Welcome to the 2nd HBinFive Bread Braid

Whenever I bake my three Rottweilers like to keep me company in the kitchen but I can not maneuver in my kitchen with three fully grown Rottweilers under foot! So I've drawn invisible lines on the floor that are not to be crossed and the dogs know exactly where the lines are located. And my male Rottweiler, Archie, generally claims the most coveted spot safely outside the invisible line yet just close enough to spy any thing that falls on the floor! The dogs know that they can not begin a food search until I give the command "scavenge" and then all three bolt into the kitchen and the search is on!

In the below photo, Archie's wide-eyed, confused expression is because he knows he is well over the invisible line and he's wondering why I'm taking a photo and not correcting him. He's like frozen in place waiting for the correction-of-death which consists of a tug on his collar and then the final blow of "Bad Boy"! OH...the shame of it!





As I stood at my island rolling out dough, I had no idea what I was going to make and I glanced down at Archie and thought "This boy is definitely due for a pup pedicure". And then it hit me! Hmmmm.....Rottweiler Claws! And being I have wanted to make Zoe's Bear Claws for a while now, my decision was made. Of course I'd have to put my own spin on the pastry and I just happened to have absolutely everything I needed....YES!







Rottweiler Claws
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1/2 Recipe of Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest (Makes about 12 Rottweiler Claws)

My alterations and additions to the Whole Grain Challah Recipe:
2 c. AP flour
1 c. White Whole Wheat Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 c. soft butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Fresh Yeast

Filling:
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. golden raisins
Zest of 1 large Naval Orange
1/4 c. ground almonds

Topping:
Egg Wash (1 egg slightly whipped with a tsp of water) or Cream
Coarse Sugar
Whole Cashews

In a food processor add cranberries, brown sugar, raisins, orange zest and ground almonds and mince. Set aside.

Roll out dough to a little bit less then 1/4" thick. Cut into about 6-8" squares.

The filling will be sticky and easily formed into 5-6" logs. Place a log of filling at about the half mark.

Dampen the short end and down the sides of the square with egg wash and then flip it over the filling log and tap it down so that it adheres.



Trim the toe area to about 1" and then cut the 5 individual toes. I know dogs only have 4 toes and a dewclaw but only 4 toes looked silly...so I'm using my pastry maker's license.

Curve the Paw area into a crescent so that the toes separate and spread out.



I brushed with Egg Wash but it came out sort of blotchy where the sugar is and I'm not quite sure why this happened. I think if I had brushed with cream my Rottweiler Claws would have been prettier, if it's possible for Rottweiler Claws to be pretty!

Sprinkle with course sugar. Press 1 whole Cashew into each toe to make the claw.

Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees until Claws are a nice golden brown.







Below are more of my creations I made with our Bonus December Recipe, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. Just click on the title link to find the post and recipe.


Poppy Seed Roll




Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest






If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while the Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.



Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!









Don't forget that December 15th is the last day to enter my A Bag and a Book Giveaway.

Every comment left on this post is one entry into the Giveaway!

The Bamboo Bread Bag is impeccably designed by Ann Arnold. And the book, "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" was authored and illustrated by Ann Arnold.

And Ann has a special offer for all HBinFive Members!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest

Our December recipe for HBinFive is Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. I was very happy to see a Challah as our bonus recipe because it's so easy and I love braiding bread. With Christmas less then 3 weeks away, I really did not want a recipe that was fussy. Although braiding bread looks difficult, it's not and I thoroughly enjoy it and the 5-strand Challah is my favorite. At the end of my post is a short video, less then two minutes, demonstrating just how easy the 5-Strand Challah is to make!


You can find the recipe for the Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest by clicking on the link. However, I did make some changes to this recipe. First of all I made a half recipe and for the flours I used 1 1/2 c. AP Unbleached White Flour, 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour and 1 1/2 c. White Whole Wheat Flour. And for the Wheat Germ I substituted Amaranth Flour.







Orange Sugar Confection
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

1 large naval orange
1/2 c. of sugar

Zest the entire Orange. Mix the orange zest with the sugar.

The sugar will be damp and you will need to let it dry out. I just spread the orange sugar on a cutting board, parchment paper or a plate and after an hour or so I transfer it to the bowl. Once in the bowl I stir it with a fork and break up any sugar clumps. Over the next 2 days, every once in a while repeat stirring with a fork and breaking up any clumps until the orange sugar is completely dry. The sugar will preserve the orange and there will be no taste lost and it will keep for at least 6 months or so in a tupperware like container or ziplock bag. However it will fade if exposed to light, so keep it in a kitchen cabinet towards the back.







You can use the same technique and make your own Garlic Salt which is so good on Homemade Potato Chips.

Garlic Salt

2-3 TBL Kosher Salt
2 large cloves of garlic

Put garlic cloves through a garlic press. Mix pressed garlic and salt. Let air dry by spreading out the salt on a plate or parchment paper. As the garlic salt dries periodically break up any clumps with a fork. When the garlic salt is completely dry store in a covered tupperware-like container or ziplock bag.




A Book and A Bag Giveaway

And don't forget to enter my A Bag and a Book Giveaway. The Bamboo Bread Bag is impeccably designed by Ann Arnold. And the book, "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" was authored and illustrated by Ann Arnold.

And Ann has a special offer for all HBinFive Members!















All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Welcome to the 1st HBinFive Bread Braid

For our first recipe for HBinFive we made Pumpkin Pie Brioche and we had the option of doing whatever we wanted with the dough. So as usual I went a little overboard to say the least.

I mixed the recipe exactly as written except I did use fresh yeast. The directions said "Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours." So I sat the bucket of dough on my kitchen counter and went about my day. About an hour later I walked through my kitchen and I was very surprised! I swear it was only AN HOUR LATER and the dough has risen to almost the 6 qt level! This was one happy dough I had going there! The dough did fall a little bit after refrigeratation but not by much.







I made two large loaves of Pumpkin Pie Brioche topped with raw sugar and coarse white sugar which baked beautifully. From the Pumpkin Pie Brioche I made utterly delicious Pumpkin French Toast which we totally enjoyed. And I also made Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce. Both of the variations are pictured below and for the recipes just click on the title link.







And I used the remainder of the dough to bake 12 muffins which I topped with Cream Cheese Streusel. For the muffins I just filled each cavity about half full and sprinkled some Streusel Topping on each one. After the muffins were baked and cooled, I piped on some Cream Cheese and again sprinkled with some of the Streusel.








Streusel Topping
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBL butter

In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the butter in with a pastry knife until you have a coarse mixture. Spoon the topping onto the muffins before baking. Save some to sprinkle after the muffins have cooled.


Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkles

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla. If necessary, add milk to thin.



Pumpkin French Toast






Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce







If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address. And if you have time please leave a comment. Every once a while the Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge to your computer so you can add it to your side bar, HBinFive Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. That way visitors will know that you are a member of HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up with the Mr. Linky Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.



Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!









And we have a winner in our last drawing for a free signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day".

Drum Roll Please!!!!

And the WINNER IS...........Joanna of Go Ahead and Snicker! Congratulations Joanna!!






All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday - Sprinkles, Jimmies and other Confections

Since we're having such a rainy fall I decided to get a jump on my closet organizing which I usually do in the dead of winter.

When we were remodeling the basement many times we had to build soffits or closets to hide heat ducts and other unsightly necessities. And right at the bottom of our basement stairs we had a heat duct and some electrical cable connections that needed to disappear so I had the closet built with double doors and very deep, wide shelves. The closet was one of the last things built which means I was construction weary, facing surgery and to make things even more hectic I was called for jury duty! So when the shelves were finally installed I just piled stuff in with no organization at all. And what starts out with no organization just gets worse...and worse...and worse.

In half the closet I keep light bulbs, candles, lanterns and flashlights and this side is actually pretty well organized. But the other half of the closet is where I keep all my confections for cookies and cupcakes, infrequently used small appliances, candy making equipment and large tupperware-like containers for storage and it was a horrible mess.

I mean really look at these shelves!







So I totally emptied the confection/baking side of the closet and put it all in the middle of the basement floor.






I know I have a lot of confections but I do bake quite a bit and I love to sprinkle. So I organized all the confections, sanding sugars, nonpareils and jimmies per holiday or season and then by color.

This is about half of my stash of confections. It was nice to organize them because now I know I'm low on 4th of July and St. Patrick's Day sprinkles and almost completely out of orange jimmies!

Sugar Confections will fade if exposed to light. So make sure to store them in a dark closet or in a lidded box.








I'm going to blame my bulk store for feeding my obsession because they have the most wonderful assortment of decorations for every season and holiday imaginable. There's easily 100+ bins of different colored sugars and decorations.







After I organized all the confections, it really did not take me long at all to put the closet in order. And look at all the room I have!






I feel so much better now!


Next on the list is the other large basement closet which now contains all our wine and my hiking gear plus all the dogs hiking gear. Should be interesting..LOL!







Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Remembering Spudnuts

When I was young we moved to Cuyahoga Falls, a small town outside Akron, Ohio. It was my first time living outside Michigan and a very difficult relocation for me. We moved in June as soon as the school year ended and our new home was in a brand spanky new development of 300 homes with only 50 homes occupied and no one was my age. So basically I went all summer with few friends but kept busy with reading, exploring our new town, planting a vegetable garden and regretfully playing with my little brother who was addicted to matchbook cars!

That summer Cuyahoga Falls was celebrating it's Sesqui-Centennial and there were many activities and everyone dressed in pioneer garb of long skirts, straw hats and aprons. Also every boy in my neighborhood was building a soap box car for the upcoming Soap Box Derby, a yearly event in Akron. In Michigan we built cars with engines that ran on gas and most boys built a go-carts again with a motor that ran on gas. Making a cart with no motor made no sense to me and I did not understand why they just did not race with bikes?

Cuyahoga Falls' business district was center for many Centennial activities that summer. And since downtown was just a short walk from our home I never missed a parade or street fair and I spent hours wandering through all the small shops. There were two stores I particularly remember. A Planter's Peanut Shoppe with a huge Mr. Peanut sign out front. They sold every thing peanut you could think of and even roasted nuts several times a day. The smell of the roasted peanuts was over powering and it never tempted me to venture inside more then once.



A few doors down was a Spudnut Shop which fascinated me. Spudnut, what the heck was a spudnut? Looking through the window I could see a huge vat with spudnuts frying and the vat tender would just touch the spudnut and it would magically flip over to fry the other side. In Michigan we called these donuts. The spudnits sure looked like donuts and I was dying to taste one.

The Spudnut Shop was always packed with men all sitting at a long counter and being alone and young I never dared enter. Once I was with my older sister and she took me inside and I finally got to taste a Spudnut. The Spudnut was good and I was not disappointed that it tasted just like a Michigan donut to me!

Well my tastes have changed and I'm not sure I could eat a Michigan donut again. But OMG...the Spudnuts are fabulous!





Spudnuts
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

1 1/3 cups warm milk, not hot just barely warm
1 packet active dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted but room temp.
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp and lightly whipped
4 c. flour (plus more if dough is too sticky)
1 c. potato flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium

1. Place 1 c. warm milk in the bowl and stir in the yeast with a fork.
2. Add sugar into the remaining warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture.
3. Stir in the eggs, cinnamon, and salt
4. Add the flours gradually, mixing throughly with each addition. If the dough is too sticky to handle add 1/2-1 c. more flour. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
5. Butter a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining butter, cover, put in a warm place. I let it rise over night.
6. Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop.
7. Cut out the donuts but not the center hole. Transfer cut outs to parchment lined cookie sheet. When the sheet is full of cutouts then cut out the donut hole. If you don't wait to cut out the middle your donut is more difficult to transfer and will be deformed. You can use a cookie cutter or a glass to cut out the donut shape.
8. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
9. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the just golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
10. When the donuts are golden brown, remove to a wire rack and cool.
11. Brush with melted butter and dip tops in cinnamon/sugar mix. Return to wire rack for 15 minutes. Enjoy!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Prune Muffins with Caramel Glaze dusted with Orange Sugar

I've not participated in Bread Baking Day for a while and I feel guilty about it. I love baking bread and it's not that I haven't baked bread, I just don't have time to write the posts! To tell you the truth, I would rather bake something then sit at my computer. Not that I don't enjoy working on my blog, but I like baking better. ;) So for Bread Baking Day #18 Quick Breads, hosted by Mansi of Fun & Food Blog I am submitting my Prune Muffins with Caramel Glaze dusted with Orange Sugar. Whew quite a mouthful for a humble muffin but I have to fuss even with a muffin.







Prune Tea Bread
Recipe adapted from Cooks.com


1 c. prunes
1/4 c. orange juice
3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. shortening (I used butter)
1/2 c. chopped nuts - fine
1 egg
1 1/4 c. milk

1. Finely chop prunes.
2. Combine prunes with orange juice and set aside until needed.
3. In large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Cut shortening with pastry blender until mixture is fine.
4. Stir in nuts and prunes (in orange juice) and milk to dry mixture.
5. Beat eggs and mix in.
6. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hour.


Caramel Glaze
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons half and half
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add milk and brown sugar, stir to combine.
3. Boil vigorously for 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat and beat in 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
5. Cool slightly then and beat in the vanilla and remaining powdered sugar, add more half in half if necessary.
6. Quickly spoon over cupcakes before glaze sets.


Orange Sugar Confection
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

1 large naval orange
1/2 c. of sugar

Zest the entire Orange. Mix the orange zest with the sugar.

The sugar will be damp and you will need to let it dry out before you can sprinkle it on the frosting. I just spread the orange sugar on a cutting board and after an hour or so I transfer it to the bowl. Once in the bowl I stir it with a fork and break up any sugar clumps. Over the next 2 days, every once in a while repeat stirring with a fork and breaking up any clumps until the orange sugar is completely dry. The sugar will preserve the orange and there will be no taste lost and it will keep forever in a tupperware like container. However it will fade if exposed to light, so keep it in a kitchen cabinet towards the back.









I did buy a new muffin pan a few months ago and I just love it. I don't really like silicone pans and I probably would not have bought this pan but it was on in the Clearance Bin for $10. I've used it several times now and I really like the way it bakes muffins.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Rose Petal Flan

I've been wanting to try this recipe for over 2 years, so for our July 4th dinner I finally made it. It was SOOoooooo good and quite refreshing after the spicy rib dinner.

Since I was in a rose mood I made some candied rose petals which were absolutely delicious and a perfect garnish for the flan! I remember wanting to make Candied Rose Petals for one of my badges for Girl Scouts...and no I'm not telling you how long ago that was but it's over 30 years...oops probably over 35 years ago.

My husband and I travel to Mexico quite often and the Mexican Flan is much denser and richer then any other flan I've had. So with this in mind I made up my own recipe and although it's better then a traditional flan, the texture is still not as I wanted, but it was still delicious.






Rose Petal Flan
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1-13 oz can of Evaporated Milk, about 1 1/2 c.
Milk, enough when added to the Evaporated Milk you get 2 cups
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rose water

Caramelized Sugar:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. I usually grease my ramekins but most recipes do not call for this.

Slightly whip the eggs and add vanilla and rose water.

In a small sauce pan add milk/evaporated milk mix and sugar. Heat and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Gradually dd warm milk mixture to eggs and continually whisk until well blended.

In a small fry pan, over medium heat, add 1 c. sugar and water. Sugar will melt and start turning a golden color and then amber. When the sugar is a medium amber color it is done.

Pour the hot sugar in the bottom of each ramekin, making sure that each ramekin has approximately the same amount of caramelized sugar. Then pour in the custard mix up to about 1/4" from the top.

Place full ramekins in a sheet cake pan and put it in the preheated oven. Add enough hot water to the sheet cake pan so that the water is at least at the half mark on the ramekins.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until custard is set in the middle. Chill for about 2 hours.

To remove the custard from the ramekin run a butter knife around the edge of the custard. Cover the ramekin with a dessert plate and flip it and the custard should easily pop out. Garnish as desired and serve.







Candied Rose Petals


Rose Petals, from clean (no insecticide) roses **See Note
1 c. sugar, finely processed
1 egg white, whipped.

Gather rose petals. Dip each petal in the whipped egg white. Lay the petal in the finely processed sugar and then cover with more sugar. When petal is completely coated with sugar, lay it on a piece of parchment paper. Let dry for 24 hours.

Note: I used rose petals from my rugosa roses and they had a nice rose flavor before adding the sugar.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Cupcakes with an Asian Flair

I'm entering my Orange Iced Plum Cupcakes in Sugar High Friday's Sweet Asian Invasion April event hosted by Amrita of La Petite Boulangette .

Let's face it Asian Cuisine is not something I do very often so I have limited experience and anything beyond Sesame Seed Oil and Wonton Skins is foreign territory. My husband suggested that we go to Nitakaya USA, which is a huge Asian market sort of like an Asian Walmart only much better and there's a wonderful food court! It was great fun wondering around the aisles and not recognizing a darn thing! We spent at least two hours just meandering and if my husband said it once he said it a dozen times "What is this?". Like I'm supposed to know??? I wanted to buy so many things, the colors and packaging were fantastic, but finally decided on two bottles of Plum Wine, Black Sesame Seeds and a bag of Sweet Red Bean Paste. Very boring things but I was comfortable that I could make something not only beautiful but tasty too!

When we got home, I set my goodies on my kitchen island and thought about what I was going to make. But first I wanted to taste the Plum Wines! Frequently I reduce juices and use them to flavor my frostings and onw of the Plum Wines had a wonderful fruity taste and I knew it would work well in frosting. So my decisions were over and I knew I was going to make cupcakes.





Orange Iced Plum Cupcakes
Ganache Cupcake Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

My changes:
8 oz of Hershey's chocolate syrup
4 oz of ganache(from my ganache reserve in the frig)
4 oz of mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the butter, mascarpone and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup, ganache and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan as soon as possible.


Ganache
Recipe adapted from my Mom

1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat the cream in the microwave. Pour cream over chocolate chips and add vanilla. Stir until chocolate is totally melted and ganache is smooth.


Feathered Plum Frosting
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1/4 c softened cream cheese
1/4 c softened butter
1 c. Plum wine
2 c powdered sugar

Over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan reduce 1 c. of Plum Wine to about 2 TBL. The wine reduces very quickly so do not leave your kitchen! When the wine is significantly reduced cool to room temperature.

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add 1 tsp of the reduced Plum Wine and blend well. Gradually add 2 c. of powdered sugar. When the frosting is completely mixed taste it and if you think you need more Plum flavoring add a drop of reduced wine at a time, mix and taste until you are happy.


Orange Sugar Confection
Recipe adapted from I-have-no-idea

1 large naval orange
1/2 c. of sugar

Peel the orange, careful to not slice into the pith. Put the thin slices of orange peel in your food processor and add the sugar. Process until the orange peel is very finely ground but you can still see tiny pieces of orange.

The sugar will be damp and you will need to let it dry out before you can sprinkle it on the frosting. I just spread the orange sugar on a cutting board and after an hour or so I transfer it to the bowl. Once in the bowl I stir it with a fork and break up any sugar clumps. Just keep repeating stirring with a fork and breaking up any clumps until the orange sugar is dry. The sugar will preserve the orange and there will be no color lost and it will keep forever in a tupperware like container. However it will fade if exposed to light, so keep it in a kitchen cabinet towards the back. You can also use any citrus fruit peel, lemon, grapefruit, etc., and use the same method.

To assemble: Pipe frosting on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with orange sugar and top with a orange curl.








All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog