Life&Cupcakes

For all my alcohol and cupcake lovers, this one is for you! I tried this recipe awhile ago and I was nervous that I wasn't going to like it because I usually don't like to work with alcohol, but man were these cupcakes good! Here is the recipe and my thoughts on it! Tequila Sunrise Cupcakes By: The Cake Blog Makes 12-14 cupcakes Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15-17 Ingredients: Cupcakes: -6 T unsalted butter - 3/4 cups sugar - 6 T sour cream - 1/4 tsp vanilla - 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest - 3 egg whites - 1 1/4 cups flour - 2 tsp baking powder - 1/2 tsp salt - 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice - 2 T tequila (of your choice) - 2 T milk Frosting: - 3/4 Cup salted butter - 1/2 cup shortening - 5 cups powdered sugar - 1 T tequila - 1 tsp finely grated orange zest - 2 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice - 5 tsp grenadine - orange icing color, optional - 12-14 cherries, optional - 12-14 quarter sliced of oranges, optional Instructions: Cupc...

Who doesn't love Andes Mints? I know right! They are so good! I have an amazing recipe that I absolutely love to make that represents an Andes mint cupcake! Absolutely so good! Makes 20 Cupcakes Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes Ingredients Cupcakes: - 2 T vegetable oil - 6 T unsalted butter - softened (I leave them out over night) - 1/2 Cup sugar - 1/2 cup light brown sugar - 2 large eggs - 2 tsp vanilla extract - 1 cup flour - 6 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 tsp baking soda - 1/4 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp salt - 3/4 cup milk Frosting: - 1 cup unsalted butter - softened - 3 cups confectioners' sugar - 2 T heavy cream - 1/2 tsp peppermint extract - 3-4 drops green food coloring - chocolate mint candies (optional) I definitely used them! Instructions: Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 muffin cups with any paper liners. 2. Beat together the oil, butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time be...

Frosting cupcakes is just about my favorite part of cupcakes altogether. Who didn't just lick the frosting off as a kid? Hello me. ANYWAYS. There are many tips to frost the perfect cupcake so let's dive right into them. First off, you must decide how you are going to frost your cupcake. By knife, piping bag or with your hands (this way gets a little messy). As I have grown as a baker, I always use Wilton Pastry Bags. I use different sizes just depending on how many cupcakes I am frosting, and how much frosting I made. I am just going to say, the bigger the better. If you fill a small one too full, frosting will explode out the top, and there will be a HUGE mess. Secondly, you must have the right tips for the bags if you decide to use them. There are many tips for many different things that you want to do with decorating. Here is my little reference in a picture that I use A LOT. It shows you the many different tips and what the frosting will look like when you use them. ...

I found this amazing marshmallow fondant a long time ago, and it is my favorite. If you don't know what fondant is, it is an edible molding that you can make into anything to decorate with. This recipe is super yummy and easier to deal with as some fondant isn't so easy to deal with. Marshmallow Fondant Servings: 4.25 pounds Ingredients: - 2 lbs powdered sugar - 1 lb marshmallows - 1.25 lbs Wilton fondant - 2 tbsp warm water - 1/2 cup vegetable shortening Instructions: 1. Sift powdered sugar and set aside. 2. Place your shortening in the stand mixer bowl. 3. Melt marshmallows for 40 seconds in microwave and stir with spoon. 4. Melt marshmallows again for 30 seconds in microwave and stir with spoon. 5. Melt marshmallows for the last time for 30 seconds in microwave. 6. Add water to bowl of marshmallows to detach them form the edges of the bowl and pour marshmallows into stand mixer with dough hook attachment. 7. Begin mixing. Add in half of your powdered su...

The current season is summer, and what does summer mean? Swimsuits. I know I thought the same thing, "EW." Swimsuits mean that you have to be in shape so that you look good in swimsuits. My niche area of baking doesn't exactly have the idea of healthy eating. BUT there are recipes out there that are a lot better for you than some other recipes, and have them still be yummy and delicious. I found this great recipe a couple of years ago on Pinterest, and man was it YUMMY. Here is the recipe and my tips and tricks on how I put my own little twist on it. Who doesn't love peanut butter and bananas in a cupcake? Makes 18 Cupcakes Ingredients: Cupcakes - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature - 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (I always use light) - 3/4 cup granulated sugar - 3 large eggs, room temperature (room temperature is key with eggs) - 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (equivalent to 3 extremely ripe bananas) - 2 tsp vanilla -...

Okay, who doesn't love good boxed brownies!? I recently just made some boxed brownies because we needed to make something for a 4th of July party. Before I was making them I thought that something just really needed to be done to them, and that is what made me think of this blog. I thought of a couple different ways that you can made your brownies a little more exciting so that it seems like you put more effort into them, and they are even more delicious! Here we go! 1. Duh, add some chocolate chips! Add about a cup of semi-sweet, peanut butter, milk, or mint chocolate chips to your brownie batter. This will vamp up your brownies and make them even more delicious! 2. Top them off with chocolate chips. Instead of putting the chips inside your batter, add them on top when the brownies are done. This will allow you to add just a little surprise to the brownies. 3. Top them off with frosting. This is kind of a no brainer, but it really makes your brownies extra yummy. You c...

This post is intended to show you what I have done the past few weeks and why I chose to do the type of blog that I did. Check out my archives if you haven't already ready all of my posts! Here we go! My first post: "About me" Why does anyone do an about me post? Well, of course, to show everyone that reads your blog to learn about the person making the blog. I love that people could get to know about me through the post. http://emilynslifeandcupcakes.blogspot.com/2017/06/about-me-blog.html Homemade vs, Store Bought: I chose to do this post because my entire baking life is about baking everything from scratch. Of course I have made things from the store, but it's just not fun when you do that. Everything ends up totally better when you make it from scratch. Top 7 Key Baking Tips: I chose this post because who doesn't need a couple good tips while baking! I love to just look at what other bakers have as their tips because it just really shows what kind of ba...

Anyone out there a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Lover?? Talk about a good product recommendation, CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES. Man were these things good. And YES they are from the one and only Bakerella. I am going to give you guys the recipe to try, but I tried these a couple of months back, and man were they good. Talk about mouth watering goodies. If you are a peanut butter lover like me, then you will LOVE these. Servings:   18 cupcakes INGREDIENTS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES 1 1/2 cups   all-purpose flour 2/3 cup   cocoa 1 1/3 cups   sugar 1 teaspoon   baking soda 1/2 teaspoon   baking powder 1/2 teaspoon   salt 2   eggs 1/3 cup   oil 1 teaspoon   vanilla 2/3 cup   milk 2/3 cup   hot water PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 1/2 cup   butter, room temperature 1/2 cup   sugar 1/2 cup   packed brown sugar 2/3 cup   creamy peanut butter 1   egg 1 teaspoon   vanilla 1 1/4 cup  ...

Hey guys! Me again! I wanted to take today to post about a great blogger that I have seriously followed ever since I got into baking! She is awesome and I want you to check her out! She is a serious baker, but she also posts about her life on her blog too. She has lots of great and exciting ideas that I believe will make you get excited (I know it does for me). I will link her website down below so you can check it out. Today, I am going to talk about one of her posts that I have lived by these last couple of years. Buttercream Frosting. When I was younger, I thought that frosting was the hardest thing to make. My grandma could always whip it up in seconds, but nope, not me. It took me so much longer, and I felt that it never tasted as good as hers did. If you have had the same issues that I have had, stop right here, because all of your problems are solved! I have lived by this recipe ever since I found it. It is so good and she has explained it so great on this post. I think that s...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngN4TWgL3sY Since I did a post about Homemade vs. Store Bought, I figured that I could show you guys a video on how to make cupcakes from scratch. I love this video! I like the way that the lady, Laura, prepares the cupcakes, and my recipe for them are basically the same for how she does them. First off, she starts out with explaining what she is going to make. She is mixing it all with a Kitchen Aid mixer, which is probably my favorite thing about the video. Haha! Just kidding, but I seriously love that she is using that just like I do for the most part. She also starts out with the same thing just like me. I was looking through some videos about how some people make them, and they started out with the flour and went from there. NEVER would I EVER start with the flour, unless I was separating the bowls for some reason. My reasoning behind this is that I always say to start with the wet ingredients and go from there. If you start with the dry, the wh...

Hey guys, Emilyn here! Just wanted to take a second to chit-chat about changes that I have made to my blog lately. I am thinking about adding a couple of different options to the blog and making it a little more interactive. I am thinking about adding in a subscription service that you are notified about each time I post so that you can come see me right when I post!? Also, I recently added a new option to my sidebar in the blog, a Top Posts link that will provide you with all the top posts that I have posted in the last 7 days. I am hoping to keep it up to date so that it keeps you interested and ready for new recipes and tips! Also I recently posted about a blog that I have reviewed called Bakerella. If you have heard of her or are interested in seeing what she has to offer take a look at my previous blog, I will link it below but it is also in my top posts link on my page! More good news coming to you guys. I am happy to announce that I will be creating all social media for my w...

http://thecakeblog.com/2014/04/cinnamon-roll-cupcakes.html First, I just wanted to start off with the link that I am going to talk about today. This blog is going to be about a recipe I tried recently, that I was so extremely impressed with. Well, it was yummy, but man was it hard to make. I am going to talk about the Pros and Cons of this recipe. Pros: 1. YUMMY. Man, were these Cupcakes good. They tasted just like a real cinnamon roll straight out of the oven. 2. Perfect amount of batter. Sometimes when following other people's recipes, they don't always make the perfect amount of batter for the cupcake liners, but this batter amount was perfect for the cupcakes! 3. Timing. They timed the amount of time to keep it in the oven perfectly. The cupcakes were just right taking them out of the oven. Cons: 1. Too many steps.  There were WAY too many steps to this recipe. First, you had to make the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl, and the batter, and the filling... Like I said,...

I am very fond of reading blogs, and I always have been. I believe that seeing other people's ideas and niches is very fascinating. I decided to read over one of my favorite baking bloggers, and really look into how they set up their blog and how they get readers to keep reading. Bakerella is by far my favorite baking blogger. "This site focuses on fun and easing baking. You'll find ideas for cake pops, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more. You may even find yourself smiling from all the sweetness." The first think that you realize when you open up the blog is the home page, and it is filled with sweets and goodness. I love that the front page, along with the entire blog, is so colorful, inviting, and original. Angie, the creator of Bakerella, has an about page that you can go to and read that she seems like a very happy and inviting person. The pages of the blog include Sweet Stuff, Pops & Bites, Themes & Holidays, Books & More, and of course the about and ...

Stereotypes. Many things that surround our world today. I feel like people these days give everyone and everything a stereotype. There are many, many things that people stereotype bakers on, but there are also many, many things that people don't know about bakers. 1. We are not OCD. Yes, you read that right. Bakers have a stereotype that everything has to go completely right and that you have to measure everything to the exact teaspoon. NO. Bakers are very, very easy going with measuring specifically. For example, if a recipe asks for 1 teaspoon of something, almost every baker just guesstimates how much one teaspoon is. 2. But, we are OCD at the same time. Yeah, I know, I am contradicting myself. We are OCD with stuff that we aren't with other stuff. Like if someone uses our Kitchen Aid mixer wrong, man oh man, you are going to get the evil eye. Or we burn our cookies because we were too busy making somethings, we go INSANE.  3. We actually don't want help. Not...

Many bakers have their own quirks and remedies that they like to use based upon how they bake. I too have my own tips and little baking things that I have acquired over the years that I have been baking. I hope that other bakers find this helpful and use some of them while baking! 1. Kitchen Aid Mixer : First off, a Kitchen Aid Mixer is an absolute MUST. I just recently got one for Christmas last year and it has changed my life so much. I use it every time I bake. It mixes everything so much better than an actual spoon or a handheld mixer. 2. Butter Spoons : ALWAYS butter your spoons before you use them to mix anything. If you don't they will always stick to the batter, especially if the batter is a sticky one. 3. Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is seriously a must for cookies and other baking goods. It works the best for cooling and for cookies to easily come off the paper. 4. Pampered Chef Ice Cream Scoop : When I make cupcakes I always use my Pampered Chef ice cream sc...