Tricky Tuesday: Eggs

I am starting a new weekly segment called Tricky Tuesday! Here I will discuss tips and tricks that will help your baking go smoothly. If you have a certain topic you would like to see featured, just send me an email at acuppycakelife@hotmail.com.

Today I’m going to talk about eggs. Eggs come in all different sizes but most recipes call for large eggs. In fact every recipe I post uses large eggs, unless it states otherwise. Never substitute a different egg size. It can lead to disasters in your recipe.

When baking, always bring your eggs to room temperature. If they need to be separated, do it when they are very cold, straight from the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature before beating them or adding them to your batter.

Make sure that all of your utensils are spotlessly clean when you are beating egg whites. Also make sure that no yolks have gotten into the whites. Any fat will keep your egg whites from beating up as they should and you will need to throw them away and start over.

When you need to add sugar to egg whites, begin by beating the whites until they are foamy. Then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Make sure that it has dissolved by rubbing a little bit of the meringue mixture between your fingers. If it is grainy the sugar has not dissolved.

To avoid possible problems, always crack your eggs into a separate bowl, one at a time. This way if you would have a bad egg it won’t ruin your whole recipe. Also if you are separating eggs and a yolk breaks only one egg will be ruined instead of the whole batch.

Never use the egg shell to separate your eggs. Not only can part of the shell break off or rupture the yolk, but egg shells can have bacteria on them that can be transferred into your eggs. Always use an egg separating tool or crack them into your hand. You can catch the yolk and the white will run through your fingers into a bowl below.

I hope you find this tips useful! Leave a comment if you have anymore tricks for eggs.

Don’t forget about the giveaway going on right now! You only have until Friday at 11:59 pm to enter. Hope you are having a great Tuesday!

Giveaway (CLOSED)

As you may know, I have been talking about an upcoming giveaway. Well here it is! How would you like to win a Wilton 12 piece cupcake decorating set? It includes 4 different tips, decorating bags and instructions. One of the tips is the Bismarck tip to inject filling into your cupcakes. I know many people don't have cake decorating tools so I thought I would share the love. There are many ways you can enter to win this set. This giveaway closes on Friday, June 4, 2010 at 11:59 pm. Remember, to win you must follow the instructions. A winner will be chosen at random and announced early next week. If I am unable to make contact with the winner within 3 days, another winner will be chosen.

To enter:

Become a follower with Google Friend Connect. Then leave a comment on this post letting me know that you have done so. If you already follow me with Google Friend Connect, leave a comment stating that.

Bonus Entries:

You must complete the task above for any bonus entries to count. Each item below is worth one extra entry but you must leave a comment here telling me that you have done it.

*Like me on Facebook

*Follow me on Twitter

*Blog about this giveaway. Leave a link to the post in your comment.

*Tweet about this giveaway.

*Talk about this giveaway in your facebook status.

*Refer a friend - Have your friend leave a comment that you referred them. Make sure they leave your name.

Alright everyone! Good luck! Remember that this ends on Friday.

At this time this giveaway is only open to participants in the U.S. I am unable to ship internationally. I apologize for this inconvenience.

Disclosure: I purchased this product for the giveaway. I was not given a discount or any special privileges.

S'mores Cupcakes

In honor of Memorial Day weekend and the kick-off of summer, I am featuring S'mores Cupcakes. Who doesn't love the combination of graham crackers, chocolate and toasted marshmallows?

My Nana found this recipe a few months ago in an issue of Women's Day magazine. She is always sending me fun things in the mail. In fact I get my love of baking from her. She is always in the kitchen doing something and I remember using her Kitchen Aid mixer with her when I was younger. I was so excited to get my own Kitchen Aid this past Christmas from my hubby. Every time I see it, it reminds me of baking with Nana.

Anyway, I did make a few small changes to the recipe for you guys. I baked them as they were listed in the article, but thought a few tweaks would make them even better. I sure hope that you enjoy them.

Please don't worry if you don't have the exact tools I list in the recipe. For example, instead of using a food processor you could use a blender or even a zip top bag and a rolling pin. Get creative. If you don't have decorating tips you can use a spatula or another zip top bag. The possibilities are endless.

Speaking of special tools, stay tuned for my giveaway next week! I think you will thoroughly enjoy the prize and it will make your cupcakes easier, more fun, and of course beautiful. The giveaway will only be open for a few days but you will have many chances to win.

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend. Thank you to all members of our military, past and present, who proudly serve our country so that we can enjoy freedom.

S’mores Cupcakes
(Makes approx 24 regular cupcakes)

Crumb Crust:
24 graham cracker squares
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar

Cupcakes:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
2 eggs
½ cup water
½ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Marshmallow Topping:
6 egg whites
1½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins and set aside.

To make the crumb crust: Process graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the sugar and butter and pulse until well blended. Spoon one tablespoon into each cupcake liner. Spread evenly on bottom.

To make the cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, water, and vanilla extract. Add to dry mixture and whisk until well blended and smooth.

Fill cupcake liners to within ¼ inch of top. Bake for 18 – 23 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 3 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

To make marshmallow topping: In a large metal bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Place over a pot of simmering water. Whisk continuously until sugar is completely dissolved and egg whites are warm, about 3 or 4 minutes.

Move to large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat 6 – 8 minutes on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

Put topping in a decorating bag with a Bismarck tip. Inject about a tablespoon of marshmallow into the center of each cupcakes. To top the cupcakes, use your favorite decorating tip or spread on topping with a spatula. Using a handheld butane torch, carefully brown the topping, avoiding the paper liners.

Don't forget to check out Hoosier Homemade's Cupcake Tuesday!

March of Dimes Moment

Today I am going to tell you guys about something close to my heart - babies. More specifically healthy babies. Everyone knows that it takes nine months (40 weeks) for a baby to fully develop in the womb. But what if the baby is born early?

Many health problems are associated with premature birth. Even a baby born at 37 weeks may have lung problems, as they are the last organ to develop. Many babies spend weeks or months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). They are unable to breathe or eat on their own. Can you imagine having to leave the hospital without your newborn? Can you imagine not knowing if your little one is going to make it through the night?

The March of Dimes is an amazing non-profit organization dedicated to healthy babies. Their goal is for every baby to have a full nine months of development in the womb. They also have made huge medical advances in helping those who are born early.

This organization means so much to me as a mom. As you will see in our story below, we were lucky. Not all families have the easy or happy ending we did. To help support healthy babies everywhere, my family and I are participating in March for Babies. Please consider walking with us if you live in the Norfolk, VA area. If you are unable to participate, a donation of any size is greatly appreciated! To join our team, make a donation or for more information you can visit our site here. You can also make a donation using the March of Dimes widget in my left-hand side bar.

Ella's Story

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. I'm walking in March for Babies because I want to do something about this. And I need your help.

We have personally been touched by the medical advances made by March of Dimes research. I went into preterm labor at 33 weeks. The doctors were able to stop the labor and gave me a series of steroid shots to help our baby's lungs develop. Ella was born only 2 weeks early and was as healthy as can be. She was 6 pounds 6 ounces (102 ounces). Thanks to the March of Dimes we have a beautiful and healthy baby girl! She is now a year old! In honor of Ella, we are asking all of our friends and family to donate $10.20 or 102 dimes to celebrate the 102 ounces she weighed when she was born. Obviously a gift of any size is greatly appreciated and can help all babies to be born healthy!

All donations are tax deductible. Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

If you have a story about premature birth and would like to be featured at A Cuppy Cake Life, please email me at acuppycakelife@hotmail.com.

Thank you in advance for partnering with me for healthy babies!

My First Award!

Attention ladies and gentlemen! A Cuppy Cake Life has received the Sunshine Award thanks to Kendra at Key Lime Blog Design! This is my first award and could not be more thankful for her generosity. I was completely shocked when I got the email!

To celebrate this achievement, I am passing on the Sunshine Award to two wonderful ladies! Please visit their blogs and let them know how much you appreciate them! Ladies, I hope you enjoy your award. Please share the love by passing it on!

#1 - Kelly at God Bless Kelly's Home

#2 - Michelle at Blessed Quiver

Dairy-Free Ladybug Cupcakes

Well, tomorrow my little girl will be a year old. I still can't believe how fast time flies! Since she has a dairy intolerance and I wanted her to be able to enjoy a cupcake on her birthday, I made these dairy-free. As you can probably tell, we are having a ladybug party.

These cupcakes are a devil's food cake topped with buttercream. While they are dairy-free, they do contain eggs. If you need to replace the eggs, please use your preferred substitution method. I used green gel coloring to dye the icing.

I saw the decorating idea in the Martha Stewart Cupcake Book. I had originally planned to make the ladybugs out of fondant. Then I came to my senses! I had a million things to do for the party and our upcoming vacation. I didn't have time for fondant! I found my ladybug candy decorations at Oriental Trading, but there are a ton of Etsy shops and craft stores that sell similar items. You could even make your own chocolates and put them on top.

I used a Wilton tip #233 to pipe the icing onto the cupcakes. The trick is to let it pool a little on the cupcake before pulling up to create the grass. This way you have a proportionate amount of icing to cupcake. I also found that working from the outside edge and spiraling toward the center was the easiest way to apply it.

I hope you enjoy these! You may want to work in batches when piping the icing. It requires a lot of squeezing and your hands will probably get tired. If you have any questions or tips please let me know!

Don't forget to check out Cupcake Tuesday over at Hoosier Homemade!

Dairy-Free Devil’s Food Cake
(Makes about 24 regular cupcakes)

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pans and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add dry mixture and water alternately, mixing until well incorporated.

Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 3 minutes before removing cupcakes to wire rack to finish cooling.

Dairy-Free Buttercream

½ cup vegetable shortening
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
½ cup coconut milk, shaken and well mixed before measuring

In a large bowl, mix together shortening, salt, vanilla, and 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Add in remaining sugar, 2 cups at a time and alternate with coconut milk. Add more coconut milk to thin and more sugar to thicken the icing, if needed. Beat on high speed for 10 minutes until light and fluffy.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Saying that I love tiramisu is an understatement. It has been put on a pedestal for many years. I could probably eat it every day. That being said, I was a little worried about these cupcakes. I didn't know if they could compete with my beloved tiramisu. Let me just tell you, these cupcakes ARE tiramisu! You will not be disappointed if you make these!

These are a little more "involved" than the butter cake recipes I have been using. This is a sponge cake and uses separated eggs that are then folded together with flour. Also, they are pricey thanks to the mascarpone. But if you have a dinner party coming up and need the perfect dessert, you will definitely want to use these!

These cupcakes consist of the three major parts of tiramisu - sponge cake, espresso and mascarpone. I would recommend keeping these refrigerated and allowing them to come to room temperature right before eating. I hope you enjoy them! As always, please leave comments and let me know how yours turn out!

I am also linked up to Hoosier Homemade's Cupcake Tuesday! Go check it out! This week she had a vlog for Mother's Day cupcakes.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
(makes approx. 24 regular cupcakes)

6 eggs, separated and room temperature
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons water, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Add half of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until lemon-colored and thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, water, vanilla, and salt until well blended.

Gently sprinkle flour over top of egg whites. Add beaten yolk mixture and gently fold together until thoroughly mixed.

Fill muffin cups ¾ full and bake 10 to 15 minutes until tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan one minute before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Espresso Syrup

½ cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup water
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over high heat. Heat just until boiling then remove from heat and allow to cool. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes so they can soak up the syrup. Spoon the syrup over cupcakes ½ teaspoon at a time, allowing time for it to absorb. Continue until syrup is gone.

Mascarpone-Whipped Cream Icing

16 ounces mascarpone
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream, chilled

In a medium bowl beat together mascarpone, powdered sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add cream and beat until fluffy, about one minute.

Traffic Jam Tuesday

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that A Cuppy Cake Life is being featured in Key Lime Blog Design's Traffic Jam Tuesday! Please check out Kendra at Key Lime Blog Designs as well as the blogs featured below. If you want to get in on the action, sign up at Kendra's blog!

You must check out Simple Expressions! Their specialty is wedding announcements! Two and a half years ago when I got married I ordered my wedding announcements from Simple Expressions and I loved them! Simple Expressions also carries carry baby announcements, graduation announcements, personalized stationary and much more. I love the Owl baby announcement!

This is Kenzie's Blog. She does awesome photography! I love THIS post! She has some cute pictures of a old fashioned telephone booth that you need to see!

A Cuppy Cake Life! This first thought that comes to my mind is YUM! She just posted some Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. I can't wait to try them! Don't go to this blog if you are hungry or you'll run to your kitchen and start making cupcakes immediately! :)

Want to be featured in an upcoming Traffic Jam! Go HERE to submit your blog!