I've Moved...

Hey guys! I will no longer be posting on Chocolate Mango. I know that I haven't posted much. I was having a hard time finding where I wanted this blog to go but I've decided to move on. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to write about now and I want my blog to reflect that. My new blog is p.s. Eat Cake and will be about eating delicious cakes and desserts while sharing those experiences with family and friends. Please check it out! pseatcake.blogspot.com

Birthday Pound Cake!

There's nothing like getting together with family. Yesterday my sister and I decided we would visit our mother in Longmont, Colorado and make her a delicious dinner. I, of course, took the opportunity to make her a birthday cake. She didn't want the usual, however. She wanted pound cake with strawberries. I decided to make individual cakes with a strawberry sauce and whipped cream. I got the recipe for the pound cake from Martha Stewart's website and just cooked the strawberries with a little bit of sugar and water. Tomorrow it's carrot cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting for a friend's birthday. :)

Cake Pops + My Little Brother = Europe!!

My little brother is going to study in Europe for the summer!! This is very exciting for our family as whole seeing that none of us have ever been to Europe. Only one problem...we need to raise $6,000 for his trip! Wanting to pay for his trip myself, but being unable to, I decieded that I would sell cake pops. Only thing is, I've never made them...until now. I've done a couple of taste test, trying different flavors. Next I'll work on the decorations. I've got a few ideas in mind. I'll keep you posted!

Vanilla Cupcakes!

I dared to do it again! My hubby enjoys vanilla cupcakes, so I decided I'd make him some. They turned out really light and fresh. I got the recipe from a fellow blogger but I didn't follow it fully so I don't think I'll post it. This time around I had a little more confidence and a lot more fun in the kitchen. I wonder what I'll bake next! ;)

My First Attempt At Baking...From Scratch

I've made a decision. I am going to take on the hobby of baking. I LOVE food and being that I am constantly cooking for my family (which I also love) I wanted to do something that I'm not obligated to do. Something that I could do for fun and would also give me a creative outlet. I decided that my first attempt at baking would be to make cupcakes for my daughter's birthday. She wanted chocolate cupcakes so I thought what would be better than to make chocolate dirt cupcakes. Here is the recipe courtesy of Paula Deen ...

Ingredients
Cupcake:
8 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
5 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
10 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Topping:
30 to 40 chocolate sandwich cookies
36 gummy worms
Directions
For the cupcake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add chocolate and butter, stirring until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in confectioners' sugar. Let mixture cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency, then top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

For the topping:

Place cookies into a resealable plastic bag. Crush cookies with hands to make a "dirt" consistency. Sprinkle frosting with cookie crumbs, top with gummy worm and enjoy.

Unlike the average aspiring Pastry Chef, I have not been baking "since I was a little girl". This is something that has only recently come over me. That being said, I am completely unprepared to bake anything. I actually had to borrow much of the supplies needed to bake these birthday cupcakes. I had no clue where a lot of the ingredients were located at in the grocery store. And I completely forgot the coffee! I think it's because I never drink coffee and had no way to brew it. My plan was to have my husband pick up a cup from Starbucks on the way home from work. That didn't happen.
Did I mention that I've never baked from scratch before...well maybe a few times in middle school Home Ec. I have to admit that I did have a lot of fun. But being that I'm from the Mile High city, my first batch came out not so good. After adding a little more flour (I didn't measure how much), they came out great. I altered the recipe, however, and added chocolate pudding to the middle of the cupcake. I couldn't resist. My memories of dirt cake involved cake, Oreo cookies, chocolate pudding and gummy worms!! After frosting and adding the "dirt", we placed a gummy grub and birthday candle on top of the cupcakes. My first attempt at baking was a success! The only thing left to do was to EAT!...