excitement!

I'm so happy to see that I have 3 followers already! Woot! :D

fun valentine's day cupcakes.

On Saturday I was really bored and I went looking around the house for something to do and what did I find? Everything I needed to make cupcakes! So of course I had to make them. Here is everything I needed, plus a couple extras.

I followed the ingredients listed on the back of the box and I also added 1 tsp. of vanilla extract and 2 tbsp. of coffee -- you can use 2 tbsp. of instant coffee if you don't have any brewed already -- because they both enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake. And who doesn't want a more chocolate-y flavor!? I first mixed the water and oil with the mix and then added one egg at a time. Then I added both the vanilla and coffee. After those were fully combined I put the mixer on high speed and mixed it for an extra 30 seconds or so. I like to do this when I make cake because I find that it makes the finished cake lighter, fluffier, and more moist.

I lined two, regular sized, cupcake trays with foil liners and filled them up 2/3 of the way full with batter. One of my cupcake trays was a silicone one and it produced a flatter cupcake but they were more moist than the ones baked in the aluminum tray. I let them sit in the trays for about 5 minutes and then I removed them and let them cool on the countertop. I was so anxious to start icing them that I actually put them in the fridge so they would cool quicker!

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought it would be cute to decorate them accordingly. I found cute heart sprinkles and I used hot pink and red food colorings. (I used Wilton)

It took me awhile to decorate these because I tried to do something different on each cupcake. But it was worth it because they turned out really adorable and delicious! You don't have to go all out like I did. The thing to remember is just to have fun and make your cupcakes with love! These would be great to make with your kids or with a big group of friends.

Enjoy!

Melissa :)

p.s. Sorry about the lighting and quality of the photos. I forgot to use my tripod and it wasn't too sunny outside that day!

what to expect.

Hey! This is my first blog, ever. I'm hoping to post all of the delicious things that I bake! Look for a post later on in the week. Once I start adding new blogs I would appreciate feedback. :]

- Melissa

p.s. follow me!