Our contributor, Miso of Miso Bakes, is sharing a new DIY just in time for Thanksgiving …

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am sure many of you are busy devising menus and tidying up your homes for the big feast you are throwing.  Slowly, but surely, things are being crossed off the To-Do list.  However, you’re still unsure of what to create for dessert aside from the usual assortment of pies.  You want to create something that impresses your mother-in-law or steals all the attention away from Aunt Betty’s famous caramel apple crisp– you want to earn several accolades for your artistic and cake-creating abilities.

If this all sounds quite familiar, this cake may just be for you!  It can also double as a table centerpiece, so you can cross off another item on your list!  Kills two birds with one stone, you know?

So let’s get started, shall we?

FALL FLOWERS CENTERPIECE
a DIY by Miso Bakes

Supplies

• Cake — baked, iced, and covered in fondant. (I used a dense 6″ cake)
• Gumpaste in orange, brown and green
• Skewers or toothpicks or floral wire
• Floral tape (only if using floral wire)
• Water
• Block of styrofoam or cup of rice
• Balling tool or spoon
• Take out spoons or regular spoons for roses

TO MAKE THE ROSES

• A few days in advance, make the cores so they have enough time to dry completely.
• To do this, roll a bit of gumpaste (about the size of a small gum ball**) into a ball and then taper one edge so it become a teardrop shape.
• Dip skewer/toothpick/floral wire into water and insert into the non-tapered end of the teardrop.
• Seal the opening and let dry standing up in a block of styrofoam or cup of rice.

** Size of the core depends on the size of the flowers you wish to create.

BUILDING THE ROSE

Layer One

STEP 1: Everyone has a different way of creating roses, but I like to build the first three layers by using the same sized cutter– cut 6 petals.

STEP 2: Take one petal and using a balling tool (or spoon), thin out the top half of the petal.  It is important that only the edges are thinned out.

STEP 3: Put a little dab of water on the center of the petal and glue onto the core– make sure the core is centered on the petal.

STEP 4: Put a little dab of water on each corner of the petal, and fold down, overlapping the edges.  You may gently curl the edges back.

Layer Two

STEP 5: Thin out two more petals for the second layer.

STEP 6: Dab a little water on one-half of a petal and wrap it around the first layer. Make sure the center of the petal and the seam of the first layer align.

STEP 7: Tuck one edge of the second petal under the first petal, and the other edge over the first petal. Simply put, create a spiral.

STEP 8: Glue all edges down.

Layer Three

STEP 9:  Thin out the last three petals.

STEP 10:  Like the second layer, you want to center the first petal of the 3rd layer with a seam of the second layer. Glue only half down, as you want to tuck the last petal into it.

STEP 11:  Overlapping the first petal, glue down the second.

STEP 12:  Tuck the last petal into the first.

STEP 13:  You may continue building your rose.  For the next layer, use a bigger petal cutter.

STEP 14:  For the outer petals, you can roll the edges of the rose back with a toothpick.

STEP 15:  You may also dry out the roses on take-out spoons for more depth and curvature.

NOTE:  Be sure to keep your petals covered with plastic (or gently place them in a ziploc bag laying flat) so they don’t dry out.

TO MAKE THE LEAVES

• Roll out green gumpaste– thick enough to insert wire.  If using veiner, leave imprints.  Using petal cutter, cut out leaves.  Insert wire.  Thin edges.  Dry.  Wrap in floral tape and insert into coffee stirrers before inserting in cake.

TO MAKE THE TWIGS

• Roll out gumpaste into a long, thin snake.  Taper one edge.  Let dry completely (or partially).  Adhere to cake with water.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

• Bake, ice, cover cake in fondant.
• Arrange roses on top of the cake.
• Arrange leaves.  Make sure they don’t stick out too much and get in the way of the twigs.
• Glue twigs onto cake with water.
• Tie a ribbon around the cake.  If you have extra time, you may make a ribbon out of fondant!

Happy Thanksgiving!

	Miso Bakes Miso is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a talented pastry chef with a big passion for cakes. Read more about Miso on her bio page.

With Turkey Day only a week away, I thought we’d take a break from the cake and share a fun treat appropriate for Thanksgiving Dessert.  If you are a believer that everything good comes in small packages, I know you’ll love today’s recipe.    A traditional staple for the season, pecan pie gets a modern update when baked up in a small, cupcake-sized, mini portion.  Add a splash of bourbon and now we’re really talking!  So toss the pie pan, grab your muffin tin and let’s get baking!  Created by the ladies at Mini Empire Bakery for their new book, Mini Pies, you’re going to gobble up these little goodies!  Today’s Mini Bourbon Pecan Pies are the perfect way to indulge this Thanksgiving… without feeling like a stuffed bird!

{Recipe and photos courtesy of Mini Empire Bakery and Ulysses Press.}

Mini Bourbon Pecan Pies

Your Favorite Pie Crust
1 egg
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup dark corn syrup
â…“ cup sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon bourbon (we like Maker’s Mark—who doesn’t?)
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups roughly chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.

2. On a thoroughly floured surface, roll out the crust to a thickness of 3∕16 inch. Using a 4-inch diameter round cutter, cut 12 crusts. Re-form and re-roll the dough as necessary, keeping plenty of flour on your work surface. For this pie, you want the crusts to be slightly larger than normal. Cut them out as usual, then (working on the floured surface) tap around the edges of each crust  with the heel of your hand to stretch it slightly.

3. Using a mini cookie cutter (your choice) and leftover dough, cut out 12 shapes to use as pie toppers. (We like crowns to top Bourbon Pecan pie.)

4. Carefully shape the crusts into the wells of the muffin tin, crimping the edges with your fingers and folding them out over the top of the pan. This will help prevent the crusts from shrinking whilethey bake. Bake the crusts for 12 minutes, until lightly browned.

5. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, light corn syrup, dark corn syrup, sugar, butter, bourbon, and salt until well combined.

6. Fill each mini crust with ½ tablespoon of the egg mixture. Add chopped pecans, using smaller pieces on the bottom and larger pieces on top. Carefully add another ½ to 1 tablespoon egg  mixture to each mini pie, coating the pecans. Fill to just below the brim. Top each mini pie with a pie topper. {TIP: Be sure to completely coat the pecans with the egg mixture. This will ensure that the pie toppers stick and the pecans don’t burn.}

7. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then carefully remove the pies from the pan and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. To remove, first try to spin the pies in the muffin wells. If they need a little extra help, run a butter knife along the edge of the crusts to pop them out of the tin.

8. Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Hope you’re inspired to bake up some bite-sized treats this holiday season! If you’re a lover of everything mini, be sure to check out Mini Pies.  This book would be a cute addition to your homemade Christmas goodies this year… wrap it up with a batch of mini pies, tie with a bow and pass out to friends and neighbors!

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy., is here with a delicious new recipe….

One of my absolute favorite things about fall is eating pies!  Apple, pumpkin, pecan, you name it and I will gobble it right up!  So when Carrie mentioned she wanted me to create an apple themed cupcake recipe for November, I immediately thought of apple pie!  I am an apple pie lover, especially in the fall.  So immediately my mind started going in a million directions about how I would create the perfect apple pie cupcake to share with all of you.  I came up with something that I hope you all are going to love and that truly tastes like a bite of apple pie!  So here are the details on my new Apple Pie Cupcake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream!

The two key ingredients in these cupcakes are apples of course, and the brown sugar cinnamon flavor that you will taste throughout in every layer from the cake, filling and buttercream.  I combined my two favorite types of apples granny smith and gala to create both a sour and sweet pairing in the cake.  This batter is super simple to make, using only a whisk to combine all the ingredients with the end result being a super moist and fluffy cake packed full of cinnamon and grated apples to give the cupcake a nice texture.

For all you apple pie lovers, not only are there apples in the cake, but there is an apple pie filling in the middle!  The hidden pocket of apples is a nice surprise when you take a bite and what truly makes these cupcakes seem like a mini apple pie!  To round out the cupcakes I thought a nice swiss meringue buttercream would be the perfect choice since it is light an fluffy and almost resembles the texture of a whipped cream.  I used a standard recipe and just swapped out the granulated sugar for brown sugar and added a pinch of cinnamon to carry on the flavors from the cake and filling.

To finish off the final look, I used a refrigerated pie crust to create mini apple toppers sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar!  This is such a quick, easy and simple way to add some extra fall cuteness to these cupcakes!  Afterall, you can’t have an apple pie cupcake without some crust, right?  The crust is my absolute favorite part of any pie, and when I was little my mom would actually make my sister and I cinnamon sugar pie crusts for desserts.  Rolling out a refrigerated crust she would sprinkle the entire thing in cinnamon and sugar, bake for a few minutes and then slice it like a pizza and we would devour it in no time!

If you are looking for a dessert for your Thanksgiving feast this is a great recipe to consider. The cupcakes can seriously be whipped up and in the oven in a matter of minutes. Make them a day ahead of time and store in an airtight container until ready to core, fill and frost and they will be delicious. If the coring and filling of the cupcakes seems like too much extra work, just leave it out, these cupcakes will still taste like apple pie since there is already apple in the main batter. Not a fan of granny smith and gala apples, simply use you preferred apples and they will still be just as good!

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated apples (2 granny smith, 2 gala)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In medium bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In large bowl combine eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and whisk together.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
5. Fold grated apples into the cake mixture.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.

For the apple pie filling:
3 apples, finely chopped (2 granny smith, 1 gala)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Place chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in medium size pan and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, until apples are tender. Stir occasionally.
2. Allow mixture to cool.
3. Use an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcakes and fill with apple pie filling.

For the icing:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon to taste

1. In bowl of stand mixer combine egg whites and brown sugar. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (The mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers)
2. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high whisk until fixture if fluffy and glossy, about 10 minutes.
3. Change mixer to paddle attachment and on medium speed add butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and cinnamon to taste and mix well.
5. Place icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and squeeze a dollop on top of each cupcake.

For the pie crust topper:
1 refrigerated pie crust
cinnamon & sugar
mini apple pie cookie cutter

1. Bring one refrigerated pie crust to room temperature by sitting on counter for about 15 minutes.
2. Lightly flour surface and roll out pie crust.
3. Use mini apple cookie cutter to cut pie crust toppers.
4. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mixture.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
6. Garnish cupcakes with mini pie crust apples.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did! Happy Fall!

	Lauren Kapeluck Lauren is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a self-taught baker and lover of all things sugar. Read more about Lauren on her bio page.