Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Fabulously Fancy Cupcake Hack (And a Cover Reveal)

Mindy here, and last week south central Texas was treated to a beautiful harvest moon. If only this picture did it justice. But it was big and oh, so bright.

Have you ever wondered why they call it a harvest moon?

I did, and in case you’re wondering, here’s what I learned.

A harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox and it’s often referred to as a harvest moon because its bright light allowed farmers work into the night to harvest the last of their crops.


Thought that was a fun little factoid.


So we went to wedding this past weekend.


Don't my guys look sharp?

I don’t know about you, but one of the things I look forward to most at weddings is the cake.


Doesn't this look amazing?
I could hardly wait.

Except we were all so exhausted that we ended up bowing out before the bride and groom cut the cake. Which meant I woke up the next day craving cake. Fortunately, I had a mix on hand so I whipped them up in no time. When it came to frosting them, though, I found myself with a dilemma.

You all know how I love to pipe swirls of icing atop my cupcakes, except all of my piping bags and tips are in storage.
Really?
What was I thinking?
I obviously wasn’t. So I dusted off my thinking cap and came up with an idea.
A zip-top bag!
I have plenty of those.
I simply snipped off one corner,


Added my buttercream frosting (recipe here) to the bag,

Twisted the top so it wouldn’t go shooting out the wrong end and set to work.



Simply start piping the frosting around the outside edge and work your way toward the middle until you have a nice little peak.

Tah, dah!
And believe it or not, the cupcakes were frosted in less time than it takes to spread the icing with a knife. I can just envision these with some of those edible pearls to dress them up.
Go ahead, grab yourself a cupcake because we’ve got some celebrating to do.

This announcement is way overdue, but here goes.
I am proud to announce my very first Christmas book.


A Family for Christmas

Lacie Collier is determined to give her niece, Kenzie, the best Christmas ever! But Lacie’s got her work cut out for her when they spend the holidays at her Christmas-averse mother’s home. With his focus on keeping his own mother’s holiday traditions alive, sheriff’s deputy Matt Stephens is surprised to see his old friend Lacie back in Ouray. He’s always regretted that their friendship became strained after he started dating her sister in high school. But it’s pure shock he experiences when he sees Kenzie, whose uncanny resemblance to Matt is undeniable. This Christmas will bring new memories for Lacie and Matt…if they can open themselves to the possibility of love.








I love Christmas and I love, love, LOVE this story. It was challenging to write, but all came together nicely.
Isn't the cover gorgeous? Cute, outdoorsy guy, cute kid... What's not to like?

So what do you think? About the cupcakes, the cover...?




Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com  




10 comments:

  1. Cupcakes with swirl frosting! I love them!

    And a goofy grin appeared when I saw your H-E-B ziplock bag. :) I loved shopping at HEB when we lived in Texas! Brings back memories of my weekly grocery trip with my two oldest children when they were little.

    Congratulations on the Christmas book! I'm looking forward to reading it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan, I'm thrilled to finally have an HEB. There weren't any in the DFW area. They're finally starting to open some, but too late for me. I had to move to get one. They have the best produce and meats, plus store brands that are often better than name brands. Can you tell I like be shopping there, too? ;)

      Delete
  2. Wooooooo -- I LOVE Christmas stories. So excited. When does yours release? I'm doing a Readher's Choice Love Inspired Giveaway on my blog today and everyone is requesting Christmas stories. LI does the best Christmas stories!! And the covers are gorgeous. Hmmm...I might have to do a whole week of LI Christmas giveaways.

    I am totally envious of your cupcake decorating. I knew all about the ziplock bag cheat and even the twisting the bag so the icing doesn't come out the wrong end (learned that the hard way) but last time I tried to fancy smancy decorate the bag burst and squirted icing everywhere but on the cookies. Sigh. But yours look super divine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kav, what a great idea for a giveaway on your blog! Thanks for sharing the LI books!

      Delete
    2. It's a December release, Kav, but the official release date is November 21. And I'm with Missy. Love your giveaway idea. Wish I'd thought of it. Who knows, maybe I'll borrow it. ;)

      As for the bag exploding, your frosting was probably too stiff which makes it more difficult to pipe. Try thinning it with a tablespoon or so of milk.

      Delete
  3. I LOVE both!!

    Now you have me craving cake! I need to eat dinner. I'm starving at the moment and cake is too tempting! LOL

    The story sounds fantastic, Mindy! I can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, the power of suggestion is a powerful thing, Missy. And exactly why I woke up the day after the wedding craving cake. I didn't get my fix and I had to have it. Besides, we're old enough to have dessert first, right?

      Delete
  4. I don't think I have ever used a real piping bag! For the longest time I have used a freezer or sandwich bag of some kind. They even work for deviled eggs and if you use a toothpick to poke a whole creak puffs! Now if I wasn't confined to my bed today I would get to baking, but apparently during our weekend away I caught something from someone and made the decision to take a sick day. Any idea how BORING these days are? Cupcakes are going on the list for later this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no, Katie. I'm so sorry you're sick. And yes, feeling yuck makes for some long, boring days.
      Seems that while I've got you craving cupcakes, you've got me craving deviled eggs, Katie. I love those and always make extra so I'll have leftovers for snacks.

      Delete
    2. Oh I would like to know what creak puffs are!! Haha silly typos. With the weather change one of us was bound to catch something! I just beat my mister to the punch. Yes deviled eggs make a great snack. Better then a plain boiled egg.

      Delete