chocolate frogs

I've officially decided that it's okay to post a whole bunch of Harry Potter themed cupcakes at the beginning of my new blog, because it's July. And we all know what July is, right? Oh...you thought it was about celebrating America? Well...okay. Maybe a little bit. But let's be honest. July is Harry Potter month! So to celebrate dear Harry's birthday today, we're going to eat up some delicious chocolate frog cupcakes.

I have to say, chocolate frogs were one of the very few things that I liked better in the movies than the books. They just made them so magical and fun! "They've only got one good jump in them." Oh, Ronald Weasley. You silly boy.

Anyway, these happened. And they're pretty much adorable. If I ever make them again, though, I might invest in a smaller frog mold. These frogs were a little too big. I mean, they looked awesome, but that's a big chunk o' chocolate to try and eat. And then there is still a cupcake after that! Wow. Chocolate overload! But if you're interested, this is the mold I have now.

But overall, they were delicious! Chocolate fudge cake, chocolate cream cheese frosting, and that huge chocolate frog squatting on top. They were super easy to make, and super yummy to eat. You can't beat that!

Happy birthday, Harry!

Chocolate Fudge Cake:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill cupcake liners 2/3-3/4 full and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and salt. Add vanilla and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add about half the powdered sugar and mix. Mix in the milk. Then add the rest of your powdered sugar, adjusting consistency with more milk or powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

everlasting gobstopper

So, two of my favorite blogs, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups are hosting a recipe contest! The idea was to take one of their recipes and put a spin on it. So I chose Kristan's Rainbow Nerds Cupcakes and decided to turn them in to Gobstopper cupcakes. Because I'm a cupcake person, and Kristan's cupcakes were bee-YOU-ti-ful! And also, the whole Gobstopper thing totally fits my whole blog idea. You know? Cupcakes from books/movies? Because who doesn't love a little Willy Wonka now and then?

As soon as I chose to do Gobstopper cupcakes, I knew exactly how I wanted them to turn out. I knew they needed layers of color (like a Gobstopper), but hidden layers of color. Like, how you look at a Gobstopper, and it just looks red. But then you suck on it for awhile, and BOOM! It's orange. And then BOOM! It's green. Holy. Cow. That is so cool. I've always loved that about Gobstoppers.

Even though I knew how I wanted them to look, I was a little worried about actually making them turn out that way. But guess what? They turned out SO GREAT! I was so happy! I wanted to run around my neighborhood, shove my cupcakes in peoples faces and say, "Look! Look how awesome they are!"

But I didn't. Because even though I'm crazy, I don't like to let people know I'm crazy.

So instead I just took a picture on my phone and sent it to my husband. A quick thank you to him for responding with the proper enthusiasm. :)

So, here are my Gobstopper cupcakes in all their gloriousness! Please love them. And please send your luck my way. Because ohmyGOSH I want to win that beautiful crystal blue KitchenAid!

Gobstopper Cupcakes (*adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen):
White cake mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs
Red, green and yellow food color

Mix all ingredients except food coloring. Separate into three bowls and add colors. Spoon some of each color into liners. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Cool completely.

Frosting:
2 sticks butter, softened
pinch salt
2 lb bag powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk (honestly, though, I didn't measure - you may need more)
1/2 cup gobstoppers
1/4 teaspoon strawberry extract
Purple, orange, and red gel color
additional gobstoppers for garnish

In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and pinch of salt until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk alternately until your frosting reaches desired consistency. Put gobstoppers in a blender, and pulverize into a powder. Add 4-6 tablespoons to your frosting. Make sure you taste as you add, and stop adding when the flavor is good for you. Mix in strawberry extract.

Divide frosting into three bowls and add coloring to each (I used red and blue for my purple, because I didn't have purple...) Spoon into three separate piping bags fitted with round tips (I used Wilton tip 12). Pipe on a small mound of one color. Take a second color, and swirl over first until completely covered. Then swirl your final color over that second color. Smooth top layer with a knife until the swirl lines aren't visible. Top with a gobstopper.

*I am entering this Gobstopper Cupcake in the Creative Recipe Contest hosted by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups!*

fizzing whizbees

Another Harry Potter cupcake! Hooray!

So a few years ago...like maybe between 2005 and 2007...my brother was serving an LDS mission in Louisiana. We would write letters back and forth, and these letters often contained our very own Harry Potter illustrations.

I give you Exhibit A:

My brother drew this. Isn't it awesome? For those who can't tell (because it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out), those fireworks are spelling "poop." Just like in the book. It happens - don't try to tell me it doesn't!

Anyway, I remember reading about fizzing whizbees in Harry Potter, and I immediately knew that they would be like Zots. Turns out they are really large sherbet balls that make you float when you suck on them. What!? I think Zots are a better candy. I mean FIZZING whizbees? Seriously - Zots. C'mon people. There's no other option.

These cupcakes were an experiment, and according to my two test subjects (aka my friends), they were yummy. So HOORAY! I get to share the recipe with you. And - BONUS! - it's super simple! Hope you enjoy them!

Fizzing Whizbee Cupcakes:
1 white cake mix, plus ingredients needed to prepare as indicated on the back of the box
1 packet strawberry Kool-Aid powder

Mix it all together, pop them in at 350 for 12-17 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

For the frosting, I tried out Duncan Hines Frosting Creations. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's pretty much a can of (vanilla?) frosting, then you can by a variety of flavored mix-in powders. I'd seen them in the store, and I'd been curious whether or not they tasted good. So when I was at Target a few weeks ago and saw that both the frosting and the flavor add-ins were on clearance, I went ahead and picked some up. For this cupcake I went for the strawberry shortcake flavor. I added in an extra cup of powdered sugar to stiffen it up a little, because it was really soft. It turned out okay, but I think I'll stick with homemade frosting from now on... :)