Apple Picking & A Baby Shower

I recently went apple picking with my little family up in Oak Glen. We came home with two huge bags of apples. Needless to say I have been baking like a mad woman. I decided to make fresh apple cupcakes for a friend's upcoming baby shower.

I used Martha Stewart's apple cupcake recipe. It's a good one - lots of autumn spice. I was thinking of going with a caramel frosting even though Martha recommended cream cheese. I've been doing a lot of cream cheese frosting lately and am pretty tired of it; but after I tasted the cake there was nothing that would compliment it better than a cream cheese frosting, so I bit the bullet. I used BHG's recipe instead of Martha's (Sorry Martha). BHG adds an additional teaspoon of vanilla and an extra cup or two of powdered sugar. I like the flavor and consistency of this recipe and I tend to stick with what I like.

The shower theme was based on Disney/Pixar's Up. I decorated the cakes with a fondant balloon and piped in the string. They turned out pretty cute.

I've already turned most of the apples into the following: 5 pies, 2 breads, 2 batches of cupcakes and 1 batch of apple butter.

I have one more pie to make for my hubby, some apply sorbet for my toddler and maybe some cider.

Many Cakes Later

I'm finally getting around to blogging. Although I have slowed down in writing I have not slowed down in baking. I neglected to take pictures of all of my recent ventures - pure laziness.

Here is a list of what I have made since my last posting:

• Coffee and Donuts cupcakes - try this recipe - it's fantastic
• Chocolate cupcakes decorated as monkey faces for Ezra's birthday
• Chocolate Bourbon Salted Caramel cupcakes from BHG - very good
• Italian Cream Cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting - not what I expected - just okay
• Pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting from the Neely's - not my fav.
• Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart cupcakes - you have to try these too

I've also tried my hand at a rustic peach pie, a tomato tart, goat cheese and apricot muffins, pretzel, butterscotch and chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch oatmeal cake and a Snickerdoodle Quick Bread.

I did take photos of a few of the cakes. The Chocolate Bourbon Salted Caramel cupcakes were sublime. You could taste the bourbon as it was in the cake and in the caramel, but it was not overpowering in the slightest. Very tasty. Hard to eat just one.

The Pumpkin cupcakes and Pumpkin Pop Tart cupcakes are pictured together. My hubby loved the pumpkin and I loved the pop tart ones. Pumpkin pie flavored Pop Tarts are tossed into a brown sugar cupcake batter. Absolutely fabulous. I love all things brown sugar so this recipe is right up my alley. I think I'll use it as a base for all kinds of creations.

In other news (well actually, in very related news), my hubby got me a baking pantry. We needed extra storage space anyway and part of the cabinet we purchased is devoted to my baking gear, ingredients and other essentials. It's awesome. Everything at my fingertips in one place. I don't have to go hunting in several cabinets for what I need anymore. Yes, I am spoiled.