UF Gator Cupcakes

My husband graduated from UF and loves his Gators! Last year for our anniversary, I saw a picture of the cutest Gator cake made out of cupcakes.  I never found directions, but was able to duplicate it pretty well by looking at the picture.  It’s getting close to our 9th anniversary….wonder what I can create?!

gatorcake

  • To make this cake, I used 24 vanilla cupcakes and buttercream icing, tinted green, orange, blue, and white.
  • First, place the cupcakes on your tray in the shape of the gator. Here’s the count starting at the mouth: 1,1,3,4,2,2,4,2,1,1,1,1.
  • Next, smooth green icing on the “body” cupcakes and orange on the mid section for the shirt.
  • On the green cucpakes, I used a small round tip to pipe little dots to look like scales…another option here would be to use little mini green M&Ms.  I didn’t have the patience to dig green M&Ms out of the bag:)
  • Use your blue icing to make a Florida F and outline in white for contrast.
  • I used Hershey’s chocolate bars for the claws and accents.
  • To create the eyes, I used two marshmallows, covered in green icing. Use a small piece of marshmallow on each side to create the eyeball and add a chocolate chip for the pupil.
  • For the teeth I used cut marshmallows.

*I love the way this turned out….football season is almost here so I might just make this one again!

UPDATE: Just made this Gator cake again. I took pictures along the way to show exactly how I made it! Hope this helps you create your own Gator soon:)

DSC_0002

DSC_0004

DSC_0005

DSC_0006

DSC_0007

DSC_0011

DSC_0012

DSC_0014

DSC_0016

DSC_0018

DSC_0020

Blackberry Cupcakes

DSC_0023

My nephew requested blackberry cupcakes for his ninth birthday, so my sister found a recipe and made his cupcakes! They loved them so much that I decided to give them a try too.  I learned something though…..I only like blackberries covered in sugar. While these cupcakes, have their fair share of sugar….they are not my favorite. My husband loved them, my kids ate them, and I took them to a dinner with friends and they were well received.  So to each his own I suppose:) Give it a try if you like blackberries and are looking for a fun summer treat!

DSC_0019

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

18 oz blackberries – pureed and strained to remove seeds (This made about a cup of juice for me)
1/3 cup milk
6 large egg whites
2 tsp lemon juice
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 sticks of butter, softened

Directions:

Beat the egg whites, lemon juice, and 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl until soft peaks. Then separately beat the butter with the remaining 1 cup sugar, and add in the rest of the ingredients, beating well. Remove 1/4 cup of blackberry puree for the frosting and pour the rest into the bowl. At the end, fold in the egg whites mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out with crumbs, not wet batter attached.


For the Blackberry Frosting:

2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla ext
1/4 tsp almond ext
2 cup of powdered sugar (this can vary according to sweetness)
1/4 cup blackberry puree

Directions:
Cream the butter and slowly add in the rest of the ingredients. You can adjust the consistency by adding milk (to thin it) or sugar (to thicken). I ended up using close to 3 cups of powdered sugar to get the icing to a piping consistency. Just as an FYI, it was way too sweet. Next time I think I will stick to original measurements and chill icing in fridge to make it stiffer.

*This recipe made 24 cupcakes and about 16 mini cupcakes. So be ready to share.

*These cupcakes do not keep well. Best eaten the day they are made.

DSC_0003DSC_0010DSC_0012  DSC_0015

*Original recipe can be found here.

 

Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts

DSC_0010 (2)

I saw a recipe for chocolate glazed cake donuts and couldn’t wait to try it. I ordered a donut pan and as soon as it arrived, I whipped up a batch of these delicious donuts!   My sister just ordered a donut pan, and her question to me was: “Can I make donuts like you?”  Of course she can and you can too. I’ll guide you through this easy recipe step by step!

DSC_0001

Gather all your ingredients!

DSC_0003

Combine all your dry ingredients into a bowl!

DSC_0004    DSC_0005

Combine your wet ingredients into another bowl. Find a cute little helper or two to stir for you!

DSC_0006

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well!

DSC_0008

Is the batter ready yet, mom?

DSC_0009

Grease your donut pan(s) and put your batter into a large Ziploc bag.

DSC_0010

Snip off end of bag and pipe batter into the donut wells.

DSC_0016

These are ready to bake at 375.  The mini donuts take around 8 minutes, while the regular donuts take about 10.

DSC_0022

All baked up and ready to be cooled onto a wire rack!

DSC_0020 DSC_0023

Cooling down the donuts, so let’s make icing!

DSC_0019

Icing made and ready to be used!

DSC_0027

Gather your little helpers and let them dip away!

DSC_0031

Sprinkles are a fun addition….look even the dog wants in on the fun!

DSC_0039

Her finished donuts!

DSC_0034

His finished donuts!

What a fun morning in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4  cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon  baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
6 tablespoons sour  cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
For the  glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract (I make my own…check out my post on how to make vanilla.)
5-6 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (whole milk can also be used)

Directions:

To make the donuts:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In  a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
  • In a small bowl, beat together the vanilla, egg, sour  cream, milk, and oil.
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just  combined.
  • Put batter into a large Ziploc bag and snip end off.
  • Pipe in a greased donut pan.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops spring back  when you touch them. Let the donuts cool on a wire rack before glazing.

To make the glaze:

  • Combine powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl.  Add a tablespoon of whipping cream at a time until you reach desired consistency. Adding more cream will thin out your icing, so you can dip the donuts!

Click here for original recipe and instructions!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

This is by far my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!

chocchipcookies

These cookies are thick, soft, and oh so good!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1 small pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding mix ( I also like using French Vanilla.)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 pkg ( 12 oz) Milk Chocolate Chips
DIRECTIONS: 
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Beat the butter, both sugars, pudding mix, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until creamy and fluffy.
  • Then slowly mix in flour and baking soda.
  • Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Drop by tablespoonfuls, onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake for ONLY 9-10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes before eating.

Original recipe can be found here!