Pina Colada Cupcakes

 Morgan's Cupcake Business is just popping along. Especially since we picked up these GREAT cupcake boxes. And the best part, is that they are pink!  The inserts really hold the cupcakes well , and the clear top displays the cakes to their full advantage.

 In the process of decorating. The cupcakes were made ahead of time, frozen , then defrosted and drizzled with chocolate and stuffed first with pineapple and coconut.

The finished product.....topped with a cherry and ready to be devoured.................I wonder if they will all make it to the customer.....they look so good.

German Chocolate

 German Chocolate Easter Cupakes. I am afraid I do not have the recipe, since these are Morgan's. She made them for work.......always gets orders when she brings samples in for everyone to taste.

 Topping made with coconut and sweetened condensed milk. Cooked. Then cooled.

 Hollowed out cupcakes wait their blobs of frosting....

                       Decorated with mini eggs adn green tinted coconut. Yum.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Made for work.....a real hit. Dark chocolate cake with cherry pie filling in the centre and swathed with vanilla butter cream, laced with real cream.

BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES ( double batch)
4 cups flour
1 1/3 cups cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup shortening
3 cups  sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups water

Stir all dry stuff together, then beat shortening about 30 seconds. Gradually add suga, and cream 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add sour cream and vanilla. On a low speed add dry ingredients till JUST blended. Pile into muffin cups and bake at 350 about 18 minutes. Check close to the time to see if done, or if more time should be added.
  
When cooled. Cut out centre of each cupcake, spoon in cherry pie filling, replace top, cover with a good creamy frosting of your choosing, OR, pile high with whipped cream. I prefer the whip cream. Decorate as desired........share with some very lucky people.

IRISH SODA BREAD

 Just in time for St. Paddy's day , today, March 17th, 2012. A Simple no fail Soda Bread:

4 cups flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch kosher salt
6 tbsp marg
2 cups buttermilk ( OR 2 cups regular milk, with  about 1/4 cup lemon juice)

Combine all dry ingredients. Cut in Margarine till crumbly.

 Pour in buttermilk, then combine loosely. Pile onto a floured board. Knead till it comes together and you can form a smooth top. Only knead about 10 times.....

 Round out the dough, pile into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 48 minutes. Add on a few minutes to get it nice and brown.AND  hollow sounding. Brush top of loaf ( as in first pcture) with butter, to keep crust nice and soft.

Enjoy with some of your favourite people.

Amish Pineapple Bread

 This bread is a bit lighter than denser breads such as Zucchini or Pumpkin . Wonderful with cream cheese.........

AMISH PINEAPPLE BREAD
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons softened
2 large eggs
1 can crushed pineapple
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 5 by 9 inch loaf pan and set aside

 Crush pineapple if not small enough. Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. In large bowl cmbine the brown sugar, butter and eggs, and stir well. Add pineapple and juices.

 Add flour mixture to the wet, and then pour into loaf pan.

Combine cinnamon ad sugar, sprinkle on top of loaf. Bake at 250 for about 1 hour. Test at the 40 minute mark to see how far along it has come. Can be stored in  plastic bag,,,,,,, but does not freeze well.

EGGIES EGGSTRA

 EGGIES! Read all about it! Eggies on Trial.........This box of eggies was given to me so we could test them out, see if the claims of the commercial are true. I think  eggs deserve a shell, rather than an eggie container. I shall elaborate........

 First, the poor eggs , sad and bereft of friends, are broken asunder.

 You plop them into their little egg containers, after having smeared oil on the insides of the plastic shells. A little gross, by the way.

 Eggies then float their way to soft or hard boil, depending on how long you wait. I decided to go to hard boil, just to see.  The eggs are come out flat on top,and tend to tip over in the boiling water, spilling some of their contents. If left in their shells, the eggs would remain perfect....

 Time to test the egg. Diving in......a little gooey on top.....

 Turned the eggie over. The bottom part is pock marked like Queen Elizabeth the first's face. Unappetizing. If left in shell, egg would have been smooth....

This is a  supposedly hard cooked egg from an eggie container.  Yuck. Any egg from it's own shell would be lovely and perfect.
                         So, Natural Shell gets a YAY! and the Eggies Shell gets a BOO