Red Wings Birthday Cake

This post is for my favorite son. OK, you got me. He is my only son, but still. His 12th birthday was Sunday, October 13. I can't believe it has been 12 years since he came into our lives. It has been such an incredible ride, and a complete honor being his mommy. AND I am so excited to see what the next 12+ years bring. 

The recipes that I used to make this cake have all been posted, but I promised him that I would share this cake.

Cake (posted on August 1, 2013) - I split the batter in two 9 x 13 pans.
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting (posted on July 5, 2013) I used a double batch to fill and dirty ice the cake. I used half a batch for the decorations, and had lots of left overs. I didn't add the extract, but used red gel coloring to color it.
Fondant (found on The Chaplain's Wife blog) - So, it turns out I didn't post this recipe. This is the blog where I found the recipe. It really is an amazing recipe, and works really well. My only recommendation is to make sure you use LOTS of powdered sugar to "flour" and "re-flour" your surface while you are rolling it out.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we did. I would love to hear how it works out for you, and for what occasion you make it.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Sheryl

Red, White & Blue Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

We spent the Fourth of July at the beach with family and friends. It was a beautiful day. We soaked up the sun, cooled off in the lake, and grilled hamburgers for dinner. Then, I brought out the red, white & blue cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting for dessert. What a hit! 

The raspberry buttercream frosting was really the star of the show. My friend, Janet, suggested that I quote her and put her comments in all caps, that is how much she loved them. I thought that might be a little much, but the gist of what she said was this might be one of my best recipes yet. And that is something coming from her, because she is a chocolate lover; and there isn't any chocolate in this recipe.

We also discovered that while they are amazing served at room temperature, they are to die for served cold. So, keep them in the fridge, if possible, until you are ready to serve them.

I suppose we should get to how to make these miraculous creations.

What You Will Need:
KitchenAid Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachment
Cupcake Pans
Cupcake Liners
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
For Cupcakes
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 cups Sugar
4 Large Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Soy Flour
1 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1 cup Potato Starch
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cup Milk, hot (I microwave it on high for 30 second increments until it is hot.)
1/4 teaspoon Red Gel Food Coloring (Wilton's is gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon Blue Gel Food Coloring
1 bottle Red, White & Blue Sprinkles

For Frosting
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Raspberry Extract

Directions:
For Cupcakes
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthum gum, and salt. Set aside.

In KitchenAid Mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar with paddle attachment until fluffy. (This can take a few minutes, so be patient.)

Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. (I crack my eggs into a separate bowl to avoid getting shells in my baked goods.) While you are adding the eggs, heat up your milk.

Add vanilla and mix well.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.

Add half of the milk and mix on low until combined.

Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add remaining milk and mix until combined.

Line cupcake pans with the cupcake liners, and preheat oven to 350° F. 

Divide batter into three separate bowls. Into one bowl, mix in the red gel food coloring. Into a second bowl, mix in the blue gel food coloring.

Put approximately 1/8 cup of each color of batter in each cupcake liner. Swirl slightly with a skewer.

My original plan was to make tie-dyed cupcakes,
but I was afraid if I mixed too much, I would
get purple cupcakes. I could have swirled a lot
more than I did.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely.

For Frosting
In KitchenAid mixer bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar with whisk attachment on low, then medium until well combined.

Add raspberry extract and mix on medium until fluffy.

Put frosting in a large ziploc bag, and cut a a small piece from the corner.

Swirl frosting on cupcakes, twirling top of bag occasionally as you frost. Pour sprinkles on each cupcake.

Store cupcakes in airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When you serve them to your family and friends be prepared to soak up the praise as they rave about how amazing your cupcakes are.

I hope you enjoy your Fourth of July weekend!

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." ~Peter Marshall

Sheryl