Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hey, Cupcake!

Cupcake card made with pleated crepe paper streamer on the base. Click on for detailed view.


One of my hostesses in Alaska gave me this fuel box from the 1950's. We used these in the early days of homesteading, for the upper cabinets. Women would take calico flour sacking and make curtains for them. Thanks to Carol for this wonderful gift! I am going to make a cupboard with it, but for now, it makes a nice display box for my cupcakes.











These look yummy but they are only made of heavy art papers. Some of the tops are cut out of glitter paper (available at Wal-Mart in a stack). Others are hole-punched in glitter paper, and others are swirled with polymark or scribbles paint and glitter glue. The lower two cards are tags on which are placed pieces of real cupcake liners. I've included patterns so you can mix and match as you like. B e sure to always glue the lower part before adding the upper part, because it overhangs a little.


Click on for a larger view.



Right-click on the drawing, below and then "print" for your patterns. Cut them out on card stock and trace around them to make cards, tags and stand up paper cupcakes.





Remember when husbands called their wives "Cupcake?" I had a chuckle at a You-Tube video series with Cary Grant, called "The Dream Wife. " There were 5 or 6 episodes about a man who wanted a wife to come home to, who would cook meals and look after the children. He was engaged to a woman who was absorbed in her career. When he spoke to her about this, she said, "Don't you remember that women have been liberated? Haven't you ever heard of Susan B. Anthony?" He gave her startled look and then said, "Is she a good cook?" Later on he decides he does not want to marry this career woman and finds a foreign girl who has old fashioned ideas, but her father was not in favor of the match. He said, "American women do not want to be mothers. They want to be fathers. I do not want my daughter to be a father!" It might be smart to view these videos before they are completely banned!






Recipe for the cupcake Muffins you see in the picture:




Cupcake Muffins



Prepare a 24-count mini-cupcake pan by putting mini cup-cake liners in it. Preheat oven to 350 F. While oven is heating, mix the batter.



Thoroughly mix these dry ingredients in a bowl:

1 and 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder (Rumford, or make your own)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


In another bowl, mix these liquid ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup mild olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half (if you do not eat dairy, use water) Use more or less, for consistency.


Add the dry mix to the liquids and mix well, until batter is smooth.


With small spoon, fill cupcake liners about three-fourths full. There will be enough batter for half a pan more, depending on how full you fill the liners.


For topping, just mix a little cream cheese with honey, or dust with cinnamon.



17 comments:

~~Deby said...

oh what a fun post, and cupcakes are so *in* right now..I love the look you achieved in your decorating and cardmaking...
Deby

Lydia said...

Thanks Deby,

This is the only thing I am able to do since I lost my mind when the kitchen was taken out. We still have no working sink or running water there and I have not eaten on a real table in several months now. I do have my box with the scissors and glue in it so I'm reverting back to that.

candy said...

LOVE this post!!! Thanks for sharing this. I LOVE cupcakes!!!

GinnyBerry said...

I love them! Such a sweet idea!

Lydia said...

I forgot to mention that two of the cupcake base Liners are made by cutting pieces of crepe paper streamers to match the size, and carefully glued on without stretching it or pressing it flat, to make it look like a real cupcake liner.

Sue said...

What a cute display! I love that pink mixing bowl.

I will try that recipe. Cakes don't do well in my tiny Japanese oven, but cupcakes and muffins I can do.

Anonymous said...

These are just gorgeous! Is that the same mixing bowl you had when I was there? I always liked it and have looked for something similar over here. There is something to be said about having beautiful things to work with in the kitchen.

I like the quote about women wanting to be fathers - not just american women would fit that description!

Secondhand Blessings said...

You have such a creative flair!

I also watched the first Dream Wife episode on youTube. Thanks for mentioning it, I never heard about it. I look forward to watching the rest of the series.

Brenda

C. C. said...

Hello! I just wanted to let you know how you have inspired me through the years. I appreciate your honesty and your encouragement. Your blog was the very first one I found three years ago. I didn't know reallly how to manuever (sp?) around on the computer, so twice a week when I took my son to his karate, I would rush to the library. Then I would get on their computers, go to LAF website, go to wherever it was to find you, then go to your site! It took me probably two years before I realized I could go right to you! Now I have a blog, too. I am really coming into the 21st century!
C.C.

Jennifer @ Her Southern Charm said...

Oh my goodness!!! That is so cute! I didn't know you collected cupcake items. How precious! Love the pinks in it all!

Anonymous said...

yay, paper cupcakes!

Much less fattening than making the traditional edible version, lol.

(but I am sorry that your kitchen is still not up and running. I know how miserable that can be.)

Kim said...

I love your cupcakes! they are very pretty! I also have seen many girls grow up to be like thier dad's...and it is not a good thing!

Anonymous said...

Cupcakes, yum.

It's ok and even admirable to take care of other people's children and other men, but just don't take care of your own! Haha.

Hope the kitchen is up and running again soon.

~ Ann

Anonymous said...

Oh these are lovely!! I do have to say, I am re-thinking all my recycle-ables because of you!! I am looking at shapes, and swirls, and colours more closely and thinking ....... oh, that would be cute!! Thank you for the encouragement. It's the little things, simple, that make these wooden boxes HOMES.

Shalom!
Mrs. Kelly

Anonymous said...

Dearest Lydia,

Oh me!! I do hope your kitchen is restored to some sort of workable order sooner rather than later; Frustrating doesn't even come close...All the more reason to dive into the crafts and centre around them...nice idea...

here's a recipe for the real thing...

125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
generous teaspoon of proper vanilla extract (a bit more pricy but infinitely better than that immitation stuff)
2-3 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup of milk plus a splash.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat in well (room temp eggs will stop curdling)
add vanilla and baking powder
add flour and fold in incrementally
add milk likewise

Either grease and flour 2 12-cake rounded friannde trays (butter with a little fine semolina prevents sticking) or go the traditional patty pan flat tray route...

spoon in mixture but do not over fill...

Bake until golden and ready.

Leave around 5 mins before turning out onto wire racks.

Make any flavour you like; if adding fruit, do this before adding the flour; it'll fold in better. if adding cocoa powder use a little more milk.

ice or leave plain... They won't last long.

Fine cooked in the turbo oven (as one lady here apparently does successfully...

Oh, and bake for 180 degrees c until ready.

slice off their tops, spread a little jam & cream or lemon curd, cut top in half place back on top like butterfly wings and dust with icing sugar for good old fashioned fairy cakes.

Blessings,

Sarah,
Australia.

Anonymous said...

I have a pink mixing bowl just like you that I just love. It's very useful but also has that old-fashioned look that I love. I got mine at Old Time Pottery (It might be spelled Olde Tyme Pottery).

Anonymous said...

Ooo, those cupcakes look nummy!

I love that quote from the TV show. "Is she a good cook?" ROFL!

I hope you get the opportunity to eat at a real table soon, Lady Lydia. I personally know how frustrating it can be to have a kitchen sink that doesn't work. It's amazing how the simple things in life can make such a big difference. But then, that's kind of what your blog is all about. :)

-Christine from Arizona