Pretty as a Princess

100 Calorie Cupcake

The 100 Calorie Cupcake!

My little family was invited to a friend's house for dinner a few weeks ago.  We had the most moist, delicious, low calorie cake ever.  When I heard the recipe I couldn't believe how easy and quick it was, so naturally, I had to try it out in cupcake form.  Totally delish and worth every calorie!

Cake

Mix 1 box cake mix (just the mix, do NOT add water, eggs or oil) with 1 can diet soda

(*Pictured: white cake mix with Diet Sierra Mist)

Frosting/Topping

Mix 1 small tub of lite whipped topping with 1 small container of yogurt

(*Picutred: whipped topping with strawberry yogurt)

See...super easy!  Go ahead and give it a whirl.  No one will believe that each cupake is only 100 calories.  And at that count you can eat two!

Ra, Ra, Let's Go!

Sleeping Beauty

 My 4 year old daughter is obsessed with Sleeping Beauty.  Funny thing is, she had never seen the actual film before- until Thursday night.  We finally had the opportunity to watch it with another Aroura fan.  In honor of the special occasion we prepared Sleeping Beauty Pudding cups (Strawberries-N-Cream pudding with a Cool Whip topping), and Sleeping Beauty Cupcakes (strawberry cake with vanilla frosting, topped with a small strawberry).  The cupcakes were just little bite-size treats. 

I actually loved the movie!  Meriweather was by far my favorite character.  She was just too adorable.  And I must say, I'm a bit frustrated with her and Flor (I think it was Flora?).  If they would have acted just a bit more mature Aurora would have been a-okay!

Be My Valentine!

Maiya Dea

I had the honor of making blessing cupcakes for a dear friend's baby girl, Maiya Dea.  She's definitely a "pretty in pink" type of girl, so fitting is the perfectly pink almond frosting atop a dark chocolate cupcake.

Something's Fishy

Oh my!  My baby boy turned ONE year old last Saturday.  We had a small, fishy birthday party for him, complete with fishy cupcakes and a golfish cake.

Yes, I know that fondant makes a cake look a little more polished and "complete," but let's face it, no one really wants to eat fondant.  That's why I pretty much avoid it. 

Baby boy was a little slow at getting into the cake spirit, but after a few minutes he figured out how yummy that orange golfish frosting really was.

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Teacher Appreciation

I was honored to make cupcakes for a local elementary school's teacher appreciation banquet. The idea came directly from Disney's Family Fun magazine. Aren't they adorable?

Baby in Pink

I had the opportunity to throw my dear friend a surprise Diaper Party for her third baby, a girl.  My girlfriend missed the chance to try my Cherry Almond Vanilla cupcakes a while back and I thought she'd really enjoy them, so I opted for that specialty again.

They were a big hit.  I mixed the frosting up a bit this time, and it turned out to be just as tasty as the previous batch, and just a tad different with a hint of maraschino cherry.  Congratulations!  I can't wait to meet that baby girl!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Last week my daughter participated in the children's program at church.  We decided that we better thank everyone who worked so hard to prepare such a wonderful program.  We browsed Pinterest for a while until she decided on the perfect cupcake.  She selected Chocolate Chip cupcakes.  I used a simple Devil's Food chocolate box cake mix but used my own White Almond frosting recipe. 

I also found (on Pinterest) this cute way to deliver an individual cupcake.  Too, cute, isn't it? 

Dive In

Love me a cute, simple cupcake. These were made to go along with the Squirt! cupcakes as "water."

Squirt!

Thank you!, Pineterest! Aren't these adorable? I stole the idea from Pinterest for my niece's first birthday party. They were a little more time consuming than I had planned, but worth it in the end. 

Happy Birthday, Jadie Face!

That's Amore!

These were custom baked and decorated for a bridal shower.  One of the wedding color is purple. 
And that's amore!

Boston Cream Pies: Cheater's Choice

I was looking through my cupcake book the other day and decided that I wanted to try out making cupcake style Boston Cream Pie. I soon figured out that I didn't have enough time to make everything from scratch so I figured out my own cheater's way of doing it. So simple and satisfying.

Bostom Cream Pies: Cheater's Choice
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 box vanilla instant pudding
6 oz chocolate chip pieces

Prepare cake mix into 24 cupcakes
Prepare vanilla instant pudding
After cupcakes are cooled, cut in half with serrated knife
Spoon 1 Tbsp pudding onto each bottom half
Top with top half of cupcake
Melt chocolate chips and spoon onto top of cupcakes
Chill

See...simple!

Saturday Morning: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

This morning I was watching our friend's 2 children while my hubby and their dad helped a family move. What better way to keep kids entertained than to let them bake? I've had a box of carrot cake mix sitting in the pantry so we skipped the "from scratch" and just used the box. We did make our own icing, though.

Blueberry Surprise

I was browsing the latest edition of Family Circle and came across this delicious looking summer treat.  I love me a blueberry muffin, so I could only guess that a blueberry cupcake would be that much better.  Oh. My. Gosh.  They are so good.  Even my hubby likes them, and he doesn't like sweets.

So you don't have to look it up, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4  cup  sugar
• 2    eggs
• 3/4  cup  milk
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 3/4  cup  fresh blueberries
• 1 1/3  cups  heavy cream
• 3  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 2/3  cup  fresh blueberries
• 1  tablespoon  confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line one 12-cup cupcake pan with foil or paper cupcake liners.
2. Cupcakes. In medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, add half the flour mixture. Beat in the milk and vanilla, followed by remaining flour mixture. Fold in fresh blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into pan, a scant 1/3 cup in each indent. Bake at 375 degrees F for 23 to 25 minutes, turning pan once. Cool in pan on wire rack, then remove cakes from pan to cool completely.
4. Prepare Topping. In large bowl, combine cream and granulated sugar. Beat until medium-stiff peaks are formed. Spoon onto cooled cupcakes, about 1/4 cup on each. Scatter 6 or 7 blueberries over each cupcake, and dust with a little confectioners sugar, if desired. Serve immediately or keep cool until serving.

Always Wear Sunscreen

I totally stole this idea from google images, but I'll take credit for how cute they turned out, anyway.

Happy Preschool Graduation,

Iva, Meghan & Will!

Hot Fudge Sundae {on a Rainy Day}

Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

I have been dying to try these out ever since I saw a picture of them. They don't disappoint. A Cherry Almond Vanilla cupcake from scratch, covered with a Chery Almond Buttercream frosting, and topped with a Maraschino cherry. Delish.

P.S.  How will I ever lose this baby-weight with this addiction I have to making foods that look fun?

Tweet, Tweet!

Hope the Bunny takes good care of everyone on Sunday.

Happy Easter!