A California Wedding ♥

This last week I packed up my cupcakes and extended the love to California for my friend Alicia ♥

She was married to her love, Ryan Santibanez in Huntington Beach!

Alicia and I call each other full time friends, because we worked together side by side in the fashion industry for over 40 hours a week. We always entertained each other with laughter in the office, including passing notes to eachother on Post It Notes. One afternoon several years ago, we used a Post It Note as a contract promising each other that when we got married, we'd be in each other's weddings. We even autographed the note, officially ♥.

And last weekend..our written promise became reality.

I was a part of her wedding...as a bridesmaid.

....and as her cupcake caterer!

I traveled 2000 miles to share the cupcake love.

♥

60 white velvet cupcakes swirled with lavender promises between Alicia and Ryan of Sweet Love, "I Do", and "Happily Ever After."  My friend has grown up. She's gone from Post it Note promises to Vows of Eternal Love ♥.

Peanut Butter Cup Hors d'oeuvres anyone?

The Peanut Butter Cup "Hors D'oeuvres" were baked inside of 60 more chocolate cupcakes that I named "Peanut Butter Cup Gems".   Ryan (the groom) loved this flavor so much, he posted a photo on Facebook with the caption: "Superbomb.com":

I even made them a little wedding cake. ♥

♥

Ryan and Alicia's special day radiated love. Every detail was made by hand. Alicia even designed this beautiful backdrop for the dessert table.

(cupcakes half eaten).

I may not have married the man of *my* dreams yet.  Right now I'm married to my cupcake career ♥ But Ryan and Alicia's love reminded me that if I keep my hope alive, the love of my life might just squeeze into all of the sweetness that is Amanda Cupcake!  That reminder was probably the best gift given to me, in exchange for 120 cupcakes.

Recipe for the groom's Superbomb.com Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients Needed:

8 oz Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter

2/3 Cup Peanut Butter

2-3 Cups of Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Optional: 1-2 Tablespoons of Heavy Whipping Cream

1.  In a large mixer using a paddle attachment, fluff up cream cheese and unsalted butter. 

2.   Gradually add Peanut Butter until all ingredients are combined and creamy.   (Make sure you scrape the bowl continuously with a rubber spatulat to incorporate all ingredients).

3.  Add the teaspoon of Vanilla Extract. 

4.  Slowly add powdered sugar into the mixture and whip with paddle attachment until frosting is the thickness you desire. I like to leave this frosting pretty smooth and creamy. 

**If frosting is too thick, you can always go back and make it more creamy and dreamy, "superbomb.com" by adding 1 or 2 Tablespoons of Heavy Whipping Cream. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake Love ♥

I look at Los Angeles (Burbank really) as my home away from home in California. This is where my free spirit took off and I discovered it was okay to be the true Amanda.

People ask me why I moved back to Wisconsin from California last year. And how in the world I adjusted? Especially moving from a melting pot of millions (including transplanted palm trees!) to my hometown of 6000 (including 6 feet of snow last winter!)

This giganto pink cupcake card of cupcake love from Waupaca Middle School tells me why.

I made chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for the Waupaca Middle School Dance team a few weeks ago, requested by the very amazing & gifted dancer Hanna Henrich Waller.  ♥ They looked like this:

with blinged out peanut butter cup jewels:

And this is all the love that was returned to me:



Hanna was the cupcake card messenger.

I could barely hold back the tears of joy while reading this jam packed card full of adoration for my glittery peanut butter chocolate cupcakes!

Never before in my entire life had I ever felt more like I was doing the right thing. 

♥

I always thought I had to run really far away to distant lands to meet my calling.

♥

And I did run away for awhile..

♥

But sometimes a new chapter is all you need to start your own storybook adventure.  And it doesn't matter where you are.

The storybook adventure of Amanda Cupcake..including sparkly pages and delicious recipes!

My Recipe for Glittery Peanut Butter Frosting:

(photo of my heels & cupcakes by Dan Woolf Photography) 

You will need:

• Some Nicki Manaj to dance to (inspired by the dance team).
• A large dramatic bowl (preferably in a colorful Kitchen Aid Mixer).
• Hologram Gold Disco Dust
• A spoon because you might just end up eating the frosting by itself.
• Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

The Sparkly Fluff:

6 oz. cream cheese
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1/2 t salt
1 C creamy peanut butter (try not to use natural peanut butter since it is extremely oily)
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 C heavy cream

1.  In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy.

2.  Gradually add peanut butter, salt, and vanilla.

3. After these ingredients are blended add powdered sugar (I add even more than this sometimes if I want my frosting to have texture and be thick-no matter what the frosting never seems to be too sweet!)

4. Add heavy cream.

If the frosting gets too soft at this point, you can always add more powdered sugar to thicken.

I use a 8 or 9mm rounded cupcake-ing tip to swirl on the pb frosting.

I use a sharp knife to cut my peanut butter cups into little squares..

and sprinkle my magic sparkly gold disco dust on top of the cupcake. ♥

I add more love by adding a sparkly heart cut by hand out of glitter cardstock. If you want to make it more special you can add a gumdrop like this one.