Sunday, July 30, 2006

Pineapple Bake Shop Pricelist

Cupcakes are $20 for a dozen or 2 dozen for $30. The cupcakes are made with care in small batches. This price includes small decorations and some piping, for more elaborate or custom work prices may vary.

Coming soon, additional Cookies and Cinnamon biscuits.

Petit Fours


Celebrate Today, have a Little Cake!

Cappucino Cupcakes


Well, Saturday was a great cupcake selling day, as a matter of fact we sold out. Since I forgot my camera and I had none to take home there will be no photo of the cupcakes this week. To make up for it, next week I will make some really interesting cupcakes. As a matter of fact, if anyone has a request or challenge, I'd love to know what it is. (You can contact me through email, in my profile.)
Saturday was one of the tastiest work days in a long time, Tomeq, who is the Chocolatier from Alchemy of Angels, came in to give a chocolate making demonstration. He had the most exquisit chocolates with him; raspberry cognac, arpicot brandy, rolled truffels, cashew and maple truffles. Paulette and I ate so many chocolate and cupcake samples we were sugar high. Laura was a little better behaved. We bought a few packs of truffles as well, now I wish I had bought more.
He suggested I try selling down at the local farmers market in Anapolis and offered to take some of my cakes down some time. It's so generous of him, I'm thrilled. Tamara keeps saying she has to get me into the market here. I think I need to take the cupcakes to the street.

Hazelnut-Vanilla Cake with Toasted Pecans

100g of Toasted Pecans
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour
1 1/2 tsps Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter (room temp')
1 1/2 Cups sugar
5 Free Run Eggs (room temp')
1 cup Buttermilk (room temp)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsps Hazelnut extract
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Set oven to rack to middle, preheat tp 300f. On a baking sheet or in the fry pan toast the pecans, they will burn easily when you smell them they are done. Set aside. Sift together the dry. Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually until it looks light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending to encorporate slowly and briefly after each addition.
Using a spatula to fold together the buttermilk and dry mixture in separate batches, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold in the pecans. Fill the cupcake pan.These take about 20 mins to cook, but check them before that time.

Cappucino Frosting

1 Cup Fresh Butter
3 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
2 Shots of Espresso (or a little more)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsps Meringue Powder

WHIP until fluffy and delicious!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Today at the Cookhouse

(Full and Sample size) Hazelnut-Vanilla Cupcakes with pecans, frosted with Cappucino Buttercream!




Monday, July 24, 2006

Flower Cupcakes

These flower cupcakes are generously frosted and great for tea parties. I served these particular cupcakes on antique saucers. I've collected quite a few of them over the years, most were given to me, others I bought at yard sales and flea markets. None of them match, but they do compliment each other. They are great for serving deserts like cupcakes, petit fours and cookies. Definitely worth the cupboard space!
I just aquired a new tea cup and saucer from my good friend Lavanya. She moved to Calgary recently, and left me a set decorated with waterlilies in the hallway of her old place. I will think of her every time I use it. I had been thinking about making waterlilies out of fondant the day I picked it up, which is a coincidence. So now that is a plan.
(Lavayna, I have not forgotten about the dinosaurs, will do.)


How To Make a Rose Cupcake:

Easy Buttercream: Stiff consistency

1 1lb Icing Sugar
1 tbsp Meringue Powder
1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla
1 tbsp Liquid, such as milk, cream (water if it has to sit out for long)

Cream all ingredients until light, fluffy. It should hold a stiff peak.

Tools: Piping bag, Tip no. 127 (large ruffle/petal tip)

Step one: Insert the tip into the end of the piping bag, score the bag to fit the large tip, remove it and trim to size, it should not require a coupler. Replace the tip and fill the bag with buttercream.(To create a two tone effect paint a line of gel colour up the seam of the bag before filling. This can also be done by spreading a thick line with contrasting buttercream up one side, but the bag would then need to be filled more carefully so that the colour doesn't get mixed together.)

Step two: Spread a little buttercream on top of the cupcake to create a small mound, it should be more conical than rounded. This will be the base which you will pipe the rose petals on to.

Step three: Pipe the petals ; while you squeeze the bag, move the tip and rotate the nail.. Use the hand holding the bag to control the pressure and your other hand to turn the cupcake while you pipe. Make sure the tip is at a 45 angle and the wide end of the tip is facing downward. Slowly turn the nail to bring a ribbon of icing around to overlap at the top of the mound, then back down to starting point. It should completely enclose the tip, like the centre of a rosebud. Make sure to move the tip up and then down to ovelap were you began.

To form the petals you will move the tip up and down again, this motion will make a half circle and will shape the upright petal. There are 3 rows of petals, the first has 3, the second 5, and the third seven. Begin the petals after the first at the mid point of the last petal piped.

If it doesn't work the first time, scrape off the icing and try again. =D




Saturday, July 22, 2006

Very Berry Saturday



Don't let the sweet look of these cupcakes fool you, these cupcakes have a berry kick!

The cake is a white butter cake flecked with the last of this seasons fresh local strawberries. The icing is a Raspberry Red Currant butter cream. It was made with a reduction of sweet raspberries, tart red currants, and a splash of pure maple syrup. I used the resulting precious syrup to colour and flavour the buttercream. There is no pink colouring in the frosting, only berry goodness.

Sweetest Samples: These little gems were free to try.



Join us next saturday at The Cookhouse for the latest sweet treat!

Cupcake Selling Day

The new morning shone silver and overcast. Paulette picked me up well before we would normally go to work. I lugged my bags of tools, pans and ingredients to the car, jumped in and we took off. She paused to look at me as we started to head down the lane,


"You smell like Sugar."

* * *

We aren't morning people, but the cool air pepped us up and I think we were both secretly hoping it would rain. We are those people who can't help but smile when we hear about "Bad weather". Rain, thunder, lightning; we're cheery.

When we pulled into the driveway the sky opened up. The sound poured down around us, it was wonderful.

We chatted while I whipped up the cupcakes. We drank coffees topped with chocolate milk. Paulette is the type of friend and co-worker whos presence reminds you of all the goodness in the world.


Friday, July 21, 2006

Cupcakes are the Sweetest!


Saturday at The Cookhouse (1512 Dresden Row) I'm selling a small batch of strawberry-flecked white cupcakes with Raspberry/Red currant Buttercream. Sweet like it's your birthday! At the amazing price of 1.50$ per cake.


Friday, July 14, 2006

Clover Honey Shortbreads


2 tbsps Red Clover Petals
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Demerara Sugar
2 sticks of Unsalted Butter (must be 67f)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsps Local Honey

This recipe really is quick and easy when you get down to it, but there is some prep time before hand. The dried clover petals must be plucked from their green stems which can be pretty time consuming. Luckily you only need two tablespoons of petals for a nice hint of colour and flavour.

In a large bowl mix togther the clover petals, the sugar and salt with your finger tips, make sure there are no lumps of sugar. Demerara is a soft, moist sugar that tends to clump together it needs to be evenly distributed in the flour before you any of the moist ingredients.
Ensure the butter is at the proper temperature by sticking an instant read thermometer into one of the sticks. It should read about 67f, be cool to the touch and flexible, NOT soft and greasy. If it is too soft return it to the fridge for a few minutes.
When the butter is ready cut the sticks into a few smaller cubes and add to the bowl, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles a soft meal. Drizzle in honey and rub into the flour, after this addition the dough should form a soft crumbly ball. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a floured surface, cut into shapes and bake for about ten minutes. They should be golden brown at the very edges and bottom of the cookie.

This is a very simple cookie which isn't too sweet; it pairs well with coffee, tea or fresh fruit. I'm sure the addition of Lavender would be great too.




Sunday, July 09, 2006

Dark Chocolate Minneola Cupcakes



















I made these cupcakes to sell on saturday at The Cookhouse. I added a generous amount of coarsely grated minneola zest at the creaming stage of my dark chocolate buttermilk recipe. Adding it while beating the butter helps release the flavours into the batter. I just love trying new citrus and chocolate combinations, I think next time I'll try making an chocolate citrus spice cake. The Frosting was made with chocolate from equador; dark, rich and very fragrant.

Chocolate frosting:


100g of good quality Dark Chocolate
1 cup of Butter
3 1/4 cups of Sugar
1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or carefully in the microwave. If using the microwave cut the chocolate into small pieces and heat it a little at a time (10 to 20 seconds) checking it and stirring in between. When the chocolate is almost done stir until it is completely melted. Beat in a tablespoon of butter and let it cool until it is still soft but not hot.

Beat in the butter and vanilla, then the sugar a 1/2 cup at a time. Yum.

Psst to my co-workers, sincere thanks for all your help and support. You guys are the best :D


Saturday, July 08, 2006

Space Cupcakes


Neapolitain frosted cup cake



Friday, July 07, 2006

Vanilla is in a class of it's own














Creamy vanilla cupcake batter. I'm trying a new bourbon vanilla with vanilla seeds in it.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Sweet Canada Day Strawberry Pie


It's Canada day and I thought I'd celebrate by trying a new strawberry pie experiment. This time I made an almond pastry crust which I filled with strawberries, and yes, dark chocolate chips!

Pastry:

1 cup of cold butter
200g of ground almonds
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsps granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
4-5 tbsps ice water

Filling:

2 pints of strawberries (preferably local)
4 tbsps granulated sugar
1 organic orange worth of zest
sprinkling of good quality dark chocolate chips

Preheat the over to 400 f. Toast the almonds on a baking tray until they are just beggining to brown, no longer. When you can smell them, they're done. Whisk together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. Add the extract and tbsps of water until the dough forms a ball easily when kneaded. Chill.

Hull strawberries and cut any large ones into bite size pieces. Toss into a bowl with the sugar and zest.

Roll out the dough. This dough is a little difficult to work with since the almonds make it a bit crumbly, if it cracks it can easily be pressed together in the pie plate. Add the berries in two amounts, sprinkling a the dark chocolate chips over each addition. It's easy to go overboard with this part, but if you practice restraint you'll have tangy strawberry bites with a bit of chocolate which is nice. The crust tastes like a cross between pie crust and almond shortbreads, it's very rich.

mmm, strawberries and chocolate!