icing

...now browsing by tag

 
 

Cupcake Cafe: Works of Art

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

My colleagues surprised me on my birthday last spring with a cupcake party!

These little works of art come from Cupcake Cafe in Manhattan.

You could choose from chocolate cake with chocolate icing, vanilla cake with chocolate icing, vanilla cake with chocolate icing and vanilla cake with vanilla icing.  Most people don’t notice if a batch of cupcakes has one combination missing, but I do.  I feel a deep sense of calm with a complete set.

Maybe I should say frosting in place of icing?  I’m not really sure.  This stuff was really creamy, not sugary.

I’m glad I snapped a photo because let’s just say they didn’t live long.

Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Peppermint Icing

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

After making my gingerbread house I had a bit of leftover dough (from this recipe).

I used the top of a water glass to make circular cookies; pushing the glass firmly through the dough and twisting the glass back and forth before removing will keep them looking perfect (or close enough).  Bake ~10 minutes or until edges begin to turn a bit darker.  When cool, I added some peppermint extract to the icing to make a tasty filling for sandwiched gingerbread.

Peppermint Icing for Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from Elise‘s Royal Icing

What I Changed (Reflected Below) and Why: Halved recipe since original was for gingerbread house; Added peppermint extract for flavor; Skipped the beating and other complicated steps of the recipe since the texture of cookie filling is more forgiving than icing used as gingerbread mortar; Included option to use water instead of egg white since, again, it’s just filling.

1 large egg white  OR 1 Tbsp water
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Whisk rapidly until well combined and a bit fluffy.  This step can alternatively be done in a mixer.

2. Spread in between two gingerbread cookies (or another type of flat cookie).  Let rest for several hours or until firm.

Optional Step 3: Roll edges of cookies in crushed candy canes.  Do this before the icing is set so that candy canes adhere well.