How to Make Clock Cupcake Toppers

Is 2011 really almost over?

How come times  flies so fast nowadays? Has anyone invented a time delaying contraption yet? Or has anyone suggested a 30-hour day? I was originally writing only 25 hours but a few extra hours into a day won't hurt. So 30 hours a day it is. Uh... anyone? Anyone at all?

Okay, so I know these things aren't possible right now so I better start this tutorial before time flies again and before we know it it's already 2013.

What we need:

Fondant in white and brown

Two small fondant cutters, one smaller than the other Rolling pin 

Edible food marker (black) or brush and a black gel food color 

Water and brush

Here's how:
(1) Roll white fondant thinly and cut out circles using the smaller fondant cutter

(2) Do the same for the brown fondant, this time using the bigger fondant cutter

(3) Using water and brush, paste the white fondant to the center of the brown fondant.

(4) Use the edible marker to draw the dots and the hands of the clock.

Happy New Year to my ever dearest Bake Happy friends. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment to my posts, tweet me, like posts on Facebook and most of all, send me the sweetest emails. I read every single on of them. :) 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!

Have a very happy 2012 everyone! 

Blackberry Cornmeal Cupcakes

Up to now, I am still too full to blog. I think my stomach is on strike. We are currently not on speaking terms. It can only take so much.

Remember the cake I made for Christmas? The Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote? Is it just me or did you notice that the cake name is a mouthful? I am currently rolling it in my mouth right now....

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote.

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote.

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote.

Have I just made the last tongue twister for 2011? I think so!

On to other news, I baked some Blackberry Cornmeal Cupcakes. No tongue twisting required when you say the name. Just perhaps when you take a bite, because it is not overly sweet, chewy, a bit gritty, just how a cornmeal cupcake should be.

Blackberry Cornmeal Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart Cupcakes
375 F
makes 16 cupcakes


Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. fine- or medium-ground yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
7 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 containers (6 oz. each) fresh blackberries

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 18 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar. Set aside remaining sugar. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour over flour mixture, whisking to combine.

(2) Fill each lined cup with a scant 1/4 cup batter. Top batter with blackberries (3-4 berries per cup), then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.

 (3) Bake until evenly browned on top, 20-25 minutes. 

Martha said to make sure oven is set at 375F before baking the cupcakes, or else the berries will sink. Perhaps I wasn't closely watching the oven, that Bones episode where Bones and Booth were trapped in the elevator was on Fox. The berries did sink. But nevertheless, the cupcakes were good!!! I finished two even before they cooled.

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote

Want to see the Christmas Cake I did for this year? Here's a slice of a Lemon Glazed Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Cream and Pear Compote.

 I think you can never go wrong with cream cheese. It's like magic, it enhances all flavors paired with it. Whether be it in cake or in a frosting recipe. 

So I guess it's only fitting to make this pound cake for Christmas. I love how it turned out, especially the crust and crumbs. This year, I promise to leave some for Santa to munch on when he comes to our home to deliver our presents. Hope you'll like them Santa!

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake

325 degrees/60 minutes

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 1/2 cups butter

2 1/2 cups white sugar

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 vanilla pod

Directions:
Remember the time I bought this Cascade Pan from Gourdo's? I have only baked in it twice. The first one wasn't a sucess... it's so dense, it doesn't look like a cake at all! And we'll, this is the second time.
(1) Heavily grease a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan or in this case Cascade Pan

(2) In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla beans from the vanilla pod.

(3) Add sugar gradually and beat until light and  fluffy.

(4)  Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.

 (5) Add the flour all at once and mix in.Then add the vanilla extract. I swear, this is one cake batter which tested my willpower. It's finger lickin good! Swear, I can't help but lick the bowl clean.

(6)  Pour into the pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick/cake tested inserted into center of cake will come out clean.

 (7) Let the cake cool and carefully unmold the pound cake.

Lemon Glaze
Adapted from SouthernFood.About.com


Ingredients

1/4 cup  butter
2 cups powdered sugar 
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp lemon extract

Directions:

(1) Melt butter in a saucepan or microwave.
(2) Sift powdered sugar into a medium size bowl.
(3) Add the melted butter to the powdered sugar.
(4) Add 2 tablespoons of milk.
(5) Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract for flavor.
(6) Beat until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk if necessary.
(7) Drizzle over a cooled cake.

Cinnamon Pear Compote
adapted from WholeFoodsMarket.com


Ingredients:
2 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and chopped 
1/4 cup seedless raisins 
1/3 cup apple juice 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
Pinch of ground nutmeg 
2 teaspoons butter (optional) 
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar 
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Put pears, raisins, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter into a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. 


Add vinegar, salt and pepper and continue to cook until juice is thickened and pears just begin to fall apart, about 5 minutes more. Set aside to let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

To assemble, cut a slice of the Bundt cake, add whipped cream and place the compote on top.


Happy holidays everyone! 

How to Make a Christmas Tree Cupcake Topper {Two Ways}

Hey guys!


It's the day before Christmas! Are you done with your shopping yet? Currently in  transit? Prepapring for Noche Buena? Doing some holiday baking? 

So how about me? I am writing this post while eating brunch - chorizo fried rice with salted egg and tomatoes. Thanks so much, Cielo for the delish chorizo! 

Many have asked me how I made the Christmas Trees from this post. So I decided to make a tutorial for it. 

But wait there's more! I made a tutorial of how to make Christmas Trees another way.

Marissa, I hope you're reading this post. This is for you :)

Christmas Tree #1
What we need:

Royal icing (mint green) in a piping bag with a small star tip

Parchment paper cut up in squares

Fondant (Yellow)

Rolling Pin

Small star fondant cutter

Sprinkles in yellow and red (or whatever color you have)

Here's how:
Before we begin, I made a guide on how to pipe the royal icing into the parchment paper.

(1) Get a small square of  parchment paper, pipe a "shell" in one end. 

(2) Pipe another one beside it.

(3) Pipe a third one. This is the base of the Christmas Tree.

(4) In between the three base shells, pipe two more shells.

(5) Then pipe one last shell on top. We now have the basic Christmas Tree.

(6) Now, we can decorate the tree with sprinkles.

(7) Roll out the yellow fondant and cut out stars

(8) Place on top of trees

(9)  Let it dry for at least a day and a half before placing on top of cupcakes.

Christmas Tree #2

What we need:

Fondant (in yellow and sky blue)

Sugar (colored in electric green)

Round sprinkles (I used just the pink ones)

Polvoron shaper or round fondant cutter

Water and brush

Here's how:
(1) Roll out blue fondant and cut out round discs using the p

olvoron shaper or round fondant cutter

(2) Shape white fondant into a ball. If there are creases formed, don't worry.

(3) Shape it into a long tear drop or a vampire's tooth or an ice cream cone (whatever it looks like)

(4) Flatten the base to make sure it can stand up

(5) Brush the tree with water and roll into the colored sugar. 

(6) Roll the tree into your hands to secure the sugar into the fondant. If there are empty spots, roll in again in the colored sugar and make sure everything is covered.

(6) Using water and brush, attach pink round sprinkles into the tree.

(7) Attach trees onto the round flat discs. Pretty simple huh?

Here are the trees on top of red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Enjoy the holidays everyone!!!