Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Last time I baked a cake with this recipe (the one decorated into Rilukkuma teddy bears in Japanese hot springs bath) it became a big hit. Also I myself wanna eat more :D So I baked it again but this time in form of cupcakes.

The cake texture was incredibly soft. Both the sponge and the frosting smelled and tasted fantastic. Thinking that peanut butter should taste good when pairing with chocolate, I melted some and drizzled it on top -- they did make the cupcakes taste better! I could never stop at just one piece each time I started nibbling those yummy cuppies :)

The recipe is from Martha Stewart. I must say I really love it and will definitely bake them again.

Lemon Meringue Pie

 

Lemon meringue pie has always been my hubby's favourite. So I decided to make one for his birthday this year.

For the recipes, I picked the pie crust from "The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook." Simply because it seems simple and down to earth for me. Lemon curd + meringue from Emilie S.'s "Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie" on AllRecipes.com. I guessed the 4.5 star rate with 1,138 reviews might be a taste guarantee in some way. Lol. Well, I rarely bake pie. It could help add a bit confidence ;)

I was quite happy with the result, both its look and its taste.

Ruffle Cake

I love the elegance this cake brings to a dessert table.

The ruffle, especially in pastel shades of colour, gives this cake a very lady-like look. Though it seems somehow complicated (in my opinion), it's not that difficult to make. All you need is a piping bag and a great willing to do the labour work. Also, bear in mind that the decoration calls for more buttercream. In my case, it took approximately 3 times more than usual.

As it was my first ruffle cake, the piping wasn't so neat especially at the ending part on top of the cake. So I just cover it with a buttercream rose ;) But it helps make the whole cake look a bit sweeter, doesn't it? Hehehehehe.

An idea for your upcoming Valentine's?

Rilukkuma (リラックマ) Peanut Butter Cake

This is my second time making Rilukkuma-themed cake. The first one can be found in this post

The sugar model cake toppers were made 2 days in advance to ensure adequate time for it to dry. Cocktail sticks were inserted in each bear to serve as the bears' "spines." The eyes and mouths were diluted gel paste coloring, drawn with drawing brush. (Yes, I was very nervous when doing it.)

The cake itself is 2 lbs. peanut butter cake, Martha's recipe.

The 'spilt water' is made from blue fondant. I decided to leave the side of the cake naked because the color of the peanut butter buttercream itself, plus the vertical stoke by spatula, could resemble wooden bathtub. It turn out to be my lucky choice because I just realized after the cake is frosted that the cake was so soft, a bit too soft, and high ratio of peanut butter in the frosting made it melt too easily. It would be difficult to hold a shape for fondant covering.

Anyhow, everyone was so excited with the cuteness of the characters. More importantly, the cake itself was very delicious too! It was a true crowd pleasure. Thanks again to Martha's recipe -- always reliable.

To see my first Rilukkuma cake, please go to this post.

Updated on May 2012:

The cupcake version of this peanut butter cake are shown in this post. You can also click on the link on that page for the recipe.