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Cupcake of the Week: Easter Nests

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:08:51 -0700

This week's cupcake of the week comes from Steph at the Frosted Garden. These adorable Easter Nests are delightfully festive and oh so cute. I hope she inspires you to make your own batch for Sunday!

Kiddie Soiree: Cupcake Sleeves

LilSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:17 -0700

Crank the cuteness factor up a notch next time you serve up a batch of cupcakes with Roundabout Cupcake Sleeves. The decorative, non-toxic, self-adhesive sleeves ($9 for 12) come in a variety of designs to tie in to your next party's theme. From Easter Bunny and basket images to treasure chests and gumball machines, the sleeves are easily applied to the base of the cupcake and the company's site offers clever design tricks for creating the masterpieces, such as using Milano cookies to serve as a bunny's ears and placing marshmallows on top of cupcakes to replicate popcorn in a movie theater bucket. The company behind Roundabout will also work with you to create custom designs for your lil one's next party.

Last Chance to Win: The Ultimate Easter Baking Giveaway Ends Today!

partysugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:50:30 -0700

Looks like the cupcake craze isn't over yet: we were so excited about the overwhelming response to our last giveaway, we decided to offer another lucky reader the chance to win the ultimate baking package. This time, we've partnered with Williams-Sonoma to provide everything you'll need for an Easter baking extravaganza. We're giving away a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer and all of the necessary tools for baking the best cupcakes. Yellow melamine mixing bowls? Check. Yellow silicone spatulas in three sizes? Of course. Yellow apron to ensure that your clothes don't get dirty? Done. If you're not the most sophisticated baker, don't fret; we're including four (chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, and banana) Sprinkles cupcakes mixes and a set of 12 Silicups. To help you channel your inner ace of cakes, we're also giving away beautifully colored decorating sugars.

No prize package is complete without pretty platters; you can place the cakes on vintage bunny band plates or a cupcake stand. Finally, you'll be able to take your baked goods on the go with the ingenious cupcake courier. All of these prizes combine to make a total package worth over $500!

To enter to win this incredible prize, you must log in and take the quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct; completing the quiz once you are logged in makes you eligible to win. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member before taking the quiz. If you're not already a member, register here for an account. One quiz entry per person, all repeat quizzes will be ignored.

The contest is open to US residents only and ends on Wednesday, April 8, at 12:00 noon, PDT. Click here for official rules. Good luck!

Take the quiz

52 Weeks of Baking: Springtime Lemonade Cupcakes

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:51:39 -0700

The other day I read about Julia's Easter Cake Bake challenge and decided that it would be a great theme for this week's baking project. I'd also been thinking about making a lemon cake using lemonade concentrate (like these cookies that PartySugar made a few weeks ago) and thought that lemonade and Easter seemed like a good match. So I headed to my kitchen and started brainstorming - I took a bunch of different cake recipes (along with some tips I've picked up along the way) and came up with a pretty decent lemonade cupcake (Julia's challenge originally said cake, but something about the bite size cupcakes seemed more fun). The cake itself was a bit too sweet and over crumbly, and I forgot to sift my powdered sugar so the frosting was a bit lumpy. However, the coconut "grass" hid the frosting, and the textures all seemed to work well together.

I'm excited to have created another original recipe that mostly worked, but I'm waaay excited about how the decorations turned out. Somehow I got it stuck in my mind that coconut dyed green would look really cute as grass, and (here I go: toot toot!) I think it is! To check out my recipe, and see more up close photos (I like the one of them all lined up in a row), read more

Easter Lemonade Cupcakes
From YumSugar

These cupcakes are really sweet, I would maybe cut out 1/4-1/2 cups of sugar, depending on how sweet the lemonade concentrate is. Also, the cake is quite crumbly, like a muffin - I would consider adding another egg to the mixture.

3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp lemonade concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
lemonade frosting (see recipe below)
1 1/2 - 2 cups sweetened coconut flake
green food coloring
48 chocolate candy eggs

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 325F
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and powder together - set aside.
In mixer cream butter until smooth, add sugar, cream together.
Once creamed add in lemonade concentrate.
Slowly mix in one egg at a time.
Add in flour mixture 1/3 at a time.
When flour is thoroughly mixed, mix in milk. Batter will be slightly lumpy, but should be smooth (think pancake batter).
Divide batter evenly into lined muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
While cupcakes are cooling mix coconut with a few drops of food coloring until desired color is achieved.
Once cupcakes are cooled, frost with lemonade frosting, and coat with coconut. Place candy onto the cupcakes and top with bunny toothpicks (I got mine at safeway).

Lemonade Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp lemonade concentrate

In mixer cream butter, slowly add in sugar and mix until blended. Mix in lemonade concentrate. Add more powdered sugar as needed.

View 24 Photos ›

Print recipe with images | without images

A Round of Applause For. . .

partysugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:30:06 -0700

YumSugar reader daddio49! She is the lucky winner of our Ultimate Easter Baking giveaway. Our friends at Williams-Sonoma are sending her everything she needs to go cupcake crazy. She's the recipient of a new KitchenAid standing mixer and a bunch of fabulous accessories. I hope she enjoys her prize and shares the delicious treats she makes with us on TeamSugar. Congrats to daddio49!

Must-Read: Field Guide to Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:00:19 -0700

If you're completely over the cupcake craze but looking for other sweet entertaining ideas for Spring, consider the Field Guide to Cookies: How to Identify and Bake Virtually Every Cookie Imaginable ($10.87). Authored by Bay Area pastry veteran Anita Chu, the guide packs an impressive amount of information on the world's cookies into a rather teensy tome. Find out if this book would be a good match for you when you read more.

Pros:

Comprehensive notes include background information and history of each cookie, serving suggestions, and icons that indicate tools needed.
Nice balance of traditional favorites - such as gingersnaps, whoopie pies, and snickerdoodles - as well as ethnic favorites (Chinese almond cookies, baklava, lebkuchen, and stroopwafels).
Reasonably priced, durable paperback edition is practical and portable.

Cons:

Book feels small; tight binding makes it hard to keep book open on desired page.
The book didn't include instructional shots of baking techniques - only photos of finished cookies.

Recipes: The book has over 100 recipes for occasions throughout the year. A few that called my name:

Italian Easter cookies
French macaroons
Greek butter cookies
Buttercream thumbprints
Ladyfingers
Springerle
Pfeffernüsse

Imagery: Every cookie is photographed in a full-color photo index, so readers know exactly what to expect.

Overall Rating: This inexpensive cookie index contains something to please everybody, and its readable format makes it a great cookbook for cookie fanatics. If you don't have a cookbook stand, however, be prepared to be frustrated trying to stay on one page.

View 4 Photos ›

Yummy Links: From Candy Bars to Candy Eggs

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:01:31 -0800

This candy bar identification quiz was one of my favorite things all week. - AOL Food
Amazon is entering the wine market. - GeekSugar
Go behind the scenes at artisanal candy shop, Papabubble. - Serious Eats
Learn how to clean a microwave. - CasaSugar

The simplyFine china by Lenox is quite fantastic. I love this Chirp pattern! - Hostess with the Mostess
Is it still espresso if it's made with tea? - Slashfood
Just in time for Easter, bunny cupcake pan. - Baking Bites
Does a silver spoon stop champagne from going flat? - Chow
Need a healthy dinner? Try this soba and tofu stir fry with peanut sauce. - FitSugar
Get ready for Easter! This week it's all about the candy eggs. - Candyblog

What's Yummy This Week

YumSugar — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:14:21 -0700

This week we switched over from Passover planning (be sure to check out the pics) and headed into Easter mode. We even had ideas for both an Easter brunch or dinner. Oh and let us know what your favorite Easter candy is.
Food & Wine magazine announced their Best New Chefs of 2007 and held a big party to celebrate. The past year's best new chefs and several members of the Top Chef brigade ended up catering the soiree.
Burger King surprised everyone and announced a new welfare policy.
I decided to treat the office with these cute springtime lemonade cupcakes.
Eggs eggs eggs. We had tips on how to boil them, poach them and even how to transport them.

Got a keen eye for design? Pepsi is challenging customers to design a new can for them. The winner could get $10k.
Friends called and they're on their way? Don't fret, we've got some simple plans for an impromptu dinner party.

One of my favorite celebrities on the planet, Alton Brown, wins a Peabody Award.
There was also chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Don't miss the review of Chuao ChocoPods, the world's first chocolate billboard, or the giant creme egg.
And finally, we gave away a YumSugar Tee, you can win one next (submit something to the Savory Sights Group, winners will be chosen at random). Don't feel like playing along? Check out our brand new YumSugar Store where you can buy shirts, aprons, tote bags, coffee mugs and more!

Are We Breeding Brats?

babysugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:00:17 -0700

Like most moms, I spoil my babe every now and then. By that, I mean I buy her a pretty dress for Easter, she has stacks of books up to her eyeballs and likes a swipe of frosting from a cupcake.

But, I see it more and more where moms dress their kids like lil Paris Hiltons and treat them like queens. The t–shirts that say, "Someday I'll get trashed at prom." really don't make me laugh.

To hear my reasoning, read more.

And while I know they are meant to be humorous, I can't stomach the mother–daughter sets that brag about how "hot" the mother is. Seriously - isn't that just begging for attention? And besides that, what are you teaching your child when the hot factor is revered? It seems like we're breeding a generation of brats before they're even able to speak!

Maybe I'll make a line of onesies that exclaim, "Don't ya wish your mommy was smart like mine?" Don't ya?

What's your take on these tees?

Speak Up: What Good Choice Did You Make Today?

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:45:00 -0700

I was bummed this morning while I contemplating what to eat for breakfast because my workout got squeezed out of my schedule. While I thinking about about a missed workout, I was also literally one bite away from eating some leftover Easter cupcakes. What a slippery slope. But I caught myself and decided to eat a hard-boiled egg with a side of oatmeal and a bowl of sliced fruit. I was semi-unexcited with my standard breakfast but after all is said and done, I was pleasantly full and absolutely thrilled with my decision to make a good choice.

Then I thought, "Why do I focus on all the bad choices I make and not the good ones?" So take this opportunity to speak up and share any good decisions you've made today for your health. Whether it's stopping yourself before eating the entire bag of chips or running 10 miles, a good decision is a good decision and I can't wait to hear yours.

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