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Photo by Hello Naomi
Elegant, awesome and fun, cupcakes are pretty much the most adorable desserts out there. At high summer, they're most appropriate, when the sweltering heat making heavy sweets and treats not so appetizing.
In this blog, we'll explore some of the best ways cupcakes can be enjoyed.
A little history...
All About Cupcakes has a wee bit o' history on our favorite lil' dessert:
"The cupcake evolved in the United States in the 19th century, and it was revolutionary because of the amount of time it saved in the kitchen... According to the Food Timeline Web, food historians have yet to pinpoint exactly where the name of the cupcake originated. There are two theories: one, the cakes were originally cooked in cups and two, the ingredients used to make the cupcakes were measured out by the cup."
So there's your cupcake history...now, on to our fave summer cupcake recipes!
At DJS, we LOVE ice cream cake. It's great for summer parties, bbq's, outdoor birthdays and even picnics (you just have to eat it fast!) But ice cream cupcakes? Could life get much better?
This recipe was taken from myrecipes.com, and it's great for kids parties, or to make for a large party as the ingredients aren't specialty.
ICE CREAM CUPCAKES...
Ingredients
1 10 3/4-oz.frozen pound cake
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 pints coffee ice cream, slightly softened
- 1 cup chocolate-covered toffee bits, such as Heath Bar Bits O'Brickle
Preparation
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| Photo: Ryan Benyl; Styling: Stephana Bottom |
- 1. Arrange 12 paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Cut pound cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut 12 circles from slices, reserving scraps for another use. Place circles in bottoms of cupcake liners.
- 2. Combine heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until cream holds stiff peaks.
- 3. Scoop ice cream into a large bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup Heath Bar Bits; add remaining Bits to bowl with ice cream. Combine by mashing ice cream and candy with back of a large spoon. (If ice cream gets too soft, place bowl in freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.)
- 4. Top each pound-cake circle with a scoop of ice cream and cover with whipped cream. Sprinkle with remaining Heath Bar Bits. Lightly drape cupcakes with plastic wrap and place in freezer until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
One more recipe for kids... we sourced this from Hostess blog, which sources What's New, Cupcake, for this fabulous recipe.
FUR BALL MONSTERS:
Ingredients:
- 12 vanilla cupcakes baked in orange, green, and purple paper
- 12 mini vanilla cupcakes, paper liners removed
- 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
- Neon green, orange, and purple food coloring
- 24 mini lollipops (Dum Dums), unwrapped
- 24 peach or green apple gummy rings (O’s)
- 24 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
- 12 assorted color candy-coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
- 12 vanilla cupcakes baked in orange, green, and purple paper
- 12 mini vanilla cupcakes, paper liners removed
- 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
- Neon green, orange, and purple food coloring
- 24 mini lollipops (Dum Dums), unwrapped
- 24 peach or green apple gummy rings (O’s)
- 24 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
- 12 assorted color candy-coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
Directions:
1. Spoon 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag. Divide the remaining vanilla frosting among three bowls and tint each a different color with the food coloring. Spoon each color of frosting into a separate ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal the bags.
1. Spoon 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag. Divide the remaining vanilla frosting among three bowls and tint each a different color with the food coloring. Spoon each color of frosting into a separate ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal the bags.
2. Insert a lollipop stick through a gummy ring, pushing it through the candy from the center to outer edge. Bring the gummy ring up around the lollipop, like a bonnet, to make the eyes. Continue with the remaining gummy rings and lollipops.
3. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frostings. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Starting at the edge of the standard cupcake and using the tinted frosting, pipe furn with a squeeze-release-pull action. Continue until the entire exposed cupcake assembly is covered. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and colored frosting.
4. Insert 2 like-colored lollipop eyes into the top of each cupcake assembly. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting in the center of each lollipop and add a brown candy for the pupil. Add a colored candy to the top of the frosting for the nose. Repeat with the remaining lollipop eyes and cupcakes.
*****
STRING MONSTER VARIATION:
Follow steps 1 and 2 above. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frosting. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Pipe the tinted frosting all over the cupcakes to make the string, making sure to cover cupcakes completely. Continue with step 4 above.
Follow steps 1 and 2 above. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frosting. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Pipe the tinted frosting all over the cupcakes to make the string, making sure to cover cupcakes completely. Continue with step 4 above.
*****
Here are some really elegant cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake's blog! Serve with some Arnold Palmers and you'll be good to go! Great for a ladie's lunch, tea or summertime picnic...
Hello, Cupcake's Lemon Cooler Cupcakes:
24 lemon cupcakes baked in yellow paper liners (Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme)
8 sticks green mint gum (Wrigley’s Spearmint)
4 pale green drinking straws
1 can (16 ounces) lemon flavored frosting (Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Lemon Supreme)
Yellow food coloring (McCormick)
24 extra yellow paper cupcake liners
8 bamboo skewers (6-inches long)
8 mini lemon fruit slices (see Sources)
1. Use clean craft scissors or a small knife, cut each strip of gum into 2 scalloped leaf shapes to make 16 leaves. Cut the drinking straws in half.
2. Tint the lemon frosting a darker yellow with a few drops of yellow food coloring.
3. Spread the lemon frosting on top of the cupcakes and make smooth. Place each frosted cupcake into a clean yellow paper liner. Place 3 cupcakes on top of each other to make a tower. Pressing down slightly to secure. Insert a bamboo skewer, turning slightly to poke through the paper liners (if traveling with the cupcakes, wait until ready to serve to assemble).
4. Decorate the top of each tower with 2 gum mint leaves, a straw and a lemon slice, making sure to cover the hole made by the wooden skewer.
We wish you all the best in your cupcake endeavors!
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