Strawberry Sunday!!

It's Sunday my sweets! What have you been up to ?? I've been in the lab creating something yummy for your tummy!!

I once again found myself without that oven, and the new one can't come soon enough !!  However as usual I won't let that get me down, because today I used a nifty little gadget that allows me to make moist yummy cupcakes no oven required !! How many of you have seen these cup cake makers that all you do is plug in and in five minutes you have something scrumptious?? Well let me tell you, go buy one they are fantabulous!

So I knew in concept what I was going to make and how, but I had figure out how to make it special. So I decided Sunday is a day of rest and relaxation and if I did that I'm sure it would come to me. There I was watching My Fair Wedding with David the most fabulous wedding guru ever and it came to me.  Bite size Strawberry cupcakes. Remember I said I was going to kick yesterday's treat up a notch well here I go.

With my cupcake maker warmed up and ready to go, I gathered my ingredients and tools and started to make a mess. Yes a mess, any good baker worth their flour always makes a mess while creating, but it's ok its all part of the fun.

Now if you want to go the quick route there are a lot of good cake mixes out there , Betty Crocker, Ducan Hines to name a few. I myself like to go from scratch ( hence making mess) and grab some flour, a sifter, and some flavoring.  Like yesterday I wanted to go as natural as possible with my strawberries, so I went to my fridge and grabbed some I had cut up earlier and set aside. What this does is actually releases their natural juices, if you want to speed it up a little you can sprinkle with some sugar or a sugar substitute.  I started to mix all my ingredients and even added some of the juice I got from my cut strawberries ( this adds not only flavor but color) and whipped up yummy batter.  I dare anyone who has a weakness for batter ( admit it you still love to lick the spoon ) to not think this is a yummy concoction! Fighting temptation I added my batter to my cupcake maker and watched my little minis form.

After they had baked and were cooling I got started on some home made icing !  Again you can use store brand, but don't be afraid to make your own. You will be surprised as to how easy and fun it is, plus when you do it you control the ingredients such as flavor. If your anything like me, you will experiment with the recipe and find out what works best for your taste buds.   For this treat I made a simple butter cream frosting.

So after your cupcakes have cooled and you've iced them, you're pretty much done right? Well yes, unless you want do something a little fancy shmancey like me. I used one of my piping bags and a star tip and placed some icing on the cupcake. Then I added a slice of freshly cut strawberry and drizzled some yummy chocolate over the top. Heres a hint this quick and easy step makes it look like it came straight from your favorite bakery and  if your wanted to surprise your hunny for Valentines Day, I bet he or she wouldn't know the difference. Plus the mini cupcake is the perfect size for feeding to your special someone for a romantic treat.

Well there is a cupcake and a cold glass of milk with my name written all over it. Remember to Friend Bradley Sweets on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter, you can find us by our email bradleysweets@gmail.com. Check back tomorrow for our Special Heartastic Surprise!

Happy Baking from Bradley Sweets

What To Do When you don't have an Oven....

Hello my sweets!! Did everyone have a good Saturday?? Perhaps find inspiration for something yummy ?? I know I did!!

I found myself in a quandary today with no oven! I know, how can you bake without the oven??  Due to a mishap with my stove I had to purchase a brand new oven and now I'm just waiting for it to arrive. No matter because like any good baker I do have a few tricks up my sleeve ! So I thought and thought and wondered what delectable treat can I make to start off  and I realized why not keep it sweet and simple.

Now you may ask what is it that I came up with that could possiblely be inspired by Valentines Day as mentioned yesterday? To find the inspiration follow me on my thought process and see where it leads.

I was enjoying a piece of strawberry shortcake ( a traditional  one and quite possibly my fav cake recipe!!) that I had gotten to celebrate my birthday . While I was enjoying one of the oh so yummy strawberries I thought of how popular this fruit is. Who doesn't enjoy a strawberry every now and then!! I myself have only come across one person who doesn't like this piece of natures candy, and I'm convinced if she had a truly good strawberry like the one I was enjoying she would change her mind ! Then it came to me, what's the most popular item, edible that is, on Valentine's Day ? Strawberries!! Yummy !!

So to my kitchen ( or as I like to refer to it my laboratory) I went to find what I had that I could totally use to enhance the beauty that is a strawberry !!  Remember without the oven I was left to my own devises and all I saw before me was my kitchen aid mixer and my microwave!

I wanted to enhance the natural sweetness of my favorite berry and not over power it so I pulled out of my closet a bag of sugar free chocolates and a bowl and popped it into the microwave to melt. While my chocolate melted I grabbed some strawberries, washed them up and got them ready for dipping!  When dipping chocolates it's important to let your imagination run wild and create different things! Go for the simple plain dipped strawberry ( or whatever your favorite fruit or snack is ) or add some sprinkles, different color chocolates, or  perhaps some edible glitter to make it sparkle !!

Now for those of you who do not like chocolate , I know you are out there, why not take some fresh strawberries and dip them in some whipped cream!! I put my mixer to good use and whipped up a batch of sugar free whipped cream with a recipe I've been working on for a while ! The best part of creating your own whip cream is you can essentially make it whatever flavor floats your boat ! Plus if you go sugar free like mine, whatever flavor you use will stand out more. I got a little crazy and made mine coconut flavor! You can also add some treats to the cream if you like to show a little pizazz. That paired with a fresh strawberry, yum my mouth is watering just thinking about it !!

I hoped you enjoyed this sweet, simple, and fun treat idea to start off our baking adventures ! To make something yummy all you need is to have is an open mind . Look what I did with just some things from my pantry , a microwave and a mixer.  Also just because I went sugar free today doesn't mean you have to, but don't be afraid to try it because sometimes the natural flavors are so much sweeter ! I don't know about you, but I am about to grab some chocolate covered strawberries, make a cup of hot coco topped with my home made whip cream and cuddle with a good book on this chilly Saturday night. Stay tuned for tomorrow as I take inspiration from today's idea and kick it up a notch! You won't want to miss !! Till then

Happy Baking from Bradley Sweets

Welcome to the Mad House!!

Hi Everyone!!

Thanks for stopping by to my newly created blog! Follow me on my journey of creating the most amazing and scrumdillyishus ( yeah I said it) baking recipes! From Cakes of all sizes, including some oh so yummy cupcakes,  to cookies of all kinds, and any kind of treat in between you won't want to miss out!! Get ready as I tweak some traditional recipes to creating some brand new concoctions that are sure to please the palate. There will be something for everyone you know, sugar free, vegan, and even the sweet tooth inducing! Please follow me on Twitter and remember to to friend me on Facebook.  This is just the beginning of something amazing yet to come, and I invite everyone to share in my adventure. Stay Tunned as tomorrow will be the first day of creating something special and inspired by the upcoming day of love, Valentine's Day!!


Happy Baking from Bradley Sweets!!