What's up, CNN?

CNN took the liberty of using my photo twice in the above segment without contacting me for permission or crediting me. You guys all know that THAT cupcake is definitely MY rainbow cupcake! I'm flattered that they thought the cupcake was good enough to use in the segment, but upset that I couldn't even get my name in the corner or an email letting me know they were using it. I know the photo is EVERYWHERE online (comes up #2 in a Google image search for "rainbow cupcake"), but it's not that hard to find the original owner of internet content. I sent them an email asking for the issue to be resolved, so I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

The photo in question, from my Triple Rainbow Cupcakes post:

Filled Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes!

Just in time for Halloween! These are essentially the same pumpkin spice cupcakes I made last year, but pimped out a bit.

I used my Debbie Meyer Cupcake Genius pan that I got for Christmas last year from David's mom Mary to bake these. The pan has this neato contraption that fits over the top and makes your cupcakes bake with a well in them for filling.

I was kind of skeptical of how well it would work, but the cupcakes came out great! The wells in them are the perfect size for getting enough filling in so you can actually taste it. MUCH easier than the cone method, and you get more filling than with an injection piping tip.

I mixed the batter the same as last year's cupcakes, with the addition of about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin butter mixed in. I filled them with pumpkin pie filling, though it wasn't my original choice. I had made up a box of Jell-O pumpkin spice pudding (made with the pie filling instructions) the night before, but when I tasted it this morning the milk in the pudding had spoiled. Since it was about 4:30 in the morning, I was kind of limited as to what else I could use for filling. I headed to Walmart, grabbed a can of Libby's, and that was that.

I frosted the cupcakes with the same frosting as last year as well, but instead of cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice in it. Super scrumptious. Then, I topped them with the marzipan pumpkins just like last year, but I sprinkled bat and pumpkin confetti on top as well! I also dusted the tops of the pumpkins with gold luster dust. I got the liners from Walmart, since for some reason I didn't once go into Michael's this Halloween season to check out Martha's liners.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

• 1 package spice cake mix
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp butter flavoring 
• 2 tbsp pumpkin butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Contents will be very thick. Line muffin tin with paper cups. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 24 minutes (I only baked for 12 minutes since I always take cupcakes out when I can smell them). Makes a little more than one dozen. TIP: If you have extra batter but not enough to fill all the cups of the muffin tin, fill the remaining empty cups halfway with water. It helps the cupcakes to bake more evenly.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice; beat until fluffy.

New Header, Name

In case you're wondering how this blog got onto your feed, it used to be Adventures in Cupcaking! The new name is om-noms by kelly to encompass the array of different treats I'll be blogging about for your enjoyment! Check the new header to see how our awesome new mascot turned out! The mascot was designed by my friend Cody at DiscoBill.Com, and I can't be more pleased with how he turned out! All I've got left to do is make the new buttons for the sidebar and the redesign will be complete! Thanks for bearing with me through this revamp.

Love you guys!

I'll leave you with a picture of some cinnamon peanut butter cookies I made a while back for your food porn fix of the day. =]

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Cookies (from wipkits)

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. In a larger mixing bowl combine butter and both sugars until smooth and creamy. Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter, blend until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Make a single fork tines impression across each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Yield: About 20 cookies

New Mascot Preview

How cute is this? This little dude is going to be the new blog mascot and will work his way into the new header design! My friend Cody White (who is super awesome and you can see more of his work here) designed it based off of an old dinosaur sketch I had drawn. We're still working out the final touches, but I thought you guys would like to see what's being done behind the scenes.

Fall Construction

Well, the decision has been made. I will be redesigning and renaming this blog so that I can share more than just cupcakes with you guys. It might take a while, but I'm really excited for the change and the new look it'll be getting.

I'm warning you know that the blog is going to look pretty weird/ugly until I get everything I want it. I'll be live-testing backgrounds and colors until I get it tweaked just right, so please bear with me.

To help you overlook the mess, here are some pretty apple pictures.

I love apples. They just exude falliness to me. These little Gala apples were too pretty not to share, especially displayed in my huge thrift store vase (or giant brandy snifter, if that's your thing). I'll be using them in my next post, so stay tuned!

P.S. Thanks so much to everyone who responded to my last post! Love y'all!

Question for you!! (Yes, you!)

I've got a question for all of my---holy poop is it 38 already???---followers!

Would you still follow my blog if I, from time to time, updated with treats that I make that AREN'T cupcakes?

I make cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, et cetera in between cupcake batches all the time, but never really thought about blogging about them here. Do you think I should, or should I maybe make a separate blog for them? Orrrr just keep them to myself since nobody cares about anything other than cupcakes? Let me know!

One of the pros to having non-cupcake posts would be that I would blog much more frequently, but I would also need to change my blog's name and beg my dear Aunt Kristi for a new header!

I'm dying to hear what you think, so please don't be shy!

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Mini Bundt Cakes

Sorry it's taken me so long to post these! I made these mini bundt cakes a couple of weeks ago to use up some overripe bananas I had. They've got a Pralinutta (same as Nutella but cheaper) "ganache" (really just warmed up Pralinutta with some water added) on top! The cakes came out so moist and delicious.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it's very versatile. You can add so many different things to it and have it still come out delicious. And, it doesn't have milk! I didn't have milk on hand at the time, so I was very excited to find this recipe.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Mini Bundt Cakes (adapted from Serious Eats)

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter (I used I Can't Believe Its Not Butter)
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (I used Strawberry Banana Yoplait because it's what I had on hand)
• 3 oz chopped chocolate (I of course used half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease mini bundt cake tin with baking spray (I use Crisco Baking Spray). Beat butter with mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the egg, beating for about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the banana mash. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be surprised if the batter curdles), all the sour cream or yogurt, and then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate by hand. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake the little cakes for about 28 to 32 minutes (my oven cooks faster then this, I just always take them out when I can smell them). Transfer the tin to a cooling rack for around 3 minutes, then gently turn them out of the tin (I place a clean dish towel on top of the tin, then flip quickly and carefully onto the table). Cool to room temperature on a rack. The cakes will keep at room temperature if stored tightly for 2 to 3 days, or you can freeze them for up to 2 months.

Happy Baking!