Princess First Birthday

I'm beginning to feel finally that my brain is getting out of holiday mode, I've been back to week 3 weeks and still haven't quite got back into the swing of things. Its time to kick 2014 into gear, starting with the blog. My kitchenaid and I have been taking a well earned break from baking since Christmas, also with the amount of chocolates and treats left in my house baking more sweets seemed a little much. 

I'm starting the year in true ButterHeartsSugar style, with a bit of pretty, a bit of cute and a whole load of pink. A short post today to share this super girly princess party my cousin and I put together for her beautiful baby girl's first birthday. The day couldn't have been better, I woke up to smiles from a tutu wearing birthday girl, the weather was prefect and Miss Mia loved her party.

Vintage Birdcage Wedding Cake and Cupcakes

A little while back I was lucky enough to get to do a wedding cake and matching cupcakes for a friends special day. I thought I'd share a few pictures before sharing a yummy new recipe over the weekend.

I had so much fun with the cake, loving the vintage birdcage theme I had to work with. The cake was a mix of chocolate and white chocolate mudcakes while the cupcakes were vanilla with my favourite vanilla buttercream. 

Each guest got their own cupcake to take home in one of these cute little boxes, lovingly decorated by the bride and friends.  

Sports Ball Cupcakes

These cupcakes where a fun way to kick off the year, especially considering some are footballs!

A friend asked if I could make some sports themed cupcakes for her nephews 5th birthday, given the standard shape of cupcakes and the fact most sports are played with a round ball the idea was a natural progression.

I know footballs aren't round but I think they work anyway, but its the basketball cupcakes that I think are my favourites.

The cupcakes were made with my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe and frosted with chocolate buttercream, then covered in fondant to transform them into baseballs, footballs, soccer balls  basketballs, tennis balls and cricket balls.

Fall Flower Pot Cupcakes

I'm so very excited to be part of this fun little challenge that Kathia and Melissa have organised. The project was to create a fall inspired sweet, being either a cake, cupcake or sugar topper.

Not only did I get to make some fun and yummy cupcakes myself, now I get to enjoy browsing everyone else's amazing creations! Head down to the bottom of the post to see all the great looking desserts along with the links to each contributors blog.

These cupcakes were inspired by the pots of pretty chrysanthemums in wonderful warm colours, that decorate many people front stairs (or would if it was fall in Australia and not Spring.)

Pumpkin Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)
2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
125 grams (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

To make the cupcakes-
Preheat oven to 180 degrees c. (350 f.) Line 18 cupcake pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves into a medium bowl.

Add brown sugar and butter into the bowl of an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each addition.

Add a third of the dry ingredients at a time, alternating with the two halves of the buttermilk. Beat until combined.

Using a low setting mix in the pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among cupcake papers, fill each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
250 g (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbs real maple syrup
2 cups icing sugar

To make the frosting- beat the cream cheese and maple syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Fondant Flowers
orange and yellow fondant
orange and yellow sprinkles
1 packet Oreos (filling removed and cookies crushed)

Thinly roll out the fondant and cut out flowers with a blossom cutter.

Shape the flowers a little by pressing in the middles. Allow the flowers to dry out. Once the flowers are dry brush the centers with a tiny amount of water and fill with sprinkles.

Spread a layer of frosting over the top of each cupcake using a butter knife. Before the icing sets dip each cupcake top into the bowl of crushed oreos, roll them around a little to make sure all the icing is covered.

Press the fondant flowers onto the top of each cupcake.

To complete the look serve cupcakes in little terracotta pots. (Please make sure they are clean)

Take a peek at everyones fantastic and delicious looking fall creations!

Here is the list of links to all the talented bloggers who where part of this challenge,

head over to  their blogs and check them out!.

1-Cup of hot cocoa cake-Munchkin Munchies

2-Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting-D & P Celebrations

3-Caramel Apple Cake-The Baked Equation

4-Maple Leaf Chocolate Cake-Butter Yum

5-Boo Shoe SugarTopper-Trilogy Edibles

6-Goodbye Fall-Pink Little Cake

7-Turning Leaves-Simply Sweet by Honeybee

8-Fall Teddy Bears-Karma's Cakes

9-Thanksgiving Head Dress-Sweetology

10-Fall Flower Pot Cupcakes-Butter Hearts Sugar

11-End of Fall Cupcakes-Not your momma's Cookie

12-Thanksgiving in a Cupcake-Savor the Baking

13-Turkey Cake-The Baking Sheet

14-Picking Leaves-Sweet Things

Giant Cupcake Cake and Cupcakes

I was so excited when I finally bought a giant cupcake pan almost two years ago, sad to say this is the first time I've ever used it. For my first giant cupcake though I am so happy with how this cake turned out. 

 I was asked to make a giant cupcake and 80 matching regular sized cupcakes for a 21st birthday party. The birthday girl only really asked one thing, that it all be in super bright colours, no pastels in sight. 

For the cake I used my favourite vanilla cake layered and frosted with cookies and cream buttercream, the outside of the cake was covered with rolled fondant and more fondant for the decorations. The cupcakes were vanilla with vanilla buttercream, topped with fondant cut-outs and maraschino cherries.

Hatching Egg Easter Cupcakes

I have always loved Easter! What's not to like? There are cute cuddly baby animals all over the place, pretty pastel colours and its a great excuse to eat silly amounts of chocolate. While its Autumn here in Australia the days definitely have a Spring feel, the end of Summer rains have made everything happy and green and the cooler days make me want to spend all my time outdoors. When I was little Mum would always spend the few days before Easter out in the gardens making sure the yard was perfect for our egg hunt on Sunday morning. My brother and I would spend Saturday night decorating our baskets with crepe paper, ribbons and fuzzy yellow chicks ready to fill with our chocolate egg loot. The fuzzy yellow chickens from my childhood have remained one of my favorite Easter decorations, I knew I had to use them to cutesy up some yummy cupcakes.

I don't really know what to say about these cupcakes, except that after I placed on the egg and chick toppers I stood back and laughed. They are just so ridiculously cute! And easy!! all you need are some hollow chocolate eggs and some baby chicks to make these adorable hatching cupcakes.

After debating about what kind of cupcake I'd like to make I went with the obvious choice. Chocolate cupcakes for the one day when there is no such thing as too much chocolate. I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe and teamed it with a pastel purple fluffy vanilla frosting, both are quick and simple and all the ingredients are usual pantry items.

For the Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 14)

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Dark Cocoa Powder

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup boiling water

10 medium hollow medium chocolate eggs

10 fuzzy chicks

fondant flowers

To make the cupcakes- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c. Line cupcake pans with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, whisk together. Add the eggs, milk, oil and the vanilla to the dry ingredients.

Beat the wet and dry ingredients together on medium speed for two minutes.

Mix in the boiling water on low speed until smooth. The mixture will be pretty thin.

Evenly divide the cake mixture between the prepared cupcake pans.

Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, until they spring back when poked in the center. Place cupcakes on wire racks to cool.

To make the egg toppers- Unwrap 10 eggs, leave 4 of the eggs whole.

Using a hot knife cut zigzag holes in the top of 4 of the eggs, place a little chick inside each with its head poking out. Break the last 2 eggs into large and small pieces.

For the frosting-

125 grams unsalted butter (softened)

500 grams icing sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

purple colouring

To make the frosting- beat the butter on medium speed until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the icing sugar, milk, vanilla, salt and a couple of dots of colouring, beat on low until all the ingredients are incorporated. Increase the mixing speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy.

Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and spoon in the buttercream. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each of the cupcakes.

Stand the whole eggs and the chick filled eggs onto the tops of the cupcakes. Top the remaining cupcakes with a fuzzy chicken and press some broken egg pieces around the base. Add a few broken pieces around the bottoms of the hatching eggs also. Decorate each little cake with some fondant flowers.

Pancake Cupcakes

Happy Pancake Day!! Any day day that includes pancakes is an awesome day by me and a day that is all about pancakes well I dont think I need to say anything more.

While eating cupcakes for breakfast is not new to me I get that some people might get bit funny about it. With these cupcakes there's no need to feel bad about having them for breakfast or if you look at it the other way around, having pancakes for dessert. These cupcakes are so super quick and easy to make and turned out beautifully, light and airy just like perfect pancakes should be. I couldn't have pancakes without syrup and cupcakes without frosting, so each little cake was finished with some buttery maple syrup frosting and a mini stack of pancakes.

For the Cupcakes

2 cups pancake mix

1 cup milk

Mini pancakes (3 per cupcake, made following the instructions on the pancake mixture)

Maple syrup

To make the cupcakes- preheat oven to 160 degrees c. (325 f) and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake papers.

Add the pancake mix and milk in a medium bowl, Stir together until smooth. Divide the mix evenly between the cupcake pans.

Bake for 12 minutes, until the cupakes are puffy and bounce back when poked. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each of the cupcakes using a large star tip.

Stack 3 mini pancakes together with a little frosting in between to keep them in place.

Top each cupcake with a mini stack of pancakes and finish with a little drizzle of maple syrup.

For the Maple Syrup Frosting

100 grams unsalted butter (softened)

400 grams icing sugar

6 tablespoons maple syrup

To make the frosting- add the butter, sugar and syrup together in a mixing bowl. Beat all the ingredients until light and fluffy.

Enjoy these at any time of day!