Scrumdidiliumptious

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Bake Sale & Silent Auction – Milwaukee

Abigail — Wed, 18 May 2011 18:05:33 +0000

This Saturday I’ll be joining forces with some pretty incredible Milwaukee Foodies to fight pediatric cancer one delicious baked good at a time.

Each of us will be supplying a variety of gourmet goodies for the sale. I couldn’t be more excited to be baking amongst some of Milwaukee’s finest kitchenistas!

So I know you must be wondering… “Abi, What crazy concoctions have you got up your sleeve for the Bake Sale!?” To which I say…

{Drum roll please.}

That’s right! Now that you know what I’m making (and trust me, I’m sure other bakers tasty treats will easily trump mine), you have no excuse not to come. Because, who can honestly say no to chocolate chip cookie covered oreos.

If sweets aren’t your thang, there will also be a stellar silent auction. Bottom line – You should come.

For more information about the event check out the Facebook event here.

Also…. One giant round of applause to Lori Fredrich of Burp Blog and the #MKEFoodies for organizing this event. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Couldn’t think of a better opportunity to use such a poignant quote.

Lemon + Blueberry Cupcakes with a Honey Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Abigail — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:36:12 +0000

I’ve been so busy filling cupcake orders lately, I haven’t had much time to experiment with new recipes. Friday, I finally snuck in a new cupcake concoction.

I saw this recipe for Lemon + Blueberry Cupcakes on Annie Eat’s blog, and couldn’t resist. They were the perfect spring-time sweet. The lemon and blueberry complimented each other well. And the citrus + sweet honey lemon cream cheese frosting was a lovely finishing note.

These cakes were part of my Cupcakes for a Cure mission. Now through July 17th, all my baking proceeds will be benefiting my goal to raise $4,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis research. To donate to my Crohn’s and Colitis fund please visit my Running for a Reason website.

Cupcakes for a Cure @ Wisconsin Marathon

Abigail — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:16:02 +0000

A few weeks ago, I jumped at the opportunity to sell cupcakes at the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha. This was my first experience baking and selling in a mass quantity. A few months ago, I baked over 1,000 mini cupcakes for the Iron Cupcake Pro/Am. However, these cupcakes were different. These were cupcakes for a cure! My goal was to sell 500 cupcakes for $2 each, and raise $1,000 for CCFA.

I did not reach my goal. In fact, I didn’t come close, but that doesn’t mean the cupcakes weren’t a hit! The weather was not on our side this weekend. We ended up selling 300+ cupcakes and raising around $300 for CCFA. We found a fabulous local charity to donate the remaining cupcakes to. So we’ll definitely count it as a success.

For the race we made a variety of favorites:

Vanilla Bean Cupcake + Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Red Velvet Cupcakes + Classic Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cupcake + True Cinnamon Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting + Candied Walnut

Classic Chocolate Cupcake + Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting + White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Here’s a peek at me in our Team Challenge booth.

…and my trusty helper, Spence.

Last but not least…. Big congratulations to all the runners! I loved watching each of you cross the finish line. It was an incredible motivator for my upcoming half-marathon.

Wedding Samples for Chris + Erica!

Abigail — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:41:20 +0000

When I was approached about baking cupcakes for a wedding this summer, I jumped at the idea! Being the instinctively girly-girl that I am, I admit… just hearing the word “wedding” makes me giddy. I whipped up a few crowd favorites for the soon-to-be bride and groom to sample.

Carrot Cupcakes + Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting
Red Velvet Cupcakes + Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting and White Chocolate Curls
Classic Chocolate Cupcakes + Mocha Chip Buttercream and Heart-Shaped Brownies
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes + Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Chris and Erica, I hope you enjoyed your samples! Can’t wait to hear which ones you decide to celebrate your big day with.

Strawberry Fields Forever… Strawberry Cupcakes + Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

Abigail — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:06:58 +0000

I made Strawberry Cupcakes with a Strawberry Meringue Buttercream for a friend’s birthday.

This was my first time using Martha’s recipe for Strawberry Cupcakes. They turned out fabulously. Very light and refreshing. Although, I’ll admit… while they were baking I had my reservations. They didn’t seem to be rising appropriately. However, the recipe prevailed and they were divine.

I had attempted the Strawberry Meringue Buttercream previously, but used frozen strawberries and was disappointed with the consistency.This time I swapped out the frozen fruit for big fat fresh berries and added powdered sugar to stiffen up the frosting. Despite my skepticism, they turned out to be a success.

I garnished with drizzled white chocolate and strawberry slices.

Happy Birthday Thomas! Don’t worry, I saved a cupcake for you.

Parting song…

Carrot Cupcakes

Abigail — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:01:26 +0000

Carrot Cake is one of my weaknesses. For some reason it always reminds me of spring, Easter and general happiness. Maybe it’s because my Mom always left carrots out for that sneaky Easter Bunny… who knows. (another story, for another time.)

Moving on, to celebrate my boss’s 3-year anniversary at LC, I volunteered to make cupcakes. When I heard through the grapevine that he too was a fan of carrot cake, I jumped at the challenge to whip up his favorite treat.

So, I did what I always do… refer to Martha. I used her Carrot Cupcakes recipe and added my own Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese frosting. To play off of the spice of the cupcake I added some Ceylon “True” Cinnamon from the Milwaukee Spice House to the frosting.

Happy 3-year Anniversary to Dennis! We’re “glad you stuck around.”

Earth Week Dirt Cake (in a jar)

Abigail — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:23:52 +0000

To celebrate our lovely Mother Earth and help raise funds for Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis I decided to bring Dirt Cake into work. Of course, I used a recipe from my favorite… Martha, and to make them unique, I prepared each dirt cake individually in a baby mason jar and topped them off with ant-laden gingham ribbon.

Dig in LC folk!

Chocolate + Chocolate + Chocolate Cupcakes

Abigail — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:06:12 +0000

Chocolate lovers, step right up! This recipe’s for you.

A last-minute birthday cupcake order had me whipping up some delicious cupcakes tonight.

There was one important ingredient in tonight’s batch of cupcakes… you guessed it, chocolate (what gave it away?!)

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Devil’s Food Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting and White Chocolate Drizzle.

Here’s the recipe, straight from my favorite baketress, Martha: http://bit.ly/hao5NM

This was my first time playing with ganache. It was messy, and took me a lil bit to figure out the right consistency (I ended up adding powdered sugar), but in the end it worked out.

First time ganache maker, here’s my tip. Start your ganache before your cupcakes. The cooling process took awhile, especially with a double batch.

Happy Birthday to chocolate fiend, Nikki! I hope these mega-chocolate cupcakes are right up your alley.

These cupcakes were part of my Cupcakes for a Cure mission. Now through July 17th, all my baking proceeds will be benefiting my goal to raise $4,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis research. To donate to my Crohn’s and Colitis fund please visit my Running for a Reason website.

Snickerdoodle + Red Velvet Cupcakes

Abigail — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:43:17 +0000

Today I felt like experimenting a little and testing out a new cupcake recipe. I’ve always been a cinnamon fanatic. I admittedly sneak it into the strangest of things… you’d be surprised what a little cinnamon in your chili can do. (don’t knock it until you try it.) So it should come as no surprise that Martha’s recipe for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes has been beckoning me since I first flipped through the Cupcake Cookbook.

The recipe was uber-easy. Plus, all of the ingredients were simple staples that I already had in the cabinets. I did swap out the “Seven Minute Frosting,” that Martha’s recipe called for, with a vanilla bean frosting… and yes, I sprinkled a little cinnamon in that too.

Turned out delish! Spence even said that they made his top 5 favorite cupcakes! (A huge compliment, since he’s boarder-line addicted to chocolate.)

One batch of cupcakes is never enough for me, so I whipped up a batch of Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls. I made these earlier this week for Kirby’s Birthday. They were so easy, and went over well with my taste testers, so I tried my hand at them again.

Result… a scrumdidiliumptious success!

I’m sending these cupcakes to work with my dad and Spencer with hopes of raising more Cupcakes for a Cure funds.

To donate to my Crohn’s and Colitis fund please visit my Running for a Reason website.

New Packaging / Logo Unveiled!!!!

Abigail — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:32:17 +0000

I finally got new packaging! I ordered mini business cards from Moo.com and used them as tags. I also was able to hunt down some cake boxes and cupcake inserts. Finished it off with a pretty bow and voila!

Ladies and gentleman, drum roll please for the unveiling of Cupcakes for a Cure.

To donate to my Crohn’s and Colitis fund please visit my Running for a Reason website.