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Homemade Cupcake Tower Is Pretty Delicious

partysugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:40:20 -0700

A couple of weeks ago I helped assemble a cupcake tower for a friend's wedding. The cupcakes were created by Grace Park, an experienced home cook and avid baker. Although this was Park's second time baking a wedding dessert, making and transporting over 100 cupcakes is no easy task.

After testing several recipes with the bride, Park selected two flavors of cupcakes - chocolate raspberry and lemon pound cake - and topped both with a Swiss meringue frosting. The recipes were from The Australian Women's Weekly Cupcakes and Fairy Cakes cookbook, and the final look of the cupcake tower was inspired by this cake.

For those interested in making wedding cupcakes, Park recommends practicing in advance, thinking out storage, and arranging for helpers to transport the finished cakes. Have you ever made a wedding cake? Or wedding cupcakes? Share your experience below!

To look at a gallery of the cupcake process and check out the completed tower, read more.

View 25 Photos ›

Would You Say Yes to a Cupcake Proposal?

partysugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:50:48 -0700

I was browsing the YumSugar Community - brides to be: did you know there is an entire group devoted to Wedding Talk? - when I stumbled across these adorable cupcakes. Reader and foodie Kbussanich says that her boyfriend surprised her with the proposal and cupcakes!

The cakes were created by the Flour & Sun Bakery in Pleasantville, NY, and were a mix of chocolate and vanilla cake with vanilla icing that was dyed bright blue. When she heard Kbussanich's answer was yes, the bakery's owner sent over an engagement gift of seasonal (pumpkin and apple with cream cheese frosting) cupcakes. While I'm not a fan of public proposals, the idea of cupcakes at home is incredibly sweet. What do you think? Would you say yes to a cupcake proposal?

Got something you want to share? Participate in the YumSugar Community and you may just be featured here!

Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:12:57 -0700

Besides serving savory nibbles at a champagne cocktail engagement party, offer guests a couple of sweet treats too. Fill bowls with chocolate candies and make one delicious dessert for guests to enjoy.

Cupcakes are classic and quintessential. They look pretty, can be prepared in advance, and are universally loved. This recipe features raspberry filled angel food cupcakes with a simple powdered sugar glaze.

For more fabulous wedding ideas, check out IDoSugar. And to see the recipe, read more.

Angel Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Swirl
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

Filling
3 cups raspberries (3/4 pound)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 teaspoons of water
Cupcakes:
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
10 large egg whites (1 1/4 cups), at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 plump vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Pinch of salt

Directions

Make the filling: in a medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups of the raspberries with the granulated sugar and cook over moderately high heat, crushing the berries, until very soft and broken down, about 5 minutes.
Strain the raspberry puree into a small bowl and discard the seeds.
Return the puree to the saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of raspberries and the dissolved cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook, gently crushing the berries, until the filling is glossy and thickened, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile make the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 325°. Set 18 foil muffin cups on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the cake flour with the confectioners' sugar.
In a large bowl, combine the egg whites with the salt, vanilla seeds and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the whites are firm and glossy.
Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites in 2 additions, folding gently until incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, shifting the pan from front to back, until the cupcakes are springy and golden. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool.
Using a wooden skewer, poke a 1/4-inch-wide hole in the top of each of the cupcakes. Using a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4-inch tip, pipe about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each cupcake.
Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Spoon a small bit of the glaze over the raspberry hole and let set, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle and spread the remaining glaze over the cupcakes and let set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a platter and serve.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

Print recipe with images | without images

Homemade Cupcake Tower

partysugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:22:16 -0700

View Slideshow ›

Yummy Link: Bride and Groom Cupcakes

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:49:43 -0700

All you need is love, and a few cupcakes! These bride and groom cupcakes are almost too cute to eat! - 52 Cupcakes

Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:30:20 -0700

We passed the days this week with a handful of exciting diversions.

First we celebrated the birthdays of Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray. Then we assembled a homemade cupcake tower for a wedding, and yours truly ate a few too many kernels of popcorn.

Think you had your finger on the pulse of it all? You'll know for sure once you take this quiz.

Take the quiz

Lil Links: Get Those Abs Back in Shape With 5 Moves

babysugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:46 -0700

5 ways to get your abs back - FitPregnancy
Does TV ruin families? - Cookie
One New York mom is on a mission to ban cupcakes from classrooms - The Mommy Files
Jack Black gives the lowdown on his lil rascals - Celebrity Baby Blog
Doogie and his man are looking for a surrogate - Celebrity Baby Scoop
How bad is bedtime snacking? - ParentDish
Can pregnant ladies wear white to weddings? - CafeMom
Seeing stars in sidewalk chalk - AlphaMom

Awkward! Wedding Planning With Fiancé Causing Tension

TresSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700

I know a very modern bride who is beginning to wonder if she really knows the guy she's marrying. It's not that she's having second thoughts - it's just that planning their wedding is highlighting differences of opinion about tradition and convention she didn't know were there.

For example, this bride is hip to the fact that weddings are not unique events. Lots of people get married. At the same time, she wants her wedding to have a personal, nonconformist touch. This is where the conflict with her more traditional fiancé has come in. He values conformity and sees it as a social good. Unlike his fiancée, he actually cares what other people think.

So what are the differences of opinion they have about how they should plan their wedding? To find out read more.

First off, she doesn't want name cards at the table. He thinks they're classy; she thinks they're an unnecessary cost and a waste of paper.

Secondly, both have agreed to cupcakes instead of wedding cake (OK, so traditional guy is a little nonconformist), but he wants vanilla (because "it's supposed to be that way") and she likes chocolate because . . . it's more delicious.

Last but not least - the guest list. The bride wants to give their moms a guest limit so that they don't invite too many people and overrun the wedding with people they don't know. He doesn't want to tell his mom that there's a limit and, in addition, he thinks having a lot of diverse people will make them look good to other people.

Should weddings conform to traditional wedding etiquette at the expense of personal touches, practicality - or the bride's wishes? How should this bride and groom get over their differences and celebrate their union? And finally, have you ever experienced something similar?

Source

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

partysugar — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:30:24 -0700

Take a culinary tour through the streets of Oahu.
Give shrimp cocktail a tropical makeover with a fiery spice rub.
Do you love or hate cupcakes inspired by designer fashions?
If you enjoy spicy sauces, consider making your own harissa.
Top Chef Masters premiered: did you watch?
Jamaican curried tempeh tacos are a filling, flavor-packed vegan meal.
At your next cocktail party, add parmesan fricos to the menu.
What are your wedding pet peeves?

Sugar Shout Out: Barack Obama Geeks Out!

PopSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:55:00 -0700