Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Or . . .
. . . cleverly disguised Cupcakes?
Everything you see here is an illusion (I've always wanted to say that!). Everything you see here is also edible (well, except for the paper liners . . . you could eat them if you wanted to, but I don't recommend it). And everything here is SWEET. Even though your eyes may tell you otherwise.
These are Spaghetti Cupcakes. But really, they are vanilla cupcakes, with frosting noodles, hazelnut-chocolate Ferrero "meatballs", strawberry preserves, and grated white chocolate "parmesan cheese." Sneaky, sneaky, eh? Everyone at bible study last night LOVED 'em. Especially when I shouted "April Fool's!" and revealed just how date-challenged I am.
I've been pouring over this book I got at the library. It's called "Hello, Cupcake!" by Karen Tack. Maybe 'pouring' isn't the right word. 'Drooling' or 'Purring' might be more appropriate. Anyway, this book gives all sorts of nifty and easy ideas for decorating cupcakes. Everything from animals (pandas, penguins, lions, etc.) to garden plots to goldfish bowls. I love this book. I take it to bed at night and snuggle up with it on my pillow.
No, not really. Sheesh, what kind of nut do you think I am??
What I especially love about this book is how ridiculously easy these cupcakes are. You don't need any fancy equipment or expensive materials. You can use ziplock bags instead of pastry bags. You can use everyday candy, such as runts, licorice, Starbursts, MnMs, or oreos to achieve culinary wonders. And the book shows you how to do it. Step by step. One marshmallow at a time.
I made these cupcakes from scratch, but the book tells you how you can use a box cake mix, plus a few other unorthodox ingredients, to make the "mix" taste just as good as "from scratch" (and with a little less work).
I made these cupcakes from scratch, but the book tells you how you can use a box cake mix, plus a few other unorthodox ingredients, to make the "mix" taste just as good as "from scratch" (and with a little less work).
And LeAnna, the reason why I didn't make the frosting from scratch is because the book recommened canned vanilla frosting from a store as the best the author has found yet. Certain types of frosting won't hold their shape well, and Ms. Tack says that for shaping certain designs, store-bought is best. (Of course, for other types of decoration, frosting consistency doesn't matter; therefore, the author also offers several recipes for buttercream, ganache, and cream cheese frosting).
I had a blast making these, and I already have several other ideas lined up I want to try. I'll keep you posted!
2 comments:
How AWESOME are those!!!!!! I love it!
Don't worry I've never even made homemade frosting, I was just wondering if you did. ;) Canned frosting has a lovely quality about it. So much so, that I can eat it with a spoon. However, I do hear homemade buttercream is to die for.
But that's besides the point, these are quite simply awesome! I bet they were so yummy too. :) :)
I loved these cupcakes--- thanks for sharing! I'm featuring "Hello, Cupcake!" as book-of-the-week.
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