Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pie... Whoopie Whoopie PIE PIE!!   That's my song for the day.. now who's ready to bake!?

Cake Ingredients

2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

Combine the oil and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin and eggs, beating well. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix well.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes.

Filling Ingredients
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter

Beat egg white and mix with the milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Mix well then beat in the butter and the remaining cup of confectioners' sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

Last Step....
Let cookies cool then make sandwiches from two cookies filled with Whoopie Pie Filling.

I'd give this recipe a 4.75 out of 5 stars.  Definitely worth my time & taste buds :)

Apple Cobbler Cupcake

 Perfect Fall Dessert- Apple Cobbler Cupcakes

 The reason why I wanted to try out this recipe is because a few weeks ago we went with my mom to the apple orchard and got a huge bag of apples.  Well I've been trying to use all of them slowly and why not try an apple cupcake recipe?!  So here it is... Apple Cobbler Cupcakes for your viewing enjoyment :)

 I put quartered apples into the food processor and blended.  I left the skins on because I wanted that texture in the cupcakes.  I'm a texture addict so I really love a good savory cupcake :)

Next to create the cupcakes.
Recipe + Ingredients borrowed from the Cupcake Project... Thanks!


1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2 C apples, roughly chopped and loosely packed (large or small chunks)

Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger.
Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, sour cream, and lemon extract until blended.
Mix in flour mixture.   Fold in apples.
Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.
Yields only 12-15 cupcakes!

This is how they turned out.  I had filled the cups pretty much to the brim and they didn't overflow at all.

Onto the Frosting.  The Cupcake Project suggests using a Pumpkin Pie frosting.. which is literally pumpkin pie piped onto the cupcake!! I decided to go with what I had on hand... and it was the traditional cream cheese frosting delight. 

1 (8oz) package cream Cheese frosting
3/4 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4C powdered sugar

Cream the Butter + Cream Cheese together first then add in vanilla + powdered sugar.  If it's too thick for you  add some milk one tsp at a time..... and... Viola! Little Heavenly Delights!

Chocolate Orange Cupcake

Happy Halloween Everyone!! Who's ready for a sweet treat instead of a trick?!  I decided to make a Chocolate Orange Cupcake to celebrate the Spooky  occasion.

Here's what you'll need:
Dunkin Hinds Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (or your favorite chocolate cake recipe)
2 Oranges
1/3 C Oil
3 Eggs
1 Can of Chocolate Frosting
1 pack Happy Halloween Toppers!

To start I grated the outside of one whole orange and put that orange zest (about 2 Tablespoons) in the oil that will be going into my cake mix and let it sit for about 20 min.

* Careful not to grate the white of the orange.. Outside Zest Only!! :)

Next I juiced both oranges with my nifty hand juicer.   I then added the juice (about 1 1/3 cups) into my cake mix in place of the water.  

Add 3 eggs, oil with orange zest and mix until smooth. Pour batter into cupcake pan and cook for 12 min at 350.  Let the cupcakes cool completely before moving on to the next Spooky Step.... booooooo

It's Dipping Time!! Simply put the whole can of frosting into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 sec, stir then dip!  You'll want to roll the tops in the creamy chocolate and make sure they aren't dripping when you set them up to dry. 

My camera was being weird so this is the best sample pic I could get for you.  

 Since Danny likes salt with his sweets I've lightly dusted the tops of them with a little Sea Salt.  It makes the flavor of the chocolate stand out a bit more.  I put it on when it's still wet so it can dry.

Next,  use the outside of the second orange and zest away.. you want to sprinkle as much as you can onto the tops of the oranges.  Then top with a slice of Orange Peel + a Happy Halloween Flag.. Ta Da!!!

Who want's a cupcake!?  Looks like my sweet Hubby needed a study break and snagged a cupcake while I was taking pics of them! 

Going... Going... and Gone

Happy Halloween Everyone!! I hope you have the chance to try something Spooky + Sweet. muahhh hahahahahaha

Quick + Easy Party Cake

I had to make a cake for a church event in about an hour.. SUPER rush.. what to do!? I turned to the box.. yes.. you can still get great cake out of a box.  I even bought the tin from All a Dollar so that I wouldn't be mad/sad/crazy about getting my pan back afterward. Then I was thinking, how do I make my cake still unique and Yummy?  Toppingsss people!! They are always a delicous fix!

I snagged some Oreo Fudge Creams, cuz they were on sale. 

Put them in my nifty tiny food processor and ta-da! An Instant Delicious Dessert!

What are some ways that you make a treat in a jiffy!?

Apple Blossom Cake

 

Baby shower cake for Liz

  Since it will be her second baby and I was given full creative domain over the style, I decided to make a non-traditional baby shower cake.  Her "theme" for this baby is apples.  It's starting to feel like fall and apple spice cider smells are in the air... so I decided what better cake than an adorable apple blossom with one apple on top to represent her new little "apple" that's due any week now!

 I made a simple white fondant box cake base and scored the top to give it a tree bark look.  To give it the full effect I added gumpaste branches and handmade little blossoms.  I also dusted the blossoms with pink shimmer to give them a fresh look.  I kept the background of the cake white so it as to showcase the flowers and Oh so important baby apple! 

 I also added extra branches on the back side.

 Chillin in the library...shhh

I need to mention that this was an apple spice cake.  Yes, YUM!  I used a spice cake recipe and added carrots, apple sauce and apple chunks with a sweet cream cheese frosting filling.  The apple melded in very nicely and it was one moist decadent dessert.

Congrats Liz! I can't wait to meet your new little one when she decides to come!

xoxo

Morgan

The Best Hi Hat Cupcakes

 Who's Excited for a New Cupcake?! I am I am!!  Here you have it.. Hi-Hat Cupcakes.  To start off bake however many cupcakes with whatever cake mix you want.  My chosen beauty for today was a classic red velvet cake that I used to make some MINI cupcakes.. their just so dang adorable!  Then, to create the masterpiece you must carefully mix egg whites, sugar, vanilla & almond extract over simmering water until the temp slowly rises to 160 degrees.. in addition, there will be stiff peaks forming.

 This batch is ready to rock n roll.. Next you quickly pile it into a piping bag and start creating your white mountains of joy!  I tried to get some of them very high.. It was pretty fun :)

 Don't they just look so fun?!  Since this was my first try they all came out very different.  Like I always say... practice makes perfect!

 Ta-da! Mini adorable Hi-Hat cupcake ready to be dipped.

I had some of the topping left over so I decided to be creative and just make some "hats" they were very much like a fluffier divinity.  YUM!  I could eat these all day without the cake :)

 Next to the dipping... I tried to find a good container to dip with and my ice cream dish was the best I could do.. and you know what!? It worked perfect!

 YUM!

 Finished Beauties! What do you think? wanna try one?

 Some didn't make the cut, I ran out of chocolate so I tried the drizzle method :)  Looks cute but they don't keep very well if they aren't dipped. 

 I know you wanna peek! Here's the inside..I used a butter knife so it's not the cleanest cut.. but you get the idea.

 I even Almond-Joyified some of them by adding some coconut.  Double Yum. 

Wanna bite!?  Sorry.. this one's been eaten :)   What do you think? Is this recipe a keeper?
Recipe found on Martha Stewart or in my Recipe Link at the top of my blog.  Enjoy!
xoxo
Morgs

Rich Chocolate Cake

Women + Waistlines Beware!!

Made this three layer delicious chocolate goddess for my Boss' B-day! It turned out AMAZINGGG!
Three layers of milk chocolate cake with a lite mousse in the middle layers with a light mousse layer on the outside. Covered in dark chocolate ganache and topped with crushed almond roca and blackberries. The base had small swirls of choclate fudge frosting. Need I say more?! This is a Woman's Delight!

Mini Bride Cake

It was Holly's Bridal Shower at work so of course they requested that I make a cake!! So inspired by her actual dress and red + white wedding colors I came up with the fun cake you see here. The inside cake was a red velvet. So cute!! It makes me want to get married all over again :)

Utah Jazz Cake

 Taryn & Blake are some of our best friends and a fun couple to hang out with. Blake and my husband have grown up together and for his wedding his bride to be wanted a fun bachelor cake of the Utah Jazz. We put our heads together and came up with this fun little guy!

 

 Enjoy and congratulations Taryn & Blake! You are an ADORABLE couple and I love you both tons!!
xoxoxo