Marshmallow Fondant Hockey Goalie Mask Cake

I don't know why I do these things to myself. I had never made a fondant cake before, so for my first one I decided it would be fine to make a hockey goalie mask cake for a cousin's son. No big deal right? No practice needed right?

Okay, maybe some practice wouldn't have hurt. But alas, I didn't practice beforehand, and it led to some frustrating moments. I even ended up roping in the hubby to help me! Which, by the way, I tried to do from the beginning since he is an avid hockey fan and would know the dimensions better than me; however, it took me almost having a breakdown to convince him to help. What a sweet man I married...

Yes, I could pick out a million mistake with it (although I will not bore you with them, and will instead let you decide what is wrong on your own ;) ), but in the end, the cake came out pretty well! The 9 year old birthday boy was very pleased at least! 

yes, they are Habs fans...

For the cake and frosting portion I used the recipe from my Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes (times 4). I baked half of the batter in a 9" x 13" pan and the other have in a Pampered Chef batter bowl, which I was surprised to find out can go in the oven up to 350°F. I made up my fondant the night before so it could rest overnight. The next day I stacked (I cut the 9" x 13" cake in half and stacked them first), carved and crumb coated my cake, rolled out and put the fondant over the cake, hated the way the shape looked, ripped off the fondant (this was close to my breakdown point), recruited hubby to help carve it to be closer to a real goalie mask shape, crumb coated a few areas again, made MORE fondant and rolled it out AGAIN, and then finally, successfully (although still not in love) placed the fondant over the cake. I used gel food coloring mixed with a small amount of vodka to paint the logo on.  I used black icing to make the shield on the mask and then more fondant rolled into cylinders to make the metal mask over the shield.

Here is the batter bowl for those who are unfamiliar with it

I'm not really sure if you wanted to know all that, but if you did, there it is. If not, the true purpose of this post is slowly approaching...the recipe I used for my marshmallow fondant! It really is very simple, and MUCH cheaper than store bought fondant. It also tastes better (woo hoo!)! Plus you get a mini arm workout out mixing in the powdered sugar, and a major arm workout if you add rolling it out afterwards (yes, I am currently jacked...not). The basic process is as follows:

Take 4 cups of mini (or regular) marshmallows (this is actually double that because I had to double the recipe) with some water and pop in in the microwave

Stir slightly melted marshmallows together until smooth. Add a ton of powdered sugar (this is where the arm work out comes in)

Remove from bowl and knead in MORE powdered sugar until no longer sticky

Anyway, try it, love it, mold it, eat it, do whatever you want with it really. The creative options are endless with fondant!

Oh, and if you were wondering how much you need to make, this link may help! http://www.wilton.com/decorating/fondant/fondant-amounts-to-cover-cakes.cfm

marshmallow fondant
{recipe from I Am Pisces}
Makes about 1 pound of fondant



Ingredients

• 4 cups regular or mini marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Place marshmallows and water together in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and then stir until completely melted. If you are tinting ALL of the fondant, you can add the food coloring now.
2. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you reach 3 1/2 cups.
3. Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar onto countertop. Rub hands with powdered sugar and then remove fondant from bowl and onto powdered surface. Knead fondant, adding more powdered sugar as needed until it is no longer sticky.
4. Once finished, if desired, you can use a sugared knife to cut it into sections and dye each section with food coloring as needed.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes

So, a couple weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary (yeay!). We had saved part of our wedding cake from the year before, as tradition told us to, but to be honest, I did not have high hopes for this cake. I mean, it had been frozen for 1 YEAR! 
But, I shouldn't have doubted our wonderful cake and the talents of the amazing baker who made it. IT WAS SO MOIST! It was strange...it was pretty much like it was a year ago (not that I can remember exactly). Granted, the edges were a little mushy and the fondant had kind of smushed into the cake in parts (although that was probably due to the fact that my wonderful husband dropped it out of the freezer one day), but for just been double plastic wrapped, I'd say that it was pretty amazing.

Anyway, what does that have to do with that gorgeous picture above you may ask? Well, eating that delectable cake reminded me of the moist and delicious cake for those peanut butter hot fudge cupcakes I made. I HAD to make them again. I decided to change it up though and made them into chocolate turtle cupcakes! Chocolate, caramel, pecans...what's not to like?

I even decided to go the extra mile and make my own caramel sauce too! Don't be scared to try it! It was easy! I would recommend using a light colored pan just so you can see the color of the caramel as it's cooking. It can go from just right to burnt fast! If you don't have a light colored saucepan (I didn't), then you can test your color on a white plate or other surface.  Below is what the sauce should look like when all is said and done.

These cupcakes came out great! The next time I might make extra frosting and add some to the center of the cupcake as well (why not right?) to make them really over the top!

yes, that is a mini version :) ...don't judge me!

chocolate turtle cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

{recipe for hot fudge and cupcakes slightly adapted from Tasty Kitchen}

{recipe for frosting and caramel sauce slightly adapted from Annie's Eats}

For the hot fudge:

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water or scalding milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt and flour in bowl of double boiler. Bring water or milk to a boil in another saucepan or in the microwave. Gradually add hot liquid to sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture thickens
2. Once desired thickness is reached, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Use fudge in cupcake batter, as directed (see below), and then to drizzle over baked cupcakes. Store the rest of the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

For the cupcakes:

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup homemade hot fudge (see above)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream, butter and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to wet mixture and mix until batter is smooth. Gently mix in fudge sauce.
4. Fill cupcake liners with batter about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool cupcakes in pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the caramel sauce:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cups heavy cream, warmed
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Spread sugar in even layer over the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, watching carefully. When the sugar begins to liquefy around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to gently stir it towards the center. Continue stirring very gently until all sugar is melted, making sure not to over stir. Once the caramel reaches a deep amber color, immediately remove saucepan from heat (to test the color drop onto a white plate or bowl). Carefully pour half of the heavy cream into the saucepan in a steady stream down edge of pan, whisking constantly. The mixture will steam and bubble violently. Stir until cream is well incorporated, then whisk in remaining cream. Stir in salt and vanilla. If any sugar has seized or hardened, place saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

For the frosting:

Ingredients

• 6 ounces cream cheese, cold
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) salted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons caramel sauce
• 1 1/8 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Combine cream cheese, butter and caramel sauce in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in confectioners' sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. 

Assembly:

Transfer the frosting to pastry bag and pipe a swirl on top of each cooled cupcake. Using a small spoon scoop an indentation in the center of the frosting. In small bowl, mix together caramel sauce and chopped pecans. Fill indentations in the frosting with a small spoonful of the caramel-pecan mixture. Drizzle cupcakes with additional caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce and sprinkle with additional pecans, if desired.

Tiramisu Truffles

I love making truffles. I'm not sure why exactly, but I think it has something to do with the fact that a small little ball can be as delicious as an entire slice of cake, possibly even more delicious. I guess that makes them a little more dangerous too...they're bite size so you may not realize how many you've eaten until they're all gone!

When I made these for the first time, my husband said that these were his new favorite dessert- high praise from someone who dislikes sweets (really, why did I marry this man?)! 

They truly are delicious. They consist of an espresso and white chocolate ganache ball covered in chocolate shavings and cocoa powder. And yes, it's tiramisu so there's a bit of alcohol in there too! 

When making this recipe I wasn't too sure what couverture chocolate was, and after a quick internet search decided that using the white chocolate candy melts from my local grocery store should work fine. And they did! For those who don't know, couverture chocolate has more cocoa butter than normal chocolate, which means it melts and pours more readily than normal chocolate. My local grocery store did not have the couverture chocolate so I'm glad that my substitute worked out well!

These are definitely something I will make again, and would make an excellent addition to my holiday baking list!

tiramisu truffles
{recipe from Not So Humble Pie}
Makes 40-50 1 inch truffles

Ingredients

• 10 ounces white couverture chocolate (I used white chocolate candy melts), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Marsala wine
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, to taste, divided
• 1 ounce milk chocolate in block form
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder

*if your mascarpone cheese is very stiff and thick, whisk it in a small bowl until it is smooth and creamy before adding it to the chocolate

Directions

1. Melt the white chocolate in double boiler, stirring until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool until lukewarm.
2. While waiting for the chocolate to cool, dissolve half of the espresso powder in the Marsala wine.
3. When the chocolate has cooled a bit whisk in the mascarpone until smooth. Then add the espresso Marsala. Mix in the remaining powdered espresso, cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight. 
4. The next day: Grate the block of milk chocolate on the largest holes of a box grater. Toss the shaving with the cocoa powder.
5. Take the espresso speckled chocolate ganache from the refrigerator and scoop balls out with a spoon (I used a small cookie scoop) and roll quickly between your palms to form a ball. If your hands get sticky, dust your clean palms in a little powdered sugar between rolling.
6. To finish, roll the truffles in the shaved chocolate/cocoa mixture.

These will keep in the refrigerator in an air tight container for 10 days. It is also best to allow the truffles to come to room temperature before devouring them.

Mini Fruit Pizza

After the decadent post from last week, I decided to make something a little lighter on the palate. It had fruit on it so perhaps we should even consider calling it healthy....okay, maybe just healthier is the way to word it.

For those who are unsure about the fruit "pizza" concept, I will explain it to you. It is pieces of fruit over a cream cheese and sugar based "sauce" on top of a sugar cookie crust. Mmmm...delicious! This particular recipe also called for apple jelly to be spooned over the fruit for another layer of flavor.

I admit it, I cheated a little and used pre-made sugar cookie dough for the crust, just because of time constraints, but next time I will definitely be trying it with my own sugar cookie recipe!

This recipe comes together very quickly, especially if using the premade dough. The original recipe called for making one large pizza, but as you know, I prefer things more bite-sized so I made them each the size of a cookie. It was very convenient to make them this size because there was no need to cut it into slices afterwards; the pizzas were ready to grab and eat! 

I imagine you could also use whatever fruit you'd like on them too. I used peaches, blueberries and strawberries, but obviously if these are not your favorite choice of fruits, feel free to use whatever you'd like!

Enjoy!

mini fruit pizza
{recipe slightly adaped from Pillsbury.com}

Ingredients

• 1 roll sugar cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or canned peach slices, drained and  chopped
• 1 cup quartered fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup apple jelly

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper/baking mat. Follow the package directions and cut the roll of dough and bake as described. Cool on wire rack.
2. In a small bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled cookie crusts. Arrange fruit as desired on top of cream cheese.
3. Stir jelly until smooth and then spoon or brush over fruit. Refrigerate pizzas until chilled, at least 1 hour. 

Reese's Overload Cake

I have to admit that I didn't even happen upon this next dessert myself. One of my coworkers found it and I knew I HAD to make it. It is sinful just to look at!

To be honest I should have thinned the frosting out a bit more to make it more smooth, but it tasted just as amazingly peanut buttery as you could ever want anyway. Plus the sides are generously covered in dark chocolate and peanut butter chips to hide any flaws :). Genius.

So basically what you have here is two peanut butter cake layers with a chocolate cheesecake layer in the middle. There is a chocolate frosting in between each layer and the entire cake is covered in peanut butter frosting. Like I said, the sides are covered in dark chocolate and peanut butter chips and there are chopped Reese's on top. As if this wasn't enough, I decided to add a little chocolate sauce I had left over from my Toffee Crunch Cupcakes.

So? Are you salivating yet? I mean just look at all that peanut butter chocolatey goodness!

I mean REALLY look at it!

This next picture doesn't really do the cake justice, but it was the only one I could get of the inside before it was completely devoured at work!

Okay, okay. Enough with the torture. Here's the recipe:

Reese's overload cake
{recipe slightly adapted from Hugs & Cookies XOXO}

for the peanut butter cake layers:

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.
2. Melt butter and peanut butter together in microwave. Put in bowl of electric mixer and add sugar. Beat to combine. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour and baking powder. Beat until just incorporated.
3. Divide batter into the two prepared pans. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Cool completely. It may be easier to freeze the cooled layers before frosting.

for the crustless chocolate cheesecake:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
•  2- 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 ounce package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 Hershey's bars, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease one 9-inch springform pan with shortening. Line the pan with parchment paper and then grease the parchment.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Gradually add cream cheese until smooth. Scrape bowl down the sides and beat again on medium speed, adding eggs one at a time. Add baking powder and vanilla pudding powder and mix until just incorporated. 
3. In a separate heatproof bowl over simmering water combine the 2 Hershey's bars and 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Add melted chocolate to rest of cheesecake batter and mix until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared pan. Smooth batter with offset spatula and bake for 50-55 minutes or until set. Let cheesecake cool, but do not remove from pan. Cover it and put directly into the freezer and leave until frozen solid.

for the peanut butter frosting:

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup milk

Directions

Beat peanut butter, butter, vanilla and 2 cups of powdered  sugar until smooth. Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Beat on high until fluffy.

for the chocolate frosting:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Heat cream in the microwave until very hot but not boiling. Pour into mixer with cocoa powder and 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Mix well. Add butter, vanilla and the other 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat on high until smooth.

for the chocolate  sauce:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons water, warm

Directions

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar and stir to combine. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let cool to warm.

assembly:

Ingredients for decoration

• 2-3 cups dark chocolate chips
• 2-3 cups peanut butter chips
• 8 peanut butter cups, chopped

Layer the cake like so: peanut butter cake layer covered in chocolate frosting, followed by chocolate cheesecake layer covered in chocolate frosting, and then put the final peanut butter cake layer on top. Frost entire outside of cake in peanut butter frosting. Push peanut butter and dark chocolate chips into the sides of cake. Place a circle of chocolate sauce in the middle of the top of the cake. Place the chopped peanut butter cups on top of the chocolate circle. Drizzle more chocolate sauce on top of cake. Keep chilled.

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

When I first saw these cupcakes on the blog Bakers Royale, I knew I had to try them! I am so glad I did; they are divine!

The cake part is chocolate and coffee flavored with bits of toffee mixed in. It has caramel frosting that's covered in a chocolate sauce and rimmed with toffee bits. Sounds amazing right? Well, yes, yes it is.

I couldn't resist and had to make mini ones too!

Aren't they so cute? I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

toffee crunch cupcakes

{Makes 12 cupcakes}

{recipe adapted from Bakers Royale}

for the cupcakes:

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted  butter, melted and warm
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon instant espresso granules
• 1/2 cup hot coffee
• 1/2 cup toffee bits, plus extra for decorating

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Using a mixer, beat together butter, eggs and vanilla on medium speed for 1 minute. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat until just incorporated. Add instant espresso granules, coffee and toffee bits and beat until batter is smooth. The batter will be thin (pouring consistency). Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

for the caramel frosting:

Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 sticks salted butter, softened and diced
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce

Directions

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and place over simmering water. Bring temperature of mixture to 150 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer stand fitted with whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until mixture has cooled and doubled in volume.
3. Add butter, one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may appear clumpy, or even curdled, at times, but keep mixing and it will become smooth again. Add vanilla and caramel sauce and beat to combine.

for the chocolate dipping sauce:

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 4-8 tablespoons water, warm

Directions

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar and stir to combine. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let cool to warm.

assembly:

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe frosting onto each cooled cupcake starting from the outside and working towards the center to make a smooth even layer. Freeze cupcakes for about 20 minutes so that the frosting won't melt in the warm chocolate sauce. Remove from freezer and dip each cupcake into chocolate sauce and then rim with toffee bits. Return to freezer for chocolate to set. Remove from freezer and pipe one last swirl on the top of each cupcake.

Banana Split Cupcakes

For a while I've been toying with the idea of making ice cream-looking cupcakes and putting them in a pizzelle "waffle" cup. It just so happened that today was the perfect summery day to try it!

If the pizzelles were a little bit larger, I think it would have been easier to get the effect I truly wanted, but what I got was satisfying enough for me! The cups definitely got better as I got more practice and the best part was, I got to eat the defects. ;)

The method I settled on in the end was using a ramekin and setting the pizzelle centered on it. Then I gently and slowly pushed a cupcake into the center to form the shape. If you go too fast, you run the risk of breaking the pizzelle, but at the same time, if you go too slow the pizzelle will start to harden and it will break as well. So basically, you have to move swiftly and gently. I tried putting a pizzelle on the cup of an upside down cupcake pan and then a ramekin over it, but the results didn't conform to the cupcake as much as the other way. If the pizzelles were slightly larger, I think either way would have been just fine.

Example of placing the ramekin (it was a 7 oz one) over the bottom of the cupcake pan...I forgot to take a picture of gently pushing the warm pizzelle with a cupcake into the ramekin, but you get the idea right?

Regardless of whether the pizzelle cup is included, these cupcakes are delicious! They have a banana custard filling and a classic vanilla buttercream frosting. I have never made a buttercream frosting with eggs in it before this and I have to say...it may be my favorite! Yes, I guess it is a little more labor intensive (not a whole lot more) than just letting the mixer beat all your ingredients, but it was definitely worth it!

Banana Split Cupcakes

{recipe from Bakers Royale}

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup banana puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• sprinkles and maraschino cherries (garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, add both flours; whisk to combine. Set aside. In another bowl cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside. In another bowl, add milk, banana puree and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture. With each addition beat until just incorporated, but do not over mix. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for about 15 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on wire rack prior to frosting.

For the custard filling:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 bananas
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to combine. Pour mixture into saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture starts to bubble, making sure to constantly whisk. Continue to cook the mixture until thickened, about 5-7 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. If refrigerated, place plastic wrap against custard to prevent a skin from forming.

For the classic buttercream frosting:

Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Bring mixture to 150 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer mixture to stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until mixture cools and doubles in volume.
3. Add butter one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Add salt and vanilla and mix to combine. The frosting may appear to look separated, but keep mixing- it will come together.

For the chocolate dipping sauce:

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 5-8 tablespoons water, warm

Directions

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

For the pizzelle bowls:

{recipe slightly adapted from allrecipes.com}

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon anise extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in melted butter and anise extract. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. Gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Dough will be sticky.
2. Preheat your pizzelle iron according to the manufacturer's directions. Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls onto the iron. Close and cook for about 90 seconds, or until steam stops coming out of the iron (mine had a light that came on when they were done). Carefully (and quickly!) remove from iron and then use one of the following two ways too form your bowls (the second way worked best for me):
• Place pizzelle centered on one of the cups of an upside down cupcake pan and place a ramekin (mine was 7 oz) upside down over it. Be sure to be gentle when pushing the ramekin down...the pizzelles will break if you press too hard.
• Place pizzelle centered over the opening on a ramekin (7 oz) and use one of the cupcakes to gently press down on the pizzelle.

After a minute or two the pizzelles will have cooled slightly and hardened into a bowl shape. They can be removed from the ramekin or cupcake pan and you can continue to make more pizzelles. The bowls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature until needed.

Assembly:

Cut a hole in the center of the cupcakes using a knife or a cupcake corer. Fill each cupcake with the custard. Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes in an even thick layer, starting from the outside edge of the cupcake to the center. Place cupcakes in freezer for about 20 minutes so the frosting doesn't melt when they are dipped in the warm sauce. Remove cupcakes from freezer and either dip cupcakes into chocolate sauce or spoon and spread the sauce onto the cupcakes (I spooned mine on) and then rim with sprinkles. Place back in freeze for 5 minutes for the chocolate to set. Remove from freezer and finish piping the frosting on top. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Place finished cupcakes into pizzelle bowls prior to serving (the bowls will soften if kept in the refrigerator with the cupcakes).