Baker Got Back

I'm combining two of my favorite things on today's post. Cupcakes and embroidery. I met up with my friend Kimmy earlier this week, and I decided to bake cupcakes for our visit. I went with a recipe I came up with last year for Almond Joyful Cupcakes. I posted the recipe on my old blog, but I will save you the search, and I'll post it here.

Once again, these cupcakes were wicked awesome. They're very easy to make, and the cake is moist and creamy. The frosting recipe makes just enough to modestly frost the cakes, so if you're a frosting fiend, you might want to double it.


Almond Joyful Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup coconut cream (or coconut milk)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, & line your muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt.
3. In a larger bowl, mix together the coconut cream, sugar, & the extracts.
4. Add the flour mixture to your coconut mixture in batches, mixing well after each incorporation. Mix until smooth & then fold in the shredded coconut.
5. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 24-26 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.

Coconut Frosting
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons coconut cream
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions
1. Beat the shortening until it's light and fluffy. Add the sugar and the coconut cream, mixing until smooth, about 3 minutes. Then stir in the shredded coconut by hand.

After I frosted these cupcakes, I put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes to let the frosting set. You could also top each cupcake with a chocolate covered almond if you have them on hand. Perfect!

Now for the embroidery! Floresita posted a vintage Vogart embroidery pattern a while back on Flickr, and I just loved it! For one thing, I'm a sucker for just about any pastry related pattern, but combine that with a big booty baker, and I'm all over it.


I decided to put this cutie on a tea towel. The shirt was a lot of fun to stitch, and I chose two different shades of blue. Overall, this pattern only took about 4 to 5 hours of stitch time. You can see more pictures here.

Ok, I'm off to watch Thursday night awesomeness. I've made my husband wait long enough.

xoxo