French Toast Cupcakes

Many times, I’ve scrolled past recipes for French toast cupcakes, thinking eh, can they really be that good? Yes. They can be, and absolutely are, really that good.

If you’re skeptical about this adaptation of a breakfast classic, think about it this way: these treats combine a cinnamon nutmeg cupcake – so right there, you’re off to a great start – with a maple buttercream frosting for a wonderful blend of sweet and spicy cupcake goodness. You could certainly sprinkle on some crispy bacon pieces if you like, but I left mine plain for a more mellow creation.

This recipe makes a huge batch, enough for 2 dozen cupcakes and one 8-inch round cake or at least 3 dozen cupcakes.

Cinnamon Nutmeg Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour milk*

*To make sour milk, place 1 tablespoon and 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 1/4 cups total. Stir; let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add sugar and vanilla and cream together until well-combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture and sour milk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until just combined after each addition.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared pans, filling cupcake wells about half full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pans for a few minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

Maple Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the powdered sugar, all at once, then beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take several minutes.

Add salt, vanilla, and maple syrup, then beat on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes, until very light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl very well at least a few times.

Fit a large piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip and pipe blobs of frosting onto each cupcake.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

**In most cases, I sift my powdered sugar before I use it in buttercream, but it’s not necessary in this case unless you really, really want to do so. This recipe is adapted from one I found at bakingdom.com, and she didn’t advise sifting, so I didn’t bother and the frosting turned out perfectly.

Springtime Cupcakes

Buttercream frosting requires simple ingredients, but it takes some time to achieve the perfect texture and flavor. I’ve been working on buttercream for years now, and I think I’ve found the perfect recipe, especially for cupcakes. My buttercream requires both vanilla and almond extracts, which I think gives the best flavor. It also requires patience; each step takes a few minutes, and you can’t rush it, or you won’t get a nice, fluffy texture.

These springtime cupcakes were a big hit in the office for St. Patrick’s Day today, and they would also make a great addition to an Easter brunch, a baby shower, or Mother’s Day tea. This recipe would be great any time of year, though.

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sour milk*

Basic Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
Dash of salt
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
Green food coloring

*To make sour milk, place 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a glass measuring cup; add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup total. Stir; set aside for 5 minutes before using.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; this recipe makes 21 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat for another 30 seconds.

Add vanilla and canola oil and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add flour mixture and sour milk alternatively in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Batter will be very thin.

Using a quarter-cup measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared regular-sized cupcake liners, filling half full.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

To make the buttercream, place butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down your bowl, add salt, and beat for another minute.

Scrape down your bowl, then add powdered sugar all at once; cover your mixer with a kitchen towel, and beat on low speed until the sugar is completely incorporated into the butter – this will take several minutes, probably about 4-5.

Once all the sugar is incorporated, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add extracts, and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 2-3 minutes until the texture is light and fluffy.

Add green food coloring a few drops at a time to create a light, spring green shade.

Fit a 14-inch pastry bag with a Wilton 1M tip and pipe generous swirls of frosting onto cupcakes. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days for optimal freshness.

Note: this buttercream recipe will frost at least 24 cupcakes, as long as you don’t go too overboard with your piping.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

You know how sometimes you have a chocolate peanut butter dessert and it’s not at all what you wanted it to be? The chocolate is too bitter or sweet, the peanut butter is too sweet or salty, one flavor overpowers the other, or the whole thing is just too heavy and rich?

This is not one of those desserts.

This, my friends, is the most delicious combination of chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting I’ve ever made. The cupcakes, originally from the Nestlé Very Best Baking blog, offer a tender texture and smooth chocolate flavor, while the frosting is just sweet, salty, and peanut buttery enough. If left to my own devices, I could have eaten the entire batch.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

*I actually use Nestlé baking cocoa and find that sifting it into the flour yields a more even texture, although the original recipe did not call for sifted cocoa.

For the frosting

12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
About 2 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count cupcake pans with paper liners; this recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture and milk in three alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping the sides of your bowl well, beating until smooth.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter into cupcake wells.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately remove cupcakes from pans, cooling completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, beat butter and peanut butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes; mixture will be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the bowl and add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add 1 tablespoon milk, then beat for 1 minute; if frosting is too thick, add another 1 tablespoon milk to think it out and beat for another 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl well a few times. You want a fluffy texture that will be easy to pipe.

Fit a large piping bag with the tip of your choice; I used a Wilton 1A, which requires a 14-inch pastry bag and large coupler set.

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes in generous swirls or blobs. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Lemon Crumb Coffee Cake

Baking involves plenty of adaptation, based on your creativity, experience, and observations. This lemon crumb coffee cake began with a desire to use up lemon curd in a new way, and involves two adapted recipes; one for lemon coffee cake, and one for a lemon streusel topping.

The cake recipe is adapted from Taste of Home, which used lemon pie filling between two layers of the cake batter instead of lemon curd, and the lemon streusel topping is adapted from King Arthur Flour. While it tastes delicious, this cake definitely needs some further tweaking, for a few reasons. The cake is far more gooey than I expected, likely because of the curd; next time, I’ll either drizzle about 1 cup of curd over the first layer of batter, or leave it out altogether and add some lemon zest and extract to the batter, then serve the cake with lemon curd on the side.

Ingredients

For the streusel:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of 1 large lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup chopped pecans

For the cake:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups lemon curd*

*If making lemon curd from scratch, use this recipe but decrease your quantities by 1/4. You could also decrease the lemon curd to about 1 cup drizzled, rather than spread, over your first layer of batter to yield a less gooey texture when the cake is done.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 cake pan.

Make the streusel: in a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, salt, and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans.

For the cake: in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, and mix until completely smooth. Add flour mixture slowly, stirring to combine completely. Batter will be very thick.

Spoon half of the batter into the baking pan, spreading out to make an even layer.

In a mixer, beat lemon curd for about 1 minute to thin out slightly. Pour over cake batter, then top with remaining batter and smooth out as best you can; this batter is very thick and is a challenge to spread evenly. I ended up swirling it into the lemon curd a bit.

Top with streusel mixture, covering the cake completely.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Note: the lemon curd made the center of my cake look under-done, but it was baked all the way through. If you need to bake your cake longer than 35 minutes, cover the top loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.

Hot Pink Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

This weekend’s baking extravaganza included several batches of cookies and a few batches of cupcakes for a friend of a friend’s daughter’s birthday. Inside, these white almond cupcakes have a surprise: a raspberry buttercream filling, with an extra pop of pink.

My first plan for these cupcakes involved raspberry jam filling, but it just didn’t seem right for a whimsical, rock star-themed girl’s party. Because I wanted a pink filling, I tossed together a version of raspberry buttercream that is much more filling-like than frosting-like. You could use a raspberry filling like the one in this lemon raspberry roulade, or even a pastry cream tinted pink, if you prefer.

Ingredients

White Almond Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cup buttermilk our sour milk*

*To make sour milk, place 1 1/3 tablespoons vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 1/3 total cups. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Raspberry Buttercream Filling

4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
About 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Hot Pink Buttercream

2 cups butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond extract
3-4 tablespoons milk
Magenta gel food coloring

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; this recipe makes about 32 cupcakes, so if you only have two tins like me, you’ll need to let one cool and re-line it for your last batch.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and sugar together until creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture and sour milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour, beating until just combined after each addition.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared tins, filling no more than half-full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops are light golden and a cake tester inserted in the middle of a few cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before filling and frosting.

For the filling: in a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute. Add raspberry jam; mixture will look clumpy, but that’s fine.

Scrape down the sides of your bowl, then add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter/jam mixture; this will take a few minutes.

Scrape down the bowl well and add almond extract, then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The texture of the filling should be yogurt-like. If your consistency is too runny, add a bit more sifted powdered sugar.

Using the small end of a melon baller, scoop out a small amount of each cupcake.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain tip and pipe filling into each cupcake.

For the frosting: in a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes. I cover my mixer with a kitchen towel during this process to avoid a powdered sugar mess on my counter.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine for about 2 minutes. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches a fluffy consistency. Add magenta food coloring to create a bright pink shade.

Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip and pipe frosting onto cupcakes in swirls.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Color Swirl Cupcakes

Experienced bakers like to challenge themselves…and these color swirl cupcakes were certainly a challenge! These cupcakes are destined for an 8-year-old girl’s rock star-themed birthday party, and I certainly hope they’re a hit.

I originally planned to use three separate piping bags set into one large bag for the color swirl look, but the other day at the craft store I saw the Wilton Color Swirl decorating kit and I thought…why not? Next time, I’ll probably go with the bags-in-bag technique, because the kit was a bit difficult to use, especially for a first-time color-swirler like me. If you’re trying this technique, bear in mind that you’ll need to apply steady, even pressure to three separate bags of frosting all at once, which can make piping a swirl a challenge. In the photo below, you can see that I piped both swirls and blobs of frosting, and the blobs were infinitely easier (and just as cute, in my opinion).

Ingredients

White Almond Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cup buttermilk our sour milk*

*To make sour milk, place 1 1/3 tablespoons vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 1/3 total cups. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Color Swirl Buttercream

2 cups butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond extract
3-4 tablespoons milk
Magenta gel food coloring
Teal gel food coloring
Lemon yellow gel food coloring

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; this recipe makes about 32 cupcakes, so if you only have two tins like me, you’ll need to let one cool and re-line it for your last batch.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and sugar together until creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture and sour milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour, beating until just combined after each addition.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared tins, filling no more than half-full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops are light golden and a cake tester inserted in the middle of a few cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

For the frosting: in a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine for about 2 minutes. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches a fluffy consistency.

If using the Wilton kit described above, put the kit together and fill each bag with a different color, securing the end of each bag with a twist tie. Using steady, even pressure, pipe blobs or swirls of frosting onto each cupcake.

If using the bags-in-bag technique, fill 12-inch piping bags with a different color, securing the end of each bag with a twist tie. Fit an 18-inch piping bag with your desired tip and place the three bags inside. Using steady, even pressure, pipe blobs or swirls of frosting onto each cupcake.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Here’s a dozen color swirl cupcakes! Check out the different piping techniques; the blobs, shown in the first and third columns, were much easier than the swirls, shown in the second and fourth columns.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Almond Buttercream

How does one create the perfect swirl of frosting on top of a cupcake? By using the Wilton 1M piping tip. And last night, after months – perhaps years – of looking at it every time I went to the craft store, I finally bought it, along with the enormous coupler and 14-inch pastry bag that need to accompany such a piping tool.

I can honestly say that this piping tip has changed my life, because I finally piped buttercream without feeling like a total amateur. Ordinarily, my buttercream piping endeavors end in frustration…and with me smoothing down lopsided, air-bubble-filled piping attempts with an offset spatula for a more “homemade” look. But no more! At last, I can have that perfect swirl, for cupcakes that aren’t just tasty, but adorable as well.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

Single recipe dark chocolate cupcakes

For the frosting

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation

Bake cupcakes and allow to cool completely before frosting.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine. Taste; add more extract if desired.

Fit a 14-inch piping bag with the 1M Wilton tip; fill bag with frosting and pipe onto cupcakes in a swirl. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Lemon Almond Cupcakes

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! While the rest of the world will likely have chocolate today, I’m celebrating with two of my favorite non-chocolate flavors: lemon and almond.

A few days ago I made some lemon curd, using up the egg yolks from my recipe for egg-whites-only Valentine Cake. As always, I wondered: what should I do with this lemon curd? I should fill some cupcakes with it, that’s what. You can certainly use store bought lemon curd for these if you like; I must admit that my homemade curd only filled about 1 dozen cupcakes, so this batch is half-filled, half-not. These treats are definitely more lemony than almondy, but they’re delicious nonetheless.

Lemon Almond Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
zest from 1 medium lemon
8 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
About 2 cups lemon curd, for filling*

*This recipe would make more than enough for all 20 cupcakes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; my batch made 20 cupcakes.

Combine milk and almond extract; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake flour, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then reduce mixer speed to low and add butter a few cubes at a time. Continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the milk mixture.

Return to medium speed and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl well.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter into prepared cupcake pans, filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pans immediately and cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Lemon Buttercream

Ingredients

12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 tablespoon milk

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and salt on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until fully incorporated, about 3-4 minutes.

Add lemon juice, lemon extract, and milk and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes:

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip lemon curd for 1-2 minutes to lighten.

Using a small knife, cut into the center of each cupcake at a 45-degree angle, about 1/8 inch from the edge, all the way around. Remove the core and cut away all but the top 1/4 inch, leaving a small disc of cake. Reserve the scraps for a trifle or other treat.

Fill the inside with lemon curd and top with the disc of cake.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of frosting onto each cupcake and spread with an offset spatula.

Store in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.

Valentine Cake

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to whip up a cake for two, something that would be just enough for dessert for Mike and me this weekend. This recipe, which I adapted from Taste of Home, looks like it’ll be the perfect serving size for a few generous slices each.

To frost this lovely cake, I used a pink to red ombré design for Valentine’s Day. I do wish I’d extended the lightest pink down the sides just slightly, so the next time I make a cake like this I’ll definitely do so. Also, this time, I used a crumb layer when frosting; I don’t usually do that, but it seemed like a good idea for this cake. For more info on the importance of the crumb layer, check out this post from the experts at Wilton.

Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg whites*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

*Reserve your egg yolks and whip up some lemon curd, which could make a tasty filling for this cake and would look great with yellow ombré frosting!

For the vanilla almond buttercream

12 tablespoons butter, softened
pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon almond extract
3-4 teaspoons milk
Red liquid and gel food coloring**

**I used red liquid for the light pink layer and red gel for the dark pink and red layers, but you could just use gel for all three.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two 6-inch round baking pans with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour, until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl very well to make sure you get any dry bits.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean; cakes will turn a nice golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately remove from cake pans, cooling completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, in a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach a fluffy, spreadable consistency.

Divide frosting into four portions; a small portion of white for the filling and crumb layer (or, you could use pale pink for this – I didn’t think of that until after I was done!) then three equal portions for the light pink, dark pink, and red.

Place a small blob of frosting on your cake stand and place the bottom cake layer on it; this will help your cake stay in place during frosting. Spread the top with an even layer of white frosting, then top with second layer and frost with remaining white frosting, creating a crumb layer.

Tint your remaining frosting; I used two drops of red liquid food coloring for my light pink layer, then used red gel for my dark pink and red layers. Mix your color in a little bit at a time; you can always make it darker, but you can’t make it lighter.

Fit three piping bags with large plain tips and fill each bag with a different color. Beginning with the dark red, pipe bands around the bottom 1 1/2 inches of the cake, then continue with the dark pink and finish with the light pink on the top. Using a small offset spatula, smooth out each color band, starting from the light pink and working your way down. The colors will blend into one another, and that’s exactly what you want.

Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cat Cake

My goddaughter Maureen turned five this weekend, and Mike and I made our annual trip to southern Maryland for a visit with her family. Her party was dog and cat themed, complete with this adorable cat cake. Before you worry about having some spectacular Pinterest fail, read the recipe below; this cake and its frosting/decorating are very simple. And while I deferred to my cousin Barb for the piping of the face – she’s Mo’s mom and an amazing artist – I suspect that amateur decorators could handle this one.

The cake was a big hit, with not a slice left at the end of the party. My cousin-in-law Robb, Mo’s dad, remarked that he’d never been to a birthday party where only cake crumbs remained. I take this as a major compliment and am glad everyone enjoyed not only the cake, but celebrating with the birthday girl.

White Cake

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray; line each with a parchment circle and spray the parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, and salt until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.

Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and beating until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans; bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream & Decorations

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Black gel food coloring
Pink gel food coloring
Index cards, cut into triangles for ears
Lollipop sticks, for ears

Preparation

Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes using the paddle attachment.

Add 5 cups powdered sugar. With your mixer on low, incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter. (Hint: I find that placing a kitchen towel over the mixer during this stage prevents a powdered sugar blizzard.)

Increase speed and add 2 tablespoons vanilla and salt.

Beat for 3 minutes, then taste. If you’d like a stronger vanilla flavor, add the second tablespoon of vanilla, along with the additional 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until combined; you want a fluffy texture that is easy to spread.

To assemble the cake:

Reserve two small portions of frosting; tint one black and the other pink. Set aside.

Flip one cake onto a cake stand and frost the top with a generous layer of buttercream. Top with the second layer and frost the top and sides completely, swirling the frosting to look like fur.

To make the ears, tape your index card triangles to the lollipop sticks and press into the top of the cake.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain tip and fill with pink frosting; pipe the nose.

Fit a piping bag with another large plain tip with plain frosting; pipe the cheeks.

Fit a piping bag with a small plain tip; pipe the eyes, mouth, and whiskers.

Line the edges and bottom of the ears with plain buttercream, then fill in the ears with the pink buttercream.

Here, Mike and I celebrate with Mo. Barb offered face painting for the kids, and this feisty girl sported a cupcake on one cheek and a snake on the other.

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