carolina sparker

June 25, 2013

4th of july cupcakes with an amazing giveaway

what a great post i have for you!!! a little long but worth the time because it includes cupcakes and an awesome giveaway.

Betsy from Java Cupcake and Carrie from Bella Cupcake Couture are the organizers of this cupcake blog party, and includes 23 other bloggers with different cupcake recipes. pretty much 2 recipes a month for you to bake for an entire year!

the assignment: to display simple and delicious cupcakes in bella cupcake couture cupcake wrappers with props laying around the house to show you how to create a good looking cupcake table with little effort.

the theme for the cupcake blog party? 4th of july, of course. which i think is a perfect fit since the holiday is almost upon us. it came by really fast, didn’t it?

if you have a get together planned for 4th of july, you ~~need~~ must get these cupcake wrappers {or enter for your chance to win it} and display your cupcakes effortlessly because these {cute wrappers} basically do the job for you. and that’s one less thing you have to do.

isn’t that nice?

and if you don’t have a party, it’s time you start planning one. you still got a week or so to go!

let me tell you about the props. they look kind of fancy but in reality they are far from it. well, some do have sentimental value, which is nice but i promise they aren’t fancy at all.

the backdrop are napkins my husband’s late grandma gifted us at our wedding shower. the cake stand i had it before we got married and actually used it at our wedding.

the stars are made from paper i downloaded from martha stewart’s website for free. i got the stars template from the internet for free as well. just google “free star template” and you’ll find tons.

and i taped some of the paper stars to toothpicks to create the cupcake toppers.

cupcake wrappers + cupcake toppers = good looking cupcakes!

the ribbon/star backdrop was pretty easy. scotch taped the ribbon to the napkins and glued the paper stars to the ribbon. i also had red ribbon laying around so i cut it in 1-inch pieces for a “festive” 4th of july confetti.

see? something you can easily accomplish for any party, actually. they look great and there was no hard work involved at all!

happy birthday america!

below are the details on how to enter the giveaway.

and here’s a recipe for my favorite vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

vanilla cupcakes ingredients:
1 and 1/8 cups cake flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature {still cold to the touch; sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}

yields 10 cupcakes

4th of July vanilla buttercream ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter {still cold to the touch; sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon blue gel paste food coloring

yields a generous amount for 10 cupcakes

directions:

preheat oven to 350F. line one standard cupcake pan with paper liners {10 cups in total} and set aside. in a medium bowl, sift cake flour with baking powder and salt. mix with a whisk and set aside.
cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute over medium speed {kitchenaid setting #5}.
add sugar to butter and cream together for 3 minutes over medium speed until fluffy.
set speed to medium low {kitchenaid setting #4} and add eggs one at a time and mixing 20 seconds in between to incorporate well. add vanilla and mix for 30 more seconds.
stop mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and paddle attachment and mix on high for 30 seconds to mix all ingredients well. if batter curdles beat for 30 seconds more.
set speed to the lowest setting and alternate flour mixture with milk in three additions. do not over mix.
scoop batter into cups with an ice cream scoop filling them 3/4 full.
bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, rotating cupcakes half way through. let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes and out of the pan for about 30 minute on the same wire rack.
make the frosting: cream butter for 3 minutes over medium speed {setting #5 on kitchenaid} with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. once done creaming mix for 30 more seconds at high speed.
stop mixer. add sugar and beat at the lowest speed setting possible for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. while mixing add vanilla, salt, milk and gel paste food coloring. increase speed to setting #6 or medium high and beat for 3 more minutes until fluffy and creamy. frost cupcakes with round tip or with an offset spatula.
store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

now we talk giveaway! the participating bloggers and their recipes include:

A Pumpkin & A Princess An American Cupcake in London Bella Cupcake Couture

Chronicles of a Foodie Creative Food Cupcakes Take the Cake

Diary of a Mad Hausfrau Haniela’s Healthful Pursuit Hoosier Homemade

Hungry Happenings In Katrina’s Kitchen Inside BruCrew Life

Java Cupcake Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons Love From the Oven Make Bake Celebrate

Not Just a Mommy Not Your Mommas Cookie Pint Sized Baker

Sugar Swings! Serve Some The Baking Cup Cupcake Project The Decorated Cookie

and let’s not forget the cool prizes!

thanks to our amazing Prize Pack sponsors for their generous donations! please, visit their websites to see more of their fabulous products!

Bella Cupcake Couture

The Smart Baker

India Tree

Lucks Food Decorating Company

Pretty Party Details

to enter to WIN this Prize Pack, simply fill out the entry form by clicking here. you have to like my facebook page, leave me a comment below and fill out the form in order to be entered for a chance to win.

contest opens 25 June 2013 at 07:00 PST and closes 1 Jul 2013 at 23:59 PST. one winner will be chosen and announced within 48 hours of the contest ending. winner will be contacted via email by betsy@javacupcake.com and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. if they do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

this contest is open to residents worldwide.

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June 20, 2013

exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

brown butter oatmeal cookies is where’s at! i don’t think i liked a cookie so much besides my chewy chocolate chip or nutella s’mores cookies…

these oatmeal cookies absolutely take the cake :)

let’s talk about the key ingredient: brown butter.

brown butter makes this cookie chewy, chewy, chewy and so delicious. brown butter has a nutty flavor and enhances anything you put it in/on. this recipe also has a pinch of cinnamon, which goes amazingly well with the oatmeal and brown butter. hope you are making them right now as you read this!

enjoy the how-to pics below and how exquisite they look after you bake them!

make the brown butter by melting the butter over medium heat until it foams and changes to an amber color.

make sure to whisk, whisk, whisk!

if you follow me on instagram or facebook, you probably saw this picture of the state of ohio making an appearance in the brown butter, hahaha :)

here’s the brown butter cooling down. see how the color changed?

in a food processor, grind oats.

and sift it through a mesh colander.

add brown sugar and brown butter.

ready to go!

cooooookieeeesssss!

exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1 cup old fashion oats, divided
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 stick unsalted butter, sliced in 1 tablespoons
1 large egg, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes approximately}
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

yields 9 to 10 medium cookies.

directions:

make brown butter: in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. whisk constantly until the butter has changed to an amber color {about 5 to 8 minutes}. you will smell it once it’s done. remove saucepan from heat and pour butter in a bowl to cool down. set aside.
preheat oven to 375F. line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.
in a large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the oats. whisk well and set aside.
in a food processor grind the remainder 1/2 cup of the oats until crumb is very fine. sift through a mesh strainer. grind the remainder oats on the strainer in the food processor again. add crumbs to bowl.
whisk in sugars and mix well with the flour/oats mixture.
add cooled brown butter and egg to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. mix in vanilla.
with a regular size ice cream scoop, fill it 3/4 full, and form cookie dough balls. if you fill the scoop all the way, cookies will be way too big. continue to do this step until dough is all gone.
bake cookies for 10 minutes rotating them half way through. do not over bake. they will look pale and gooey, but once they are cooled off they are the perfect consistency.
let cookies cool in the cookie sheet placed on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes or so and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

note: you can refrigerate dough for about 10 minutes if the dough is too soft. i did refrigerate the dough so they cookies were a little thicker, but if you like flat cookies, you don’t have to refrigerate the dough at all.

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cinnamon • cookies • oatmeal • Leave a Comment

June 5, 2013

coconut lovers cupcakes

coconut is one of those flavors that’s a hit or miss with people. you either love it or dislike it. there’s no in between or grey area with coconut for sure!

i personally love coconut because it reminds me of the weekends spent at the beach growing up. but i totally understand if you don’t love it – you aren’t alone! several of my friends and people i know despite coconut and i’m okay with that :)

the recipe calls for tons of coconut milk and coconut flakes in both the cake and frosting. the cake is light, fluffy and moist. seriously moist, and very flavorful. it’s a very white cake since i used cake flour and egg whites. so that’s why it has a lighter texture and a small crumb and can’t wait for you to try it!

cream butter and add sugar to the bowl.

egg whites make this cake amazingly fluffy!

scrape the bowl so all ingredients are incorporated.

add coconut milk and finish with the coconut flakes.

scoop batter into paper liners.

and voila! the cupcakes are ready to be ~~eaten~~ devoured.

look at that !

coconut lovers cupcakes

ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups cake flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature {still cold to the touch; sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups light unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, packed

coconut buttercream frosting ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature but still cold to the touch
2 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes for garnish {optional but highly recommended}

yields 21 cupcakes

directions:

preheat oven to 350F. line two standard cupcake pans with paper liners {21 cups in total} and set aside. in a large bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt. mix with a whisk and set aside.
cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute over medium speed {kitchenaid setting #5}.
add sugar to butter and cream together for 3 minutes over medium speed until fluffy.
set speed to medium low {kitchenaid setting #4} and add egg whites, two at a time, and mixing 20 seconds in between to incorporate well. add vanilla and mix for 30 more seconds.
stop mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and paddle attachment and mix on high for 30 second to mix all ingredients well. if batter curds beat for 30 seconds more.
set speed to the lowest setting and alternate coconut milk with flour mixture in three additions.
add coconut flakes and mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. do not over mix batter. if needed, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula.
scoop batter into paper lined cups with a standard ice cream scoop filling them 3/4 full.
bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, rotating cupcakes half way through. let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes and out of the pan for about 30 minutes on the same wire rack.
make the frosting: cream butter for 3 minutes over medium speed {setting #5 on kitchenaid} with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. once done creaming, mix for 30 more seconds at high speed. stop mixer. add sugar and beat at the lowest speed setting possible for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. while mixing add vanilla, salt and milk. increase speed to setting #6 or medium high and beat for 3 more minutes until fluffy and creamy.
frost cupcakes and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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asian flavors • coconut • cupcakes • exotic flavors • 7 Comments

May 24, 2013

favorite raspberry swirl lemon pound cake

what’s better than raspberry and lemon to kick off summer, right? you’re probably thinking vacation, duh! okay, there’s nothing that can beat vacation, but what about a raspberry swirl lemon pound cake over memorial day weekend? you are combining vacation with the most summery flavors i know. now we’re talking.

i absolutely LOVE pound cake and it reminds me of my childhood every time i see it or eat one, two or three pieces. i grew up eating pound cake or “ponqué” as white cake. i don’t think there’s such a thing in venezuela. all cakes are pound cake and that’s why i’m crazy about them. i shall confess that pound cake is the only pastry i eat at starbucks …in case you’re wondering for some strange reason, haha.

speaking of which, this cake totally reminds me of the lemon pound cake from starbucks. yes, yes, yes, you read that right. this recipe has cream cheese, melted butter, real lemon zest and real raspberries. the difference between using softened butter vs. melted butter is huge. melted butter leads to a softer, moist and denser cake.

start by making the lemon sugar.

and follow with the easy raspberry swirl.

beat cream cheese until fluffy and creamy.

add melted butter, lemon sugar and eggs. your house should smell amazing by now!

alternate flour and milk. don’t over mix.

add cooled raspberry swirl to the cake.

and sprinkle with some sugar.

pour the remainder batter onto pan.

and here’s what the pound cake looks like after cooled and sprinkled with some powdered sugar.

i needed to taste this pound cake so i took a picture of my almost-gone cake piece to show you the flavorful raspberry swirl.

favorite raspberry swirl lemon pound cake

ingredients:
zest of two large lemons
2 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
One 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature {about 1 hour sitting on the kitchen counter}
2 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 large eggs, room temperature {about 1 hour sitting on the kitchen counter}
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature {about 1 hour sitting on the kitchen counter}
powdered sugar for garnish {optional}

raspberry swirl
1 and 1/2 cup raspberries {fresh or thawed if frozen}
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

yields 1 standard pound {bundt} cake.

directions:

in a large bowl mix sugar and lemon zest together with a fork. press fork against sugar and lemon zest to release the oils from the lemon zest. you want to do this until fragrant, about 3 minutes or so.
make the raspberry swirl. in a saucepan over medium heat combine all ingredients with the exception of the 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir occasionally. softly mash the raspberries with a fork and cook until thickens, about 5 minutes. take off of burner and let it cool in the pan.
preheat oven to 350F. butter a bundt cake pan. set aside.
in a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder. add sea salt and mix well.
in a bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese over medium-high speed {speed #6 in a kitchenaid} for 2 minutes until fluffy. stop mixer, add melted butter and sugar mixture and beat until fluffy and creamy over medium-high speed, about 1 and 1/2 minutes.
reduce speed to medium {speed #5 in a kitchenaid} and add eggs one a at time mixing well after each addition. follow by vanilla extract.
set speed to the lowest setting and alternate flour mixture with milk in three additions. make sure to start and finish with flour. do not over mix.
pour half of the batter into prepared pan smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. make an indentation with the spatula and add raspberry mixture. sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. pour the rest of the batter and smooth top with rubber spatula.
bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a cooling rack.
take cake out of the pan and let it cool completely on the cooling rack. it can take up to one hour.
sprinkle some powdered sugar if desired.
store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

note: if cake browns too fast while baking, cover it with a piece of tin foil or parchment paper so the top doesn’t burn.

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cakes • exotic flavors • lemon • pound cake • raspberry • 14 Comments

May 21, 2013

cupcake couture blog party giveaway and chocolate cupcakes!

cupcakes are cute, right?

well, get ready because there’s a way to make them even cuter without spending a lot of time or money!

i was invited to this cupcake couture blog party organized by Java Cupcake to show how effortless it can be decorating a cupcake table. i had a blast styling the cupcakes! especially because we had to use props that were already in the house. thank god for wedding gifts :) because 80% of these props wouldn’t be here without them!

now, time for the cupcakes:

it doesn’t matter if your cupcakes are as simple as chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream frosting because you can add some pizzazz with cupcake wrappers from bella cupcake couture.

they’re the kind of cupcake wrappers that’ll WOW your guests at your parties and gatherings. trust me. when i showed these to my friends the first thing to come out of their mouths was: THOSE ARE AMAZING.

see? :)

so cupcakes can be simple but delicious, of course you can ALWAYS make them look more glamorous with cupcake wrappers. bella cupcake couture has tons of chic and stylish designs for any occasion under the sun. weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, graduation, and so forth.

i haven’t told you the best news yet. there’s a giveaway.

are you doing your happy dance yet? haha.

you’ll win 240 cupcake wrappers and many more prizes.

you can make 20 times my chocolate recipe and have good looking cupcakes with that many cupcake wrappers!

below are details on the giveaway and how to enter.

and of course i have a recipe :)

this is my all-time favorite recipe for chocolate cupcakes because they have a deep chocolate flavor, and are very fudgey but light and airy. i paired them with my favorite frosting: swiss meringue buttercream, which reminds me of ice cream. so good!

fudgey chocolate cupcakes ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 extra large egg, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons strong brewed decaf coffee

yields 12 to 13 cupcakes

swiss meringue buttercream frosting ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large egg whites
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold to the touch {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

yields 12 to 13 cupcakes

directions:

preheat oven to 325 degrees. line one standard size cupcake pan with grease-proof good quality cupcake liners.
in a medium bowl sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together.
in the bowl of a stand mixer beat egg, milk, oil and vanilla for 1 minute on medium-low speed {speed #4 in a kitchenaid} until combined.
in a small bowl or large measuring cup combine boiling water and coffee. add in a steady form to eggs, milk and oil mixture at slow speed until well combined, about 30 seconds.
set speed to the slowest setting and add flour mixture to liquids, 1/2 cup a at time until combined. do not over mix.
with a standard size ice cream scoop, divide chocolate batter evenly among the cupcakes, filling them about 3/4 full.
bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch, rotating the pans half way through baking. start checking at the 18th minute mark with a toothpick.
cool cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and take out of pans. let cool completely on the cooling rack before frosting, about 30 minutes.
make the frosting: add water to a large pot and set on a stove burner over medium heat. you want the water to steam not to boil.
in the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and egg whites. place bowl on top of pot with simmering water. whisk egg whites and sugar for 3 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is shiny and smooth. be careful when you touch the mixture to check if the sugar has dissolved since it’s hot.
transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for 10-12 minutes, or until glossy, fluffy and soft peaks form. while egg whites are whisking, cut butter in 1/2 tablespoon pieces.
once egg whites are ready, add butter, two pieces at a time beating on medium to medium-high speed. add salt and vanilla. mix until well combined. if the frosting is runny, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes. take out of the freezer and beat at medium high speed for about one minute or until fluffy and smooth.
frost cupcakes with desired tip.
store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

i’m SO happy to be a part of this blog party and show you that it’s super easy to create a magazine-worthy cupcake set up.

…and the talented bloggers participating in this awesome giveaway are

An American Cupcake in London

Bella Cupcake Couture

Chronicles of a Foodie

Crazy for Crust

Creative Food

Cupcakes Take the Cake

Diary of a Mad Hausfrau

Sugar Swings! Serve Some

The Baked Equation

The Baking Cup

The Decorated Cookie

how to enter: leave me a comment below stating why you should win and “like” my facebook page. and YOU MUST fill out the entry form with this rafflecopter widget in order to enter to WIN this Prize Pack {a $565 value}. if you don’t, you won’t be considered to win.

the prize pack is open to anyone in the U.S. and Europe. a winner will be chosen Tuesday, May 28, 2013 and announced within 24 hours of the contest ending. winner will be contacted via email to claim their prize.

thanks to our amazing Prize Pack sponsors for their generous donations! Please, visit their websites to see more of their fabulous products!

Bella Cupcake Couture

Cupcake Stand

Java Cupcake

Lil’ Punkin Creations

Sweets & Treats Boutique

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chocolate • cupcakes • 24 Comments

4th of july cupcakes with an amazing giveaway

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exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

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coconut lovers cupcakes

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favorite raspberry swirl lemon pound cake

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cupcake couture blog party giveaway and chocolate cupcakes!

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