Mardi Gras Goodies

I know I'm a day late with this one, but with Fat Tuesday being...well, a Tuesday...life seems to get in the way. Next year maybe I'll get my act together a little earlier and come up with some sort of King Cake in cupcake form, but for now some festive decorations are as good as it gets. Luckily the vibrant colors of Mardi Gras make even the simplest toppings sparkle.

I found a bag of sour Skittles that came in the perfect shades of green and purple and then we added some simple fondant masks. A dusting of gold shimmer powder gave them the hint of glitz they needed. A few gold sprinkles later and it was officially a party!

Luckily these decorations will fit whatever flavor cupcake you want to make. We used a basic chocolate recipe just for simplicity, but pick your favorite and dress it up for the masquerade!

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"Schock-ingly" Awesome Downton Cupcakes

Downton Abbey.

It seems that every Sunday night and every Monday morning, it's all anyone can talk about. My best friend loves it. My boss adores it. My neighbor is borderline obsessive about it. A certain Congressman from Illinois clearly has a fondness for the British drama. Yes, even the hallowed halls of Congress aren't immune to the Dowager Countess's charms.



When Rep. Aaron Schock's vibrant red office was unveiled in the Washington Post a week and a half ago, it was all anyone in Washington was talking about. Most offices you find on the Hill are varying shades of beige with personal touches coming in framed pieces hung on the walls. Aaron Schock needed a change of pace from the dull finishes a Member's budget usually provides. Enter an interior designer from the Land of Lincoln with paint rollers, a penchant for gold and glitz, and what must be some sort of nostalgia for pheasant shooting in England.

Well this week PoppyCakes had a commission for a lover of all things political and Downton Abbey. Could we have ASKED for a better week for this order?!

Naturally we opted for red velvet cupcakes with a rich cream cheese frosting. Our favorite red velvet comes from Martha Stewart and is super easy to follow - which leaves plenty of time for mastering your decorations!

Aside from making sure we had the right "red room" backdrop, our focus was on the pheasant feathers that received such a prominent place in Congressman Schock's office. We used a pale brown tinted fondant and a leaf cutter to achieve the basic shape. Add a few cuts of a knife, some colorful stripes, and you've got yourself some Downton ready feathers! Of course the real icing on the cake was achieved with a few tricks in PhotoShop...

Dowager Schock may be having the "worst week in Washington," but we've clearly been having a blast (all in good fun of course).

Fwiw, I thought the office looked rad. http://t.co/dhDUoBMnNF pic.twitter.com/XKnK5yNori

— Ben Terris (@bterris) February 3, 2015

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Here in my office we have what I would call a "friendly" rivalry involving Major League Baseball. Some of us love the Seattle Mariners, and others live and die by the Cleveland Indians. In keeping with this playful banter about who's team is better, we've also made a bet regarding the post season odds for each of our teams. (Never mind that the Mariners haven't made the playoffs in eons and the Indians lost in the Wild Card playoff last year.) Regardless of our (and by our, I clearly mean the Mariners) chances, it's still fun. The loser will have to wear the opposing team's hat and take all of us winners out to a fancy dinner.

When two of these teams biggest fans share a birthday, the cupcake design was clearly a no-brainer. I topped yummy chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream dipped in white sprinkles, followed by red icing "laces." A few pennants printed and attached to straws later, we were done!

When you don't have much time to devote to decorating, it's amazing how far some quick signs or banners will take your cupcakes. Especially with using baseball as your theme, these toppers can easily customize them with little effort.

The Mariners are facing off against the Indians this week and based on Game 1 of the 3 game series, I'd say the Cleveland fan in the office is going to be in big trouble come October.

Go Mariners!

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"We Are All Witnesses"

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that on Friday Lebron James announced he was returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not being from Cleveland myself, I'm having a hard time figuring out why the city is welcoming him back with open arms. He left them for a title, money, and fame and yet they still squeal in excitement at his return? If A-Rod decided he wanted to leave the Yankees and come back to the Mariners (assuming this would have been while he was still a good player), I'm pretty sure I would have at the very least kicked a few things and still booed him at games.

But regardless of feelings of joy or hate, these cupcakes I made for a coworker's birthday seemed appropriate. Now I should note that she has nothing to do with Lebron or Ohio, but instead just has a nickname around the office of "Witness." Simple chocolate cupcakes can be topped with frosting in any color, but if you're celebrating you should probably stick to red and white and stay away from anything close to the Miami Heat!

Happy baking and best of luck to the Cavaliers next season!

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Happy 238th Birthday America!

If you're anything like me, you've probably procrastinated on the dessert portion of today's BBQ festivities. When I'm in a pinch, the first place I usually turn is to Martha Stewart. Her flourless chocolate cake recipe is easy, quick, and involves few ingredients!

Ingredients

• • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
  • Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with the rack in the center. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, and continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then gently fold in remaining egg whites.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and is set in the center, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack; remove sides of pan. Serve at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

 

Now I skipped the whipped cream and served with ice cream because that just seems more summery to me!

 

Happy Independence Day from our nation's capital!

 

 

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