Happy Birthday!

Once again I have been missing for an extended period of time. Luckily, I have baked every Sunday even though I have not updated in over a month.

Today is my 20th birthday, but I do not plan to bake or have cupcakes. I am honestly more intrigued by the concept of a cupcake than the taste. I only figured it was appropriate to blog about cupcakes on my birthday.

The first cupcake I baked was a chocolate buttermilk cake with a coconut cream cheese frosting. The next week, I baked a moccachino cupcake with a coffee butter cream frosting. Both of those attempts went by with no problems. Both batches of cupcakes tasted delicious and look fantastic! My moccachino cupcakes have been the best looking cupcakes I have made to date. Last week, I decided to make cake balls. That worked out perfectly, as well.

On August 28th, I went to a cupcake decorating class (a Christmas gift from my parents).  So I go and I learn how to make all of these great cupcakes and I learn how to make cake balls. Everything was going perfectly until it was time to decorate. One of the cupcakes that we (the class) made was a carrot cake. Traditionally carrot cake has a carrot decoration on it. Instead of using icing, we used marzipan. Marzipan is made of sugar and almonds; that's it. So I'm rolling carrots out of this marzipan (something I have never worked with before) and all of a sudden my hands are itchy. I just assumed it was from the friction of rolling it in my hands. Then the feeling in my hands starts to get really uncomfortable. By now my hands are really greasy so decide to wash them off. I look at my hands and notice they are swelling up, puffy, red, and I'm getting hives all over. Apparently, I developed an almond allergy. So yeah, it sucked, but I'm alive.

Chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache

Chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache

Variety of cupcakes from the class

Tropical carrot cake cucpakes with a cream cheese frosting and marzipan carrot

Moccachinno cupcakes with a coffee buttercream frosting

Chocolate buttermilk cupcake with a coconut cream cheese frosting

Pink Champagne Cupcakes with a Champagne Buttercream

Last but not least, pink champagne cupcakes. This weekend is the Susan G. Komen Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago. Every year, my aunt (a breast cancer survivor) and her team participate in this walk. This year she "adopted" a block so friends and family can come show their support. I was asked to bake cupcakes for one of my aunt's team members who recently got engaged. So I thought that pink champagne cupcakes fit this perfectly; pink for breast cancer and champagne for the engagement.

This was possibly the EASIEST cupcake recipe yet, considering it calls for cake mix. The only thing made from scratch was the frosting. So needless to say, the batter was a piece of cake to make (I decided to make mini cupcakes for a more elegant look).

I had no problems, that is, until I started the frosting. As usual, I started my frosting while the cupcakes were baking. So I mix together the butter, the powdered sugar, and vanilla right? I go to add the champagne and I totally messed everything up here. You see, I wasn't exactly paying attention while I was measuring the champagne and I didn't realize that the measuring cup was over flowing. So instead of adding 1/4 cup to the frosting, I probably added about 1/2 cup champagne. I tried a spoon full of this frosting and oh man was it strong! I probably should have just added a little more butter and sugar to just tone done the taste, but I didn't.

Needless to say, these cupcakes are more like shots than a dessert. I had two cupcakes and a few spoons of frosting and I was definitely feeling a wee bit tipsy. Don't get me wrong, the cupcakes are delicious and beautiful, but too many of these will make you sick. I feel like I'm the only person in America who could manage to mess up this recipe and get tipsy off frosting; only me.

Until next time,
Natalie Shaver

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-cupcakes/26f6f790-0852-4bfc-8f73-8d4cfc8cf496

Doggie Pupcakes

My dog, China, is my princess and I spoil her rotten. Whenever I go to Sprinkles, I buy her their doggie cupcakes, and she goes MENTAL for them. I decided to make a batch of cupcakes for her on my own.

This was pretty easy. All I did was research what people foods are harmful to dogs. I totally decided to just wing this recipe. I used 3 cups of flour, 3 large spoon fulls of peanut butter, 3 eggs, some honey, a little salt, some water, and a little bit of cinnamon. I divided the batter evenly in a mini-cupcake pan and let them bake for about 15 minutes.  I made a honey cream cheese frosting and I used dog food for sprinkles.

It was so simple and cheap because I didn't have to do shopping for this one. All of the ingredients are always around the house. I am so pleased with these results. Most importantly, China LOVES them!

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

The next recipe I made was Sprinkles' strawberry cupcake with strawberry frosting. Sprinkles Cupcakes is my absolute FAVORITE cupcake boutique so I was thrilled to find the recipe for this cake.

This cake was really fun to make. I enjoyed getting to use fresh berries for the batter and frosting. I had no trouble this time around and I was in a rush. These turned out perfect and tasted just like the cupcakes from Sprinkles! My frosting was tad bit different because I added more strawberries to it.

These are my favorite cupcakes to date!

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

Banana Cupcakes with a Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I have been M.I.A. for a few weeks, and I apologize for that, but I have kept up with my cupcake baking. The first cupcakes I made was a banana cake with a honey cinnamon buttercream frosting. Now I was super excited to make this recipe; more specifically, I was pumped to make a flavored frosting.

I actually made these for a party I was hosting, so I decided to double the recipe. Everything was going well, I mean, it was a really simple recipe. I had the perfect amount of ripe bananas, and I didn't end up covered in powdered sugar. So when I put the cupcakes in the oven I was in a fantastic mood because I thought everything was going so smooth. I started to make the frosting while the cupcakes were baking and  then it hit me: I forgot to double the amount of eggs in batter. I was horrified! I was supposed to add 4 eggs and I only added 2. In my mind I was like "Lovely, I just destroyed thirty-two cupcakes." I watched these cupcakes like a hawk for the rest of the bake time. They seemed fine when they were done. So I tasted one and I could not tell you how relieved I felt knowing that these cupcakes were edible. They were actually delicious!

After my small little problem, everything else was smooth sailing. The frosting complimented the cake so well. My cupcakes were big hit at the party and I was a happy camper. It just seems to appear that I can't count! Hahahaha.

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

http://www.marthastewart.com/314063/banana-cupcakes-with-honey-cinnamon-fros?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/bake-sale-cupcakes

Tie Dye Cupcakes

Finally! For the first time since I started this blog my cupcakes did not turn out a disaster! I think they turned out awesome.

After all of the previous mishaps I had, I wanted to start off with something that didn't seem too hard. So, I just made a simple yellow cake with an easy buttercream frosting.  The presentation of the cupcake means a lot to me; if it's not pretty, I want nothing to do with it. So to jazz up the recipe, I divided the batter into five bowls. I used a different color food dye in each (pink, green, blue, purple, and yellow). I spooned a little of each in every cupcake liner and then that was that.

Once the cupcakes were done baking and cooling I frosted them. I left the buttercream white because I didn't want to take away from the colored cake. Instead, I sprinkled the cupcakes with five different colored sugars.

Nothing to great happened to me while baking these. Everything went smooth for once in my life. I had all of the ingredients, I didn't measure anything incorrectly, nothing burned to char, etc. I can only hope that next week goes as well, but you never know...




Here is the recipe I used:
http://www.marthastewart.com/341311/yellow-cupcakes?czone=food/best-cupcake-recipes/our-best-cupcakes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/classic-cupcakes

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

And I present to you, the WORST cookies in America...

Cupcakes 1, Natalie 0

So I know said that I would start baking for this blog in May. My plan was to update every week. There is no proof, but I did actually start my baking in May. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

The first attempt was just bad news. I should have known from the start that things were not going to go well. I made the mistake of starting to make the batter before checking to see if had all of the ingredients I needed. Halfway through, I go to my refrigerator to get the eggs, and then I realize I don't have any eggs. Right now, I'm ready to kick myself. It was past 11:30 on a Sunday night; the only place open was 7-11. I didn't want to waste what I had already made so I went to get eggs. Not only did I have to go out at 11:30 on Sunday, but I had to pay way more than I should have for eggs.

By the time I got home, it was well past midnight. I continued right from where I left off. Now I go to get the vegetable oil and realize I don't have that either! So now I'm really pissed; there was no way in hell I was going back out. So I decide to improvise: olive oil it is!

Everything seemed fine to me now. I spoon the batter into the cupcake pans and pop them in the oven. While the cupcakes were baking I made the frosting. I was making a buttercream frosting: a very simple recipe.  I have made this frosting a countless number of times. I was still worked up about the eggs and oil, so I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I poured in half a bag of powdered sugar (the amount the recipe calls for) and turned on the mixer. Next thing I know there is an explosion of white! I was covered in powdered sugar. It was in my hair and stuck in my eyelashes. I was so glad that I put on an apron. My kitchen was a wreck. Sugar was every where: down the cabinets, on the floor, on the counter, etc.  It was seriously like a scene from a movie. The reason that the sugar attacked me was because I didn't add it gradually. I could not believe that I did that.

So I clean up really quick and salvage my frosting. By the time I finished, the cupcakes were done. So I took them out of the oven and put a few in the freezer so they would cool off quickly. While I'm waiting for these cupcakes to cool, I decide to sample one. I take a big bite out of one and then instantly spit it out. This cupcake was the WORST thing I have EVER tasted! It was so bad I couldn't bear to swallow it.

By now, my hopes were in the trash. I have 24 cupcakes that are not edible and I'm still covered in powdered sugar. I was determined to have a cupcake for my blog though. So I take out the stuff I need to decorate the cupcakes and get started. Once again, things did not go well. I wanted to make Cookie Monster cupcakes; they looked quite simple. So I start piping, but when I finish, it just looks like a huge blue ball of yarn. So I try again. This time there is so much frosting it starts to slide off the cupcake!  Well, it turns out I was using the wrong icing tip.

At this time, I was covered in powdered sugar, my skin was dyed blue from the frosting color, and I had 21 undecorated cupcakes that taste like ass. So I cleaned up, threw out my cupcakes and called it a night.

Now, I am HIGHLY embarrassed that this happened because I consider myself a pretty good cook. Never have I ever had such a horrible experience before! Unfortunately for me, this would not be my last.

A week later I decided to dive back in. This time I was just making chocolate chip cookies. You know, the recipe on the back of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip packages. I've been making these by myself for 9 years. This shouldn't have been a problem. I creamed the butter and mixed in the sugars. I start to add the flour. While I was measuring out the flour, I got a phone call. I answer and have to take down a message. Then I return to adding flour to my mixture. So here I am thinking everything is going well. I sampled the dough and it tastes delicious and looks absolutely normal. After I dropped the dough on to some cookie sheets I place them in the oven and wait for them to be done.

Now you see, my mother (the most amazing baker I know) taught me how to cook. She always told me that you don't need a timer to know when your baked goods are done; you should know by how they look. These cookies take around 13 minutes to bake, right? So I'm keeping an eye on them, but after they've been in for 15 minutes they still don't look done. They are completely flat and look melted. Then all of sudden the look like they are burning on the edge, but they still haven't risen.  I took them out of the oven. I taste them and they taste like butter. Then, realization struck. I didn't add enough flour! The phone call distracted me! No one will let me live that down.

So I sit here today, over a month later attempting to update my blog and I still have nothing. I wasn't going to mention any of this, but I was telling a close friend (you know who you are) all about my baking mishaps and she told me  to blog about it. She said it was something she thought was absolutely hysterical and something she'd enjoy reading.

Now, I plan on changing the name of my blog from Good Day Cupcakes to The Diaries of a Cupcake Connoisseur.  I plan on posting everything that happens in my cupcake baking experiences (no matter how embarrassing or stupid I am.) So I hope you all enjoy reading about my spaz-tastic moments.

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

Hello!

Hello everyone!

As an aspiring journalist, I have been wanting to create a blog for a while now. I didn't want to make one until I had something people would actually want to read. The focus of this blog will be on cupcakes!

I was inspired by the movie Julie & Julia which is based on the popular blog "The Julie/Julia Project." I intend to bake every cupcake idea that comes my way. I own several different cook books that only have recipes for cupcakes and I have never once made any of them. Maybe once I get some followers I will take special requests. The baking will probably start in May when my schedule clears up a bit.

A little bit about me:

Well, I'm 19 years-old and I'm a student. I am majoring in journalism with a concentration in broadcast/television. Cupcakes have always been something I love to bake. I find them so beautiful and cute. I stand by my theory that no one can be sad, upset, or mad when holding a cupcake. :)