Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Breakfast is Served.

"Breakfast Cupcakes," created for CULTUREfix (9 Clinton, NYC).

The first is "Pancakes n' Bacon." Vanilla cake with Maple-Bacon Buttercream, drizzled with Maple Syrup and topped with a piece of fried Bacon.


The second is "Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal." Cinnamon-Caramel-Oatmeal cake with Cinnamon Buttercream, topped with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Oats and drizzled with Vanilla Icing.


Eat you Breakfast! It's good for you. Well...maybe that's pushing it a bit.



Passion is always in Fashion.

The new "Meg," sandwich cupcake dressed up a bit flashier for a Bridal Shower/Passion Party.






The New "Meg"

Everytime I give Meg a cupcake, she takes the top off...turns it upside-down and creates a cupcake sandwich. I figured I would make it easier by creating a version of the Cupcake Sandwich already made as an option. Since it is similar to a Drake's "Devil Dog," this one is made with Devil's Food Cake and Vanilla Buttercream.


Limone Dolce.

Cupcakes for Claudia's birthday party. Lemon-Cornmeal-Thyme cupcakes brushed with Lemon Syrup, topped with sweet Italian Mascarpone Frosting, dolloped with Lemon Curd and finished with fresh Lemon Zest and Thyme.






"Hostess with the Mostess."

I tried to capture the essence of the classic "Hostess Cupcake." At the risk of sounding arrogant, I may have made just a wee bit of an improvement in regards to the chocolate ganache topping and the generous amount of creme filling. We should let "Twinkie the Kid" and "King Ding Dong" decide.




Angela + Ricardo.

Engagement Party Cake for Angela and Ricardo. He is from San Antonio. She...Chicago. They met in NYC while working at Asia de Cuba. They moved in together in Brooklyn, then he took a job in D.C., she followed...he proposed in Lake Tahoe and they will marry next year in Austin. The hostess wanted the cake to feature the couple standing in front of the White House with their two cats. Two-layer Banana and Strawberry sheet cake filled with Banana-Strawberry Custard and frosted with Vanilla-Rum Buttercream. Congratulations, and here's to a sweet life together!


Curry Cupcakes?

These Indian Spice-inspired cupcakes were created for an event benefitting the South India Women's Education Project and Lend-a-Hand India. They are Cardamom-spiced cake filled with Mango-Coconut Curd, topped with Mango Buttercream and dipped in Cardamom-Curry Sugar. I was apprehensive about putting curry powder on cupcakes, but the response from those who ate them was positive. The swirl of two colors was actually an accident but the high frosting peaks were a definite homage to the dome of the great Taj Mahal.






"It's a Bird, It's a Plane...It's a Cupcake."

"Superman Cupcakes," for a birthday party. Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream, hand-painted Fondant, Sprinkles and Green Watermelon Rock Candy "Kryptonite."








"Quatro Leches?"

My traditional Tres Leches Cake with a spin...Dulce de Leche on top. I guess that makes it four milks. Sponge cake drenched in three milks, topped with whipped cream, dulce de leche and garnished with fresh strawberries.




"The Filthiest Cake Alive." **WARNING** Expletives, Drag Queens & Simulated Fondant Turd.

To bake is Divine. Birthday cake featuring the drag actor "Divine," as depicted in the 1972 John Waters film "Pink Flamingos." Inside, she is Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Raspberry Pink Buttercream, Fondant "accents," and Disco Dust.






NYC Summer of 77'

Cupcakes for a birthday party celebrating hip-hop, punk and disco in NYC during the Summer of 77', which coincided with the "Summer of Sam," the beginnings of the Hip-Hop and Punk scenes, the heyday of "Studio 54," and the "Great Blackout." Chocolate Fudge "Blackout Cake," with Chocolate-Rum Buttercream and hand-painted Fondant.






Saturday, September 25, 2010

Viva La Cupcake!

Using Mexican spices, fruits and flavors as ingredient inspiration, I designed and came up with four different cupcakes for an opening night Soho gallery exhibit featuring the work of five contemporary Mexican artists. Here are the results:


"El Diablo." Red Velvet Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and Spicy Cayenne-Ancho Chile Chocolate Ganache.


"Coco Loco." Coconut Cake with Coconut-Rum Buttercream, filled with Mango Curd and sprinkled with Toasted Coconut, Lime Zest and Chili Powder.

"Churro." Caramel-Cinnamon Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and rolled in Cinnamon Sugar.

"Abuela's Hot Chocolate." Mexican Chocolate Cake flavored with Almond, Cinnamon and Allspice topped with Marshmallow-Almond Buttercream, sprinkled with Nutmeg and a dollop of Dulce de Leche.



"Memphis Blues"

Cupcakes for Jill Morrison and the cast of Broadway's "MEMPHIS," the 2010 Tony Award Winner for "Best Musical." Jill is making her Broadway debut and I was lucky enough to see her in it. I hadn't seen the show before making these so I went with a blues and music theme. I later went onto the official website and found slogans and sayings to use. These are Chocolate Cake filled with Chocolate Ganache and topped with both Chocolate and Vanilla-Rum Buttercream. Hockadoo!





Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Scout Motto: Courage. Confidence. Cupcakes.

Girl Scout Cookie Cupcake. "Samoa." Caramel Cake with Coconut-Caramel Frosting, Toasted Coconut, drizzled with Chocolate and topped with an authentic Samoa Girl Scout cookie.


Key Lime Cupcakes.

A trip to Florida inspired these Key Lime Cupcakes. Key Lime Cake with assorted frostings: Key Lime, Vanilla and Coconut topped with Graham Cracker Crumbs, Lime Zest and Coconut.







Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I Can't Believe I Agreed To Make A T-Rex Cake!

While in Florida earlier this year, I received a call from a man asking if I could make a dinosaur cake. More specifically, a request from his 4-year-old son, Jack, asking for a "T-Rex eating a rattlesnake cake." I told him I had never done anything like this before and had certainly never made a three-dimensional cake. We agreed that I would tackle this request and send him pictures of the progress to see if it was acceptable. So began my very first experimentation with a foreign substance I at first hated...but have since come to realize can be my friend...fondant. I do like a challenge and fortunately Jack was very pleased with the outcome. Grrrrrrr!


Which Came First? The Cupcake Or The Egg?

This cupcake came about from a bit of brainstorming with co-workers and also a bit of a dare. I was taking suggestions on what could be baked into a cupcake and this is the result. The Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcake. Vanilla Cake with a creme egg baked inside, topped with Chocolate Buttercream and decorated with an icing "egg."

This is what it looks like inside.


The King of Cupcakes..."The ELVIS!"

Banana Cupcake with Peanut Butter Buttercream, Bacon, Caramelized Banana and drizzled with Tupelo Honey. This cupcake is inspired by the king of rock and roll and based on his favorite sandwich. Recipes differ depending on whether you follow his Momma or his personal chef...you can argue...but mine includes bacon and honey and is definitely not fried. This cupcake is TCB!