Valentine's Cupcakes

 2-12-11
  Ok I know today isn't actually Valentine's Day but my coworker, Sophia, wanted to give cupcakes to all the little ones in her family.  I had a lot of designs running through my head so creating something for Valentine's Day was a piece of cake .... pun intended.  Personally I think the whole concept of the holiday should be an every day thing but that goes for most of the "big" holidays.  Every day should be Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc., etc.. 
  Sophia wanted strawberry chocolate cupcakes.  I mentioned that I wouldn't be able to make them like the last ones, with the strawberry inside, because I wasn't sure if I could get good strawberries out of season.  My car was also being repaired and I didn't have the means to run all over town in search of fresh strawberries.  So we decided to just go with strawberry & chocolate cake.  I had extra ingredients when I finished so make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom to see the little cake I made as a bonus.

1st for the tiny cupcake hearts

This was actually the bottom and ....

... then I flipped them over so the tops would be on the bottom.
That's why I trimmed off the top so they would lay flat.

 Now for the regular cupcake.   This was my tester cupcake so I didn't waste a Valentine liner.

I didn't actually like the liners because I didn't think the design really showed up that clear after baking.

Now for the 2 to become 1

I like the way the chocolate lines lined up with each other. 
Maybe I should've been a match maker 

I tried to make both cupcakes in heart shapes but the bottom ones were too much trouble.

Now for the strawberry and chocolate icing.

These things were pretty tall.

Since this was my tester cupcake the lines on the right weren't perfect.
I had to go over it a 2nd time and it gave me a double line.

Guess I'll just have to eat it since the design wasn't piped right.

Peek A Boo

All done

I was going to make an edible topper but I wasn't going to have enough time.
I had the design drawn out too, a heart with an O & X on top.


Now
what
to
do
with
the
left
over
ingredients
Hum?

OK now open WIDE AND SAY AAAAWWWW

    

Packers vs Steelers

2-6-11

   So the game is on and so are all the Super Bowl parties.   The only edible sports creations I've made were the blueberry orange cupcakes back in November.  I was experimenting in anticipation for the Chicago Bears being in the Super Bowl.   OK....moving on.   But to my surprise my coworker, Lee, still wanted cupcakes for his party.  I didn't think, since the Bears were out, that he would still want cupcakes.  I didn't ask him who he was favoring but my guess is that it's NOT the Packers.  So I went ahead with the order and even though it took me FOREVER TO MAKE, I think I did pretty good.  I learned a lesson along the way, found out something new about black food coloring & different brands and had my creativity put to the test while trying to create an edible NFL logo as well.  Now tomorrow when I get to work I'll not only find out how the cupcakes went over but I'll find out who won as well.

I started off with the Green Bay Packers edible logo first

I had to repair this one because it started to melt
between my fingers.  I didn't know I was so HOT!

I was so busy concentrating making these logos that
I only took pictures of the 1st stage in making them.

I thought they came out pretty nice. 
It would be hard, if not impossible, to find something
like this to purchase even online.  NO,  I'm not bragging
 



Now for the Steelers.  I really had a difficult time with these! 
 I was trying to get a light grey rim like the logo, but the black food gel I used turned my chocolate purple?!?!
 I tried making it twice but ended up trashing the chocolate. 
 I know it was a waste but I wasn't going to be able to use it for anything.
I finally got the grey using a different brand, go figure?



It took me quite a while to make all the stars/diamonds but I think they came out pretty nice...but very fragile.

I made extra just in case something went wrong.  I've learned from past mistakes.

I wished I could've gotten them a little pointier but that wasn't going to happen doing them free handed.
I also would've like the word "Steelers" on them but I'm not that good and
 I don't think there would've been enough room anyway



So here were the black and yellow Steeler cupcakes.
  I thought I would skip all the stages in making them so I wouldn't have a trizillion shots.



Top view looks like they're covered with a bunch of bugs

Got some nice close up corner shots this time. 
 I remembered to leave the tray out of the box while taking photos this time. 

No they're not Christmas trees...they're Green Bay Packers.

I think, if cupcakes could talk, that they would be saying "I dare you to step across the line".

These were the extras that I always make so I can add the edible toppers and cut them in half later for photos.

Final creation with the edible toppers.

The Packer logo looks bigger but it really isn't.  It's just oval.

As usual, I like to cut one of my "extra" cupcakes in half. 
I had to make another one of these because the first one fell on the floor before I got the photo.

I needed to darken the green inside the cupcake.

I didn't prefer the Packer cupcakes because they weren't CHOCOLATE!

Enjoy the game, play nice and
Bon Appetit with the cupcakes.