

Mix powdered sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Frost cupcakes. If you are going to pipe on the frosting like I did, instead of just spreading it on, I would suggest you double the recipe. Or, you could just do what I did, and prepare some Creamy Chocolate Frosting!

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/2 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teas. vanilla

About 3 Tabl. milk

Mix margarine and cocoa in large bowl. Stir in powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency.

White, or...

...black and white!

These have got to be the best cupcakes EVER!

Winter Olympic Cupcakes

Here are some cute cupcakes for the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver!

All you need is a white cake mix, white sanding sugar and one recipe of creamy white frosting (below).

First, prepare cupcakes according to directions on box. Cool completely.

Next, prepare creamy white frosting.

Creamy White Frosting

6 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup shortening

Milk

3/4 teas. clear vanilla or almond extract

Mix powdered sugar and shortening in large bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla. For milk, stir it in a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Makes about 4 cups.

Put a small portion of frosting in a small bowl. Tint blue with food coloring.

Fill a small bowl with sanding sugar.

Next, frost a cupcake with white frosting.

Then dip the top in the sanding sugar.

Beautiful.

Time for the rings! Using a very small round tip, pipe on the blue frosting in the five Olympic rings.

The white sanding sugar on the white frosting looks like beautiful, glittering snow. Boy, are these pretty! Now for a question: Which winter Olympic sport do you most enjoy watching? My personal favorite is the figure skating. How about you?

Welcome to my Wonderland!

With all the baking I do, I decided to start this baking blog! To start it all off, here is a recipe for...

Chocolate Strawberry Valentine Cupcakes

1 Strawberry cake mix

Creamy Chocolate Frosting recipe (below)

Marshmallow Fondant recipe (also below)

First, prepare strawberry cupcakes according to directions on box. Let cool.

Next, prepare creamy chocolate frosting.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/2 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teas. vanilla

about 4 Tbl. milk (just keep adding a Tbl. until you reach the desired consistency)

Combine margarine and butter in a large bowl. Add in powdered sugar. Mix in vanilla and milk until creamy.

Then, prepare marshmallow fondant.

Marshmallow Fondant

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 tbsp water

1 3/4 cup powder sugar

Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds, just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the powdered sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky.

Next, you're going to color the fondant. Here's how it's done.

Make an imprint with your thumb in the ball of fondant, and put liquid gel food coloring in the imprint. Tip: You can also use regular food coloring.


Then kneed it with your hands until it is completly colored. Make sure your hands are covered in powdered suger while kneeding.

Finally, roll out the fondant on a heavily powdered sugared surface. Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Frost cupcakes, and place one fondant heart in the middle of each.

Aren't they cute!

Will these little cupcakes find themselves in your kitchen on Valentines Day?

I hope the answer is yes!