Strawberry Butterfly Cupcakes

What little girl wouldn't love butterflies and strawberries on her birthday?  The cupcakes are from scratch strawberry cupcakes SANS gelatin packet, boxed white cake mix, and artificial food coloring!  Yippee!  (See the recipe at the bottom.)  They are topped with cream cheese frosting and of course the most adorable fondant butterflies and flowers.  Served on a colorful butterfly and flower printed cupcake tier, the blue and pink gingham liners even coordinate with the green gingham edging.  Oh the things that make me happy!  :)

 The butterflies were dusted with gold pearl dust.

Yummy!  Look at the real strawberry flecks in that cake!

Strawberry Cake Recipe:

Adapted from A Dash of Sass

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1-1/2 sticks)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups strawberry puree*

about 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare muffin pans with liners.

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. 

Add eggs one at a time until incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed.

Add vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternating with strawberry puree and milk. 

Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full with batter.

Bake for 20 mins or until done.

Let cool and top with your favorite cream cheese frosting.  :)

Makes about 30.

*Note: I used a homemade strawberry puree that is simply pureed strawberries with a splash of lemon juice and a dash of sugar.  I freeze it and let it thaw when needed for yummy recipes like this one! 

Taken in my backyard today.  :)

Hope you are enjoying these last few days of summer!



Fondant Covered Cupcakes

I had another taste test this week for a wedding and was excited to try something new.  Based on some inspiration pics the client sent me, I topped a few of the chocolate and white almond cupcakes with fondant circles and little black and white fondant flowers and vining for decoration.  They turned out great, although I think the next time I do them I'll fill the cupcake with buttercream.  We like frosting!

The variety of options they had.

But which one(s) did they go with? 

  You'll have to wait and see! ;)

 So pretty!

I hope you enjoyed these. I sure had a lot of fun making them!  :)

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I love cute ideas and a good play on words, so I had to share this with you.  There is nothing unique about the cupcakes themselves.  They are white almond with vanilla almond buttercream in yellow and green to match the shower invitations. And you might think maple leaves and baby shower cupcakes don't quite mix.  BUT...the couple's last name is Maple and they have been calling their bundle-of-joy-on-the-way...wait for it..."the sapling."  How adorable is that?!  :)