Taking the Gluten-Free Plunge

Gluten-free eating has become a very popular way of life these days.  Some people eat gluten-free because of health reasons, while others are hoping for the health benefits of cutting out a not-so-good-for-you ingredient.  I don't have any health issues that require me to avoid gluten at all costs, but when I started having some odd health issues a couple of months ago, I started looking into what I eat as a possible cause.  One of the ingredients I cut back on drastically is gluten.  I admit, I still eat foods with gluten, but I have learned a lot about how to eat yummy foods that are gluten-free.  In addition to my reasons, I have also had many people ask me if I make any gluten-free cupcakes.  I had never tried before for fear of creating a brick with frosting on it, but I have taken the plunge and I am so excited to say it IS possible to make great tasting gluten-free cupcakes!

My first venture was relatively simple: vanilla and chocolate.  Why not start out with the classics?!  Take a peek:

 I was pretty surprised with how much height these little guys got, I figured they would be sort of flat.  I topped them with a Hershey's syrup chocolate buttercream (and, yes, I checked the Hershey website and the syrup is gluten-free).

Take a look at how soft and moist they look inside:

And just in case you think they only look good, they were kid approved!

Ethan got the first bite

Hannah usually only eats the frosting, but this time she ate the cake, too!

My 15-month old, Abby, also endorsed the treats.  Gotta love the crazy bed-head!



Responsible Mom Disclaimer here: No, my kids don't eat cupcakes all day everyday.  This is a treat!

So, if you have been looking for a delicious gluten-free cupcake, look no further.  Give me a call or email me for your next gluten-free cupcake order!

Tip of the Blog:
The recipe I used for the vanilla called for lemon juice.  I was out of it and too lazy to go to the store for a single lemon.  If this happens to you, you can substitute vinegar for the lemon juice and the recipe will turn out just as well!

A Box of Chocolates

Who doesn't love getting a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day, or any day for that matter?  Well, here is an alternative to that plain ol' box of chocolates...

Here is a box of chocolate mini-cupcakes filled with a delicious center and topped with a decadent chocolate ganache and decorated with some white chocolate.  The fillings? Caramel, marshmallow cream, strawberry mousse and chocolate mousse.  Are you drooling yet?! 

I was playing around with the decorations, I can put pretty much whatever you want on them with the white chocolate, even write a little message to your special someone!

These cupcakes will come to you in a pretty box, all ready for your special Valentine!

And if you would prefer something a little different and a little lighter, don't forget about the Angel food cupcakes, made with your choice of either strawberry buttercream or strawberry whipped cream!
Valentine's Day seriously doesn't get any easier than this, folks!  Place your order today for a divine treat for that special someone.

For the month of February:
Angel Food Cupcakes - individual cupcakes: $2
                                       box of 4: $6
                                       half dozen: $10
Box of Chocolate Mini-Cupcakes - half dozen: $8
                                                         dozen: $16
If you are interested in another quantity or specific flavor combinations, email or call Yellowroses Cupcakes at 717-725-5499 or yellowrosescupcakes@gmail.com









A Little Piece of Heaven

I tried making an angel food cake once.  Yeah...let's just say it was NOT a success.  I have been intimidated ever since.  But with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I have been trying to come up with some delicious recipes to share.  I know I am going to make something with chocolate, because nothing says Valentine's Day like chocolate.  However, I kept coming back to Angel food cupcakes.  So, I went for the plunge and tried a new recipe-Angel Food Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream.  These little babies are literally a piece of Heaven-so light and sweet.  I think they will be a great alternative for those folks who don't like chocolate.


I opted for strawberry buttercream because it just seemed like the indulgent thing to do! However, I have a feeling some strawberry whipped cream would be just as yummy (and maybe a little easier on the waistline!)

 

This was literally the lightest and fluffiest batter!  It became a cloud of goodness as the egg whites were whipped

Just look at them baking to perfection!
 

*Sigh* So good. The only thing that could make this better is this...



 





For the month of February, orders of these delicious angel food cupcakes will include a chocolate-covered strawberry garnish. If you weren't sold before, you should be now!

I am still working on that gluten-free cupcake for all of you that have been waiting.  The big reveal will be coming!  Also, as I said before, I have a special chocolate treat for Valentine's Day in the works. Check back in the next day or so for a post about it!  So, share with your special someone something a little different than chocolates and flowers (or maybe use this as a hint for your own treat!).

Tip of the Blog:

The recipe I use for these cupcakes called for super fine sugar.  A simple way to make your own super fine sugar is to put granulated sugar into a food processor and grind it for about 2 minutes. 

 

 

Catching up!

It has been awhile since I have written a post-sorry about that!  The holiday season was CRAZY!  I am sure many of you understand and had equally busy holiday seasons.  Below are some of the fruits of my holiday season labor, proof that I wasn't too busy to do some baking...

These are shark fin cupcakes that I made for my son's 6th birthday. 
The fins are made of fondant which I free-hand cut out and shaped. 
They were a big hit with his classmates!





For Christmas dinner with the family, I made a vanilla cake with a raspberry filling.  I then finished it with a yummy buttercream frosting.  I experimented with gum paste for the first time and made a simple winter scene, complete with a bow and label!

I found a You Tube video that showed me how to make a tree from rolling out some gum paste and shaping.  The bow was sort of a free form that I tried.  I ran out of red food dye, so I used a burgundy, which made for a pretty alternative.

I saw this cute little idea somewhere online and thought it would be a cute way to wish the family "Merry Christmas!"

I also found a nifty little tool that allowed me to add texture to the buttercream, and then for some added decoration, I added a gum paste dot :) 

The finished product!

My husband and I hosted a holiday potluck dinner for some friends, and these little treats were their gifts for the dinner.

These are a chocolate cake, cut out and covered in melted chocolate (both dark and white chocolate), finished with some piped buttercream and a sugar rose on top.  Now, I confess, I did not make the rose, but the rest is home made.  I think sugar roses are my next challenge :)

 So, I haven't been sitting around not baking, I just didn't have the time to blog about it!  Also, there was a strawberry-cheesecake filled cupcake thrown in there as a new flavor (pics to come, so check back soon).  My next baking challenge is a gluten-free cupcakes. 

 

Tip of the Blog:

While covering cake in melted chocolate tastes fantastic, it can be a bit tricky.  For best results, keep the cake cold and it shouldn't fall apart.  Oh, and be super careful-melted chocolate is HOT (seems obvious, but I thought I should emphasize that).

Sweet meet Salty (Caramel)

It has been a while since I have posted, sorry about that.  The holiday season has been busy to say the least, but I have been trying new recipes.  And the star cupcake I have recently taken on is the chocolate salted caramel cupcake!  It just sounds decadent, doesn't it?  A friend of mine asked me to try and make one for her.  It is a chocolate cupcake with salted caramel filling and a salted caramel buttercream.  Take a look...


You can't see it very well, but on top of the caramel drizzle is a sprinkling of sea salt...sweet and salty in one awesome bite!



Did I mention that this is a homemade creamy salted caramel?  It doesn't get any better than that!  Here is how it happens...

This is how it starts...

then it starts to look like this, then...

I add some of this, and...

this is how it ends up!





I mean, look how yummy that looks.  Combine with chocolate and...heaven!

You might need to fight the urge to lick your computer screen :)



So, what do you think of these treats?  Any ideas on new cupcake flavors I can try?  I can tell you that I plan to tackle a gluten-free cupcake soon, so stay tuned.

 

Congrats to Ruth, who won December's drawing for a free dozen cupcakes!!  Check back again in January for another drawing.




Tip of the Blog: 

When doing anything involving cooking sugar, be very careful-it gets extremely hot!  Always make sure that it doesn't splatter and it's best not to stick your finger in it to test it-you might end up with a sore finger.  To give you an idea how hot the sugar needs to be to be completely melted and ready to finish a caramel sauce, it has to be at a temperature of 350 degrees-ouch! 

 

It's Beginning to Look a lot like...well, you know!

Christmas is my all-time favorite time of year.  My family celebrates the birth of Jesus and everything the season has to offer.  I came up with a couple of holiday-inspired cupcakes to get in the mood: orange-cranberry and mint chocolate chip.  And to try out how well these flavors worked, I had the opportunity to be a vendor at a local craft fair this past weekend.  I have never sold at a craft fair before, so this was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience.  How many cupcakes do I make?  How to showcase them?  How well will they sell?  I ended up making over 300 (yes, folks, 300!) cupcakes.  I made my holiday cupcakes as well as Snickerdoodles.  Thankfully, I had a good friend help me (again, thank you Denise!!).  I think I overestimated how many cupcakes I would need, but I got great feedback on my cupcakes.  The fair was successful, though, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Take a look at my table and these delicious cupcakes:

Here I am...freezing! It was pretty chilly in the building. Luckily, my sweet hubby went home and got me some boots!

I used frames to display the price list and a flyer describing the business

Cranberry-Orange with Orange Buttercream

Mint Chocolate Chip with Mint Buttercream

Snickerdoodle with Cinnamon Buttercream

As I said before, I had such a great time and enjoyed seeing all the other vendors.  I even got some Christmas shopping done! 

Now, since my first random drawing was such a success, I am going to do another one for December.  Go to my Facebook page and find the picture of the Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes and "like" it by December 18th.  If you win, you can pick between either the Cranberry-Orange or the Mint Chocolate Chip to have delivered by Christmas!

Tip of the Blog:
The Cranberry-Orange cupcakes were garnished with orange peel.  When grating any fruit peel (called the zest), be cautious to only grate the outer peel and not the white pith underneath.  The pith is bitter and will take away from the sweetness of the zest.  If you are looking to add some great flavor to a batter, zest is the way to go!

Cake Making 101

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone who entered Yellowroses Cupcakes' first random drawing.  I had over 100 entries, which I think is awesome for a first-time drawing!  And congratulations to Janis, who won the free dozen pumpkin cupcakes!! 

I am furiously working on two new flavors for December, and hopefully they will make you think holiday thoughts.  Check back soon!

In the meantime, my youngest daughter, Abby, turned one yesterday.  We had a party for her, and I made her a cake.  That's right, the cupcake lady made her child a cake.  And it took a lot of time, a lot of patience and a very steady hand!  It was a caterpillar made of five separate cakes.  I could have made Abby some very yummy cupcakes, but I have been wanting to expand my skills and what better way than with a delicious birthday cake?!

The birthday girl enjoying her cake!

Here is a little breakdown of what is going on here.  The yellow and blue cakes are chocolate and the pink cakes are Snickerdoodle.  The frosting is buttercream, piped on to look like stars:

 The face is chocolate candies and Twizzlers.  I spelled Abby's name out with fondant, held up with lollipop sticks:

 Oh, and the little jelly beans are the feet!

I have a long way to go before cake decorating will be part of my business, but it is a lot of fun to practice and create cakes.  But, back to the cupcake making I go!

Tip of the Blog:
One way to create lighter cakes is to sift the flour.  Using a simple mesh strainer, pour your leveled measuring cup of flour through the mesh.  This will add more air to the flour, which helps produce a lighter cake.