Apple Pie Cupcakes | How to

Hello Friends!

It is finally fall and autumnal festivities are creeping up everywhere. Recently I missed our semi-local apple festival and was completely bummed about it. They normally have such amazing apple pies at the festival and since I missed out on them, I decided to bake some cupcake style!

Below is the recipe I came up with. Personally, I think this is one of the most simple recipes on the blog because you basically only have to make the cake and cut out the leaf on top. There is no icing to make because I opted for whipped cream instead since that is what is normally on top of apple pies. Let me know what you think about it in the comments below!

Recipe:

           Ingredients for cake:

          - 1 white box cake 

          - 1 1/4 cup water

          - 1/4 cup vegetable oil

          - 4 egg whites

          - 1/4 cup sour cream

          - 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

          - 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

          - 1 can of apple pie filling

          - 12 inch pie crust

          - can of whipped cream (keep refrigerated until use)

          - cinnamon-sugar mixture to garnish (4 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon combined)

         Directions

          - Mix together cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, sour cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon until well blended.

          - Pour batter into lined cupcake tins until the batter covers the bottom of the tin. Add in a spoonful of apple pie filling into each cupcake tin. If the apple slices are too large, cut them in half before placing them in the cupcake tin. Then pour batter over the apple filling to cover up the apple slices in each of the cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-28 minutes.

          - While the cupcakes are in the oven, place the pie crust on parchment paper and cut out leaf shapes. I did this with a knife and made super simple oval ones making sure to slice leaf veins in the center. Bake the leaf cutouts for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

          - Once the cupcakes are cool, spray whipped cream on the top. Then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top to garnish. Finally, place a leaf cut out into the cupcake.

          Additional Comments

          - Wait until time to serve before decorating the cupcakes.

          - You can cut out other shapes from the pie crust other than leaves!

My brother and I also filmed a baking tutorial. This time he was a astronaut from space, check it out:

Happy Baking,

Tilly

Root Beer Float Cupcakes | How to

Hello Friends,

One of my summer bucket list items was to have a root beer float. This may seem silly but it has been YEARS since I have had one, and thus needed to rectify the situation. Then I got to thinking, I need a cupcake version of root beer float! That train of thought led to the following recipe.

Recipe:

           Ingredients for cake:

          - 1 mix of Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix

          - 1 1/4 cup water

          - 1/2 cup vegetable oil

          - 4 egg whites

          - 1/4 cup sour cream

          - 2 teaspoons of root beer concentrate

          - 1/4 cup root beer topping or actual root beer

           Ingredients for icing:

          - 1 package cream cheese (softened)

          - 1 stick of butter (softened)

          - 4 to 5 cups of powdered sugar

          - 1 teaspoon of root beer concentrate

          - cherries to garnish

         Directions

          - Mix together cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, sour cream, root beer topping, and root beer concentrate until well blended.

          - Pour batter into lined cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-28 minutes. Mixture should produce 20 cupcakes if each one is filled 2/3 of the way full with batter.

          - To make the icing mix together the cream cheese, root beer extract, and butter. Once blended, start adding in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. I normally use between 4-5 cups, or half a bag. 

          - Once the cupcakes are cool you may begin icing them. I wanted the icing to look like a scoop of ice cream. To achieve this I used an ice cream scoop to scoop the icing on the cupcakes. I'm not sure if I like how it turned out, any thoughts? 

          - Finally, place a cherry on top to complete the root beer float look.

          Additional Comments

          - You may want to wait until serving to put the cherries on.

          - Since the icing has cream cheese in it, you should store in the fridge.

My brother and I also filmed a baking tutorial. This time he was a cowboy from the Wild Wild West, check it out:

Happy Baking,

Tilly

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes | How To

Hello Friends!

With all of these hot days we have been having, refreshments are a must! Since I had some pink lemonade left over from my birthday dinner, I decided to make some pink lemonade cupcakes. I mean.. Cupcakes are refreshments too, right??

Recipe:

           Ingredients for cake:

          - 1 mix of Betty Crocker White Cake Mix

          - 1 1/4 cup water

          - 1/3 cup vegetable oil

          - 1/4 cup sour cream

          - 4 egg whites

          - pink food coloring

          - 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure lemon extract

          - 3 tablespoons of pink lemonade drink mix

           Ingredients for icing:

          - 1 cup shortening

          - 1 stick of butter (softened)

          - 4 to 5 cups of powdered sugar

          - 1 tablespoon of milk

          - pink food coloring

          - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (optional)

          - 1-2  teaspoons of pure lemon extract

          - 2 tablespoons of pink lemonade drink mix

          - 2-3 lemons to garnish

          - 4-5 straws to decorate

         Directions

          - Mix together cake mix, eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, water, pink lemonade, and lemon extract. When mixture is blended well, mix in food coloring until the desired color is achieved.

          - Pour batter into lined cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Mixture should produce 16-17 cupcakes if each one is filled 2/3 of the way full with batter.

          - While cupcakes are baking, slice the lemons and cut each slice in half. When finished, place lemon slices in to the fridge to keep cool until it is time to garnish the cupcakes.

          - To make the icing, mix shortening, vanilla extract, and butter together. Once blended, add in lemon extract (I started with one teaspoon and added the second later) and pink lemonade. Then start adding in powdered sugar a little at a time. I added in 1/2 cup at a time and used 4 or 4 1/2 cups (I lost count!). When I finished mixing in the powdered sugar, the mixture was too thick so I decided to add in the milk and it made the icing a lot smoother! Lastly, you'll want to add in the food coloring and mix well.

          - Once the cupcakes are cool, decorate with icing, lemon slices, and straws.

          Additional Comments

          - If you're not serving immediately, keep the cupcakes in the fridge so the lemon slices don't sour.

My brother and I also filmed a baking tutorial. He was back at it with his shenanigans as a ninja, check it out:

Happy Baking,

Tilly

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies | How to

Hello Friends!

Lately I have been craving mint chocolate chip flavored things. I most likely owe my craving to the coming holiday, St. Patrick's Day. While Steak N' Shake's Mint Oreo Milkshake and Dairy Queen's Shamrock Blizzard have been supplying my need, I decided to try an at home recipe. I wanted to do something that was super kid friendly and simple. The result was 6 ingredients and only 3 steps - hope that is easy enough!

Recipe:

           Ingredients

          - 1 mix of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies

          - 1 stick of softened butter

          - 1 cup of dark chocolate morsels (or more if you're a chocolate lover;)

          - 1 egg

          - food coloring

          - 1 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract

 

         Directions

          - Mix together all ingredients. We added a lot of green gel food coloring and a little bit of yellow gel food coloring to make the cookies a lime green rather than a forest green.

          - Form dough into spoon-sized balls spaced evenly apart (our recipe made 18 cookies).

          - Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

 

          Additional Comments

          - If you're unsure on the peppermint flavoring, start with 1/2 teaspoon.

 

My brother and I also filmed a baking tutorial. He was HILARIOUS as a French chef, check it out!

 

 

Happy Baking,

Tillly

Cherry Pie Valentines | How To

Hello Friends!

Today I am sharing a recipe for Cherry Pies. Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I made them heart shaped so they would look like Valentines. As far as pies go, this was pretty simple as everything was premade. However, if you like to make your own pie crust or pie filling, please feel free to change up the recipe!

 

Recipe:

           Ingredients

          - 1 can of cherry pie filling (or flavor that suits you)

          - 1 box of premade pie crusts, I picked up a 9" 2 pack

          - sugar

          - 1 egg

          - 2 tablespoons milk

          - a heart shaped cookie cutter

 

         Directions

          - Mix together milk and egg. Set aside.

          - Unroll pie crust (make sure you set the pie crust out 20 minutes prior to baking) and cut out heart shapes. Place bottom pieces on a greased baking sheet. Go around their edges with the egg-milk mixture.

          - Depending on the size of your hearts, place 1-2 spoonful sized portions of cheery pie filling in the middle of the hearts. Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar over the pie filling.

          - Take the top heart shaped crust pieces and cut out a design in the middle of them. I cut out a heart shape to go with the Valentine's Day theme. Then place the crusts on the tops of the bottom crust that has the pie filling. Take a fork and smash the outer edges together to seal the top crust to the bottom crust. Then go around the edges with the egg-milk mixture. Optional: sprinkle sugar on the top of the pie.

         - Finally, place the pie in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your pies. Mine were kind of bigger, so they were in the oven for 24 minutes.

         - Allow to cool and serve with ice cream.

 

          Additional Comments

          - I couldn't find a heart cookie cutter, so I actually used a small Valentine's Day chocolate tin. This made the pie larger than I wanted, but worked exceptionally well!

          - Because the pies were larger than expected, the recipe only made 5 pies and I had to piece together the bottom crusts with scrap pieces.

 

Here is a video tutorial as well. Check it out:)

 

 

Let me know if you recreated these!

Tilly

Red Velvet Cake Cheeseball | How To

Hello Friends!

Hope everyone has been doing well! With Valentine's Day approaching I thought I would share some cute Valentine's Day treats. Today's treat is a Red Velvet Cake Cheeseball. This recipe is super simple to throw together, I hope you enjoy!

 

Recipe:

           Ingredients

          - 2 tablespoons brown sugar

          - 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)

          - 1/2 stick of butter (room temperature)

          - 3/4 cup of red velvet box cake

          - 1 package of vanilla wafers, graham crackers, etc. for dipping

          - 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

         Directions

          - Mix together butter and cream cheese until blended. Add in brown sugar until it is mixed in well. Finally add the red velvet cake mixture in. Beat until the mixture is blended into a nice red color.

          - Place the mixture on a serving platter and shape into a ball, heart, or whatever you want the cheeseball to look like. Then cover the cheeseball with the chocolate chips.

          - Finally, allow the cheeseball to cool for an hour or two in the fridge.

          - To serve, set out the cheeseball, extra chocolate chips, and something to dip into the cheeseball (vanilla wafers, chocolate graham crackers, etc.).

 

          Additional Comments

          - Should be refrigerated before and after serving.

 

I made a video tutorial as well. Check it out:)

 

 

Make sure to let me know if you create this!



Tilly

Christmas Decorations

Hello Everyone,

 

Merry Christmas to all! I just wanted to share some of my holiday decorations around the home before the Christmas season was over. Striking holiday decorations can be created quite simply and beautifully done with little time or money.

 

Starting from the out side in, I brought a lot of festivity to my front porch by taking some fresh cut evergreens from my front yard and placing them in a pot. I then took some branches from another tree, spray painted them red, and also placed them in the flower pot. Finally I added in some extra Christmas decorations and voila! Simple, easy, and cheap front door décor!

 

 

I won't comment much on this as it is just our main Christmas tree. It sets in our foyer as soon as you walk in the home and always takes guests' breath away. The key to do so is by adding in TONS of decorations. When you think you are done decorating your tree, think again and add some more. 

 

One main décor item in the living room is this chalk board. It is unbelievably cheap to draw on a Christmas themed picture or words, which is what we did. My son also sets up his Christmas Lego train every year to weave around the presents.

Also in the living room, I have a buffet with silver candelabras and a silver tea set, but what really brings the Christmas vibe to this area is the reindeer accent pillows I found from the Dollar General!

I hope you enjoyed these pictures! Have a very safe and wonderful Holiday!!

Merry Christmas,

Trina Belle

Gingerbread | A History and Recipe

Hello Friends!

Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man! - Nursery rhyme

As I was researching different spices to put in my gingerbread cupcake recipe, I stumbled upon some really cool facts about gingerbread! Ginger root was first used in China, from there it spread and was used medicinally to help prevent the plague in the Black Death. It can still be used medicinally today for nausea and stomach aches. Gingerbread is also a good preservative for other foods such as meats. Gingerbread was said to be first baked in the 11th century in England. However, in the 1600s Nuremberg, Germany was named the Gingerbread Capital of the World. Bakers have been recorded baking gingerbread as early as 1296 in Germany. In fact, only master bakers and skilled workers were allowed to create their versions of gingerbread in the 17th century there.

Elizabeth I of England is credited with the idea of gingerbread men. She asked for the gingerbread to be shaped in likeness of some of her important visitors. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest gingerbread man was created in Oslo, Norway, on November 9, 2009. The gingerbread man weighed a little over 1,435 pounds.

The history of gingerbread houses are a little more sketchy. The Brothers Grimm are thought to be the originator of the gingerbread house because of their story, Hansel and Gretel. However, others disagree, stating that the gingerbread house was the inspiration for their story. Both Hansel and Gretel and gingerbread houses became popular during the same time period, so it is hard to determine which came first. The Guinness World Record was broken for the largest gingerbread house in 2013, in Texas. The gingerbread house was a 2,520-square-foot edible-walled house and it was estimated to have over a 35.8 million calorie value. They needed 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, 1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs and 7,200 pounds of general purpose flour. Now that's a lot of ingredients!

 

Hope you enjoyed reading! And don't forget, next time you are feeling a little sick to your stomach, eat a gingerbread man! ;)

Recipe:

           Ingredients

          - 1 cup sugar

          - 4 eggs

          - 1 and 1/2 cup flour

          - 3/4 cup brown sugar

          - 3 cups of powdered sugar 

          - 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)

          - 1 stick of butter (room temperature for icing)

          - 1 1/2 cups of butter (room temperature for cake)

          - 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (cake)

          - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (icing)

          - 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove

          - 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

          - 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (cake)

          - 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (icing)

          - 2 tablespoons of ground ginger

          - 1/4 cup of sour cream

          - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

          - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

          - 3 tablespoons molasses

          - gingerbread cookie mix with packaged icing and ingredients to make them

 

         Directions

          - Mix and roll out cookie dough. Cut out shapes and bake as directed on the package. When finished baking, trace icing around their edges and set aside.

          - While the cookies are baking, mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

          - In another bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter to a cream. Add in molasses and stir until it in blended into the mixture. Next mix in the eggs one at a time. Then add in the sour cream and vanilla extract until blended. Finally, take the flour-spice mixture and stir in a little at a time until everything is in one bowl.

          - Fill the cupcake tin a little under halfway full because the batter expands a lot! Bake the cupcakes at 350*F for 20-25 minutes.

         - While the cupcakes are baking, mix cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together to start the icing. Then add in the powdered sugar a little at a time.

        - To finish the cupcakes, place the cinnamon icing on top and plunge a cookie into the center.

 

          Additional Comments

          - Since they have cream cheese icing, they should be stored in a refrigerated area. This will allow the icing to become firm and cool.

          - If needed, place the cupcakes in the fridge to allow the icing to firm before placing the cookies on top.

 

I made a video tutorial with my brother on these cupcakes as well. Check it out:)

 

 

Happy Holidays,

Tilly

Pumpkin Roll Cupcakes | How To

Hello Friends,

Hope everyone is enjoying the autumnal weather we are having! As you know I love to bake cupcakes, and seeing as how it is the fall time, I have been baking these Pumpkin Roll Cupcakes like crazy! They taste JUST LIKE a pumpkin roll and were a instant hit in my house (I'm already on my second batch!).

 

 

Recipe:

           Ingredients

          - 1 box of Pumpkin Cake mix

          - 4 egg whites

          - 1 and 1/4 cup water

          - 1/2 cup vegetable oil

          - 3 cups of powdered sugar 

          - 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)

          - 1 stick of butter (room temperature)

          - 1 teaspoon of vanilla 

          - 1 teaspoon of imitation butter

          - 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

          - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

          - extra cinnamon for garnish (optional)

          - 1/4 cup of sour cream

 

         Directions

          - Mix the cake mix, egg whites, sour cream, vegetable oil, and water together. Add in nutmeg and cinnamon and mix well. Place batter into a cupcake tin and bake for 20-22 minutes.

          - While cupcakes are in the oven, mix cream cheese, butter, imitation butter, and vanilla until blended.

          - Start mixing in the powdered sugar about a 1/2 a cup at a time.

          - When the cupcakes are done, let them cool for about 20 minutes. Then put your icing on them. To finish, sprinkle cinnamon on top to garnish the cupcakes.

 

          Additional Comments

          - This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes depending on how much batter you use per cupcake (I filled the cupcake pan almost to the top).

          - Since they have cream cheese icing, they should be stored in a refrigerated area. This will allow the icing to become firm and cool.

          - If you would like to create a cinnamon cream cheese icing, add in a teaspoon of cinnamon to the icing mixture before adding in the powdered sugar.

 

I made a video tutorial on these cupcakes as well. My brother made a cameo in it, check it out:

 

 



Happy Baking,

Tilly

Autumnal Picnic | Easy How To

Hello friends,

With the arrival of crisp, cool air, comes the arrival of the leaves changing colors. I love to be outside this time of year to take in all of the beautiful colors. One way I enjoy fall weather is through putting together, and delighting in, an outdoor picnic. Picnics are pretty easy to put together, therefore I thought I would let you know what I include in mine.

The first thing one should do when picnicking, is to find the perfect spot! Since it is fall, it is always good to pick a spot with plenty views of the changing of leaves.

The first item I obtain is a basket. This one is a Longaberger basket, but you may use any type of container to place your things in. I next grab a blanket to sit on. I love using plaid or flannel blankets as they truly embody the fall atmosphere. The next, and perhaps the most important item, is something to drink. Here I have water and Pumpkin Spice Black Tea to steep. However, any other tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. would work just fine! Going along with something to drink, is something to drink with. I simply grabbed an autumnal mug and placed in the basket. After deciding which drink will keep me warm, I decide on snacks. Because I have such a sweet tooth, I opted for a bag of dark chocolate with pomegranate flavor. I also threw in some apples to complement the fall season. Finally, I grabbed a book to read! For this day, I took along The 5th Wave (so far its good).

The last step in enjoying a picnic, is to relax and relish in the fall foliage! I hope this inspires you to go outdoors and do the same! Since the leaves change and fall so fast, one should take advantage of the beautiful colors while they can.

As always, thank you for stopping by,

Tilly

Decorating | Tea Pots and Tea Cups

Hello friends,

My mother and I have accrued multiple tea pots and tea cups through vintage shopping. I have been asked more than once what we do with it all. The answer is simple: we decorate with them!

A recently purchased of mine has been this tea cup (Rose Bouquet made in England by the Johnson Bros.) antique shopping for a mere $8. I decided to place in on top a couple books stacked on my nightstand. The other items on my nightstand are quite taller than the tea cup, so providing it with some elevation, helps to balance out the arrangement.

On a little round table in my room, I have placed a gold and white tea pot (made in Japan, no company stamp) with some other items in the same color scheme. There are two candles, one if front of the teapot and one top of a couple books. There are also two plants, one real in the glass case and one artificial flower in a glass jar. Keeping a color theme on a table is a great way to bring the pieces together and really make them look like they belong on the table.

Since I use my vanity daily I don't want a lot placed on it because it would get in my way. Here I simply have a pitcher I picked up for $12 antique shopping. In the pitcher I have my Maid of Honor bouquet I carried on my best friend's wedding day. This just helps to bring some extra color into my room in a unique way.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I incorporate my antique tea finds into my bedroom décor. Please send me pictures of how you decorate with tea things! Also comment below which of the three decorating looks was your favorite.

Hope you have a great day!

Tilly 

Cake Bunting | How To

Hello friends,

Recently I made a Happy Birthday banner to place in a cake for my best friend's moms' birthday cake. I received lots of compliments on it and decided to do a tutorial post on how to make one. It is very easy to make and literally anyone can make one. You can make the bunting say whatever you like, I will be recreating the Happy Birthday banner for this tutorial. Here is what the finished product will look like.

 

All you need is some colorful tape, string or ribbon, and 2 straws or skewers. You will also need scissors and a marker to write on the tape.

 

 

The first thing you will need to do is cut your ribbon or string into 2 strands. I cut my pieces into about 18 inch strands to allow for tying knots on the straws and for dangling down the side of the cake. You will then need to cut and center a piece of tape on one string. Each piece of tape should be about 2 inches long and is folded over the string like so:

You don't have to keep the tape evenly folded over because the bottom will be cut off. To make the bottom of the tape in the shape of a pendant, cut the tape at an angle.

Continue the process spacing the pieces of tape out evenly. Stop when you have 5 pieces of tape on one strand and 8 pieces of tape on the other.

When you are finished, use the marker to write on the bunting.

When tying the bunting on the straws, it is important to place the straws in the cake first. This will help in judging where to tie the strings onto the straws. I simply double knotted the ribbon onto the straws, making them easy to slide of for reuse.

 

And voila! Easy peasy cake bunting.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed,

Tilly