If your serious about cupcakes you should seriously check this out

I heart my cupcake courier. Well I should say couriers plural because I have a few now, and have just added to my collection, couldn't help myself when my friend emailed me about the Modern Mum gift pack.

As you can see I use my couriers all the time. Best way ever to cart cupcakes around without squishing all your decorations. The couriers hold 36 cupcakes and have a handle at the top to make carrying easier.Also if you take out the inserts you can use it to easily and safely store or transport a decorated cake.

 

At the moment The Cupcake Courier's Modern Mum gift pack has a yellow courier plus 2 packs of cupcake wrappers and 2 packs of Marie Shion sugars for $40, plus postage.

I know....that's pretty great value, just had to share it with everyone.

Click here for the link   Cupcake Courier Modern Mum

While you are there you should check out the other stuff available, they have a great range of Jessie Steele Designer Aprons which come in adult and kids sizes.

and I couldn't help but pick myself up some Happeez Clipper Princess Trio reduced from $24.95 to $12.95. Huge range of designs to choose from.

 Seriously you should check it out while the sale lasts.

Lollipop, lollipop, oh oh lollipop - More Lollipop Cookies

If you have been following this blog you might have seen the gorgeous Giant Lollipop cookies I made for my daughters a while back. They were huge and sugary and way too much to eat in one sitting although they certainly did try.

Click here to link to Giant Lollipop cookies

Now don't get me wrong they were perfect for the purpose of the photoshoot I made them for, and any kid would be delighted to receive them, but everyday eating they are not. So I thought I would try to come up with a midway compromise that both the kids and I could be happy with.

Here it is, a recipe and instructions for regular sized lollipop cookies without all the fondant icing.

Special Equipment Required - lollipop sticks which are suitable for baking.

Lollipop Cookie Dough

225 g (8 ounces or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp raspberry flavor (optional)
2 1/2 cups plain (all purpose flour)
1/2 tsp salt
red food colouring (I used Sugarflair Red Extra gel colour)


Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Add and mix at low speed until well combined sifted flour and salt.

Remove half of dough to another bowl.  Add the remaining dough enough food colour to make the desired colour and the raspberry flavor and mix well.

On a board roll out a piece of the red dough into a long thin log and repeat until you have used all the red dough. Do the same with the white dough. Chill logs in fridge for 10 mins.

While dough is chilling preheat oven to 165 C (330 F). 

Carefully wrap the logs together and roll around like a snail shell.

Press down lightly to make a lollipop shape and insert a lollipop stick suitable for baking.

Arrange on baking trays covered with parchment paper and bake for 12 to 15 mins until just lightly coloured. Allow to cool for 5 mins and transfer to a wire rack.

Don't ya wish your cupcake was hot like me...

Let me introduce you to my Pussycat Doll cupcakes. Don't they look good.

Don't ya wish you could bite into it....

Now these cupcakes don't actually have hair extensions, spray tans and surgery but I always feel that they undergo the food equivalent of all that.

Underneath all that extra decorating they are just plain old cupcakes. Really good cupcakes mind you but with just a bit of extra time you can turn your vanilla cake into a MTV version.

So lets have a look at the evolution of a cupcake.........


Frosting/ Icing - don't just slap on your icing with the back of a knife. Your an artist, do a cute swirl with an offset palette, or swirl with a piping tip.



Decorations - Now you could just leave it at the frosting, but that's kind of like going out with your makeup done and your hair a mess. Pop a little something on the top. I have piped roses, you can buy these already made at the supermarket or cake specialty stores.


Cake Bling - now this is like adding the jewelry. A few sprinkles or silver balls add that extra something. Can you see it's all pulling together now.


Cupcake wrappers - Think of these as clothes for your cupcake. It's just naked without that final wrapping to finish off your perfect cupcake. These ones are from The Cupcake Wrapper Co they have a range of different colours and designs.

So there you have it underneath all that primping and preening it's just a good old fashioned yummy tasting cupcake.

But take it from the Pussycat Dolls, nice packaging sure doesn't hurt.