40 great years deserves a great cake!

Congratulations to my "Uncle Bob" for 40 years at his job!

Life can shake and rattle you...but family's stronger than a brick house.

8 pizzas, 1 family, laughs, tears, and a good night for the books....Happy Birthday Dad! <3

...clearly my brother enjoys my pizza!

Because the Coast of Maine is gorgeous no matter what season...

We are official...

This post is big, no, it's huge! I am so excited to share this with everyone that I can't put my thoughts together enough to write this. Let's just start by saying my lawyer friend Pam (yes, that is what I call her) is AMAZING! For my birthday, she purchased the trademark "The Messy Kitchen" for me. It is officially my name. As of April 3, 2011, The Messy Kitchen is mine. This is one of the first steps towards store front.

In case you are wondering what these delectable cupcakes are, I'll tell you. They are vanilla almond cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with a whipped creamed frosting. They were a gift to Pam and her lawyer friend who helped with the trademarking. Thank you!!

Marathon posting...

So my lack of posting has brought me to a backlog of things to talk about...so, here we go! Let's start with my new love. I stumbled across this new Buttercream frosting, which, may just be a new staple in my baking-ness.

Here is what I tried the recipe out on...

...a birthday cake for Pam

...and some cupcakes

...because everyone loves cupcakes.

Heart Day Whoopie Pies

Some people think of Valentine's day as the day to shower the one you love with flowers, candies, and a candle lit dinner. Other's think of it as a Hallmark holiday. Some may even think of it as a day to celebrate heart shaped items. How ever you choose to recognize February 14th, chocolate whoopie pies filled with a strawberry filling will surely top it off!

Why yes, that is bacon in your cupcake!!

You wouldn't know it from the picture, but this is a 'Maple Frosted Bacon Cupcake". Yes, BACON! It started with facebook (I feel like that happens more and more theses days). A friend posted he was gifted with theses bacon cupcakes. Which, to me sounded...well...not worth baking, nor trying. And if you know me, thats a lot. I try to give everything at least one shot. As you know, anything that starts with facebook turns into a whirlwind, so when my brother-in-law asked if I had seen our friend's facebook status about bacon cupcakes, I was quickly informed there was bacon in his freezer.

Needless to say, I stuck to my "I'll give everything a shot once" moto and put his bacon to good use. They were surprisingly yummy! However, they are a very dense cupcake, more of scone like.

Maple Frosted Bacon Cupcakes:

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Cake Flour

1 3.9-ounce Box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Tablespoon Potato Starch (I used Corn Starch)

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg (I just used Nutmeg Spice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

4 Large Egg Whites, at room temperature

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1/2 Cup Half-and-Half, at room temperature

1/2 Cup Chopped Cooked Bacon (about 5 strips)

For the Frosting:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

2 Cups sifted Confectioners' Sugar

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 Strips Bacon, Cooked and Chopped (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon; beat until combined. Spread on the cooled cupcakes; top with chopped bacon, if desired.