A friend of mine posted this on Facebook yesterday:
From NOAA- "BEGINNING AS A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...WILL TURN TO ALL SNOW THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY WITH 1 TO 2 INCH PER HOUR RATES POSSIBLE. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED... WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS FROM SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES TO NORTHERN WISCONSIN." Sweet! I was getting sick of this slow melt and starting to see grass again. 12" of wet heavy snow will be nice on top of the concrete snow and ice we have on the ground now.
I'm pretty sure he wasn't really getting sick of the melting snow. This winter has been just awful for so much of the country. I'm feeling like everyone needs a taste of spring!
The adorable cupcakes are inspired by Monet's Water Lilies. They are perfect for Easter or just to bring a vision of springtime to your table!
For the Cupcakes
- 2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup salted butter, softened
- green cupcake papers
For the Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk
- green food coloring
For the Flowers
- 2 packages (3 ounces each) blue gelatin dessert (Jell-O)
- 2 cups white candy melting wafers (Wilton)
- Plastic spoons
For the Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and then mix together on low.
In another bowl, stir egg whites, milk and vanilla together. Add butter to the flour mixture and mix together. As it starts to combine, slowly pour the milk mixture in and mix until completely combined.
Line a muffin tins with 16 baking cups. Fill baking cups a little more than halfway. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly. Remove and cool. Makes about 16 cupcakes.
For the Frosting
Beat butter and vanilla together. Add sugar slowly and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and add milk. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add green food coloring a drop at a time to make a vibrant green frosting. Frost the cupcakes so that they have a more or less flat surface - they are the lily pads in your pond.
For the Flowers
Follow the package directions for the blue gelatin dessert. Pour the prepared gelatin into a large shallow serving dish that can hold 1 quart. Refrigerate until the gelatin is set, at least 3 hours. This will make a "pond" for your water lily cupcakes.
For the petals, line 3 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Place the white candy melts in a glass bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, stir, and repeat until the candies are melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
Dip the back of a plastic spoon (this NEEDS to be plastic) into the melted candy to coat, making sure that the candy does NOT go over the edge of the spoon. Allow the excess candy to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the coated spoon, candy side up, to a cookie sheet. Repeat with more spoons. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.
Remove the spoons from the refrigerator and let stand for 1 minute. Carefully bend the backs of the spoons to release the candy. Transfer the candies to a cookie sheet. Any broken pieces can be melted again with the remaining candy. If the candy becomes too thick, return to the microwave and heat for 10 seconds, stirring frequently, until smooth. Repeat the dipping, chilling, and releasing steps to make about 80 petals. (The petals can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container.) Don't worry too much if the petals are not perfect. The flowers will be pretty even with some imperfections.
Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting pale pink with the red food coloring. Spoon the pink frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag.
Spoon any extra melted candy into a ziplock bag (do NOT seal the bag). Microwave for 5 seconds, massage the candy in the bag, return to the microwave and repeat the process until the candy is smooth, about 20 seconds. Press out the excess air and seal the bag.
For the flower, snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the melted candy. Pipe a dot of melted candy the size of a dime onto a cupcake. Arrange 3 to 5 of the candy petals, overlapping slightly, with the larger end of each petal in the melted candy, to make the flower shapes. Repeat for most of the cupcakes (your pond will look nicer with some lily pads without flowers). Let the flowers rest until set, about 5 minutes.
Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the pink frosting and pipe the centers of the flowers.
Place the cupcakes on the blue "pond" to serve.
Beautiful - and delicious! And you can have springtime on your table if not in your backyard.
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