Watermelon is a sure sign summer is almost here! Since my kids absolutely love watermelon, I thought it would be fun to make some watermelon treats…kid friendly and perfect for BBQ’s!

And just maybe because I really wanted to use the watermelon candy flavoring that’s been hanging out in my cabinet since fall. Or so I thought it had…as I’m finishing up the frosting I realize there is no watermelon flavoring in there at all! Either it was stole nby the little gnomes that take all my other baking items…or I completely imagined the whole darn thing. I just might have a habit of not checking for ingredients before I start a project…just as my neighbors. ;)

But I really wanted to finish these…and I’m also known for “making things work”. So I pulled out my trusty bin of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations and ta-da Fruit Punch Frosting Creations! It’s not exactly watermelon…but it’s pretty close! My kids nor my husband even noticed…shhhhhhh. ;)

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Box White Cake Mix + Ingredients On Box (I used Duncan Hines French Vanilla)
Green Gel Food Coloring
Circle Cutter (optional)
Your Favorite Buttercream
Watermelon Flavoring (a few drops candy oil, 1-2 TBS extract, OR 1 packet of Frosting Creations)
Red Gel Coloring
Black Sprinkles
Push Pop Containers
Piping Bag + Round Tip

Step 1: Mix your cake mix as directed on box, add in a little bit of green gel coloring.

Step 2: Pour into a large parchment paper lined baking pan(s) and bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. You can bake it in a 9X13 but it will be thick and you will have to trim it down. I like to bake it in two pans so the cake is thin and easy to be cut into thin circles. The parchment paper is so you can easily pull it out to cut the circles.

Step 3: Using a circle cutter or the top of your push pop container, cut your green cake into as many circles as you can.

Step 4: Next flavor your frosting with your watermelon, or fruit punch! Add in red gel coloring until you reach your desired color. You can use just about any vanilla frosting, even canned for these if you want. However, I if your are going to be taking these to a BBQ where it’s warm out, I highly recommend using a decorators buttercream to resist melting in the heat.

Step 5: Mix in black sprinkle “seeds”, as little or as much as you would like. I mixed in quiet a bit!

Step 6: Using a medium round tip, fill your piping bag.

Step 7: Alternate cake and icing while sprinkling adding in a few extra sprinkles until your push pop is full!

I probably should have added a third layer or cake, it was quiet a bit of “watermelon” icing. If is there’s such a thing…

Hello, and welcome to the party! Haven’t you heard? The ever so sweet Java Cupcake has gathered up 21 dessert bloggers to throw an incredible Cupcake Couture Blog Party! Here’s how it works…each of us was given a random cupcake wrapper from Bella Cupcake Couture, from which we were suppose to create a coordinating cupcake and display using things around our home. Just to show you guys just how easy it is to dress up a cupcake and beautifully display it for any occasion!! Oh, and did I mention there’s a little giveaway as well? One lucky winner will be taking home $565.00 worth of cupcake gear to get you well on your way to a beautiful display (ok more like 10 displays!).

I received these beautiful soft pink and grey swirled cupcake wrappers with scalloped edges. The elegant look of the wrappers gave me the idea to bake pink champagne cupcakes and create a sweet and bubbly celebratory display to go along with. I decided to use matching pink elements and then add in stars to bring out the grey swirls and create a sparkling display that could be used for many different celebrations!

A tissue paper tassel garland turned the display into a celebration! It was easy, quick, cheap…yet oh so cute! I see more tassel garlands in my future.

And of course…the cupcakes!!! The cupcake itself is a pink champagne cupcake topped with a pink champagne buttercream. (recipe below) The cake had a nice light flavor too it, and the buttercream tasted like a sweet champagne! They can be easily adapted for a stronger or lighter flavor. Once these little ladies got all dressed up in their pretty little wrappers, I added a silver swirl of sprinkles and a couple of fondant stars. I really love how they came together. So simple, yet so elegant!

I also used left over fabric from a dress I made as the table linen..which just happened to be perfectly sparkly! The cute little paper garland was made using scrapbook paper from my stash, punched out, and sewn together. One of my fav party decorations to make. :) And of course, a little bit of silver star confetti gave it just a little bit more sparkle!

I love how easy and inexpensive it all came together. Since most of the items used we’re found right in my home, it cost me less then 20 dollars to put together! Which included a 12 bottle of champagne. Pretty good, I’d say. See, it doesn’t have to cost you any limbs to create a display that will WOW your friends!

But wait there’s more…each of these bloggers also has a pretty little cupcake display for you today. Follow their links bellow to see what they baked up. But before you get lost in the awesome cupcake displays…scroll down and enter to win!

And let’s not forget the prizes!

Thanks to our amazing Prize Pack sponsors for their generous donations! Please, visit their websites to see more of their fabulous products!

To enter to WIN this Prize Pack, simply fill out the entry form below.

Contest opens 21May13 at 0700 PST and closes 27May13 at 2359 PST. One winner will be chosen and announced within 24 hours of the contest ending. Winner will be contacted via email to claim their prize.

This contest is open to residents of the USA and Europe only.

Whew. That was a LOT of fun. Just like any other party…I’m beat! Hope you guys had fun as well as picked up a few new ideas for your next celebration!

Back in the fall, I posted about these super yummy Triple White Chocolate Cupcakes. Which consist of white chocolate cake, topped with white chocolate icing, and a Lindt white chocolate truffle tucked inside. They immediately became one of my favorite cupcakes, and since then they’ve became a reader favorite as well. You guys seem to be crazy about those cupcakes, and I don’t blame ya!

I had never even tried a Lindt truffle until those cupcakes came about. Now, I’m hooked on them, they rank right with Reese cups in my book! I don’t dare buy a bag, because I just might eat every last one and destroy the evidence, before the hubs even smells the chocolate! ;) On our trip to Miami we visited a Lindt truffle store, ohh mmyy gooooodness (that’s all I’ll say about that). Then it occurred to me…why hadn’t I made cupcakes with milk chocolate truffles!! And so these chocolately cupcakes came about!

Also, it gave me a chance to finally work on my chocolate buttercream recipe. I always tend to stray away from making chocolate buttercream because I just haven’t found one I like. I whipped up this batch in one try and I LOVE it! It’s really creamy and buttery, but every bit as chocolate! It’s so easy and only 3 ingredients, it also piped great. The cake of course is my favorite, Hershey’s perfectly chocolate recipe.

Chocolate Buttercream

12oz Melting Chocolate
1 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
4-6 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream (or milk)

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes

2 Cups Sugar
1-3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
1 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Salt
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Boiling Water
18 Milk Chocolate Lindt Truffles

*These recipes will make and frost 18 cupcakes, however, you will have extra batter.

You will want to start with the frosting this time, because it takes time to chill.

Step 1: In a double boiler, microwave, or large chocolate melter, melt chocolate and butter together. Stir well. Pour into a large mixing bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer.

You can do this together in a double boiler or separate and mix together if you would prefer. I attempted to do it in my chocolate melter and it barely fit and was not fun to stir, so I wouldn’t recommend it! I don’t like to use double boilers so next time I’ll melt the chocolate in the chocolate melter and the butter in the microwave then stir together in my mixing bowl. However you would like to melt it, just be careful not to over heat it. For more tips on melting chocolate check out Melting Chocolate 101.

Step 2: Place in either the freezer or fridge until it cools, stirring and scraping the sides every few minutes to keep the chocolate from hardening on the sides. Mine took 25 minutes in the fridge.

Step 3: Using a kitchen mixer or a hand beater, beat the chocolate for about 1 minute, it will become lighter in color right away.

Step 4: Add in 4-6 TBS of heavy whipping cream or milk, and beat. You can use milk if you would like, but I prefer the creamy taste the heavy whipping cream adds.

Now for the cupcakes (I made these while waiting for my chocolate to cool).

Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined.

Step 6: Add in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Pour in boiling water and beat for 2 minutes.

Step 7: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (I used 4TBS) and bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Step 8: Unwrap all your truffles and gently press them into the center of your cupcakes.

Step 9: Pipe your frosting onto your cupcakes. It helps to first pipe a little extra blob in the center to fill the dent left by the truffles. If you would like more info on piping cupcakes check out Frosting Cupcakes 101.

I topped mine off with some yummy chocolate sprinkles, which kind of makes them a quadruple chocolate cupcake…right? ;)

We’ve now been in New York for 15 months, so of course…it’s about “that time” for us. Clearly too long – because we’ve received our next set of orders. But before I tell you where we’re headed I thought I’d show you where we’ve been…in cookies! Last week I decorated a cookie in the shape of each state we’ve lived in, with a heart over where we lived. The girls had fun talking about each state and seeing where we lived. Who says baking can’t be educational! – Oh, and the adorable state cutters came from here!

Crazy enough. We started out in little ole Indiana. The hubs and I are actually high school sweethearts…he was already in the military and we made our first move just 2 months after getting married. To Oklahoma….

…which was a HUGE adjustment, but we survived! We had our first daughter here and a 15 month deployment shortly after, during which the kiddo and I moved back to Indiana, then back to Oklahoma again! We were so excited to head to eventually head to Virgnia…

…where we had our twin girls just 90 days after. We absolutely loved Virginia, and finally felt like we were “home”. But that didn’t last for very long because after 21 months we received completely random orders to New York…

…where we’re finally getting settled, despite the never ending snow. The short lived summer is beautiful and the remote location has actually allowed us to “slow down” a bit. We knew we wouldn’t be here too long though. The hubs has been in a job transition for over a year now, and he leaves for a 4 month school in less days then I want to admit. So the girls and I will be spending the summer enjoying beautiful New York without daddy. (feel free to send wine and chocolate, just kidding) Then in the fall we’ll be moving to…

..Texas! Yep. We’re moving from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico, about 5 miles to be exact! I am still a bit shocked. You would think I’d be use to it already…but I just wasn’t expecting quiet that far south. But as always we’ll adjust! I’ve already started googling the nearest baking stores…there seems to be a few! And rumor has it, we’re going to be there for a solid 2-3 years. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

Moving (and the army lifestyle) definitely has it’s ups and downs but we try really hard to make it a positive experience in our girl’s life. Who else can say they’ve lived in the same number of states as they have had birthdays!?! Not to mention they’ve experienced far more then the average child, maybe adult even! Despite the occasional tears from missing family, they seem to be thriving and happy no matter their place on the globe. They are so excited about moving, and yes, they’ve now discovered the difference between dessert and desert. ;)

Plus, the hubs and I have acquired quiet a few unique skills. Like the ability to unpack a house in 24 hours – or cooking three course meals in a hotel. Yea, we’re awesome like that.

Really excited for our next stop! And if you have any tips for baking in that climate – send them my way!

I have another pretty little flower treat to share today! But first a little Thursday morning confession for you. These sweet little flower pot cupcakes we’re meant to be shared weeks ago. Let’s just say, they’re late bloomers. Ha! Funny right? I know, I know stick with the baking ;) ….I purchased and planned these little cuties before Easter when these sweet little flower pot cupcake liners were still in stores. And since then I just haven’t been able to share them until now, just barely in time for Mother’s Day.

So if you would like to try these out and already have the little “pots” great! If not you can try them in some green cupcake liners, Pin the idea for next year, or just enjoy the pretty flowers! Either way, they were fun to make and worth the wait!

Incase you haven’t seen the lithe pots. These are silicone cupcake liners made by Wilton, which I baked chocolate cake in, added frosting, and chocolate cake crumbs for “dirt”. The flowers are actually royal iced cookie pops, and the leaves are cookies as well. There are a lot of steps to pull these together, but I assure you they are all pretty easy! These cookies really aren’t hard at all.

To keep this tutorial from growing into a book, I’m going to skip the cookie baking processes and show you how I pulled it all together. The cookie pops I made using this recipe and cookie making technique as always. :) I used a small 2 in flower cutter and the large leaf from Wilton’s fondant leave cutter set. Just before baking I turned them into pops by adding 6in lollipop sticks as I have shown here. Then we decorate and pull it all together!

Here’s what you will need:

Flower Cookie Pops
Cookie Leaves
Royal Icing
Gel Colors
Coordinating Sanding Sugars
Chocolate Cake Mix
Chocolate Icing
Green Washi Tape (optional)

Step 1: Start off by separating your icing into several bowls and color however you would like. Although, you’ll want to make sure you have yellow for the center. Then thin with drops of warm water to a 20 second consistency (when you draw a line in it with a toothpick it will take 20 seconds to disappear). Separate each color into a decorating bottle.

Step 2: Organize your decorating station. I like to work with my cookies on a wax paper lined baking sheet, my bottles upside down, and a paper towel and tooth pick near. You won’t need the sanding sugar just yet.

Step 3: Using your 20 second royal icing, flood and fill each cookie. Let them sit for 1-2 hours so they harden a bit.

Step 4: Using your yellow royal icing pipe on a “blob” for the center. Remember, it will spread so don’t go too big. Then pour yellow sanding sugar over each center right away. Let them dry for another 1-2 hours.

Step 5: Now you can gently turn over the cookies and remove the excess sanding sugar. Use a clean dry paint brush to remove any sanding sugar left on the cookies. Then you can pour the extra sanding sugar back into the jar to reuse!

Step 6: Now outline your cookie again and cover with coordinating sanding sugar. If you’re using multiple flower colors line mine, I recommended separating them onto plates by color before. So you can easily save the excess of each sanding sugar color.

Step 7: Outline and fill each leaf. Let set for about 30 minutes. Then draw a simple line and add sanding sugar.

Step 8: After I let my cookies dry overnight I wrapped the sticks in green washi tape. Totally optional!

Step 9: Whip up your fav chocolate cake batter and pour 1/4 cup into each liner. Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 10: While baking they will rise above the liner. Take a knife and cut off the tops. I also cut down a little more then the edge to allow for more frosting. Crumble up your cake scraps in a bowl and set aside.

Step 11: Fill the rest of the pot with chocolate frosting. To get a nice level top just run the spatula across the top!

Step 12: Grab your bowl of cake crumbs and turn your pot upside down and place it in the bowl pull it up and then add crumbs to any bare spots. If needed you can gently smooth the top out now with a clean hand.

Now it’s super easy from here!

Step 13: Stick your flowers right down in the cupcakes. You may want to trim off about an inch of the stick first. I found they were a better height to work with after trimming them. I also trimmed all of mine slightly different because what flowers grow even. ;)

Step 14: Pipe of spoon to generous blobs of chocolate frosting on each side of the stem, then push the leaves down right in front of them. This will help support the leaves. If your leaves are sliding back just simply pipe more icing behind it to support it. You won’t see them from the front, but if you’d like you can add left over cake crumbs on top to blend it in.

Whew! Now you can relax from your day of “planting flowers” and enjoy your creation.

Dirt never looked so cute!

Ok so maybe I’ve never successfully “grown” anything in my life…but I have baked many pretty flowers! If you would like to see more sweet flower ideas check out these daisy cupcakes here and this cupcake bouquet tutorial \!