Cupcake times

Spring is here!

4/8/2015

Here in Maryland we have finally had some spring time weather! We had a few days in the 60's & 70's and it felt GREAT. These cook-out themed cupcakes will inspire anyone to get out and get active! Perfect for your next outdoor grilling party or picnic, these decorations are fantastic, and don't take very long either! Click here for the instructional video.

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super awesome rainbow-glitter cupcakes

4/1/2015

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I ran across this on Facebook today and I had to post it! These cupcakes are so cool, a bit time consuming but very very cool. Click here for the step by step instructions. My favorite part of this is the butter cream frosting and the glitter. I'm not sure I have the time to recreate this but I hope one of you can! Be sure to upload any pictures to newsroom@cupcaketimes.com and we will share our favorites.

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5 Baking hacks you need to know

4/1/2015

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Missing Buttermilk? No problem. All you need is:
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
Combine the milk and lemon juice.
Let stand 5-10 minutes. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. When the buttermilk is finished, the milk will be a bit thicker and you should see small curdled bits, however your buttermilk will not be as thick as store bought buttermilk.
Be sure to use this substitute, including curdled bits, as you would buttermilk in your recipe.
You can half, double or triple this recipe as needed!

In need of flour? Well here is a recipe to make homemade (gluten free) oat flour. Literally just blend the oats in your food processor until it is the texture of flour.

Have you ever noticed that no matter what you put brown sugar in, after a while it seems to get all hard and stick together? Well a simple fix is to put a slice of bread in the container with the sugar. It keeps the sugar from sticking together by keeping it dry.

In need of a rolling pin to make your famous sugar cookies? This is one tool most people end up forgetting they need until they are wrist deep in cookie dough! However, something as simple as a wine bottle (or any round bottle, glass preferably) will do! Just wash off the outside, dust on a little flour and you are on your way.

Here is another brown sugar hack you can try as well! You can make your own brown sugar by simply combining white sugar and molasses in a food processor. All you need is two tablespoons of molasses per one cup of sugar. And if you do not have molasses you should really consider grabbing a bottle with your next grocery trip, it’s always great to have on hand!

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March 31st, 2015

3/31/2015

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Your Welcome

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Betty Crocker Breakfast Cupcakes

3/31/2015

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Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it's personally my favorite meal of the day to eat! I'm a sucker for eggs and bacon. Betty Crocker has come up with a breakfast cupcake that incorporates all of the finest breakfast foods into a cupcake! With ingredients like potatoes, eggs, cheese and bacon, these savory breakfast bites will be major hit during your next Sunday breakfast. Give it a try and submit your finished product via photo or video to newsroom@cupcaketimes.com.

But most importantly ENJOY!

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Cupcakes for Dinner?

3/31/2015

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Cupcakes for dinner sounds completely absurd if your one of those "no reckless sugar" moms like I am. BUT these cupcakes are all savory dinner themed cupcakes that are pretty simple to make. Pictured above is a Chili Cheese Fry cupcake, and its looks absolutely divine! Other recipes include Mini Chicken Parm, Chicken Potpie cupcakes, Lasagna, and French Onion Mac & Cheese cupcakes. YUM. And they can all be eaten with your hands, so this is great for little ones or just a fun, different dinner idea! Click here for the recipes!

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Top Three Cupcakery’s in the Baltimore Area According to Yelp

3/31/2015

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Midnite Confections Cupcakery: Located in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore, Midnite Confections most popular cupcakes are the Black Velvet & the Playboy. The Black Velvet is just like the traditional red velvet but with a more chocolatey twist! The Playboy is an organic carrot cake with a hint of pineapple and a mixture of “secret spices”. At $3 per cupcake or $33 a dozen, they have really earned their 4.5 star rating on yelp!

They also have an “After Hours” menu with cupcakes all inspired by famous alcoholic beverages. They have a Pina Colada cupcake flavored with pineapple and rum topped with a coconut frosting. A peach flavored cupcake with an orange and rum butter cream frosting called the Fuzzy Navel, and a classic Mojito cupcake that is a mint and white rum cupcake with a lime butter cream.

As you can see Midnite Confections has tons of great flavors to offer, and online you can find their cupcake flavor calendar and their regular and seasonal cupcake flavors! Visit them at 1051 S. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD

Dessert Fantasies: Located in Locust Park, they offer tons of amazing cupcake flavors like Strawberry Shortcake, Banana Pudding, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Carrot, Banana Split, Snickers, Blueberry Lemon, Cookies & Cream, Red Velvet, Strawberry, Smores, Vanilla, Chocolate, and many more. Beyond cupcakes they also make cakes, cookies, pies, fruit arrangements, chocolate covered strawberries and more….all you have to do is ask! Their most popular cupcake is the Apple Pie and the Salted Caramel. Their jumbo cupcakes retail for about $4.00 each.

They are located at 1433 Fort Ave Baltimore, MD 21230

Touche Touchet Bakery: Located right outside of Baltimore in Columbia MD. They have been voted Best Bakery from 2007-2013 by Howard County Magazine. Their cupcakes come in a verity of flavors and cost from $2.25-$4.00 each. Their most popular cupcake is the Upside Down cupcake, it is a chocolate cake filled with white icing and glazed with chocolate ganache. Check out their website to see what flavors they offer each day and their special flavors for each month! In addition to cupcakes they make specialty cakes, and other sweet treats for weddings and birthday parties. With is 5 star rating on Yelp, you can bet that Touche Touchet is perfect for any sweets! You can find them at 10400 Shaker Dr Columbia, MD 21046.

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How To Get the Perfect Cupcake Every Time

3/31/2015

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Us here at Cupcake Times have come up with some "fool proof" tips to help you achieve cupcake perfection every time you bake!

Don’t Over Mix Your Batter: Once you have your sugar and butter creamed, mix the rest of the ingredients on the lowest speed possible and try to do it for as short of a time as possible. This will keep the air bubbles intact and the result will be a nice fluffy crumb
Under-bake: Always try to under-bake your cakes and cupcakes, they will continue to bake in the pan as they cool. Taking your cupcakes out of the oven a little bit under-baked will result in perfectly moist and not dry cupcakes. Room Temperature: To create the perfect batter, insure all of your ingredients are room temperature before you start! This will make sure that your dry ingredients are perfectly and thoroughly mixed within the batter.
Use Quality Butter: You want to use the best butter because butter does in fact have a taste. And most deserts require some sort of butter, so you the best you can find and you should notice a better cupcake flavor in the end.
NEVER REFRIGERATE: You may think just popping your cupcakes into the fridge will keep them fresh but freezing them is actually the best and ONLY option you should use for preserving your cupcakes. The refrigerator speeds up the “drying out” process so your best bet is to freeze them and lock in the freshness.
Sift: Sifting your dry ingredients insures that all of it is incorporated into the batter and your finished product is light and airy.
Use an Ice-cream Scoop: Most bakers swear by using one to insure all of the cupcakes are the same size and bake in the oven evenly.
Last but not least, PRACTICE. Practice makes progress, and just like all of the other famous bakers out there they have a ton of practice and with our other tips you should be ready to open your bakery in no time!

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Tasty Spring Inspired Cupcake Recipes

3/31/2015

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I don't know about you but nothing says spring time like a sweet, juicy, peach! The Peach Cobbler Cupcake is a bit labor intensive, but very very worth it. This takes three parts to complete, the batter, the peachy filling and the brown sugar cinnamon topping.
Check out the recipe here!

Next we have the Cherry Limeaide Cupcake. The frosting is the cherry and the cupcake is the limeaide flavor!
Check it out here!

The Pineapple Cream Cupcake is another great option if your looking for something light and fluffy! Its a simple recipe that cupcakers of all skill levels can enjoy.
Click Here to check it out!

Last but not least the Blue Moon and Orange Butter Cream cupcake! Nothing says spring like an ice cold beer! Blue Moon, to be exact. This beer batter is combined with a fresh orange butter cream to make one of the best cupcakes out there.
Check it out here!