With Sprinkles on Top

One of my more OCD characteristics is that I MUST dye Easter eggs every year. I’m not Christian and don’t really do Easter (save for the Cadbury mini eggs), but I MUST DYE EGGS! I think it’s just another expression of my love for color. This year I decided to stray from the Paas dye kits and try something different: Kool Aid.

Using Kool Aid is awesome for two reasons: it produces unique colors and you don’t need to use vinegar (the Kool Aid already contains the required citric acid). I loved how they turned out. Happy Spring, y’all!

If you’d like to try this method..

• You’ll need 12-18 hard-boiled eggs. I cooked mine by placing the eggs in a large saucepan, covering with water, and bringing to a rolling boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Allow the eggs to cool completely before dyeing.
• Buy various packets of Kool-Aid. They are cheap, so go crazy and get all of the colors. Word to the wise: be sure you are buying berry BLUE flavor if you want that color… not the Tropical Punch flavor that comes in blue packaging. I wish I could have been able to have blue eggs, but it was not to be.
• Fill small cups with about 3/4 cup of water. Mix in the Kool-Aid powder. You don’t need vinegar – the Kool Aid already contains the required acid that will bind the color to the eggshell.
• Dunk your hard-boiled eggs into each cup of dye. If you want deeper colors, let them sit for 5-10 minutes. If you want pastels, just give them a minute or two.
• Also… your eggs will NOT absorb any Kool-Aid flavoring or scents. Don’t worry!

I saw a photo on Pinterest that inspired me to make these cupcakes. Aren’t they adorable? Little bunnies! Easter is one of my least favorite holidays (it doesn’t mean much to me except pastel colors and Cadbury mini eggs), but each year I am filled with happiness when spring rolls around. Warmer weather, more sunshine, and the anticipation of summer.

Bunny Ear Cupcakes
Print Recipe

1 box cake mix (plus required eggs, oil)
1 tub store-bought frosting (or you can make a batch of homemade buttercream)
1 bag Oreo cookies (…or do they come in a box?)
Green food coloring + a grass tip
White and pink fondant
Fondant leaf cutters (like these)

1. Bake cupcakes according to box directions and allow to cool completely.
2. Tint a portion of frosting green and use a grass tip to create a ring of “grass” around each cupcake.
3. Crush the Oreo cookies using a food processor (or whatever method you prefer). Fill in the center of each cupcake with the Oreo cookie bits.
4. Roll out the white and pink fondant. Cut out the ears using the leaf cutters — use two different sizes, the white fondant should be cut with the larger of the two cutters. Use a small amount of corn syrup to “glue” the pink leaf on top of the white.
5. The bunny ears are now ready to go! I inserted a toothpick into each ear and anchored them into the cupcake that way — but if you have a better method, let me know! You can see part of a yellow toothpick peeking out of the cupcake that is front and center. :)

Enjoy! Makes 24 cupcakes.

A friend of mine (hi, Alyssa!) asked me to make her mother a birthday cake. Her mom was turning fortysomething and LOVES Harley Davidson motorcycles. Awesome! I love a good challenge, but I also knew that attempting to create that logo out of fondant could shave a year or two off my life. I was right. It was the most challenging design I’ve done – but I’m so happy with how it turned out!

It’s also fitting that I was asked to make this cake just weeks before I move to Milwaukee (the home of Harley Davidson). Ride on!

Spring is here and Easter is a few weeks away! I’ve never been shy about the fact that I am really not a fan of carrot cake. But this carrot cake kind of changed my mind. It was downright delicious. And it was made with applesauce (one of my favorite foods)! Maybe knowing that fact made it taste even better.

Last year I made a carrot sheet cake and the year before I made carrot cake cupcakes. I hope that you make one of these treats to celebrate spring!

The Best Carrot Cake
Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Print Recipe

4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups finely grated carrots [I shredded mine using a food processor]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9″ round cake pans with nonstick spray, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, combine vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla.
4. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in grated carrots. Divide mixture evenly into 2 prepared cake pans.
5. Bake cakes in preheat oven for 37-39 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in cake dishes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in powdered sugar and mix until well combine. If you’d like, dye small portions of the icing to incorporate a design onto your cake.

Spring is such a pretty time of the year. Pastel colors are back in fashion, Easter candy lines the store shelves, and the weather is finally becoming a-m-a-z-i-n-g. [Have I mentioned that Wisconsin has had temps in the 80s for the past week? Wisconsin. 80s. In. March.] So in celebration, here are some pretty cupcakes!

White Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes
Recipe source: lululu at home
Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup good quality white chocolate, chopped and melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
[makes 12 cupcakes]

Vanilla Glaze:
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
*I would suggest adding more than 2 cups of powdered sugar; the glaze was a bit thin otherwise.

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
2. To prepare cupcakes, in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add eggs, one at a time, until just blended.
4. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla, mixing well.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture, mix until just blended. Add the buttermilk, mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before glazing.
7. To prepare the glaze, warm the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan set over low heat. Add the powdered sugar and whisk slowly until slightly thickened.
8. Dip cupcakes, upside down, in the glaze and set on a rack placed over a baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles immediately.