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In early April, I received an email from KitchenAid with an invitation to join them in promoting their Cook for the Cure® program, designed to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer. I didn't have to think very long about my response
I quickly pressed the "reply" button and wrote, "I’d love to participate. My mom had breast cancer and was a survivor times 2 (cancer in one breast and then 10 years later, the other)! She passed on several years ago at 92, after living a very full life. Mom was quite an amazing woman; never complaining all through the bouts of cancer (colon cancer too); except one day when I called, she said that she felt sort of “icky”. I hope I can be half of what she was, if I ever have to go through something like that. Definitely count me in on the Cook for the Cure® program".
And how appropriate that this post was due just a few days before Mother's Day! Although it's been four years since my mom passed away, there's rarely a day goes by, that I don't think of her. I miss hearing her cheerful voice on the phone, the good advice she always gave and the way she called a "spade a spade". I never worried that mom wouldn't tell me exactly what she thought (even though there were times I didn't like hearing it!). She also had a wonderful sense of humor and, quite frequently, Scott and I will recall one of her many funny sayings, and have a good laugh over it.
As I was working on this post, I thought about the fact that, although mom never had a fancy house or a wonderful kitchen with all the latest appliances, she did own a KitchenAid mixer. And I have a feeling that she would have been hard-pressed to carry on without it. This little work horse of a lady made homemade bread once a week (ten loaves at a time!), even after all six of us kids grew up and left home. She loved how that machine could whip up a big batch of dough in a hurry, and used it religiously, for the bread, and also for all sorts of delicious treats right up until shortly before she died, at 92!
Do you know about KitchenAid's wonderful Cook for the Cure program? It's designed to give people with a passion for cooking a way to support the Komen fight against breast cancer. From pink products and celebrity chef auctions, to home-based fundraising events, this partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen® Foundation has raised over $10 million in the past fourteen years.
I'm sure you've heard about the Susan G. Komen® organization, but you may not know that it's the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit, as well as providing practical help to those facing the disease. The foundation was founded in 1982 and has served millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. I love the fact that the Komen organization was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, Susan G. Komen's sister. She was determined that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life.
In 2015, KitchenAid will donate over $450,000 to the Susan G. Komen® Foundation through the Cook for the Cure® program, supporting the fight against breast cancer.
This year, KitchenAid is debuting a brand new pink polka dot ceramic bowl to to celebrate their partnership with the Komen Foundation.
When a box with the pretty bowl inside arrived on my doorstep several weeks ago, I was delighted. It's beautiful; and just looking at it makes me smile. This post is actually a sneak preview of the fun bowl; it won't hit the market until late summer/early September, so watch for it!
I love that, in addition to being fun and pretty, it's also quite practical - it's dishwasher and microwave safe and retains heat or cold well, so it's perfect for melting chocolate, heating liquids in the microwave or chilling dough in the refrigerator. The spout and handle are really neat; they make pouring batter super simple.
Notice the hot pink KitchenAid mixer? It's a beauty, isn't it? The color is called Raspberry Ice and it's part of their Pink Product Collection, also designed to raise awareness of breast cancer.
It's comes with a lovely glass mixing bowl and is available at KitchenAid.com.
I decided to make Pink Lemonade Ruffle Cupcakes for my Cook for the Cure post, and use my all-time favorite cupcake recipe. It's one of those no-fail recipes and consistently produces delicious, moist cupcakes. I love that it makes 36 cupcakes; enough for a party, plus a stash in the freezer! I adapted the recipe a bit, adding lemon zest to both the cake and the icing, frozen raspberry bits to the cake batter and fresh lemon juice to the delicious buttercream icing.
Looking for something fun and a bit different for the icing technique, I experimented with a Wilton 190 tip. It's called a drop petal flower tip; but if you squiggle it in a back and forth motion, it makes beautiful ruffles. The pink edges were achieved with a simple technique. I fitted a disposable decorating bag with the Wilton 190 tip, then painted 4 or 5 stripes of pink gel food color on the inside of the bag before adding the icing.
As the icing is squeezed out of the bag - voila! - beautiful pink and white ruffles. I love how each cupcake is unique, just like no two flowers are exactly the same.
So whether you're looking for something pretty (and delicious) in pink, or in another favorite color, whip up a batch of these yummy Pink Lemonade Ruffle Cupcakes. You might have to change the name if you're not using pink, but I promise, they'll be just as fabulous! And if you're looking for worthy cause to be a part of, be sure to check out KitchenAid's Cook for the Cure program.
Disclaimer: We were given the ceramic bowl and Raspberry Ice mixer by KitchenAid. All opinions are are own.
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup cake flour
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter not softened, but remove from refrigerator and allow to warm for about 15 minutes
- 4 large eggs
- finely grated zest of one average size lemon
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Place raspberries in a single layer on a dinner size plate. Freeze for one hour before starting recipe.
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Preheat oven to 350° Line cupcake pans with 36 cupcake liners. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup and set aside. Break eggs into a small bowl and set aside.
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Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of stand mixer and stir together for 30 seconds using paddle attachment.
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With mixer on low, drop in butter, a few cubes at a time continuing until all butter is in and mixture resembles coarse sand.
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Add eggs one at a time on low speed. Add lemon zest. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in milk and vanilla. Turn mixer to medium and beat for 2 minutes until batter is smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
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Remove raspberries from freezer. Squeeze each one with your fingers, breaking them into tiny pieces. They should break apart easily when frozen. If they are too hard to break, let them sit and room temp for a few minutes and then proceed. Add raspberry pieces to batter and mix gently by hand to incorporate.
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Scoop batter into cupcake liners filling cups with a scant ¼ cup each. Cups will be just slightly over half full - don't be tempted to over-fill. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until centers are set and toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- 8 ounces 220g softened butter
- 5 cups 600g powdered sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 average size lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons half & half start out with 1 and add more as needed
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. I use the regular flat beater.
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Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon half and half. Turn mixer on and off on lowest speed until the powdered sugar has been incorporated (this will prevent a messy cloud of powdered sugar all over your mixer and counter). Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes, stopping half way through to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
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Add more half and half (just a teaspoon at a time), if needed to create a thick, but creamy consistency.
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For the ruffled piping technique, fit a 16-inch, disposable decorating bag with a Wilton 190 tip. Holding on to the tip end of the bag, turn the bag over your hand so that it's half inside out. Using gel food color and a small paint brush, paint 4 5-inch stripes from the tip end up. Add icing and twist top of bag shut. Starting near the outside edge (or right at the edge if you want all of the cake covered) of the cupcake, hold tip at a 45˚ angle and move it back and forth as you rotate around the outer edge of the cupcake. When you get all the way around, begin moving in and make concentric circles of ruffles till you reach the center. When you reach the center, you can repeat the ruffling, only start a little ways inside your first layer and work your way to the center. I recommend practicing the technique on a small plate until you get the hang of it.
Kristen @ The Endless Meal says
These cupcakes are so pretty! I love the ruffled effect you did to them. I'll definitely give that a try one day when I'm feeling extra crafty. 🙂
Sandra says
Lovely picture with your mom and sisters, thank you for sharing it with us. Your cupcakes are perfect and such a complement to the mixer and bowl. Very pretty and girly!
Sandra @ Heavenly Deviled Eggs says
Beautiful cupcakes and lovely mixer and bowl. Love the pink polka dots! I only have a hand mixer and would love to have one of these.
I love your icing technique! I never would have thought about doing that. I assumed you had painted the tips of the ruffles with food coloring until I read your post. I will have to try that!
I appreciated reading the beautiful tribute to your mother. Thanks for sharing a little of her story!
Debra says
Perfect post for a great cause and that mixer makes me want to redo my kitchen in pink polkadots!
Chris Scheuer says
The KitchenAid mixers are tough little machines, aren't they? It is truly a blessing that organzations like the Komen Foundation have been able to truly make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.
Chris Scheuer says
So sweet of you to say so Monique!
Chris Scheuer says
Check the link again Dana, we found one didn't work and fixed it.
TheKitchenLioness says
Chris, such a very,worthy cause - your post is wonderful, fabulous recipe, terrific pictures and such a loving tribute to your mother. The family picture is absolutely priceless!
Have a wonderful weekend & Happy Mother´s Day to you!
Andrea
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you ... it is a truly worthy cause. And a happy Mother's Day to you too, Andrea!
lena says
hi chris, hv not been here for quite some time but hv been seeing some of your pics in facebook. That's a great family photo, thx for your mum's story..I have a KitchenAid too , had that 4 or 5 years back and nvr regretted buying since. Makes work si much easier especially making breads and beating egg whites. Happy mother's day to you!
Chris Scheuer says
Welcome back Lena! Scott loves how sturdy the machine is and I love the color.
Liz says
Such gorgeous cupcakes---seems natural that they came from such a phenomenal mixer (and baker!). LOVE the photo of your mom and sisters. What a treasure.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Liz! The machine is quite the beauty!
Jackie says
Hi Chris
In your headnotes you say you added lemon zest to the cake batter and icing, there's no indication of that in the instructions.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for noticing that Jackie. I’ve amended the recipe to include the finely grated zest of one lemon in the cupcake batter. I appreciate you letting me know.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
These cupcakes are so pretty, I love the ruffled frosting!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Laura! It took quite a few cupcakes to get it right, but I learned to much doing them.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
If your sisters and brothers were anything like you, your mom certainly passed on a fantastic sense of humor to you all. This is a great cause, a great mixer and those are fantastic cupcakes!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Maureen! She was such a positive, funny, original lady! We've all got little parts of her in our personalities.
Anne@ASaladForAllSeasons says
Awwww Chris....these cupcakes are so lovely. So dainty and pretty. And what a wonderful cause to promote! Your mom sounds like such a wonderful person and role model for you. It's great that you and your sisters have such fond memories. (And those frozen raspberries.....very cool!)
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Anne! Yes, even though we live on different parts of the U.S., we stay amazingly close, and find the time to visit each other often.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Beautiful post Chris. Love those cupcakes with the girly swirls! The mixer is gorgeous and very, very pink! My mother also had two bouts with breast cancer but didn't make it through the second time. What a blessing your mom had such a full life. She won many battles and was blessed with beautiful daughters! Have a wonderful mother's day!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Tricia for your very kind comments. You have a great Mother's Day too!
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
Chris this post is so touching. Thank you for sharing your story of your mother and all of your courage around your own family story of cancer. Breast cancer touches so many women and Susan Komen is a wonderful foundation. I've done some Breast Cancer walks with them. I'm swooning over the mixer and those cupcakes!!! They are so beautiful. I must try making something with that Wilton tip. Beautiful, beautiful post in every way.
Chris Scheuer says
Toni, with the snow in Boulder this weekend, you should have lots of time to make them LOL! Thank you for your positive comments.
Christina @ Christina's Cucina says
What a lovely photo of your sisters and mother, Chris! Sorry to hear your mother had to go through so much cancer, it's never fair to have it once, but more than once is horrible.
I love the ruffled tip, and those cupcakes look absolutely gorgeous! You are such an inspiration!
Chris Scheuer says
That is so sweet Christina, thank you!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I love your Mom story, and love your photo of your sisters.
That mixer is shiner than a new corvette. 🙂
I need a 190.
Happy Mother's Day.
Chris Scheuer says
I agree Madonna, the mixer is a real head-turner.
Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish says
What a touching post, Chris! Your mother sounds like an inspiring woman. Thank you for sharing about her. And these pink cupcakes are so fitting for a mother's day treat! I really appreciate KitchenAid products myself, and I am happy to know about their cook for the cure program. What a worthy cause to be a part of! Kudos to you and to KitchenAid!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Suzy. We all love and respected her so much. But the great part was her fun sayings and funny sense of humor. She treated all of us, even the spouses, with such respect.
Ginny Hartzler says
You have outdone yourself today. Only you could come up with something so beautiful! Both mixer and bowl are gorgeous! I am so glad to get to see your mom! What a lady she was! My mom passed a couple years before yours. She also died from cancer, two different kinds and she fought hard. So we have something in common, even though so sad.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Ginny! We do have a common thread, our mom's.
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I'm not surprised that your mom was an amazing woman, Chris, the apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree 🙂 My mom died of cancer, too, but at a much younger age. This is a moving post, and your cupcakes are stunning, as usual! I will share this all day today!
Chris Scheuer says
That's so sweet of you to say Sue. We made a ton of these trying to get the color just right! The kitchen looked like a cupcake factory!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
A beautiful tribute to your mom, Chris. Your cupcakes look spectacular!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Angie, she was quite a gal!
Vicki Bensinger says
What a nice story Chris. You have a beautiful family. It's so nice to have such fond memories of your mom. No wonder you're such a great cook. It sounds like you have the perfect mentor.
As always your cupcakes look stellar. How fun and nice to get this mixer.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Vicki! Ironically, with 6 kids in the house, Mom didn't always let us in the kitchen when she was cooking. But that didn't stop us! We'd be mixing and stirring as soon as her car left the driveway! I think it was in the genes, because we all love to cook.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Such beautiful cupcakes and a lovely tribute to your Mom. So fitting for the weekend and Cooking for the Cure! Have a most wonderful Mother's Day Chris 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Jennifer, you have a very special one too!
Adina says
Hi,
This is a very nice post, I find it good when people get involved in something like this. If one has an audience it should be sometimes be used for helping. The cupcakes look just wonderful. I definitely have to try to get that pattern on the buttercream. Thank you for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Adina! The cupcakes are amazing, and so is the KitchenAid bowl.