How to Ice The Perfect Cupcake ♥For The Love of Cupcakes ♥ Blog Book Tour Anita Kushwaha

Today....a new cupcake queen is visiting my blog.

Her name is Anita Kushwaha, and she is touring the world blog by blog on a book tour for her new book:

Purchase here now!

Priya Patel has wanted to become a baker since the first time she saw the light of her Easy Bake Oven. However, working as an assistant baker at Sugarplum Fairy Cakes isn’t the glamorous life she dreamed about. Priya tries to impress her boss, Helen Bouffant, with creative twists on traditional recipes but her culinary skills are completely ignored as she is forced to scrub toilets and clean up everyone else’s mess. After Priya is blamed for a major screw up at Sugarplum Fairy Cakes, she decides to throw in her apron. With the support of her husband, Arj, and a kick in the pants from her best friend, Mae, she decides to start her own cupcakery.

Just when Priya thinks she’s washed her hands of Helen once and for all, they both enter a charity bake off with a grand prize of $10,000. Priya will have to cook the most creative, delicious cupcakes of her life and defend herself against Helen, who will stop at nothing to see Priya and her cupcakery fail. The competition gets heated but there is one thing that will keep Priya going- the love of cupcakes. Does she have what it takes to win the bake-off? Whose talent will prevail?

For the Love of Cupcakes will leave your mouth watering for cupcakes and your cheeks sore from smiling.

How To Ice The Perfect Cupcake

by: Anita Kushawa

Anita's Mango Lassi Cupcake,

You can find the recipe if you click here

So, you’ve baked the perfect cupcake. It’s light, fluffy and decadent. A little mouthful of Heaven! Well, almost. There’s still the icing to contend with. When done correctly, the icing on a cupcake can truly enhance a lovely, moist cake. Furthermore, it’s often that perfect swirl onto top of a cupcake that catches our eye and awakens our sweet tooth.  But the prospect of mastering that little swirl of sweetness can be intimidating.

Here are a few quick tips to help you ice the perfect cupcake:

♥Needless to say, you need to start off with great icing. (Check out my recipe for Maple Buttercream at:  http://anitakushwaha.wordpress.com.)

♥  Choose the right tip. I prefer to use the Wilton 1 M to ice my cupcakes. If you’re icing average size cupcakes, you’re probably going to want to use a larger tip. For minis, smaller tips work well.

♥Practice. When I first started working with a piping bag, it took some getting used to. So, before you have to ice that batch of cupcakes for your best friend’s 30^th birthday party—or some other special event—why not spend some time perfecting your technique on a piece of parchment paper? Instead of using the buttercream icing you’ve lovingly prepared, you could opt for the ready-made variety for your practice sessions.  (A baker friend of mine used to use whipped shortening to practice with until she got the hang of it.)

♥ Make sure your decorating  tip is firmly placed at the end of your piping bag. If your tip is loose, your icing will likely squirt around the tip rather than through it.

♥Once your piping bag is full, twist the open end and hold. This is going to be the hand that you squeeze and apply pressure with. Your other hand (i.e. towards the tip-end of the piping bag), will be your guiding hand. 

♥ Imagine that you’re going to make a little mountain of icing on top of your cupcake. Start at the outer edge of the cupcake, and circle your way into the centre, reducing the size of your circle with every turn. Once you reach the top of your swirl, press down very lightly, and then pull up with a bit of flare.

Et voilà! I hope these tips and tricks help you to achieve the prefect cupcake swirl.

Wishing you sweet satisfaction,

           Anita Kushwaha  

About Anita

Anita was born on Spring Equinox, on the cusp of Aries and Pisces. According to the Chinese Zodiac she’s also a monkey.

She loves the creative process in its various manifestations and enjoys spending time writing and teaching yoga.. Baking gets her out of my head, a remedy for writer’s block. Anita is also a loving wife, devoted auntie and proud cat mom. Her cat’s name is Noodles. He looks a bit like Garfield.Other things Anita loves besides writing and baking are trees, whales and elephants. Her favorite color is green. She have no desire to travel to space, but a trip around the world ranks high on her bucket list. Writing is Anita’s chosen method of self-expression and has been from a young age. Last but not least, she bleeds red and white, as any proud Canuck.

♥

Beautiful Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Everything is better with ... Velvet.

Cupcakes usually are my specialty.

Especially my red velvet cupcakes.

I call these the Amanda Cupcake "Supergirl" Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Because a very Super kind of Girl made them ♥

And they are my signature flavor.

I'm so convinced that everything is better with Velvet that I jumped out of my comfortable cupcake zone to prove to you..that even...brownies...are better..paired with the inspiration of a red velvet cupcake.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Inspired by Red Velvet Cupcakes ♥

When you try them you might ask yourself..

"This is beautiful..What is That..Red Velvet?"

(I added starry sprinkles because I add sprinkles to everything.  Life is a celebration).

At first, I wanted to add frosting.. but they are so good and so beautiful the way they are.

I used a toothpick to swirl the "cheesecake" batter in with the brownie batter. And you should know.. I doubled this recipe because I think a very thick fat brownie is way prettier than a thin one.   After I doubled the recipe I packed all of the batter  into one 8x8 Pyrex baking pan for a very thick (but soft) brownie..layered with swirls of cheesecake inside.

The Recipe

for your very own Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies ♥

(I already doubled the recipe for your extra thick brownie pleasure).

Makes 16 Extra Fat Thick Red Velvet Brownies.

Ingredients Needed:

For The Brownie:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
2 Cups Fine Baking Sugar
4 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Almond Extract
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons Americolor Super Red Color Gel Paste (You can find this at local cake decorating supply stores) -- The more red you add, the brighter the brownie will be!

For The Cheesecake Swirl:
16 oz Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Fine Baking Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Method for the Brownies:
1.  Preheat your oven to 325 or 350.  Use nonstick spray or "Magic Release" to prepare your 8x8 baking pan.

2.  Beat your eggs in a small bowl.
3.  Melt 1 Cup of Unsalted Butter in the microwave.  Melt in short increments of 15-30 seconds to make sure you don't overheat or burn the butter.
4.  Pour the Melted Butter into a stand mixer bowl.
5.  Add the following and use whisk attachment to mix into to the melted butter:  2 Cups of Baking Sugar, 2 Teaspoons Almond Extract, 4 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract, 1/2 Cup Cocoa, 1/4 Teaspoon Salt, Americolor Gel Paste, and Apple Cider Vinegar.

6.  Fold in the eggs and whisk lightly, until just combined with batter.
7.  Using the paddle attachment, fold in the flour.

8.  Scrape bowl down in between to make sure all ingredients are evenly blended.
9.  Pour batter into your baking pan.  Brownies will look very thick.  Remember, this is what you want. No wimpy brownies ♥

Method for the Cheesecake Swirl:
1.  You can use any stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth and dreamy.  Tip: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature/softened or your cheesecake swirl will be lumpy instead of smooth and dreamy.

2.  Pour the cheesecake batter on top of your Brownie Batter in the pan. Use a toothpick, skewer, or a knife to glide the cheesecake through your thick red velvet brownie layers.

Your Cheesecake and Brownies are now BFFs. ♥They are ready to bake together at 325-350 for approximately 35-40 minutes depending on your oven.

• If your brownies weren't this thick...you'd bake them for 25-30 minutes.
• Every oven is unique, this recipe may take less or more time..
• Keep a toothpick nearby, and when a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out clean, the brownie is fully baked!

If you can't wait.. Eat your brownies right out of the pan. While warm. With Ice Cream.

Or..
If you are serving them.
Wait for the brownies to cool and cut into squares. ♥
The best time to sprinkle the brownies (like I did with sprinkles) is while they are still warm so that the sprinkles stick to the warm ooey gooey-ness.

♥

Thank you Food Network..
I adapted this brownie recipe to be a little more cupcakey..than brownie-esque..because after all.. I am Amanda Cupcake ♥