Wicked Witch Cupcakes and Bubbly Witch’s Brew

October 5, 2013 by girlinspired 3 Comments

Today’s post is full of Halloween spooky fun! I am joining up with 12 other a-mazing bloggers to showcase some of the coolest Halloween baking products made by Wilton and sold at Joann Fabric and Craft Stores. It’s 13 Days of Sweet Treats!

I had SO Much Fun crafting up a tabletop of spooky sweetness! Today, I’m going to show you how to make professional-looking Witch Cupcakes using a Wilton cupcake decorating kit and some Wilton basic cake decorating supplies. ALSO, because I couldn’t resist, I have GOT to show you how to make the most awesome Bubbly Witch’s Brew!! Your Halloween dessert table is going to be spectacular!!

Let’s get started! First of all, I think that there are a few supplies that everyone should have in their baking toolkit. They are useful for even the most basic cake decorating techniques! Combine these supplies (outlined below) with this theme cupcake kit and you’ve got the makings for awesome looking cupcakes!

Witch Cupcakes

Supplies:

Wilton 16-inch (disposable) decorating bags – I love these disposable bags because they’re inexpensive and sturdy. I wash and reuse mine a few times before “disposing” of them, but you don’t have to.

Wilton large coupler set

Decorating Tip #1M

Witch Cupcake Decorating Kit

Muffin Tin

Your favorite cake batter or prepared box cake mix

prepared frosting

purple gel paste food coloring

Use the decorating bags to pipe your batter into the muffin tins lined with cupcake wrappers from the decorating kit. I picked up this tip a few years ago and it makes cupcake preparation SO much cleaner and quicker. Bake according to the recipe. While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, prepare your frosting. You will want a frosting that is sturdy and will hold its shape when piping it onto the cupcakes. I like to use Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Prepare your frosting and add gel paste food coloring of your desired color. I dripped in a few different shades of purple until I had a tint that I liked. Prepare the decorating bag with the coupler and #1M piping tip. Wilton has a great tutorial here for how to do this if you’re not familiar with decorating bags/tips.

Starting on the outer edge of the cooled cupcake top, squeeze the piping bag while rotating the stream of frosting around the cupcake in a clockwise direction. As you circle back to your starting point, continue piping the frosting just to the inside and on top of the first swirl. Continue until you reach the center point at the top of the frosting swirl. Release the pressure from the piping bag and lift straight up to finish the cupcake. Retrieve the star sprinkles and with picks from the Wilton kit. Finish off these fun treats by sprinkling the yellow candy stars on top. Then, stick the witch feet picks in and you’re done!

Now, these cupcakes are awesome, right? But every witchy cupcake needs a glass of witch’s brew to go with it, don’t you think?

Bubbly Witch’s Brew

Supplies:

Dry Ice

any beverage (red drinks are bloody good) e.g., pomegranate juice, red punch

crystal goblets, drinking glasses, waterproof bowls/cauldrons/containers

thick gloves

Here’s the part where we get to play with dry ice for some spooky Halloween fun! You can find dry ice at grocery stores – you might want to call around first because not all stores carry it, but I had no problem finding it locally (in my small town). Dry ice cannot be handled with your bare skin, so be sure you have gloves on hand – clean gardening gloves or thick ski gloves would work well (latex gloves do not work). Dry ice is sold by the pound in chunks. I broke mine apart with a meat tenderizer (a hammer works good, too) – about 1- or 2-inch cubes work well in individual glasses. Larger chunks are better in pitchers or cauldrons! Add the dry ice to the container first and then pour your liquid over the top. The dry ice needs to completely evaporate or be removed from the glass before drinking (safety first!) The effect doesn’t last all that long with the smaller pieces – maybe 10-15 minutes.

I used blueberry-pomegranate juice for these bubby concoctions – they were so awesome, I was squealing all over my house!

Inside the cauldron (since it was just for effect), I poured warm water over some large chunks of dry ice. The water lifted the dry ice high enough in the cauldron so that the smoky effect could seep up and over the edges of the rim. The perfect compliment to your spooky sweets table, right??!

I hope this encourages you to do some Halloween baking and displaying! It’s not too hard to make something spectacular, right? Joann Fabric and Craft Stores is carrying so many fun Wilton tools to use this season – I’m trying to decide what to make next….

Be sure to check out all of spooky and sweet treats being shared! The awesomeness is sure to inspire you!

October 1^st: Skip to My Lou

October 2^nd: Blissful and Domestic

October 3^rd: Positively Splendid

October 4^th: The Crafty Blog Stalker

October 5^th: The Girl Inspired

October 6^th: 4 You with Love

October 7^th: That’s What Che Said

October 8^th: Family Ever After

October 9^th: Baby Loving Mama

October 10^th: Sweet C’s Designs

October 11^th: A Pumpkin and A Princess

October 12^th: Polka Dot Chair

October 13^th: I Don’t Know How She Does It

And here’s a coupon just for you!!! Happy shopping and Halloween treat making!

A Gymnastics Birthday Party

January 13, 2013 by girlinspired 14 Comments

Grace celebrated her fifth birthday last week and it was the first party that we’ve done for the girls away from home. I have had so much fun planning the girls’ birthday parties for the last seven years, so it was an adjustment (though not a surprise) when Grace asked that her party be at a local gymnastics center. She’s a no-muss, no-fuss, all-action, all-the-time kind of girl. She can skip the decorations and fluff – and that’s exactly what she told me. “Mommy, I want my birthday party at the gymnastics place, and I don’t want any decorations.” And it went on further….”I don’t want you to spend any time making decorations because I just want you to play with me.” Dagger to the heart.

I need you to understand how hard I work to make sure that my creative time doesn’t impede on quality time with my girls. I mostly craft after the kids are in bed or on the days that the girls spend playing over at Grammy’s house. On occasion, I’ll pull out a project in the daytime if the girls are all occupied upstairs playing together. So, when Grace threw this request at me, it really triggered my mom guilt/panic.

But, we went with it. I planned absolutely nothing for her party except for reserving the gym and inviting a few children. It was such a relief to celebrate the holidays without worrying about the looming birthday party that was upcoming.

I held off from the planning until four days before the party. I went to the craft store to get some fabric for another project and came across the cutest little mason jars. I hadn’t figured out the cupcakes for the party, so I jumped on the chance to make something cutesy and crafty without breaking the “no decorations” rule. Grace did specify “red” as her preferred party color, so that was helpful.

I also picked up some polka dotted oilcloth for the party table and some washi tape to stick on anything I could…..and then I found some great metallic dancewear fabric, knowing that there was no way Grace would turn down a new leotard. In fact, she kind of went crazy for it when I made it.

I made some little labels for the drink bottles with the guests’ names, and added a little clipart for labels to top the cupcake jars and treat bags. I cut out larger labels and added some die cut letters for a banner. And that’s about it.

The party was awesome and EASY!!! I spent very little on new supplies. I packed everything I needed into a single tupperware bin in about 15 minutes. I didn’t have to clean my house or panic about timing. We loaded the bin of supplies and the kids up in the car, went and picked up balloons and some pizza and we were party ready! And the only crafting time I put in was (when Grace wasn’t watching) at night and on my babysitting day. Everyone was happy and the birthday girl had a smashingly good time.

Mermaid Cupcake Toppers – Tutorial

June 28, 2012 by girlinspired 7 Comments

I don’t mean to state the obvious, but we’re getting ready for a mermaid party around here. Since we already did one of these about three years ago, I’ve been able to reuse some of the ideas a second time around. Even though I always like creating a fun cake for the girls’ birthdays, they actually really like cupcakes and so I end up doing both. Today, I prepared the cupcake toppers the same way that I made them a few years ago. And I decided to post this tutorial which was actually a guest post I did a long, long time ago. Still cute, still easy, still party perfect!!

Supplies needed:
mermaid stamp (or any design, really!) This one is made by A Muse Artstamps
inkpad
markers
Stickles glitter accent (made by Ranger)
Clear dimensional embellishment such as Glossy Accents (Ranger) or Liquid Glass (Close to My Heart)
cardstock
lollipop sticks
ribbon
hot glue gun

Step 1:
Stamp your image onto a neutral colored cardstock. I used a vanilla/cream color as the base for the mermaid’s skin.

Step 2:
Using markers, color in the mermaid’s hair, eyes, and mouth.

Step 3:
Fill in mermaid bikini and tail with glitter accents. Allow to dry (or be very careful), then apply clear dimensional embellishment over hair. Allow to dry completely. Once dry, it will be clear and hard.

Step 4:
Using fine-tip scissors, cut mermaid from cardstock. Apply a dot of hot glue to the back of the mermaid and glue onto the end of a lollipop stick.

Step 5:
Add ribbon accents. You can either tie a bow and then hot glue the finished bow onto the lollipop stick, or tie the bow around the stick. For me, the first was much easier! Place the toppers into some swirly blue frosting and your cupcakes are ready for the party!!!

Question: Do you prefer cupcakes or cake? or both??

A Birthday with Sprinkles

June 7, 2012 by girlinspired 9 Comments

Addison woke up this morning and crawled into our bed to snuggle while drinking her milk. She matter-of-factly announced “I don’t feel like a baby. Yep, I feel like a big girl.” My baby turned three today.

We spoiled her with all the sprinkles we could find and she entertained us with her sweet, silly antics. It’s bittersweet, this birthday. Three just seems so big. Especially with her, always running after her sisters, thrilled with their hand-me-downs, so happy to be one of them. We did a little dessert and presents number after dinner tonight and will have a more official “birthday party” with some friends in a few weeks. Ice cream sundae stations and ice cream cone cupcakes have been all over the internet, but this setup was a first for my family.

The girls were beyond elated; an easy setup with super fun visual impact. The interactive part of decorating your own “ice cream cones” and ice cream sundaes makes for a most entertaining time.

It’s getting late and we’re off to the last day of school tomorrow, so I’ll save some additional thoughts for another time…

happy happy birthday, my baby girl!

Bunny Cupcakes

March 21, 2012 by girlinspired 11 Comments

The bunny cupcakes in the Silk and Chocolate Easter Collection are classy and simple. The white fondant toppers are made using a mold and a fluted circle cutter. I snagged a Springerle replica mold from another of my favorite baking supply stores, Fancy Flours. The mold had been on my want list for at least a couple years, since I saw it used in “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes.” I keep hoping to stumble on a dusty box of vintage wood molds when I’m out thrifting, but no such luck yet!!

Anyhow, you can mold and cut out your cupcake toppers in a snap. I used pre-made white fondant for this batch of cupcakes – I like the Satin Ice brand; you can also make your own fondant from marshmallows and powdered sugar (a quick online search will yield plenty of recipes, or try here).

Take a little ball of fondant and roll it out to your preferred thickness – shoot for 1/8 inch. Use cornstarch to prevent sticking, not powdered sugar! Be sure that you also dust the mold with cornstarch and tap out any excess.

Gently lift the rolled fondant and press it into the mold. Press your finger around the entire molding area. If the fondant tears, try rolling a thicker piece or pressing more gently.

Flip it out and smooth any unwanted lines with your finger. Center your fluted circle cutter over the bunny; cut. Set aside. Repeat!

When your cupcakes are completely cooled, top them with a dollop of your preferred icing and set the fondant circle on top. That’ll do it!

You can make the fondant toppers ahead of time and leave them to dry on waxed paper. You can also add gel food coloring to tint the fondant.

Happy Cupcakes!

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Silk and Chocolate Easter Collection

March 20, 2012 by girlinspired 16 Comments

This week’s collection is luxurious and indulgent. It’s impractical and irresistable. Dark chocolate molded bunnies, a white silk toddler dress, chocolate cupcakes with white fondant decoration, brown eggs with love notes inside, white tulips . . . I love it. LOVE it.

I picked up some plastic Easter molds and used chocolate easy melts to make solid bunnies, white candy lambs, and cute, little chickies. Have you used these molds before? I’ll show you how easy it is, this week.

This dress is just, well, the most beautiful little thing I’ve ever made. I’m sure there are plenty of you shaking your head at me with my dry clean only, all white, toddler dress. But….if you saw it in person, you might just admit that its gorgeousness trumps all practical rationale for why one shouldn’t make a child’s dress from white silk. I’ll tell you more about it this week.

I’ve seen this note in an egg trick before. But I forgot about it. That’s the beauty of Pinterest. I rediscovered it last week and it fit perfectly into my theme this week.

I don’t really think you can have an Easter collection without tulips, do you? They so gracefully say “spring.” I’m trying to force a pile of daffodils in my kitchen, since I didn’t plant the bag of bulbs in the fall. So far, I have one cheery, yellow flower. Do you have a favorite spring flower?

In the works for this week: the dress details and brooch tutorial, cupcake decorating with fondant and molded chocolates/candies, and the fun note-in-an-egg craft!

So, tell me…do you support impracticality in the name of beauty?