What have you been thankful for this year, my cupcake friends?

I am thankful for the glitter that gets stuck on your lips after you eat my cupcakes. ♥

I am grateful for the sparkles that remain stuck on the counter at Cronie's, and people all over town tell me that I am "the girl that leaves glitter all over Cronies coffee shoppe."  After all, if I am going to leave a trail of something behind..it might as well be something happy.

I am thankful for all of you who visit Cronie's, and meet up with me to eat cupcakes and share your lives with me.  You've made me realize this year that cupcakes are my calling.  Not just because they are cupcakes. But because you are eating them with me.  Kind of a huge deal.

I am thankful for cupcake breakfasts with you on Fox 11.   As you can see by the look on my face, I am more than thrilled to share the early morning cupcake sunrises with you. And I'll do it again. ♥

I am thankful for over the top cupcakes like my S'mores Sparklette, and for the website Cupcakes Take The Cake who featured the recipe here. I've met so many cupcake friends because of Cupcakes Take The Cake.

(my dad "my biggest fan" and me)

I am thankful for home, and family. (It was a big choice to move back from Orange County, California to Waupaca, Wisconsin last year).  Wisconsin never would have embraced cupcakes in the sparkly happy way they do now if I wouldn't have moved back. See the article in the Waupaca County Post here.

I am thankful for the opportunity to teach new friends cupcake skillz. Girl Scouts, Waupaca High School, students at Fox Valley Tech.  I love to teach you.  I never knew how much I loved to teach until I was given the opportunity to teach you.

(Turkey Cake pops created by Fox Valley Tech College student Brenda Buettner in my cake pop class!) ♥♥

(honored as a celebrity judge at the Iron Cupcake Madison wearing a one and only sparkly Mir Tutu that I bake and dance in). 

I am thankful for Lucille Ball. ♥.  A fiery redhead who somehow makes a mess in the kitchen turn beautiful! There's just something about her that makes me want to be ... her. She is one of my inspirations.

I am thankful for crazy dreams that you never thought could come true.. but if you work hard enough at them.. they do. ♥

.I am thankful for what's to come, and that you are going there with me ♥

Living With Amy Pink Strawberry Margarita Cupcake Demo!

I took out the Tequila and the Margarita Mix on Living With Amy yesterday-and it was before noon! ♥

We made Pink Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes together in the kitchen!
She loved that my bowl of Margarita Cupcake batter smelled like a *real* margarita! ♥ And that 10% of my pink cupcake proceeds sold at Cronie's in Waupaca are going to the Susan G Komen Foundation ♥

You can see for yourself on this video demo with the recipe too:

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes: fox11online.com

This is the "altered couture" cupcake corset wrapper Amy & I made together.

Here is my hand drawn template you can use to make an already pretty cupcake into a couture cupcake!

Make sure the template is printed out at 8 1/2" wide and trace/cut out onto heavy cardstock ♥ (I like to use sparkly cardstock because it is more glamorous!)

I have added: Brooches, Old Jewelry, Sequins, Beads, Feathers, Lace, Sparkly Gems, Ruffles. Yay. ♥

Living With Amy Fox 11 Pink Swirl Cupcake Demo!

I appeared on Fox 11's Living with Amy yesterday.

The theme was *pink* for Breast Cancer. I demonstrated how to make pink and white vanilla swirl cupcakes! I let Amy sprinkle the sparkles on my cupcakes!  One of my favorite parts was when she had to eat the frosting off of her hand when the cupcake started to fall. Yep, another example of a kitchen where Amanda is more like I Love Lucy than the Martha Stewart show! But that's what I love.

Video and recipe on how to create pink &white swirl cupcakes:

(and of course..Amy sprinkling sparkles on an Amanda Cupcake cupcake!)

Pink and White Swirl Cupcakes: fox11online.com

My Second TV Appearance

I had a blast at Fox 11 Good Day Wisconsin yesterday on my second TV Appearance.
I was a bit nervous, but I just remembered that I needed to be true to Amanda Cupcake!
And I was.  I demonstrated how to make pies inside of a cake. And how to make Spice / Vanilla Cupcakes with Apple Butter on the inside.

Angela loved my salted caramel frosting. That was probably my favorite part!
I posted the recipes on Fox 11's website.

No more words needed...the video will say it all! ♥
Click here to watch it.

Some pictures my friend took while watching it.
I got a kick out of these:

This one makes me smile.
His cheeks are full because he is eating my pie cake!
After he ate it he exclaimed, "Amanda Cupcake makes me happy!"

and...this is what we ate *after* the taping:

Cherry Apple Blueberry Pie Cake!

Vanilla Cupcake with Apple Butter Baked Inside & Salted Caramel Frosting!

Apple Pie Cake-Spice Cake-Apple Pie Cake! 

A Fall Romance

The truth is out.
I am in love......

                                                    With Fall.


Trips to the apple orchard.
Cuddling by a fire.
Little Twinkly Orange Lights.
Crispy Air.
Jumping in the leaves.
Little bags of candy pumpkins
That tingly feeling in the air that is cold..and warm at the same time.
The excuse to wear a costume and be your own superhero.

The treasured beauty that will soon be covered by a blanket of snow and ice.

Because I am in love.. I would like  to re-invent the "feel of fall" in every delicious delight I bake.

Like my chocolate cherry red velvet leaf cupcakes ♥

Last Saturday, fall romance was definitely in the air. My Orange Dreamsicle Cake Pops Sparkled at Mollie & Sean's Wedding. ♥

Don't they remind you of orange twinkly lights on the porch on an October evening?

                                                         ♥

Last Thursday it was Donna and Bill's Fall Anniversary.
So I invited them to join me at an apple orchard party .. complete with handmade banners on top of a cake.

See the original blog about it here.
The inside of the cake looked like this!

Cake & Apple Pie. Spice Cake. Repeat. Cake & Apple Pie!

And after popular demand..I decided to turn this wonderful blog into a tutorial about how I made such an edible delight.

First of all..

I tend to make a mess when I bake.

Look at how much frosting (or is it cake batter?) I got in my hair.

This happens every time.
But in my kitchen, when the frosting or batter goes flying, it just means I am completely inspired and having a great time!

This photo was the perfect inspiration for the flavor of the cake.

Caramel, Apples.

                
The cake itself was vanilla, spice, and apple pie.
With a salted caramel frosting.
There's a recipe for quick & easy salted caramel frosting that you can make at home below. ♥

I needed about 6 cups of apples per pie.

So the first thing I did..was peel a lot of apples.

12 cups of apples to be exact.

I had to make two pies for this special cake.

Here are the famous apple pies I baked.

They didn't have to be beautiful on the outside.

Just YUMMY on the inside.

After all, they are supposed to hide inside of the cake!

I used two of these deep 10" pans to combine my cake & pie.

It is a beautiful pie & cake disaster if you don't remember to flour & butter them before pouring in the batter.

First I coated the bottom of the pan with white cake batter.

(You can add vanilla bean to your favorite white cake recipe-or even a white cake mix to give it an organic rustic apple orchard feel)!

Next I carefully placed my 9" pie on top of the batter.

Started to pour the batter over the top of the pie..

I completely covered the pie with batter!

It seems like magic, doesn't it?

A pie hiding inside of a cake.

Oh my.

I baked both cakes at 350 for about 40 minutes each.

I even baked a third spice cake and sandwiched it in between the layers.

The people at the party were so happy with the cake that they asked me to sit down and eat it with them. This was my piece.

Stacking The Cakes:

1. Freeze your cakes for a few hours before even trying to stack them.
2. Once frozen, I "leveled" the top of my cakes using a cake leveler.
3. I frosted the top of each cake with my salted caramel buttercream.
4. The stickiness of the frosting in between each layer is ideal for stacking.
5. I used a giant cake spatula to frost the top & the outside of the cake.

I sprinkled cinnamon and gold glitter on the top!

I used pretzel sticks instead of lollypop sticks for a personalized cake topper. They look sort of "rustic" like sticks!

Salted Caramel Frosting:
There are many ways to make caramel. And frosting.
But this recipe is the quickest and easiest way to make salted caramel buttercream frosting at home.

Ingredients Needed:
♥1 Pound of Butter (cut up into squares)
♥4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
♥3/4 Cup of Ready Made Caramel (You can find it in the ice cream section at the grocery store).
♥1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt
♥1 Tablespoon of Vanilla

 Instructions:
1. Blend Butter Squares in your mixer until creamy and light like butter should be.
2. Pour the caramel into the butter, and enjoy this moment. (It looks really pretty when you do, swirls of light caramel in the butter! Yum!)
3. Blend your Butter & Caramel together until the mixture is a very light brown. Sadly, the swirls will disappear. But they have gone to a wonderful place.
4. Mix in Sea Salt.
5. Add The Vanilla Extract
6. Make sure your mixer is turned down low. (Unless you want snow showers of powdered sugar which could be fun in some kitchens..)
7. Gradually add the powdered sugar until the frosting looks light, airy, and dreamy.
8. Optional: You can add 1 Tablespoon of Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream if you want a more "spreadable" frosting. (I add milk all the time to the frostings I use to spread on cakes).

This is the texture that makes you want a spoon. ♥