It was my Grandma's birthday last Monday, and I made her a
"Fish Cake" made up of
Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes and a mini cake (I used the same recipe for both the cupcakes and mini cake). I arranged them to look like a fish because she's a pisces, plus I was inspired by
a picture I found on pinterest which was just too cute not to try!
I found the recipe for the cupcakes using an app called "Cupcake", and they're SO tasty!!
To make the fish cake, head on over to
My Cake School's site for photo instructions. Oh, and I used a chocolates for the eye and the kissy mouth ;)
Here's the recipe I used for the cupcakes:
Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes
(from "Cupcake" app)
(makes approx. 15)
Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line standard cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (it works with a wire whisk attachment also).
3. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds.
4. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
5. Divide the batter evenly among cups of prepared tin.
6. Place the cupcake tin on the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
7. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean: 17-24 minutes.
8. Cool cupcakes on wire rack to room temperature before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Method
1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.
3. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
4. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an a airtight container. Before using, let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer.
There you have it! These cupcakes are quick, easy, light and yummy! They're a hit both with teens, adults and grandparents - definitely worth trying out.
And if you're worried about the decorating part, don't fret, the first time I made these cupcakes they did were not aesthetically pleasing at all. But thanks to a new squeeze bottle, my second time round was much more successful (though the taste was no different).
 |
| My new best friend: squeeze bottle with yellow cap (yay!) |
If you don't have a squeeze bottle, you can always spread it with a knife, which will looks way better than cutting a whole in a bag and squeezing it out, as shown below...
Let me know if you try making the cupcakes and fish cake!
Any pictures and stories of disasters and/ or successes are always welcome ;)
And be sure to follow me via instagram for "live" pics @thegentleflower (comment your username and I'll follow back) :)
~Katrine
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