Unless your air conditioning has broken in your kitchen.  And then no matter how easy something is, you will be sweating.  Especially with the oven on.  And the dishwasher on.  

Oh lord, get out of the kitchen and just give up!  Bake at night.  It’s the only solution.  

Or wear the trendy 80′s sweatband on your forehead if you’re like that.  

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups table sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Red Velvet requires a few extra steps more that your standard chocolate or vanilla recipe, but it is worth it in the end.  You will find yourself with a light, fluffy, delicious cupcake.

This recipe is a good one that I found (it’s not the one I use day to day for JJ’s, but it is a great runner up!)  

Everything you need for the recipe is posted below the video, and have a look at the tutorial to see how everything goes together! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups table sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

This was a very special mother’s day video that my mom and I filmed together and it was such a special activity!  I was working on about four hours of sleep, so I was a bit delirious, but working in the kitchen with my mom, who taught me how to bake, brought me back to life that day!

When we first discussed our idea to bake with my mom for our Mother’s Day video, I approached my mom with the concept, and we brainstormed different recipes that we could do.  I really wanted to have something that would be special to both of us, and that would be something that we could reminisce over.  

 Thanks for baking with me Mom, and Happy Mother’s Day!  

Chocolate Dream Bar Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar

Top with chocolate buttercream and you have an amazing treat to enjoy with your loved ones. 

Here is a video on how to make your own!  All you need is icing/confectioners sugar, merginue powder and water.  Oh, ya, you probably need a mixer . . . or you might go crazy mixing by hand.

 Simple, easy and clean! 

Royal Icing Ingredients:
4 cups icing sugar (Powdered sugar)
3 level tablespoons meringue powder
5-6 tablespoons water

I’ve been dying to try the solves-all-scraping-problems” fix it tool KitchenAid’s “Flex Edge Beater” for a long time, but it has always gotten pushed to the side in my list of priorities as not important.  Well, for Christmas, I bought my mom her first KA Mixer and it came WITH the beater!  Whoop!  It was the perfect gift for both of us!  LOL does that sound selfish?  Uh, ya, a tiny bit.  My mom loves her KA and now that she has had it for a number of months, I decided now was the time to ask her to borrow the beater . . . and here’s my review of it. 

 So, the beater does decrease the number of scrapes you will need to make, but it is not a solves-all solution.  But, seriously, could there be?  Maybe the double flex edge . . . now I just have to find another person to buy a KA for this Christmas. 

Cranbrook Downtown Fire

Two people were rescued by police as a fire burned through one of Cranbrook’s historic downtown building. The police managed to wake the two sleeping residents of building, who then had to climb to the roof of a neighbouring building to be rescued by firefighters.

No one was injured in the fire, but the two residents of the building lost their home and four businesses that resided in the building were also completely lost. To adjacent building and businesses, “The Choice” and “Cranbrook Photo” also had some damage due to the fire.

Downtown Cranbrook Fire Demolition

Hopefully the re-build is a quick process as a huge gap has been left in Cranbrook’s main street.  I’m sure the business’s will be back better than ever soon!  

Scott Niedermayer’s speech on Wildsight

During this year’s Earth Day celebrations, Wildsight (“Wildsight works to maintain biodiversity and healthy human communities in Canada’s Columbia and Rocky Mountains ecoregion. We are focused on three core areas: the southern Rockies, the upper Columbia River Valley, and the Columbia Mountains. This ecoregion provides critical genetic connectivity for western North America’s wildlife populations”) hosted Downtown Goes Wild in Cranbrook’s Rotary Park.  

Scott Niedermayer signing autographs for scouts

The highlight for the young and old in this hockey hungry town, was the presence of Scott Niedermayer whom is one of the spokesmen for Wildsight, and one of Cranbrook’s hometown heros. 

There was lots happening throughout the park, on a beautifully sunny April day . . . Paul was able to get around to take a few pictures. 

Bear Aware Display

Erna Jensen-Shill (Organizer)

Bob Whetham (cranbrook city council) talking about Wildsight

Ktunaxa drummers

Ktunaxa friendship dance

Wildsight celebration cake for JJ’s Custom Cakery

JJ's Custom Cakery Display

Kettle Corn booth

Scouts Canada giving out trees

Kids face painting

Gwinner’s Country Butcher

Tango Desings T-shirt's

Velvet jacket by Tango Designs

Live Music by 60 Hertz

 A day was had by all who were able to come out and enjoy the bright blue skies and the great selection of vendor participants! 

Coming right around the corner is the day to celebrate the most important person in the world . . . our MOM’S!!  My mom is a pretty amazing lady, and I have big things planned for her  Since she got her new iPad (so jealous) I think she might actually keep tabs on me, and read my blog, so I better not let anything out!  She has Facebook now too.  So with the times my mom is!!

We created a series of videos for simple-DYI decorations for making a sweet treat for your mom on Mother’s Day.   You can follow any of our videos on making cakes from scratch, or of course, you can use a box mix (life is BUSY people and there is nothing wrong with box mixes . . . it’s the thought that counts, right?) Besides, your Mom, Grandma, Aunt, BFF, will love these as they are so cute.

These cupcakes are topped with piped green grass, using Wilton Tip 233, and then are topped with fondant flowers and fondant butterflies!  They are perfect for a beautiful day, with a beautiful lady, in the lovely spring.  Awwh, can you tell I love my mom?  Maybe, I do hope she’s reading this!  

In our video series, first up is “Fondant Cupcake Flower: How To” and in this video, I show you how to make these pretty fondant flowers.  You can use any colour and make them customized for your mom!  All you will need are your fondant colours, and simple flower cut-out shapes, and a small circle for the centre.  

How To Make A Fondant Butterfly

The following video is one designed to show you how to make simple butterfly shapes, whether you have a butterfly cutter or not!   Again, all you need for this technique, is your fondant colour of choice, and either a butterfly cutter, or a heart shaped cutter.  

And finally, how do you put it all together?!?   I wouldn’t leave you hanging . . .

Making Mother’s Day Cupcakes

I hope you all treat your mom’s with love and respect on a day that should be celebrated each and everyday!  After all, it’s kind of a big deal that she pushed you out of her you-know-what!  :) 

LOVE YOU MOM! 

Rusty Cox: Cupcake ice carving

 Recently, Paul and I had the neatest opportunity to attend a Culinary Art Show!  Now, what the heck is a “Culinary Art Show” you may be asking . . . basically it is your typical art show (thank goodness for living in London and Victoria so I knew what an art show was!) but the medium (look at me using artsy words) had to be FOOD!  

Above, is the highlight of our evening, a JJ’s Custom Cakery cupcake carved into an ice sculpture!  Thank you Rusty for choosing our cupcake for your inspiration.  He has participated in the Lake Louise Ice Carving competition for the last number of years, and to see him go at it the way that he did was so cool! 

So, up to Kimberley, B.C. Canada, we hauled our own works of art up to a rustic catering company called The Green Door Catering, which was right in the heart of the town, The Platzl.  Basically if you’ve ever heard of Kimberley, you’ve heard of it for one of two reasons: 1. Skiing, 2. the International Accordion Festival (yes, I said international, and festival, AND accordion all in the same title). 

But, on this night the Platzl was filled with people looking for great food (which is has) and something fresh and new, which they found at The Green Door. 

After touring around the different displays, I was absolutely blown away with the creativity and ingenuity of people.   Here I was touting around a cake, and some of these artists were creating paintings with balsamic vinegar and chai tea.  Amazing! 

First up was some beautiful jewelry from Cristina.  When you watch our YouTube video on the show, you can hear her philosophy on not wanting to use anything that was new, basically as we have plenty of items available to reuse that goes to waste.  She had created necklaces and earrings from shells, and a bracelet and earrings from banana leaves! 

Cristina Borgogelli - Shell Jewelery and Banana Leaf weaves

 Next up was Marissa Phillips who had stayed up most of the night painting this masterpiece, and it’s vibrant colours truely show the beauty of this goddess she has painted.  

Marisa Phillips: Acrylic painting of goddess

Now, of course, as soon as I saw someone else with cake, I was immediately drawn to them, and I have to say that Brigette’s Flower Pot Cake was super cute!!  As I was looking at it (and drooling), she happened to mention that she had used “rolled buttercream”.  Um, pardon?  Rolled, BUTTERCREAM?  What the heck?  She talked me through the process (which seemed incredibly tedious), but yes, she used a recipe she found for rolled buttercream.  Apparently it didn’t turn out the way that she had hoped, but I think it looks great!  

Brigitte Franyo (Snowdrift Cafe): Flower pot cake

 How cute is this crocheted fruit basket?!

Alisha Anderson: Crochet fruit basket

 Alanthea, from Tango Designs in Kimberley (and partner to the host, Ryan) created this stunning dress, embellished of course, with food!   What you can’t see in the picture, but you can in the video, are the shoes that go along with it!  This girl knows the shoes complete the outfit!  

Alanthea Clarkson (Tango Designs): Food embellished dress

 On to Ryan, also of Tango Designs, whom painted this watercolour with chai tea, balsamic vinegar and a variety of other culinary liquid mediums.  The poem was written by his sister, so apparently he comes from a talented family.  

Ryan Doggart (Tango Designs): Chai watercolor painting

 Ryan is also the talent sugar artist for the pieces below.  Watch the video for his full description of this piece of art.  

Ryan Doggart (Tango Designs): blown sugar, pulled sugar art pieces

 This piece was a duo submission, by a couple named Andrew and Jenn.  What you can’t see in the photo is a poem written by Jenn (but you can see it in the video).  The sat down, collaborated and laughingly talked about doing macaroni art in Kindergarten, so you know that got my attention!  

Andrew & Jenn: Pasta art, man sitting in the hot spring

 Now, if the following piece isn’t every man’s dream of flowers, I don’t know what is!  A bacon flower bouquet, complete with a butter vase.  YUM! 

Jamie Funk & Tylene Turner (Green Door): Butter vase & Bacon roses

 It was such a fun evening and a great event to take part in.  We met some very talented people, and I am truely in awe of their artistic minds!  Thank you to Ryan for organizing this event (and inviting us!), and to the Green Door for hosting!  In the video, there are a couple of artists that arrived after we had finished picture taking, but we managed to get video of them, so make sure to check them out too!  

This contest will be for a copy of “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes” book and will end April 30, 2012. To enter, go to our Youtube Channel and subscribe, then post a comment and/or and video response under that video AT YOUTUBE, stating what baking related video you would like to see us do next. We’ll be contacting the winner by via Youtube, so make sure to check your Youtube inbox.