Baby's First Fancy Cupcake #2

Since taking up my new hobby I realized I have a few Baby's First Fancy Cupcake to catch up on! This fun train with a cupcake in tow was a 1st birthday gift for JM. Can't wait to bake you one for real!  If dad has his way it will definitely be the Lemon Coconut Cupcake!   

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cupcake

This is THE cupcake that started it all.  The first real Faking Fancy Cupcake that I concocted that made me think you can Fancy-up any cake mix.  I'll be making these this weekend for my sister's birthday, so I thought I'd finally share this yummy recipe that was inspired by a cake my former colleague's wife made from scratch.  For this perfect flavour combination you'll need...  

• Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• Milk (to replace the amount of water your cake mix calls for)
• 4 ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate (melted - for cake)
• 2 cups of Cool Whip (one for the icing and one for the glaze)
• 4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate(melted - for glaze)
• 1 - 8oz package of Cream Cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 3/4 cup Icing Sugar 
• Garnish Ideas: Halves or crumbles Peanut Butter Cups 

And here's the recipe...

Step 1: As per usual, kinda  follow the directions on your Chocolate Cake Mix. Go ahead and preheat your oven and add the oil and eggs...but DO NOT add the water. Instead, replace the water it calls for with Milk.  Mix the ingredients together until it is smooth.

Step 2: Melt down the 4 ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate. Be careful not to overheat or burn the chocolate - use a double boiler if you're prone to burning chocolate in the microwave.  Mix the melted chocolate into your batter until fully incorporated.  .

Step 3: Spoon the batter into your cupcake liners and bake as directed on the package. Once they are done baking, let them cool completely

Step 4: While you're waiting for your cupcakes to cool, start making the glaze. Melt together 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate.  Add one cup of Cool Whip and mix well until fully incorporated.  Let the glaze cool while you move on the the peanut butter cream cheese icing!

Step 5: Now for the yummy peanut butter cream cheese. Beat the Cream Cheese and Icing Sugar together. Add in the peanut butter and remaining one cup of Cool Whip. Mix well until it is smooth.

Step 6: Now it's time to put it all together.  Spoon or pipe on your peanut butter cream cheese icing.  You'll be topping it with the chocolate glaze, so you can be extra lazy and sloppy on this step.

Step 7: Next, place the warm chocolate glaze mixture in a piping or a Ziploc bag.  Cut the tip off the bag and drizzle as much, or as little, as you want over the top of each cupcake.  For garnish, top with half a peanut butter cup or peanut butter cup crumbs.  If you aren't eating these delicious cupcakes right away, I'd recommend keeping them in the refrigerator or in a cool place for optimal cream cheese icing enjoyment.

Happy Faking!

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Baby's First Fancy Cupcake #1

Here is the first of my Baby's First Fancy Cupcake artwork series. I happened to give her Mom and Dad this gift a little early.  But thank goodness I did because she came early too! Congrats EP and TP!  I hope MDRP enjoys her first Faking Fancy Cupcake and I can't wait to meet her.

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Baby's First Fancy Cupcake

I love to bake and cook, especially when it's for my friends and family.  In fact, I think I like sharing my kitchen creations as much as I like making and eating them!  The only trouble is, not everyone is old enough to enjoy my treats. So, I decided to improvise with a homemade Fancy Cupcake of a different kind until I can make them an edible Fancy Cupcake to enjoy.  What exactly? Well, I've started to create Fancy Cupcake needle felting art to give to all the babies in my life who deserve their first Fancy Cupcake!  For fun, I'll be sharing them with you as each piece of work is finished and given to a special little cupcake. Stay tuned for all my Baby's First Fancy Cupcakes.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake

The New Year often brings about New Year's resolutions like eating healthier or cutting down on sweets.  This recipe isn't a super healthy choice, but it does up the calcium and  veggie intake!  For this sort of  healthy recipe you’ll need…

• Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water...but you won't need the water for this one)
• Store bought Chocolate Icing
• Plain Greek Yogurt (replace the water your recipe calls for with this)
• 1 cup of shredded Zucchini
• Butter (room temperature...around 1/2 cup....but it's up to you)
• Icing Sugar (optional)
• Garnish Idea: Fresh Slice of Zucchini (serve immediately if you're garnishing with this!) or skip the icing and Dust with Icing Sugar

And here's my kinda healthy recipe...

Step 1: Preheat your oven as directed on the Chocolate Cake Mix package.  Add all the ingredients your Chocolate Cake Mix calls for EXCEPT for the water.  Instead of the water, replace the called for amount with Plain Greek Yogurt. Mix the ingredients together until smooth. Add in 1 cup of Zucchini and gently mix into the batter until fully incorporated.

Step 2: Spoon the batter into your cupcake liners and bake as directed on the package. Once they are done baking, let them cool completely.

Step 3: For the icing I made my classic Chocolate Icing by mixing together the store bought chocolate icing and around 1/2 cup of butter on high until smooth.  If it's too buttery for you or you need to thicken the icing simply add in some icing sugar.  If you want to keep the calories low, you can always skip the icing and eat them as is or lightly dust with some icing sugar.  And that's it!

Happy Faking!

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Welcome 2012!

2011 was an amazing year filled with some fun Faking Fancy firsts like my first Faking Fancy Cupcake blog entry and my first (and last) Faking Fancy wedding cake. It was also a year with some amazing moments and celebrations for my friends and family as we toasted new marriages and welcomed new bundles of joy.

So, what exciting firsts are in store for 2012? Only time will tell. But I'm sure I'll have many more new Faking Fancy Cupcake recipes with new ingredients thrown into the mix(ture) - whether it's in the batter or the icing.  I'm also extending my Faking Fancy Cupcakes to the world of arts and crafts!  How so?  Well, you'll just have to stay tuned!  But in the mean time, I'll be sharing my Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake to help you introduce some veggies back into your diet after this past junk food filled holiday season.

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