Think Pink!

I am in the midst of the allergy attack from hell; my eyes are all itchy, puffy and swollen. I am still going to attempt to write this post because I've been slacking about keeping my blog current. I hope what I write makes sense; I have ingested a very susbstantial number of allergy pills.


One of my favorite food groups is pink. I love pretty pink desserts. I made the saffron cupcakes above and decided to frost them with a pink buttercream flavored with Fiori Di Sicilia. Fiori Di Sicila is one of my favorite ingredients ever! It's an Italian extract that's a combination of vanilla and citrus. It smells amazing and tastes even better. Here is a bit more about it:http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/landing.jsp?go=DetailDefault&ref=ti&id=1546&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=fiori&utm_campaign=ingredients&utm_term=default&gclid=CI7uqtb37ZgCFQ0hDQodQEQV0g I made the cupcakes using the recipe for Earl Grey cupcakes, but instead of using the tea, I used a pinch of saffron. Here's the Earl Grey recipe: http://www.veggienumnums.com/2009/01/earl-grey-cupcakes.html I made the buttercream using 8 ounces of soft cream cheese, 4 ounces of soft butter, powdered sugar-enough to make a thick frosting, and a splash of Fiori Di Sicilia. These cupcakes were beyond delicious-something about the saffron, vanilla, and citrus. I will definitely make these again.

More cake balls! These were for Valentine's Day. Instead of using a boxed mix I made a fresh strawberry cake. Sadly, I didn't write down the recipe as I developed it, so I don't remember how to make it. It was such a yummy and not too sweet cake that I am mad at myself for not taking notes. I think I pretty much just made a yellow cake, but added a bunch of smashed up strawberries and an extra egg. Since the cake turned out to be so big, I made a double batch of the buttercream above though I just used vanilla as the flavoring. Here is my first post on cake balls with the recipe: http://www.veggienumnums.com/2009/01/cake-balls.html.

I hope this post is understandable! I have to put some hot packs or something on my eyes as they seem to be getting puffier by the minute.