Yesterday I hosted a birthday party for a sweet girl named Mckenzie. Her mom wanted to host a tea party/ cooking class as her birthday party. Because it is much more fun to actually eat things you made yourself, i planned a small finger food menu for them to make. We made savory things as well as desserts… We had to have sweets, right??? it was a tea party after all. The theme of yesterday Cooking Class was Winter wonderland so I tried to come up with recipes and desserts that would reflect that theme.

Cupcakes are always a favorite. Children as well as adults love cupcakes so I really wanted to make cupcakes with them as well. The problem, however, is that sometimes what the simplest cucpake decoration can become tedious and frustrating. Believe me…’

I also wanted the cupcakes to follow the winter theme of the cooking class. With this in mind, I searched my coobook, and the internet for a decoration that would be fun and yet not to difficult. The idea that i am using today comes from the book ” Hello, Cupcakes” from Karen Tack.

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:

• 1 recipe of vanilla cupcake
• 1 recipe of vanilla frosting
• 6 chocolate graham crackers cut in half
• 4 square of almond bark chocolate flavored coating
• 12 white gum drops
• 12 black gum drops
  
• 1 fruit roll up
• clear sprinkles
• blue sprinkles
• small tubes of frostings of various colors from Cake Mate

1 Bake the cupakes according to directions mentioned below. If you do not have time, it is fine to use the box cake mix. I use that sometimes. I prefer the vanilla mix from Betty Croker. Follow directions, but bake the cupcake for 15 minutes if using a Demarle cupcake pan.

2. Prepare the frosting.If you do not have time, you may use the Whipped cream   Frosting from Betty Croker. 

3. Melt the chocolate coating in the microwave for 60 sec. or until completely melted and free of lumps.

4. Place half of a graham cracker on a plate, and with a pastry brush, brush the graham crackers to coat it and to glue the cupcake on it.

5. Lay the cupcake on its side on the graham cracker, with the bottom of the cupcake facing you.

6. Spoon the vanilla frosting on the flat part of the cupcake and with a knife, make it smooth and flat.

7. Cut the white gumdrop in half, and press the gumdrop completely flat to make the head and the body of the snowman.

8. Cut the gumdrop to make the hat.

9. Place the cupcake flat and sprinkle clear and blue sprinkles to make it look like snow.

10. With scissors, cut a very small strip of the red fruit roll up and use it to make the scarf.

11. With various colorful cake mate frosting, draw the eyes, and buttons of the snowman.

C’est tout!!!

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:

• 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour,
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder,
• 1/4 tsp of salt,
• 6 Tbsp of butter,
• 2 large eggs,
• 1/2 cup of whole milk,
• 2 Tbsp of vanilla extracts,
• 1/2 cup of milk.

1. Turn the oven to 350.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, the salt and the baking powder and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and the butter until it becomes light and fluffy.
4. Add one egg at a time beating well.
5. Add the flour mixture in 3 times, alternating with the milk ( 2 times).
6. Beat well until well combined, but do not overbeat.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake holes. I used a straight cupcake tray and cook for 15-18 for normal size cupcakes or until they are cooked ( when inserting a toothpick, it should come out clean)
8. Let the cupcakes cool before decorating with the frosting.

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 6 oz of cream cheese at room temperature,
• 1 tbsp of unsalted butter at room temperature,
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla,
• 1/2 cup of powder sugar.

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese.
2. Then add the sugar and finally the butter at little at a time.
3. If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!