Voting now open for Iron Cupcake

Just a reminder that voting is now open for Iron Cupcake at http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/

All of the wine creations look wonderful and they are making me very hungry!

Iron Cupcake Challenge Wine-Pineapple Champagne Punch

I finally decided to get my act in gear and submit an entry for the Iron Cupcake contest. I'm already baking cupcakes anyway and besides, who wouldn't want to win some awesome prizes?

(The fine print).

Our January ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
DOGBONE ART - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=22042
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!As an added bonus for January, our friend at SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com/, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com/; the CUPCAKE COURIER http://www.cupcakecourier.com/; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com/. NEW, BEGINNING IN JANUARY; our new friends at UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/ will be providing our winner with one of their cute cupcake attitue t's! Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com/ .

Now onto the good stuff--the cupcake! This month's challenge was to use wine, so I used some basic Korbel champagne that was in the cupboard. Then, I checked out lots of different champagne recipes and chose "Pineapple Champagne Punch". It is a light punch made with pineapple and lemon juices, sugar and champagne. I think that the dry champagne combines nicely with the sweetness of the pineapple and the tartness of the lemon. Try for yourself!

I chose to make a light lemon cake with pineapple glaze and sweet champagne frosting.

For the cake, an altered vanilla cake recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white, at room temp

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract or lemon juice

1/2 cup milk (soy milk is also fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan for 12 cupcakes.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl, use mixer to combine sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg and egg white slowly and beat well. Add lemon extract or juice. Beat well and then add 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Repeat until the flour and milk are all added. Mix until the flour is just combined (don't overbeat your cupcakes).

I always use an ice cream scoop to level out even cupcakes. Fill your 12 cupcake papers and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely before the next step.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp pineapple juice

1 tsp pineapple

I used a can of crushed pineapple for the glaze and still had plenty left over.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and use immediately. This glaze will harden if left exposed to air, which is great once it's on the cupcakes. To easily glaze the cooled cupcakes, I dip them into the glaze and twist a couple of times. Let the glaze cool while you prepare the frosting.

For the frosting:

1 stick butter or shortening, room temp

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp champagne

Using electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Slowly combine the powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Add champagne to taste and more powdered sugar, if necessary. I used a piping bag to add a small flourish of frosting to the tops of the glazed cupcakes.

Enjoy! I may or may not have eaten one of these for breakfast today. Let's just call it a taste test.
So, try these out and then head over to http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and vote for my creation. Come on, I could always use more kitchen utensils that have little bodies on them!

New Pink Computer

My old laptop computer has been chugging along on its last legs for over a year. I still had tons of songs and files saved on it, so those were backed up and the computer was left tucked under the bed.

I decided that it was time to have my own computer and stop stealing Fella's all of the time. He has his own work to finish and probably doesn't understand why I need to check out Etsy for hours on end. The research began and I finally decided on Dell's Outlet section because they had a great selection of "previously ordered new" computers with lots of memory. I had my heart set on a sunshine yellow computer, but went with a flamingo pink one that had the best memory and hard drive for the price.

"She" arrived and has found a home in the crafty room. I look forward to listing more items on Etsy and designing as well. My tech-saavy big brother sent me Adobe Photoshop and some other fun software to use in my creations. To keep with tradition, I named her ('cause I'm sure it's a she) Princess.

The old laptop is still in good enough condition to donate to a charity, and I found a women's shelter that can use it. Everyone wins! I get a new computer and some deserving women get a second chance at life.

Holy Smokes, it's 2009!

I'm convinced that time goes faster as I get older. That or I just have a lot more to do, so it seems like the time moves.

Anyhow, Happiest 2009 to you! I celebrated in fine Frosted fashion...on the couch with a Shiner Holiday Cheer beer and a movie. Then, I moved to the nightmare of a sewing/craft room and turned it into a workable space for my creative endeavors. There is still work to be done in the crafty haven, such as photos and organizing of some fabric bins. Overall, I am happy. Fella is also excited at the prospect of a fabric-scrap-free living room.

The kitchen is my next item on the to-do list, but that requires a trip to Ikea first. We all know that Ikea runs are not small events. There are multitudes of goodies for a shopaholic like me, so I need to stick to my plan and purchase only the needed items.

Happy Christmas!

Have a very happy Christmas!

Madison Craftacular Recap

We had a great time at the Madison Holiday Craftacular! There were so many talented artists there and I found quite a few things that I absolutely NEED. The fella will be getting my holiday wish list soon. As someone who is new to these shows, I was amazed by everyone's displays and cute creations. I can't wait to design a better booth and do more shows!

Thanks again to Naomi at Glitter Workshop for organizing such a wonderful event and to everyone who stopped by!

Madison Holiday Craftacular

If you live anywhere near Madison, you need to visit the Holiday Craftacular on December 6! I'll be there with my aprons, Gocco cards and maybe some cupcake toppers. (We'll see how much I can finish before then).

Remember, December 6 from 10-6 at the Madison Masonic Center at 301 Wisconsin Avenue!!

I was a busy little bee this holiday weekend, stitching up a few new aprons. My personal favorite is the reversible flames/hot shirtless firemen apron that could be yours!

Apples and Spice and Some Caramel for good measure

I had these lovely apples sitting on my kitchen counter. What should I do with them?

I'm making good on my promise of fall cupcakes with these Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream. We started a new tradition of a pre-Thanksgiving party and I decided to bring, surprise, cupcakes. Now, this is a hard crowd to please. Many have tried my other cupcake varieties, so I couldn't fall back on any old standby. Plus, I had some Granny Smith apples sitting on my counter. I figured I might as well use them before they turned into mushy applesauce.

So, the Spiced Apple Cupcake was born! Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are the stars of this cupcake show.

Update: The camera cord has been located, so I can finally upload some pics.

Election Day

I won't tell you who to vote for today, but I do encourage you to make your voice heard. Get out and vote!

I made these little beauties for some friends at the Chicago Obama headquarters. They were quite a hit with the volunteers!

I freakin' love fall!

I don't know what it is, but autumn is my favorite time of the year. Sure, I love hot weather and afternoons on the Chicago lakefront. But fall always feels like a carpe diem season...seize the days before they slip away into the darkness of winter (which I hate).

So, in honor of my favorite season, let the autumn cupcake baking begin. One of my favorite recipes comes from Bake and Destroy (seriously, I've never met her, but I would probably die from excitement if I ever did). She featured these tasty little pumpkin cupcakes on her blog last year, so check them out and save some for me.

I am also planning on making special Halloween treats for the kiddies in my neighborhood. They are really great kids and always visit with me when I walk Duchess. They have dubbed themselves "The Duchess Fan Club" so I think they deserve something special just for that! I found some awesome 3D cookie cutters on the clearance rack at Williams Sonoma last year and will attempt to make those.