Cupcake Frosting and Cupcake!

This weekend I attended a baby shower for a cousin of mine. She is one of 11 kids in that family, one of my dad's sisters. My dad has always raved about her cooking especially her cakes and pies. She also has made all of the wedding cakes for almost everyone on that side of the family and they have all been beautiful and fabulous.

Her daughters have carried on the tradition, and my cousin Maria is also very artistic. She made the little chocolate monkey's for the tops of the cupcakes and made the pattern freehand, they were SO cute.

I did get the frosting recipe, trust me when I say it is one of the best ones EVER!

Creamy Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter (Land o Lakes), softened
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Crisco shortening (I use 0-Trans Fat variety)
1 lb. C&H powdered sugar (approx. 3 cups)
3/4 TBSP vanilla
1/4 cup water.

Cream butter, vanilla, shortening and salt in big mixer. (May add food
coloring now if desired). Gradually add powdered sugar and water. Beat all
ingredients on high until fluffy (at least 10 minutes or more).

THIS is what I am talking about!

Here is a link that I stumbled across.

http://flickr.com/groups/cupcakestakethecake/pool/

There are photos here of some of the cupcakes that I would like to make. I have not made very much progress yet. Okay, any progress. BUT, I think that I am going to sign up for a community ed cake decorating class. That should get me started anyway.

I found a good recipe for frosting too from Orpah's site.

http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/200602/food_20060201_frosting.jhtml

This is the Plan!

Okay, so after being out East for a week visiting the girls, a couple of us decided there were things that we would like to perfect in the next year. I said that I would like to perfect the cupcake, with icing, looking beautiful the whole works.

Jennifer chose the fruit tart, something sumptuous, that just looks delectable.

Greer chose the red velvet cake with icing. The kind that tastes moister than it looks.

So this is where we will be tracking our progress, posting our results and keeping in touch.

The girls are also new to blogging, so this will be a double whammy for both of them.