Color Me Styled - CMS Turns One!!

Oh, they grow up so fast don't they?! 

Tomorrow will be Color Me Styled's first birthday. It has been such a fun year and I can't wait to keep this baby rollin.

Color Me Domestic - Shortcut Cake Pops

Cake Pops are becoming more and more popular. Mostly because they can be customized to fit any theme you might have. They can be made in any flavor cake you like too.

But have you ever tried to make them without the fancy cake pop pans? 

I have... it was a major fail.

I did the bake a cake, let it cool and then crumble it with some frosting method and they turned out mushy. The chocolate candy coating worked well but the pops were very heavy and didn't stand up on the sticks.

Then I got to thinking, and trolling the internet, and I found this little trick.

Use doughnut holes!

The plain cake doughnut holes will work best. And the process is pretty simple. I suggest dipping each lollipop stick into the candy coating or frosting and sticking it into the doughnut hole first and letting it "dry" before frosting the rest of the doughnut hole.

We found Styrofoam blocks at Michael's crafts and the lollipop sticks (also found at Michael's... the Wilton Cake section) stick into the block easily. 

Funfetti White Almond Cupcakes

Nothing says celebration more than funfetti cake. For a birthday (or a blog launch)... primary colored funfetti cupcakes are in order, with candles of course.

Adding almond flavoring to the box mix takes the treat to a new level. Here's the recipe we love at Color Me Styled. And, the cupcake tip of the century? Dispensing the batter using a (well rinsed out) ketchup or plastic dressing bottle! You can buy dispensers if you bake a lot, if you don't, keep a bottle after you've used up the original contents and you'll be all set when the time comes for cupcakes again. 

Funfetti White Almond Cupcake Recipe (adapted from Food.com)


Ingredients:

• 1 (18 oz) box of funfetti cake mix (or white cake and you can add your own jimmies)
• 1 cup all purpose flower
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 large egg whites

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep the cupcake pan with liners and have batter dispenser of choice on hand. Place all dry ingredients (through salt) into a large bowl and stir together with a wire wisk. (If you have a stand mixer, use the mixer bowl. If you're working with a hand beater the largest bowl you've got will do) Add remaining ingredients and beat on high for 2 minutes.

Transfer batter to dispenser. The easiest way is to pour your batter into a big zip-lock bag and then clip the corner to funnel it into the bottle. You'll have more batter than can fit in the bottle so keep it set to the side with the open tip UP so you don't waste any batter! As a general rule pour batter until the liner is just over 3/4 full. This cake tends to be on the dense side so it won't rise as high as other cakes.

Bake for 8-10 minutes checking cupcakes with a toothpick before removing from oven. The toothpick should come out of the cupcake totally clean. Remove cupcakes and let cool on a cooling rack. 

Frost and decorate cupcakes to your liking and enjoy!