The Sugar Faerie Spring Garden Cupcake Cake (Hummingbird Cake)

I made one of my favorite cakes into a Cupcake Birthday Cake for a friend's birthday celebration.  I drew inspiration from a photo I saw on Facebook.  I made all the flowers from gum paste and let them cure for 36 hours.  I folded parchment paper in accordian style to mimic a cupcake liner, held it in place with a ribbon and then placed a sparkly Faerie on top.  Once the topper was in place I began to transfer all the flowers around it, added some sprinkles and a frosted edible "pearl" here and there, and finally the banner, giving the cake personalization.

I am not teaching gum paste flowers here as I'm an amateur myself.  You can buy the kits at JoAnns or Michaels as I did and teach yourself.  It isn't that difficult.  I'm sharing with you my recipe for Hummingbird Cake.  I love this moist, luscious cake so much, I even had it as my wedding cake.

Ingredients:

3 c all-purpose flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 c vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 c chopped toasted pecans
2 c mashed bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add eggs and salad oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not eat. Stir in vanilla, pineapple,  pecans, and bananas.

Spoon batter into 3 well-greased and floured 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350* for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove and cool competely.

Spread frosting between layers and on top of cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 c butter or margarine, softened
2 16-oz. pkgs. powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Note:  If you are going to do a cupcake cake, do not frost the sides.  Add extra frosting to the layers and mound or use a piping bag to make a dome of frosting on the top to simulate a cupcake.

Happy Birthday JJ!

Autumn Campfire Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Maple Butter Cream

I've been contemplating a recipe using a secret ingredient for the last 2-3 years now, and today I made it a reality.  I call this my Autumn Campfire Cupcake.  Let me first say that I will not be sharing the recipe for this outrageous creation now.  I have other plans for it first.  But what I will share with you is how awesome the combo of sweet and salty work in this cupcake.

I'm going to torture you with teases.  Firstly, the cupcake is comprised of very warm flavors with an ingredient that you might find very surprising; 2 ingredients actually.  I removed a hole from the center of each and stuffed it with a wonderful rich and nutty filling, topped it with a vanilla bean maple butter cream, a drizzle of maple sugar and a pinch of crispy thick bacon crumbles.

When you bite into this cupcake, you can the almost smell the campfire burning and imagine the flames reaching higher and higher.  The flavor is very complex as there are many things going on here.  But they all work very well together.  Believe me, your taste buds will be forever thankful.

So, you heard it here first.  If you come across an Autumn Campfire Cupcakes recipe in your internet travels, unless it's linked to me, it's an impostor.

Now who's got a really scary story to share?

Put another log on the fire and pass me a cupcake!