Red Velvet Star-Burst Cake

My Cousin Kierra turns 13 on Wednesday and had a party this weekend with all of her friends at Classic Skating. Ahhh... Classic Skating, and early teenage years, boy does that really bring back the memories. I'm not going to tell you about those memories, lets just say it brings me back.

So Kierra requested a birthday cake from me. But not just any birthday cake, she wanted red velvet.

Excuse me?
Red velvet?
Really?

My heart sank and I started to panic just a little bit when she said those words... red velvet... um... yeah... remember last time I tried red velvet?  Well I do. It didn't turn out so well, I was up all night baking, and in a total panic, I tried two different recipe's, twice. And needless to say, I ended up making the majority of that cake chocolate instead of red velvet. Yeah. Red velvet and I don't really get a long.

However, I do remember saying I would attempt it again, and that I would defeat the damn cake... I just didn't think it would be this soon.

Well there is good news, believe it or not. About a week or so ago I was just browsing Bakerella's website.

(Note: please tell me you know who she is? She's only like the most famous baking blogger out there, in my world anyway. If you don't know about her, here is a link to her website: www.bakerella.com go check her out, NOW!!)

Checking her website is like my daily ritual, even though she only posts once a week... I still check back every day... just in case. Her website is so cute, and she always has the greatest pictures.

Anyway, you'll never guess.... yep that's right, she had just posted a gorgeous red velvet cake AND the recipe. So I decided to try her recipe since the other two I tried before had basically failed me.
And what do you know... the cake worked out perfectly. No screaming. No being up till all hours of the night baking. AND it was surprisingly easy.  Like really simple. So thanks Bakerella for making all of my red velvet cake dreams come true....

Back to Kierra, her favorite color is purple and she asked for stars, stripes, or polka-dots so I went with the stars. I think they're fun. I decided to do this cute thing where it looks like the stars were bursting out of the cake so the fondant on the top tier has a torn look. I think it's cute. Very appropriate for a 13 year old.

I think she liked it. Enjoy.

Now that's Red!

Cream cheese frosting. Yum!

And of course, the birthday girl and her red velvet star-burst cake!

Ye Olde Irish Car Bomb.... Cupcake

I'm not Irish, nor have I ever been to Ireland I'm sad to say. But I imagine these would probably be a hit there, they are.... after all, full of Irish alcohol. Whiskey, Guiness, and St. Brendan's Irish Cream liquor, who doesn't like that? Certainly not the Irish, I hear they love dark beer and whiskey, but that's just what I hear.

Oh yeah, and they're probably the best tasting cupcakes I've ever made. Like ever.
If you're a fan of beer or whiskey or Irish cream or chocolate OR all of the above... you're probably drooling right now. Go ahead, take a minute to wipe the saliva from your chin... better?

The best thing about these, other than the flavor, is that they are not overpowering. You can probably eat 10 of these and not feel sick... well maybe not 10, but at least 9. Each ingredient has it's own place but all go together so perfectly it's like they were born to be inside this cupcake.

I am not trying to imply that I am the greatest baker in the entire world and that there is no other cupcake out there that is better than these. Because I am sure there is, but these are up there, on my list at least, of like top 5 desserts I've ever had in my life. Really. In fact I can't even take full credit for this awesome recipe, because it's not even mine (insert sad face here).
I wish it were, but alas... it is not. And I am not the kind of gal who goes around stealing other people's recipe's and making them my own. That's bad baker's booga-booga. I give credit where it is due! 
The recipe came from Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com/). So there, someone else has created the greatest recipe for alcoholic cupcakes ever, not me! 

So... go to her website, unleash the baker inside you, and make these awesome cupcakes so you can see what I am talking about. They truly are the best!

I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day!
Anyway, enough blabbing. Here are some pictures.

Chocolate and Guiness cupcakes with an Irish whiskey chocolate ganache filling, and St. Brendan's Irish cream frosting. Yeah. Awesome!

I know they look like your normal, everyday cupcake... but they're not. They are better! Promise.

THANK YOU Smitten Kitchen for creating this awesome recipe and sharing it with the blogging and baking world. You rock!

Cheers!

Educational Cake

I am so excited to announce that a friend of mine, whose kids go to The McGillis School, asked me to donate a cake, well... a gift card towards a cake for their Annual Gala and Silent Auction which will be held on Saturday March 20th at the Little America Hotel. My item will actually be auctioned off at a Live Auction which will take place at the Tracy Aviary. And all proceeds from the auction go to support the school's education programs. How cool is that?!?

The McGillis School is a member of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools. It has been around since 1991, and is currently a K-8 grade school with approximately 260 students. Originally founded as the J.C.C. Elementary School it changed it's name to The McGillis School and moved to a new location, the old Douglas School building, in 2002 thanks-in-part to Richard and Joanne McGillis.

I am very thankful to have been asked to participate in this event and the fact that I am trying to start up a business makes it that much more special. With the school itself being a local company, it is fully supportive of local business which is great for the community.

Not only is participating in this event going to be good for me by helping me get my business started, but I get to be a part of giving back to the community too, and that feels pretty awesome!!

I had some business cards made for this event. They're from this cute little Etsy store I found, called 'Dingbad Press', you all remember my posts about Etsy, right? I hope so.
The cards are just adorable. See for yourself....

I also made some cute little posters to display at the event. They're not so bad either.....

For more information about the event, volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation to the school go to: http://www.mcgillisschool.org.

PS to check out Dingbat Press' etsy store, go to: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DingbatPress