Cocoa Powder or Dutch Cocoa Powder ?

What's the difference? It's something many home bakers ponder and my ignore, but if you use the wrong one, you will end up with a significantly bitter product. Cocoa Powder is the remaining product after much of the cocoa butter is removed from the chocolate liquor. Common brands would be Hershey's or Nestles.

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder has alkali added to neutralize the acids in natural cocoa powder.

Therefore, if you need Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder but only have natural cocoa powder, than you'll need to add "alkali" such as baking soda. Here's what you need to do according to www.joyofbaking.com

3 Tablespoon Natural Cocoa Powder + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda = Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder.

If you happen to have Dutch Processed Cocoa and need to have Natural Cocoa then you'll need to do the following:

3 Tablespoons Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder + 1/8 teaspoon EITHER Cream of Tarter, vinigar or lemon juice = Natural Cocoa Powder.

The photo to the right is our cocoa powder "loaded" SCYMIH cupcake found only here in the Poconos!

Melt and Pour discovery

I've finally got the melt and pour thing down pat. There were alot of quirks to work out. One very important fact I've discovered is that melt and pour doesn't sweat when melted in a double boiler as opposed to the micro. I won't be microwaving my melt and pour any more.

It's a bright new spring day. Why not make a batch of cupcakes. Here's an easy icing that everyone will love.

2 sticks butter, softened
1 pound confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk or strong chamomile tea
1 teaspoon vanilla

pastel food color of your choice.

Blend everything together and frost your cooled cupcakes. Why not bring one to a friend?

Everyone loves CAKE! Either to look at or to eat. Cake is something that makes people happy.

Who can resist a smile when they see a fluffy cloud of sweet, light icing smeared high and topped with beautiful, dignified roses! Then there are the cakes that are works of art. Shaped into anything imaginable.

Teaching my students all the secrets of making these masterpieces is my passion! I love to see the joy they feel when they've created something they didn't think they could.

Here is where I'll share some of those secrets and observations.

My love for cake decorating began at 8 years old, when my dad started to moonlight at the local bakery. I remember sitting in my second grade class, daydreaming about those beautiful pink roses. Petal for petal, leaf for leaf. I thought it was something only special people could do.

My Easy Bake oven was where fantasy became reality for me. My #1 gift on my Christmas Gift List year after year was the deluxe set of kids cake mixes and frostings found in the Sears Wish Book. The set was loaded with miniature cake pans of all sizes, cake mixes, frostings and brownie mix as well.

I never did get it, but mom would keep me stocked up on the mixes you could buy in the supermarket for about 10 cents a piece.

It's been a life long journey and I'd love to share what I've learned with you.