Superbowl Chicken Wing Cupcake

I don't know about this. 

Maybe it's not so bad since it's like cornbread with blue cheese and hot sauce in the recipe, a wing and some frosting.

Wait, that was a weird combination.

Red Velvet cheaters

In the numerous times I've tackled red velvet and various other-colour-velvet cakes and cupcakes, I've found myself wondering how other people get their red velvets so red and other-colour-velvets so other-colour. How much food colouring do they really use? What brand are they using? Originally, red velvet didn't involve any food colouring. It wasn't really red either. It was a reaction between the cocoa and the buttermilk that made them appear reddish. That's the kind of society we live in, people. We add loads of food colouring to make our cakes unnatural colours!

Anyway, I recently discovered the trick:

They're not real red velvet. GASP!!!

I.e. There is little to no cocoa in their recipe. 

Can you believe it? Red velvet cake is really a glorified red chocolate cake in my mind. If made well, you can really taste/sense a difference in texture, but I've had really good chocolate cakes that aren't red at all, that I'd take any day over red velvet. And now, I find out that those people who make those really red red velvet cakes, are really adding red food colouring to a white cake recipe, or they've only put a tablespoon, or something like that, of cocoa in it.

Anyway, I'm still on the search for the best red velvet recipe, without cheating! I'm thinking of trying it out with white cocoa/chocolate powder in place of regular cocoa. The taste isn't the same, I know, but I'd like to try it out. Now I just have to find out if white cocoa powder exists!

On Hiatus

Hi there!

Long time-no post, eh? Well, things have been quite...busy. Lots of life changes happening, the most important of which is...

I'm baking a "bun" in my "oven"!

Yes, we are pregnant with our second child and with this baby have come many changes. And so, Treeh's Treats will be on a VERY temporary hiatus. I'll still be taking orders, however not as many as usual. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need something sweet in your tumtum. I know I do!

Love,
Treeh

P.S. I found this HILARIOUS.

Break

I've kind of been on an involuntary break from baking for the past couple of months. I did, however, bake a mean batch of cookies this weekend with some friends and we turned them into ice cream sandwiches. Delish. Anyway, more on this in a bit.

Cupcake Cakes

One day, I'd like to try making a cupcake cake. They seem easy enough, but it's a matter of keeping them close enough together that they don't separate and ruin the illusion. And then I'd have to manage not falling into pieces when people pull the whole thing apart and destroy it. But that's what it's for, right?

What makes a good cupcake?

To be perfectly honest, I'm not big on cupcakes. Or cakes for that matter. If I am, it means that I am in a special mood, but most of the time, I'm not one to jump over tables, running for a cupcake.

And so, that sort of puts me in a creative disadvantage because there are so many different kinds of cupcakes out there and I'm in a cupcake slump. I need to make something new, think of a new design or something.

What's challenging about making a good cupcake is not only the flavour (which, I think, is the most important part), but the decoration. There's some unwritten rule that says that cupcakes must be charming, attractive, and bright in order for it to even be considered for consumption. That being said, it's very easy to get carried away with the decoration. I find that more often than not, the ratio of icing to cupcake is completely off. Besides, who, other than my nieces and nephews under 9, wants to eat all that icing anyway? And who, like I've said before, wants to eat fondant? No one and no one.


Hmmmm...how to decorate without overdoing the icing? I have some ideas. Stay tuned...

Red velvet cheesecake

President's Choice makes a red velvet cheesecake. It's a New York-style cheesecake surrounded by a red velvet crust with a chocolate cookie crust on the bottom and cream cheese frosting on top. It's delicious.

So...I thought I'd try making one using my own recipes.

While it wasn't as pretty, it was still good. I definitely have to try it again because I was making our dinner at the same time, so I wasn't really focussed. And, oh yeah, it was Christmas eve.