We Jammin'

Hey Mon Rasta Cupcakes, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Hey mon, check out these rasta cupcakes made for a cool birthday bash. Storm and Almond-Cherry cupcakes with handmade sugarpaste toppers.

And You Hip-Hop, and You Don't Stop Just Blast Off, Sure Shot

According to experts, today's the day. The Rapture, Apocalypse, Doomsday, the End of the World....Me? I'll be baking cupcakes til the very end. I've got a batch of carrot cake ones in the oven right now as I type this. What will you be doing to prepare for the end?

My friend (and fellow Cupcake Camp Paris organizer), Bryan posted a very funny article yesterday about what he will be doing when the end comes. Go check it out - if you are not among the roughly 3 million people who will be saved today, you have approximately 5 months til meeting your fate!



If yesterday was my last "normal" day on this earth, well, then I am glad I was able to spend it doing some of my favorite things. Like hanging out with my kids, having a nice dinner with my hubby and baking all sorts of chocolatey goodness (pictured here).



I'm off this weekend to celebrate a different kind of rapture -- my wedding anniversary. Hope to see you all back here next week! If not, well, it's been nice knowing you all.....

Some Day My Princess Will Come

Princess Fairy Cake & Cupcake Tower
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

My first fondant fairy princess! I had so much fun with this. Wishing the birthday girl a very happy day - hope you like your fairy cake!

Baby, Baby, Baby Oh : A Contest & Cupcake Recipe

A few months ago, the distribution company of the new Bernard Jeanjean film: Une Folle Envie (A Burning Desire or An Insatiable Urge in English) contacted me to create a custom cupcake as a tie-in with the movie release.


I already posted about our very exciting evening out to a private screening with the cast and crew -- well, my cupcake gets a lot of inspiration from the movie's plot about a young couple, played by Clovis Cornillac andOlivia Bonamy, who are in love and ready to start a family. This is by no means an easy task, and as time goes on, Rose and Yann try just about everything to get pregnant including eating some pretty strange stuff.



There are no unusual ingredients in my cupcake but I hope this recipe will leave you feeling a little saucy -- it's a delicious mix of ginger, passion fruit and rose. But more about that in a sec...first, I have a little contest to whet your appetite.



I'm giving away tickets to a showing of Une Folle Envie (I have 5 sets of 2 seats to offer) which comes out May 18th. Here's the film's trailer to put you in the mood:


Une Folle Envie - Bande-Annonce / Trailer [VF|HD] par Lyricis

How Can You Win 2 Tickets to a Showing?

1) leave me a comment below telling me what is the craziest thing you have heard of eating or doing to increase your chances of getting pregnant,

OR

2) tweet "win 2 seats for the new film Une Folle Envie via @sugar_daze http://tinyurl.com/64w6y63"

The contest ends at noon on May 18 when winners will be chosen at random from all of the comments/tweets received. Please be sure to make sure I have a way of contacting you (by providing your email or web address for example).

A big thank you to SND Films for generously providing the tickets (and for inviting me to create a cupcake for this special event).

And without further ado, here's my recipe for Une Folle Envie cupcake for you to whip up at home...Enjoy with moderation -- I can't be held responsible for any desires you act out after you fall under the spell of this tantalizing combination of a triple ginger cupcake with a passion fruit curd center and rose cream cheese frosting!



Une Folle Envie : Triple Ginger Cupcake with Passionfruit Curd and Rose Frosting
by Sugar Daze

For the Passionfruit Curd
Yield: About 1 Cup (You will have leftovers that can be conserved in a sterilized jar for up to 10 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer).



To Make:
1) Take the pulp from 4 ripe passion fruit.
2) Combine with 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk and 75 grams of caster sugar in a medium suacepan over low heat.
3) Cook, stirring for about 10-15 minutes until the curd thickens.
4) Remove from heat and place in a clean bowl. Stir in 65 grams butter and mix until it's well incorporated. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, cover with saran wrap - pushing down so wrap covers surface of curd entirely, and then put in fridge to cool.

For the Cupcakes
Yield: 18

To Make:
1) Preheat oven to 350/180 degrees and place 18 cupcake liners in cupcake tins.
1) Cream 4 ozs. butter and 1 cup sugar until light and smooth. Add in 1 egg and combine.
2) In a separate bowl sift, 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda & 1 tsp ground ginger.
3) In a measuring cup, measure out 1/2 cup buttermilk + 1 tsp. vanilla
4) Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture little by little ending with the flour. Mix to combine after each addition.
5) Grate 1 1/2 tbsps. fresh ginger and add to batter.
6) Add in 1/2 cup hot water and stir.
7) Lastly, mix in ½ cup thinly chopped crystallized ginger and stir to combine. (For extra flavor, you could also add in 1 tsp. of fleur d'oranger).
8) Pour batter into tins and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tins and let cool on rack.

To Make the Rose Frosting:

1) Take cream cheese and butter out of fridge about 30 minutes before using.
2) Mix 100 g Philadelphia cream cheese and 40 grams butter together using stand-mixer.
3) Add in 300 grams icing sugar and 1-2 tsps. rose water. Mix until whipped and creamy.
Note: We also tried topping these cupcakes with a chocolate ganache frosting which was very good too!

To assemble:
Once cupcakes have cooled, cut an inverted cone out of the top of each cupcake. Place 1 tbsp. curd in center and replace top. You may need to shave a bit off the cone in order for it to lie flat. Frost with an offset spatula or pastry bag & tip.

Enjoy & GOOD LUCK!