Leopard Inside Cupcakes: An Experiment

You've probably seen the videos circulating Facebook about how simple it is to make cake pops, cakes with leopard print inside, etc. I know from my personal experience with cake pops that if you did exactly as the video does, your cake pops are going to fall right off the stick. There's a few important steps missing. I figured it would be the same with these leopard print cakes. (Crumb-coating, anyone?) I also noticed a few cupcakes being made with this same leopard-inside method. There are reasons why I thought this method would work better with a cake than a cupcake, but I won't get into that right now. I decided I was going to try it. I also decided that it might be beneficial to make a video of exactly what I was doing. I realize I don't have the great lighting and beautiful kitchen setup, so bare with me... Here were my results from using the "Bullseye" pattern to create a leopard effect inside cupcakes.

So right off the bat I made the mistake of cutting the cupcake in half to check out the inside. What was visible was straight lines from the ring pattern. If the cupcake is being eaten, rather than sliced, it will be more spotty in appearance. My results were okay... but I thought I could try another idea and get even better results.

I thought, if layered rings work, why wouldn't piping actual leopard spots into the batter work just as well? You could choose exactly where you want them, make them a very specific shape... It should work... It wouldn't be as quick or easy as the ring method, but if you like to take your time and get things right like I do, then the following is the method I would use.

Here are my tips: Some of  which I noted in the videos Prepare your cake batter using room temperature ingredients for better mixing. Do not over-mix. Beat your eggs separately and add them to your mix to help avoid over mixing and ensure an even consistency. Separate your batter, colour it, and transfer it into three separate piping bags... Now let it chill in the fridge for a bit. Why? Because your pattern will hold it's shape a little better rather than using room temperature batter, which will want to sink down and level out. Also, rather than just laying your coloured batter over the black, I like to insert the tip of the piping bag into the black spot and "inject" the coloured batter. You want your coloured batter application to be thicker than your black batter, which you should do as thinly as you possibly can.

I feel with both videos I don't need to do a ton of explaining and frankly I've been waiting for three days to have the time to make this post- so I'm anxious to just get it up for those who have been waiting. If you have any questions just leave them in the comments.

Here are a few photos I took throughout the process. I did decorate a few of the cupcakes with Merckin candy melts, which I painted leopard spots on with coloured icing.

Bullseye Method:

Step 1 (well, sort of. The thin plain layer is technically step 1, but you get it...)

Step two.

Step three.

Step four, and then repeat the pattern. Try not to fill more than 2/3rds of the cup.

This was not as leopardly (tm) as I'd hoped, so I thought I could improve upon it...

If bitten, rather than cut, the design does look more random and spotty. 

Improved Method: 

After a thin plain base layer, lay down some thin black spots.
Inject a thicker spot of colour inside your black batter.
Cover over your coloured batter with a final layer of thin black.
Trace around your spots with plain batter and fill over them.
Repeat the pattern one more time.

More leopardly in appearance than the bullseye/ring pattern,
don't you think?

 I hope this post inspires you to do some experimenting of your own. Let me know how it goes in the comments!


I  have a batch of around 80 cake pops to prepare, ordered for a wedding on Friday so tomorrow if I have time I may write about some of those. The flavors I'm making are Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, Devil's Food (Chocolate), and Red Velvet! I've been dying to make some Red Velvet, so that's good news!


-H.Cat.

Beautify Your Cake Pops with Basic Embellishments

Tonight I finally got around to whipping up my second batch of cake pops. I'd planned to do this yesterday but was too busy. I wondered if the cake being two days old (with the potential to be stale) would make a difference, but it didn't seem to. Then again, the cake wasn't exactly stale, either.


So I had originally hoped to gift a bouquet of cake pops from my last batch to a little boy who's birthday my son is invited to tomorrow. The problem being, my fiance and children ate pretty much all of them. My fiance, who told me before I made them that he was not going to be interested in them at all (guess they were THAT good!) kept creeping back to the fridge for more. As did my daughter, who stole several and ate them underneath a sheet while I was in the shower. It was no big deal, though. I knew I'd be making more.

You won't find the actual recipe on this page (but keep reading because there is a link). What you will find on this specific page are some simple "toppings" that when sprinkled on a cake pop, look surprisingly decadent. You might even find that you already possess most of these among your baking goodies.

 Click here for my Cake Pop Tutorial

 

I apologize that these pictures were taken in my refrigerator, cake pops cramped together and somewhat difficult to see. I tried to capture most of the different 'styles' in the photos and I may be able to update tomorrow with a better presentation.

So here's what I whipped up in my first batch:

 

And pictured below are the ones I finished tonight. Since they're kind of staggered, it would be difficult to explain what each is topped with from a left-to-right order, so I'll put my faith in your ability to tell by looking, and present you with a list. 

I used white Mercken Candy Wafers to make the white coating. I used a lot of sprinkles, as you'll see. I had basic white long sprinkles, rainbow long sprinkles, rainbow ball sprinkles in various sizes mixed together because I like the effect, silver pearl candies- like you see on shortbread cookies, crushed candy cane, blue decorating sugar, coconut- flaked and shredded mixed together, rainbow candy coated chocolate chips, Skor Chipits, and one of them adorns a pair of Wilton's brand candy eyes (adorned with fabulous glamour lashes!). I just mixed it all up to get a variety of looks. I thought I really liked the blue and pink ones I made with white sprinkles, but now I'm not sure which I prefer. The white look just as appetizing and adorable.

Until next time!
-h.Cat

Recipe: Cake Pops; A Success Story

Only another parent will recognize the feeling you experience when you gaze down at that tiny little person for the first time, and you find yourself saying "I can't believe I made you..." Well, I felt that again with these cake pops.

Maybe it was beginners luck, or maybe I just expected these to be more difficult after reading all of the horror stories and the complaints of hard work involved. Maybe those people aren't used to cranking out Gourmet Caramel Apples on a weekly basis, so they have no idea that these cake pops are literally a cakewalk by comparison. Whatever it was, I found these simple and delightful to make- and they're oh so cute so you get the satisfaction of a job well done. Bonus!

This was my first time making these. Actually, last night was. They turned out so well that I'm in the process of making a second batch as I type this. I am literally waiting for the cake to cool. The kids just had to bring a couple of these to their teachers at school today, and we are planning on bringing these as a special treat for classmates to celebrate my son's upcoming birthday.

It really surprised me is that these are made of crumbled cake, glued together and shaped into balls with a bit of icing. I never would have thought! Therefore, you have to option of making this a "no-bake" project by simply using a store-bought cake. I didn't have a ton of time, so I used a rainbow-chip Betty Crocker cake mix and a jar of prepared vanilla icing.

 Ingredients:

• one cake- store bought, made from scratch, or whip one up from a box (yields 22-25 'pops)
• icing- home made or store bought- you only need a few table spoons
• candy melts- I used Merckens and mixed white with either pink or blue to achieve my colours
• sprinkles- I used white
• coconut oil- just a bit

 Tools:

• cake pop sticks
• medium-large mixing bowl
• tall, narrow glass for melting candy wafers
• pot of water to use as a double boiler
• styrofoam block or whatever you can rig up to hold the cake pops

Now here's what to do...

If you're baking your cake from a box, then go ahead and bake according to the directions on the box. I used slightly less milk and slightly less oil to reduce the moisture so the cake pop wouldn't have a gross gooey texture.  While your cake is baking, clear some room in your fridge and freezer.

When your cake is finished baking, let it cool. I actually baked mine the night before. Once it's room temperature, you're good to go. Crumble the cake into your mixing bowl Literally crumble the life out of it until it's completely smashed into itty-bitty bits. There should be no big pieces of cake left.  Add no more than two tablespoons of icing to your crumbled cake. It's best to mix it by hand so you can get a feel for it. You want to use just enough icing to make it form together and stick. Too much icing would be a mistake.

While you are mixing your cake crumbs and icing, put your candy melts into your tall, narrow glass cup and melt them in your pot of water, double boiler style. If your candy melts seem too thick to work with, you can add a few drops of coconut oil to thin it out. You don't want it too thick, nor too thin.

Form your cake/icing mix into small balls. Most people will form the balls into the size they want the finished cake pop to be, but you need to remember that there will be a layer of candy coating also and you do not want it to be too heavy for your stick. Make it slightly smaller than your finished 'pop should be. Once your balls are formed (sorry, I had to laugh)... take one of your cake pop sticks and insert it into the center of your ball carefully, then remove it. Dip the tip of the stick into your melted coating, then insert it into the hole you made previously. This should "glue" the stick to the ball. As a tip, insert the stick half way into the ball.

Once all of your sticks are "glued" into your balls with your melted candy coating, and perfectly formed, place them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. I kept a plate in the freezer and put them in one by one, after I'd inserted the stick.

If your balls should accidentally become frozen solid (giggling again... this recipe is loaded with double-entendre!) you will need to bring them down closer to room temperature before dipping them in your candy coating, otherwise as they thaw after they are finished,they may expand and crack your coating. Only one of mine cracked, and I assume this was why. I have read that an alternative to putting them in the freezer is to place them in the fridge overnight, or for several hours.

Make sure your candy coating is melted properly, without burning it. Make sure it is deep enough to dunk your 'pop down into it and completely submerge it. Because it is oil based, so much as a drop of water will ruin it. That said, I remind you not to use water based food colouring! It will cause your candy coating to seize. So if you've noticed your candy coating has thickened, add a drop or two of coconut oil. If it is too thin, throw in a few more candy melts. As I mentioned, I bought white, blue, and red Merckens candy wafers. I added white to each colour to make my pink and blue.

Get your Styrofoam block ready, because after you dip your cake pop in the candy coating you're going to need something to hold it while you work on the others. I couldn't find Styrofoam until after they were finished, so I used an orange crate with a sheet of craft foam, as well as a sheet of craft foam over a popsicle mold, I transferred them to a piece of styrofoam after. Also, have your sprinkles handy because the coating dries fast.

Our goal is to dunk the pop just once, in one motion. Pick up your uncoated cake pop by the stick and dunk it into the candy coating deep enough to cover the point where the stick enters the cake ball. Pull the cake ball out of the candy coating, turning slowly. Tap your wrist firmly while rotating the stick to knock off any excess and round things out. You really don't have much time so sprinkle your sprinkles onto the pop before it dries. You now have a finished cake pop. You'll be tempted to eat it, but what you should really do is stick it into your Styrofoam and place it in the fridge. After all, you have 20 or more of these to finish!

Like the gourmet apples, these are about a million different ways to change these up. After the cake balls have set in the freezer, you can re-shape them a bit if desired. As an idea, I'd like to try a red velvet cake mixed with cream cheese icing, with a white coating sprinkled in coconut with two candy eyes. The kids fashioned this idea after the Abominable Snowman, or Yeti.

They double as an adorable prop for photos!

Recap: 
I know I tend to ramble, and the recipes on my blog aren't as practical as those found on actual recipe sites... soooo I'll finish up with a summary.

• bake the cake, let it cool
• crumble the cake, mix with less than 2 tbsp icing, form into balls
• melt candy coating, insert sticks- cemented with candy coating, and chill in freezer for 30 minutes
• let cake balls defrost if frozen, and dunk swiftly into candy coating. Tap wrist and turn cake pop to drip off the excess and smooth it out
• throw on a pinch of sprinkles before candy coating hardens
• stick into styrofoam and put in fridge to set
• nom nom nom nom!!!

These are amazing. They turned out really well, and my children agree that they taste better than their previous favorite, which was the cake pops from Starbucks.  I have no idea why people find these so difficult to make. Try them out for yourself and let me know how they turned out in the comments!

Update: Check out this post for more simply adorable decorating ideas.

-H.Cat

Recipe: Coconut Skor Gourmet Caramel Apples (Contains Nuts!)

Finished product, waiting to be cut into sweet heavenly slices!

 So it doesn't exactly fit with the theme of the blog- but I'm hoping to change that. This is the first recipe I've posted, I think... and hopefully I'll add a few more. Maybe I'll get the hang of it and streamline future recipes so they aren't one big impossibly long ramble like this one! :P

This gourmet caramel apple recipe is specific and is finely tuned to my family's tastes. I could give you an infinite list of potential topping possibilities- but I'm going to give my readers the credit you deserve and assume that you could figure out how to substitute things like peanuts for yourselves. I've tried many different toppings. I'm kind of an expert of sorts now... I recently made my partner one with white chocolate coating the caramel, rolled in smashed Oreo's at the base, and drizzled in a melted cookies and cream chocolate bar. However, this Skor one remains my absolute favorite.

What I love about these apples is that we really don't have to deal in exact measurements. I just wing it. Try to have extra ingredients on hand just in case! If you're a person who takes comfort in measurements, I'm sorry. I'll try to offer you some numbers but I've been eyeballing these and haven't a head for measurements. My recipe may be a mess- and that means it's something children are sure to enjoy helping with!

You will need:

• 6 small-medium sized Granny Smith apples (I usually end up with about 4 finished caramel apples- but that can vary...)
• 2 packages of individually wrapped caramels (around 180g a package) 
•  1-2 tbsp milk or milk substitute (I use table cream usually)
• 1 package of Hershey's Skor Chipits
• 1 1/2 cups of coconut (I use a mixture of 1/2 flaked and 1/2 sweetened shaved coconut)
• 1/2 cup of peanuts, smashed (I use salted because I like the salt with the caramel)
• a couple pinches of pecan pieces to mix in the with peanuts
• a couple pinches of mini candy covered chocolate chips - rainbow to mix with peanut pecan blend
• 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
• sprinkles

Your tools:

• A medium-large microwave safe bowl 
• popsicle sticks
• a brand new green dish scrubbie
• a pot for boiling water, large enough to fit a few apples
• 2 glass cups for melting chocolate chips inside the pot of water
• a couple of spoons
• a couple large plates
• a small bowl (I sometimes use a 1 cup measuring cup)
• some wax or parchment paper

Awaiting it's chocolate-drizzled destiny

So I begin by enlisting my mini-people to wash their hands thoroughly and remove the wrappers from the caramels... It is essential that you make children do this for you because: it's tedious work that you will grow to despise when you find yourself making these caramel apples constantly... because they are so delicious.  *Breathes*


While the kids "shuck" the caramel wrappers and place the caramels into my microwave safe Betty Crocker mixing bowl, I boil a pot of water and once it's ready I dunk two apples at a time into the pot and turn them. You don't want to cook the apple so you have to work quickly. (I accidentally cooked the apple once. My daughter actually preferred it... but maybe that's another recipe.) After a couple rotations when the wax is sure to have softened, remove the apple with tongs. Take the new, clean green dish scrubbie and scrub as much wax off of the green apple as possible. Even when you think there is no wax- there is always wax! So scrub it off or your caramel won't coat properly. I then rinse the apples in cool water and throw gently place them in the freezer for a few minutes to cool them down. Leave that pot of water. You'll need it later.

I clear off the counter and lay out a plate with a sheet of wax paper over it for the apples after they've been dipped. I also lay out a plate for toppings as well as a small bowl or 1 cup measuring cup, also for toppings. I find excuses to nibble on said toppings... Checking the freshness, quality control, etc.

Add a drizzle of milk or milk substitute onto the caramels. Maybe 2 tablespoons at the most. Microwave this at 1 minute increments, stirring frequently, until the caramel is melted and smooth. You may see some bubbles. That's okay. I let it hang out in the microwave to cool off slightly- but you don't want it too cool. In fact, I will re-nuke it for 30 seconds between apples just to keep it flowing.

Apple bottom dressed in peanut,
pecan, mini rainbow chip mixture 

Take your broken peanuts, pecans, and mini rainbow candy coated chocolate chips (what a mouthful!) and mix them up in either a small bowl or a 1 cup measuring cup. If you're using small apples the measuring cup should be perfect. If they're larger, opt for the bowl. This bowl is where you will dip the end of the apple opposite of the stick. I call it the bottom. It could be the top. I initially added the rainbow chips for colour but realized the chocolate bits is a nice way to break up the monotony of nuts- and it will compliment the chocolate drizzle at the other end of the apple. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

So your bowl is ready with your bottom toppings (bottom.. toppings... Kind of funny, no?)  Now take a plate (not paper!) and lay out a thick line of coconut across the plate, and an equally thick line of Skor Chipits (try not to eat yet. Just try! I dare you!) either below or above your coconut line. Depends on how you want your apple dressed. 

Make sure your apples are cool and dry and insert the sticks into the bottom. Make sure the stem and stickers are removed- duh. If you want to be extra productive you can melt your chocolate chips for drizzling at this point you can, but I typically roll my apples and then drizzle the chocolate later, after a cooling/Netflix period- so you'll find details on that chocolate drizzle step below.

Your toppings are ready, you've cleared room in the fridge for your plate of freshly dipped and rolled apples, your caramel is not too hot and not too cool, Goldilocks. Your apples have been impaled and you are ready to go!!

I hold my mixing bowl of caramel on a slight angle (this is probably usually information) so the caramel kind of pools to one side, and I dunk my apple into that deep caramelly goodness and I turn it slowly- but not like stupid slow. The slow turning helps evenly coat and apple and reduce the risk of bubbles in your caramel. I turn the apple as I bring it up out of the caramel. Sometimes you will need to gently remove excess from the bottom with a spoon. I then turn the apple upside-down (or apple side up) for a moment to help the caramel settle.

My rad diagram skills

Take the freshly coated apple and dunk it into the peanut-pecan-candy-coated-choco-chip mixture. If there's room in your bowl, kind of roll/tip the bottom edge of the apple for a good coating of toppings. Pull the apple straight out of the bowl. Voila! Now work quickly before your caramel sets. Roll it back and fourth all the way across the plate so it picks up your two lines of Skor & coconut. If you're not a rockstar in the '90s and the thought of doing two lines at once scares you, you can space the lines out and roll the apple over each topping line one at a time. Make sure there are no bald spots. You can press some toppings into an area that isn't well covered. Just work quickly!

Now your apple has been dunked and rolled, pop it onto the plate you prepared with wax or parchment paper and put it in the fridge while you work on the others. If you messed up a bit and you think there might be too much caramel and it's going to slip down the apple, try putting it in the freezer to slow that slippage down. Just don't leave it so long that the apple freezes! Oops.. That reminds me... BRB.  Looks like I will be adding a recipe for both cooked and frozen caramel apples later!

Now you can wait as long as you want (or skip this step entirely) but when and if you are ready you can put 1/3 cup of chocolate chips into one glass cup and 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips into another glass cup. Put them into your pot of boiling water. Add a tiny amount of milk... Let'em melt and stir them. I stir them with extra popsicle sticks because chocolate drizzle is a pain in the butt to scrub off of spoons.

Once your melted chocolate is nice and smooth and to a consistency that will drip, but isn't thin or watery, you are ready. I use a tablespoon with a slightly narrow end for each cup of chocolate. I've tried drizzling white on brown or brown on white and usually I opt for brown, then white. Don't forget to have your rainbow sprinkles ready. K... So I take a spoonful of chocolate and I pour it into the apple where the stick is inserted. It will drip down the apple naturally and you can guide it with careful pouring. I tend to do like an X pattern with the stick being in the center, then when I pour the white on I will do a Cross pattern, so basically alternating drips of brown chocolate and white chocolate. I scatter a pinch or two of sprinkles over that and I put them back in the fridge. 

Yum. Just... so much yum. 

Annnd we are FINISHED!  It is hard work, especially if you wanted to whip some up quickly on a whim. If you're anything like me you might consider it a labor of love. Take your time and take care and I promise you'll have something to be really proud of. They make great gifts- just make sure that person isn't allergic to any of the topping.


As a tip, I never eat these off of the stick. I cut them in slices- that way you're getting everything you're supposed to be tasting in each slice, as opposed to eating around the apple and only getting the coconut section, etc. Also, it's easier for the kids to manage slices, and that way they can share one, rather than eating the whole thing- because, let's face it- there's nothing healthy about an apple with this much bling on it.


Also, I have finally put the label maker Will got me to good use! I have always wanted one, for obvious reasons (the biggest one being that I'm freaking nuts) so I'm surprised it took me this long to play with it. This was my first mission:

Newly labeled baking goodies & photobombing ratty

 Feel free to comment on what topping combinations you would try instead, eg. My kids like to use Reese's Pieces Minis instead of the rainbow chocolate chips on their apples. Also, come back after trying the recipe and tell me if you loved them as much as I do!

Here's a quick recap: Scrub the wax off your green apples. Dunk and roll them in the melted caramel. Roll freshly coated apple through your toppings before the caramel hardens. Refrigerate to set. Melt chocolate and drizzle it over the apple. Add sprinkles. Refrigerate. Eat & become addicted. Blame me for your love handles :P

Tips: Use no name chocolate chips for better melting. You can break up whole nuts by putting them in a ziplock bag, pressing out air and sealing it, then carefully pounding (oxymoron!) the nuts to bits with practically anything heavy. I've successfully used a bacon press, a can opener, and a wine bottle (desperate times...  ;) Note: Don't try the bottle- It may break in your hands!)

Until next time,

-H.Cat

Fact or Fiction: Magical Pills for Hair, Skin, & Nails

You can walk into any drugstore these days and find several bottles of pills- even gummies, that claim they will help your hair and nails grow and give you a beautiful complexion. It sounds too good to be true, and yet we know a good diet can aid in all of these areas- so why not give it a shot?

I looked at several brands. The most appealing one contained coconut oil and various other "buzz word" ingredients that did appeal to me. A girl working at Rexall told me she uses something called Biotin. She swore that she has seen an obvious improvement in the growth of her hair.

I located a bottle of Jamieson brand Biotin. The bottle states that it "converts cards, proteins, fats to energy." Nothing about the growth of hair or nails. Perhaps that's just a pleasant side effect... and if it really converts these things to energy, all the better! Had I located a miracle pill?

For around $8.00 CAD I could have a bottle with 100 tablets of Biotin, each 250 mcg. I looked at some other brands that boast that they contain biotin and many other appealing ingredients, but the amount of biotin in those tablets was significantly less than the bottle of just-plain-biotin.

The reason biotin works to help hair grow stronger and longer, is because it helps the body produce keratin, which is what hair and nails are made of. It's water soluble and pretty easy to swallow, even for me. The bottle says to take two tablets daily with a meal. I rarely eat meals so I take them on an empty stomach mostly. I started to take three pills a day after I realized they were working, and I thought there were no nasty side effects.

As I researched biotin, I realized some other people had reported acne along their jaw line and cheeks. I had an "aha-moment" because I'd been breaking out regularly along my cheeks and jaw for months... always one or two  blemishes at any given time- and that wasn't really like my skin. So I do believe the biotin is breaking me out. However, in my mind- It's totally worth it!

You have to understand how slowly my hair grows... It's thick, coarse, and curly. I had a black woman tell me she doesn't understand how my hair is so nappy or how I manage to make it look so good, given the texture of it. I colour my hair a lot, so I see exactly the rate at which it grows. I'm lucky to have a cm of regrowth after about  6 months.

Hairvolution 2014 left me with a very similar, copper coloured version of Yolandi's trademark microbanged' 'do.

I started taking biotin around the time I modeled in the Goldwell/KMS Hairvolution 2014 Toronto show, which happened to be in August, I think.  A month after my July abdominal surgery. My hair was already shaved on one side, and I was feeling equal parts scared and liberated when my stylist decided to shave a small section out of the front of the other side as well. The front of my hair was cut into Yolandi Vi$$er style micro bangs, which I have since grown out but did trim into Bettie bangs, twice,Once off of the runway, I decided to rocked the look for a while. I didn't have much choice, really, and no surprise- I received tons of compliments. I did decide to grow out one newly shaved side immediately, though. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of what was done to my hair for the show accessible at this point.

So my hair was shaved in August, and four months later it had grown to this length:

It's not the most glam picture, but it demonstrates my point.

I know to the rest of the world this doesn't seem like much growth, but to me it is significant! I will continue to take biotin and deal with the acne I assume it has caused. It is mildly unpleasant, but I have found nothing else that helps my hair to grow so quickly. My nails have always growth beautifully, and continue to do so, so unfortunately I can't tell you of any difference there.

Like anything else, even vitamins can cause adverse effects in people with certain health conditions or on specific medications, so if you decide to take biotin based on my recommendation, it may be wise to check with your doctor or pharmacist.

I am back to stay, so look forward to regular updates! I would love to provide you with more information on biotin or alternatives, but unfortunately I have a nasty headache at the moment. Perhaps I will edit and update later!

xoxo,
-h. Cat