New Blog!!!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for being readers of Pixie Crust!  I have started a new blog due to the fact that I am now baking solely gluten free, as well as focusing on creating fun recipes for alternative diets (vegan, paleo, etc.)

I felt that I needed to start afresh and thus have started Sprinkle Liberally.  I had it designed by the talented Elizabeth Morrow from Morrow Studios and I could not be happier with the results. 

If you would like to check it out and read about my dessert and cooking adventures there, I would be super happy.

Thanks!

-Heather

New Blog! New Business!

Hello!

It's been a while since I've posted on Pixie Crust and these last 6 months have been a whirlwind.  The reason I've been so M.I.A. is because I've started my own baking business with my sister-in-law.  We're L.A. Pastel Bakeshop and for those of you in the Los Angeles area, we will be coming to a Farmer's Market near you in the very immediate future.

As part of the new website, I just started a new blog.  I would be honored to have you keep up with me at L.A. Pastel Bakeshop's blog

Also, if you ever just want to buy a Caramel Frappuccino Cupcake, rather than make your own, you know where to find me!

-Heather

Wilton Cake Course 3

Last Wednesday was my last class for Course 3 of Wilton’s Cake Decorating series.   It’s a bittersweet feeling.  I really enjoyed all of the classes, but I will also be really happy to have my Wednesday evenings back and to have more time to bake on my own.  

 I think that Course 3 was my favorite out of all of the classes because we learned how to cover a cake in fondant, as well as how to make all kinds of lovely, delicate gumpaste flowers.  Even though buttercream tastes better, I definitely enjoy making flowers out of gumpaste and fondant more than using buttercream.  It’s so much cleaner and easier to shape exactly the way you want it.

Our last class session was hectic and most of us didn’t have enough time to finish decorating our cakes after covering them in fondant.  I think that my cake turned out pretty well considering that it was my first time covering a cake in fondant, but  I did learn a couple of things:

• 1.       Even though swiss meringue buttercream is beautifully smooth and delicious for a non-fondant covered cake, it’s not as easy to cover a cake with fondant that’s frosted with SMB because it doesn’t crust.  I had frosting all over my hands at the end of and my fondant looked bumpy because of the softness of the SMB.

• 2.       Don’t be scared to take the plunge and cut the fondant once it’s smoothed and draped!  The longer you wait, the more chance it will tear.  Most of us had at least one tear in the fondant on our cake.

• 3.       Use rubber gloves with handling fondant, or scrub, scrub, scrub your hands.  If you don’t, you will see every little fiber and speck on your fondant cake.  Fondant absorbs EVERYTHING when you work with it.

• 4.       Don’t overuse shortening with your fondant, or else it will become brittle and hard to work with.  It will also dry less smooth. 

I think I will be making another fondant cake in the near future, but I will probably not use Wilton fondant.  I have not yet tried making my own cooked fondant- only marshmallow fondant.  I have heard that Satin Ice is sort of the go to fondant for professional cake shops, though.  

My favorite part of this cake is all of the flowers.  Out of all of the flowers we learned to make, I think I will use the rose the most.  They are beautiful, delicate and not that time consuming to make.  The daisies and mums were also pretty easy and really cute.  The most time consuming flower we made was the carnation (not picture) because it had so many layers.  

Overall, I would encourage anyone who is interested to take these courses.  Since I live in the Los Angeles area, I took mine at the Continuing Education center at Santa Monica College.  This was really great because each class session is actually 3 hours, versus 2 hours at Michael’s Crafts.  

Happy decorating and baking! 

Orange 50/50 Cupcakes

I'm so excited that summer is around the corner!  All except for the part about wearing a bathing suit...but Mr. Pixie Crust and I have started a new diet regime that I think will help prepare us for that part.


These cupcakes definitely will not help with getting you beach ready, but they are a really fun soda shop inspired treat.  


For the Cupcakes:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 
2 cups, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
4 large eggs, plus 1 white at room temperature 
3 cups GF flour (3/4 cup white rice flour, 1 cup sweet rice flour,  3/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup GF oat flour) 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt  
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature 
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.


Zest one orange and lemon onto a small cutting board or plate.  Set aside.


Sift baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours together.  Set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and egg white one at a time.  Mix until fully combined.  Add vanilla extract and citrus zest.


Combine juice and sour cream into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer, alternating with wet ingredients.  Mix until fully combined, but do not overmix.  Distribute batter evenly into each cupcake liner.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back to the touch. 


For the Orange Curd Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Curd Recipe

• 2 oranges
• 1 lemon 
• 1 cup, plus 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of kosher salt

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 2 oranges and one lemon. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is fine and incorporated into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the orange and lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool.  Refrigerator until fully cold and thickened.  

For the 50/50 Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

4 egg whites 
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
3 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Juice from 1 whole orange and 1/2 lemon 


Combine egg whites and sugar in bowl of stand mixer.  Place bowl inside a sauce pan of simmering water (to create a double boiler effect).  Whisk mixture until egg white/sugar mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. 


Take bowl out of water and place on mixer.  Whisk on high for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture is completely cool. 

With mixer running, add butter in piece by piece until fully combined.  Switch to paddle attachment and mix for another 1-2 minutes.


Remove half of the buttercream and set aside in separate bowl.  Add vanilla bean paste to remaining buttercream and beat with paddle attachment.  Set vanilla bean buttercream aside.  Place other 1/2 of plain buttercream in mixing bowl and beat in orange and lemon juice until satisfactory flavor is reached.


To assemble:

Once cupcakes are cooled, core out the center of each one.  Fill a pastry bag with orange curd and pipe into center of cupcakes.  Fill a pastry bag with 1 vertical layer of vanilla bean icing and 1 vertical layer of orange icing (to create marbled effect) and frost as desired.





 

Churro Cupcakes

For the Churro Cupcakes (makes 2 dozen cupcakes)
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 
2 cups, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
4 large eggs, plus 1 white at room temperature 
3 cups GF flour (3/4 cup white rice flour, 1 cup sweet rice flour,  3/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup sorghum flour) 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt  
3 tbsp water 
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature 
1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
Pre-heat oven to 330 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.


Sift baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours together.  Set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and egg white one at a time.  Mix until fully combined.  Add vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.


Combine water, buttermilk and sour cream into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer, alternating with wet ingredients.  Mix until fully combined, but do not overmix.  Distribute batter evenly into each cupcake liner.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back to the touch. 


For the Browned Butter sauce and Cinnamon Sugar Topping:


- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsp cinnamon 


Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tbsp cinnamon onto a small plate and mix together well.


Heat 1 stick of butter in a small sauce pan until it smells nutty and has a tan color.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the butter until dissolved.


While the cupcakes are still warm, use toothpicks to poke small holes into the top of each cupcake.  Dip each cupcake into butter sauce and then into cinnamon sugar mixture.  


Once all cupcake tops are covered, cut hole into each one and fill with dulce de leche or mexican chocolate pudding.  


For the Frosting :

-3 sticks butter, unsalted
-1/2 block cream cheese
-2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
-seeds from one vanilla bean

Combine butter and cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer and beat with paddle attachment until well mixed.  Add vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  Continue to beat for 3-4 minutes until frosting is a good, whipped consistency.

Pipe onto the top of each covered, filled cupcake and decorate as desired. 


PS: I know these cupcakes sound SUPER rich, but you will have leftover buttercream and you really need the butter sauce and cinnamon sugar to emulate the "frying" aspect of a churro.   Plus, they are super tasty.  :)  Treat yourself once in a while.

Flower Basketweave Cake and An Announcement

Hello Friends,

Today I'm sharing the cake I made for my last Wilton Cake Decorating Class (Course Two).  My brother-in-law took the super cool photos.

 



 

 

If you took the 1st Wilton Cake Decorating Class and were on the fence about taking two and/or three, I highly recommend course two.  We learned how to make all kinds of fondant, gumpaste, and royal icing flowers.

In addition to sharing this cake with you, I want to share an announcement.  Pixie Crust will soon be unveiling a new business name and I will be equipped to start taking orders from the public- not just friends. I don't want to jinx anything by saying too much, but suffice it to say that I'll be giving updates on Facebook and the blog regularly as they happen.

Lastly, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and I will be sharing a delicious recipe for Churro cupcakes.  See you then!

Dulce De Leche Macarons

Things have been pretty hectic for me as of late. I've been baking more than ever- just not posting about it!
Since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, I wanted to share these Dulce de Leche french macarons with you. I made my dulce de leche from scratch, but you can also buy it.
For the Macaron Shells (makes about 35 cookie shells)
Ingredients
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites (separated and left on the counter for at least 24 hours)
Small pinch cream of tartar
A few drops of gold and one drop of orange food coloring


Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Sift almond flour and confectioner's sugar 2 times. Set aside. Whisk egg whites on low-medium until foamy. Add a small pinch of cream of tartar. Whisk on medium-high until whites are whipped and have soft peaks. Slowly add in 1/4 cup sugar and food coloring, continuously whisking until whites form stiff peaks.

TIP: Whites should form a peak on the whisk attachment, but should not be whisked to the point that they are too stiff to fall off the whisk when tapped on the mixing bowl.

Sift dry ingredients over egg whites in three parts- do not stir, but fold gently with a rubber spatula into egg whites. Continue folding batter until it "ribbons" off rubber spatula. Scoop batter into a 14-16 inch pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe circles onto parchment paper lined baking sheets (or use silpat). After piping, hit baking sheet on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Allow cookies to sit for 15-30 minutes before baking so that they form a protective "skin." This step also helps to avoid cracking. Allow shells to fully cool before filling.
For best taste, allow macarons to meld with filling at least overnight and preferably 1-2 days.


For the Dulce de Leche filling:
Combine a generous cup of dulce de leche with 3/4 stick butter in bowl of stand mixer.
Using whisk attachment, beat on high until mixture is combined and is a whipped consistency.
 Using a pastry bag, pipe a small amount of filling on one side of each cookie and sandwich together