Cupcake Decorating 101

Time to get your cupcake [decorating] on!

Learning From the Pros

Photos by Bake Yourself Happy

Our Adventure at 'Our Cupcakery' - Cupcake Decorating 101

We are definitely fans of Groupon.  We've found some great deals, had some great meals, and gotten to do some really fun things at incredible prices.  One of Groupon's competitors specific to Columbus, OH is a company called Faveroo.  When we saw Faveroo was offering 50% off a cupcake decorating class at a local bakery, we jumped on the deal.

How's this for a manly cupcake!?

Located on High Street in Old Dublin, Our Cupcakery is a quaint little shop offering baked desserts and decorating classes.  As soon as we opened the door, our noses were greeted by the enticing smell of fresh baked cupcakes - warm, sugary, and sweet while not overwhelming your senses.  We followed our instructor upstairs and took a seat at the class table, ready to embark on our journey.  There were probably 40 students broken into three different groups.  Believe it or not, Andrew was the only male in attendance.  Come on guys, step it up!!!

We were given six cupcakes each.  Each decorator was given a chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, spice cake, lemon, and orange cupcake.  Gotta love that variety!  Three of these cupcakes were then given a "splatter" of white buttercream frosting.  These cupcakes would be used to develop our basic skills, while the remaining three cupcakes would be iced with our artistic freedom.

Sarah is rocking the windshield-twirl smoothing!

Using a small metal spatula, we were instructed to smooth out the frosting.  Wagging the spatula back and forth slowly, like windshield wipers, while spinning the cupcake creates a smooth base of icing that can be decorated in beautiful ways.  Note here that no pressure should be applied to the spatula as you don't want to get tons of frosting on the spatula.  A few turns and wags should smooth the frosting out nicely!

Your decorating genius will stem from your new best friend - the piping bag.  There are a variety of nozzles and frosting colors that will expand your decorating pallet, so experiment!  Here are a few of the highlights we learned...

• Go with gusto:  Don't be afraid to squeeze the piping bag, and keep the nozzle close to the cupcake.  If you are too shy about applying the frosting, it will stick to the nozzle and not to the cupcake.
• Swirl the piping bag like soft-serve ice cream:  While squeezing the piping bag, slowly rotate your hand while lifting away from the cupcake.  This creates a nice spiral that created our Christmas tree!
• Act like an arch:  Create a base by squeezing hard, then gradually squeeze softly while lifting away from the cupcake.  Culminate your squeeze by bringing your hand back down in an arcing motion.  This created Santa's hat!

Go try some of these tips on your own.  Share some comments (and pictures!) of your most awesome cupcake creations!

In Honor of National Spaghetti Day

It's National Spaghetti Day.  Celebrate in style!

Spaghetti Squash Pesto

Recipe adapted from skinnytaste.com
Photos by Bake Yourself Happy


Spaghetti Squash Pesto

• 1 small spaghetti squash
• 15 large basil leaves
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

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Directions

1. CUT the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds and fibers.
2. PLACE in microwave safe dish with a little bit of water in the bottom.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 8-10 minutes, until flesh is soft.
3. REMOVE from microwave and carefully scoop out flesh with a fork.  This will give it the spaghetti shape!
4. COMBINE basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.
5. COMBINE pesto and and spaghetti squash.  We also added diced tomato and chicken breasts that marinated in balsamic vinaigrette!

"Mouthful of Deliciousness" Cookies

Cinnamon + Brown Sugar + Oatmeal + Dark Chocolate = Yum

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour 

Photos by Bake Yourself Happy

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening (we used organic to avoid partially hydrogenated oils)
• 2/3 + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips

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Directions

1. BEAT together butter, shortening, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.
2. ADD the egg and beat until smooth.
3. BEAT in flour, oats, and cinnamon.  Mix until well combined.
4. MIX in orange juice and chocolate chips.
5. COVER the cookie dough and refrigerate for roughly one hour.
6. PREHEAT oven to 375F.
7. LIGHTLY grease baking sheets, and place cookies onto the sheets.
8. BAKE for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden and beginning to darken around the edges.  The cookies will appear darker due to the brown sugar.
9. COOL on baking sheets for 2-3 minutes, then remove.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon is such a fabulous spice.  It's so great when combined with brown sugar - especially if that's over a bowl of oatmeal.  When chocolate chip cookies are on the menu but you're craving something oatey, cinnamony, and brown sugary, adaptations are needed!  So that's exactly what we did.

The smell while these are in the oven is incredible.  You get a warm aroma of sweet cinnamon, with undertones of chocolate.  When the cookies finally come out of the oven and are cool enough to eat, your mouth will surely be watering.  The oats provide great texture, adding a slight chewiness to the cookie.  Every now and then, an extra burst of cinnamon flavor pops out.  When combined with a bite of dark chocolate, smiles are all but guaranteed!

Whistling a Tuna in the Kitchen

We love tuna salad.  This is our personalized spin on the delicious classic.

Andrew's Secret Tuna Salad

Recipe and photos by Bake Yourself Happy

Andrew's Secret Tuna Salad

• 18 oz white albacore tuna in water (approx. 1 12 oz can and 1 pouch)
• 4 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper

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Directions

1. DRAIN tuna completely.  Make sure all water is drained - this will make the texture and consistency of your finished product spot on!
2. MIX in yogurt.
3. ADD seasoned salt, dill weed, ground mustard, and lemon pepper.
4. STIR until well combined.  Spices should be evenly distributed in the tuna.
5. SLAP on a sandwich (or however you choose to devour your tuna salad) and enjoy!

We love tuna salad.  Specifically tuna salad sandwiches.  This particular recipe combines a lot of traditional spices into one tunalicious blast.  You get the classic (insert chicken/egg/tuna) salad taste from the seasoned salt, a hint of deli style tuna from the dill weed and ground mustard, and a  tart yet comforting twist from the lemon pepper.  Throw some of this tuna on bread (we used some old fashioned whole wheat, but think sourdough would be delicious) with spinach, tomato, some banana peppers, and a little yellow mustard, and you've got a sandwich that will satisfy even those that don't care for tuna.  Trust us on that one - we converted my mom into a tuna-fan with this recipe!