24 APRIL 13, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM Tips for creating fabulous fl oral cupcakes Let springtime blossoms bloom on your dessert plate. Cupcakes make a great and easy foundation for trying new things. With a small surface to work with, you can top your treat with one fabulous larger-scale flower or multiple smaller-scale flowers to showcase your skills, practice decorating techniques or even experiment with color and arrangement. “Spring celebrations provide a great opportunity to try a new decorating technique,” says Nancy Siler, vice president of consumer aff airs at Wilton. “Decorated cupcakes and other mini treats let you experiment with multiple new ideas while having fun in the kitchen. Plus, who can resist the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ that your beautiful fl oral cupcakes will certainly elicit?” Try these tips from Wilton to create your own bouquet of sweet treats: • Botanical Beauties: Planning a bridal shower or other special occasion? Make cupcakes that mimic the fl owers used for the event or those planned for the bride’s bouquet. • Fun with Flowers: Pick up fresh decorating inspiration in the new Wilton Method Course 1 - Building Buttercream Skills at your local craft store. You’ll learn the techniques and discover the tools that make it easy to create extraordinary decorating projects, including six beautiful fl owers, for cupcakes, sweet treats or a layered cake. • Floral Fantasy: Adapt techniques to suit your fl oral style. Sometimes, just changing the size of the decorating tip changes the look of a fl ower dramatically. Experiment with tip size, color and design to create a garden full of icing fl owers. Aft er all, who says you can’t create the fl owers you see in your dreams? • Bloom Where You’re Planted: Carry the fl oral theme from the bottom of your treats to the top. Highlight your gorgeous icing fl owers by using Wilton Petal Baking Cups for your cupcakes rather than traditional baking cups. The petal-shaped top edge will beautifully accent your cupcake blooms. For more spring fl ower ideas, baking tips, inspiration and where to take a class, visit www.wilton.com. STAR DROP FLOWERS Drop fl owers are a great way to make fl owers quickly. The star drop fl ower is the easiest to make because the tip does all the work for you. Use to fi ll in bouquets or borders, or to top individual sweet treats, like cupcakes, brownies and cookies. ICING COLOR • Decorating bags • Drop fl ower decorating tip (use tip 2D for practice) • Buttercream icing (medium consistency) • Fit decorating bag with drop fl ower decorating tip 2D and fi ll 1/2 full or less with medium consistency icing. • Hold decorating bag at 90 degree angle to treat with tip just touching surface. • Squeeze, letting icing build up to make fl ower. • Stop squeezing, then lift tip away. Hint: Pipe drop fl owers in buttercream icing directly on cupcake. Piped dots or candy can be used for fl ower centers. Courtesy Family Features Spring-Inspired Dessert Brighten up spring gatherings with a simple dessert inspired by the fl avors of the season. Lemon, almond, vanilla and raspberry extracts give baked treats a fresh fl air that matches the lively essence of spring. “Friends and family will love these Easy Mini Cheesecakes,” said Mary Beth Harrington of the McCormick Kitchens. “Almond and vanilla give these individual treats a burst of rich fl avor, while a fruit topping highlights the fresh ingredients of the season.” To simplify preparation when making dessert for a gathering, take advantage of these ideas from the McCormick Kitchens: Make Ahead and Batch Bake: Double-batch the dessert recipe and vary the extracts to make two unique treats in one eff ort. For even more variety, try a simple substitution like using chocolate sandwich cookies in place of the vanilla wafers for the “crust.” Make day-of prep a spring breeze by preparing the recipe in advance and refrigerating it overnight. Bright Fruit Topping: Fresh fruits and berries make a simple, yet colorful topping for cake, ice cream and other desserts. Stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to 2 1/2 cups fruit for a sweet seasonal treat. EASY MINI CHEESECAKES These luscious cheesecakes fl avored with vanilla and almond extract are sized just right. Garnish with fresh fruit, lemon curd or melted chocolate swirls. • Prep Time: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 24 minutes • Refrigerate Time: 4 hours • Makes 12 servings • 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream • cheese, soft ened • 2/3 cup sugar • 2 eggs • 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure • Vanilla Extract • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure • Almond Extract • 12 vanilla wafers Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fl uff y. Add eggs and extracts; beat well. Place a wafer in bottom of 12 paper lined muffi n cups. Spoon batter into each cup, fi lling 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 325°F oven 22 to 24 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool in pan on wire rack. (Mini cheesecakes will defl ate in center upon cooling.) Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with desired toppings. KITCHEN TIP: Variations: Use 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract in place of almond extract. Use chocolate sandwich cookies in place of the vanilla wafers for the “crust.” If you don’t have fresh fruit, top cheesecakes with canned fruit such as cherry pie fi lling or mandarin orange segments. Nutritional Information Per Serving: 210 Calories, Fat 14g, Carbohydrates 17g, Cholesterol 79mg, Sodium 166mg, Fiber 0g, Protein 4g Courtesy Family Features EASTER
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