Layered Christmas Cupcakes and a Christmas Favorites Giveaway (Kitchen Aid Mixer AND Cupcake Supplies)

So I have cupcakes and free stuff for you today!  CUPCAKES and FREE STUFF (Specifically a chance for a Kitchen Aid Mixer and some really fun Cupcake Supplies)?? AND a fun SCAVENGER HUNT! What is this madness I speak of? 

Well first off, the cupcakes (hang with me to get to the awesome free giveaways).  One of my most popular posts of all time (well of all my blogging time anyway) are these striped layered christmas cupcakes.  If you look at the pics you will see they are one of my first posts, a throw back to 2010!  In blog years, that's pretty much like 20 years. 

But I really appreciate all the viewing, sharing, featuring, pinning, and especially the links back that many of you all have done with them, so to thank you, I did another layered cupcake and giveaway for you (be patient that's coming soon!).  

This one is a spiced cupcake (from a box mix).  To make slicing the cupcakes much easier on you.  Freeze them.  Like for awhile.  Overnite if you can.  Then use a serrated knife and cut layers into equal sizes.  Add your favorite frosting.  I used vanilla buttercream tinted red and green and added some between the layers.  Depending on how much you like frosting you can add a thick layer or go with thin layers.  Then frost the top - I went with a simple rose design using the 1M wilton tip.

OR if you don't like the layered look, you can just pipe the roses on top and add some fun sprinkles.  Sprinkles always win. Always.

But you can add a surprise and add some tinted red, white, and green icing inside too.  Way more fun.

NOW onto the FREE STUFF!  

Well some chances for free stuff! Karyn from Pint Sized Baker and Dieter's Downfall organized this super fun Christmas Favorites Giveaway and Scavenger Hunt with a bunch of us.  There are 2 giveaways, and a scavenger hunt!

First, some really cool CUPCAKE SUPPLIES from yours truly and Ladie's Home Journal.  LHJ is offering 2 of their favorite cupcake pans by Nordicware (worth $29 each) and a subscription to LHJ for one year for you and a friend! And I also have some really fun cupcake supplies that I love and hope you will too.

You get 2 of these Nordicware and a subscription to LHJ for you and a friend!!

You also get a cupcake book with recipes and pics of 80 cupcakes, a christmas cupcake kit, 2 Duff candy writers, cellophane party bags, a Wilton Cupcake decorating tip set, 3 packs of Wilton holiday candy toppers, Paula Dean cupcake stencils, and some holiday cupcake wrappers

Enter for the Cupcake Supplies Pack Giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AND the 2nd Giveaway!

Yep you read it right a KitchenAid Pro Mixer!  Woohoo!  

Enter here for the KitchenAid Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AND for the SCAVENGER HUNT!  

One way to enter the giveaway is to visit all the blogs for a scavenger hunt to decode the Secret Holiday Message. When you visit all 19 blogs, you'll have to put the words in order to decode the Secret Scavenger Hunt message and enter to WIN the KitchenAid Professional Mixer!

My clue is: SANTA

Record this word and head over to Nancy over at A to Zebra Celebrations for the next clue.

Here are all the FB pages to make it even easier for you!

A ginormous thank you to Karyn for organizing ALL of this, so many emails, FB messages, and even a Google Chat late last nite! And please be sure to visit all the other amazing blogs sponsoring the Kitchen Aid Pro giveaway as well as their own giveaways (meaning potentially more free stuff!).  We are all doing this for our awesome readers and to say THANK YOU to you all this holiday season.  The links are below!

GOOD LUCK!!!

 KC BakesHoopla Palooza White Lights on Wednesday Something Swanky Haniela's Creative Juice The Partuologist The Decorated Cookie Bella Cupcake Couture Java Cupcake Hungry HappeningsTexanerin Baking A to Zebra Celebrations Life Made Simple Sugar Swings Dieter's DownfallPint Sized Baker Pass the Sushi

Tidy Mom's I'm Loving It

Works for Me Wednesday

Made by You Monday

Carolyn's Homework Today's Assignment Be Inspired

Time to Sparkle Tuesday
Two-Cup Tuesday

Cast Party Wednesday

Share Awesomeness Thursdays

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

More the Merrier-DIY Home Sweet Home

Happy Hour - Freestyle Friday

Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday

rainbow cupcakes....!

......i've had some kiddo withdrawal since i've been traveling the past 2 weeks for work....at first a couple days alone in a hotel room seems pretty awesome.....you can watch all the csi you want without anyone requesting yo gabba gabba or thomas the tank engine or any other of the nick jr shows that they seem to enjoy watching endlessly......or you can eat dinner with some grown up conversation.....but that gets old after a day or 2.....and i miss having to get up for something every 2 seconds when i sit down to eat dinner or hearing my name yelled with outside voices inside the house as in "MOMMMMMMMMMM" ....or playing babies for the 100th time for the day.....missed the kiddos a lot and all that goes with it....

.....so made them some really colorful cupcakes (because they are like me and like anything with lots of colors).....they are for st. patrick's day too....they are *supposed* to be rainbows with pots of gold....but upside down....!...i'll let everyone decide on their own if that worked or not....(i'm not so sure but regardless they are definitely rainbow cupcakes :)

...start with your favorite flavor cupcakes.....i used a doctored boxed yellow cake.... separate the batter into 5 or 6 different bowls....and tint with your favorite rainbow colors.....bake as usual....then freeze (at least for a couple hours...i froze mine for at least a couple days because they were baked ahead of time)........

......slice into 4 or 5 layers......(the freezing helps with slicing the cupcakes evenly)....

...layer cupcakes with different colors (add a little bit of frosting between layers to keep together).....then frost with some vanilla buttercream (or whatever your favorite frosting currently is)....and top with a "pot of gold"....

...the "pots of gold" are made with these...

.....which were found in an asian grocery store...the bottoms were colored black with a food writer.....

.....these were pretty fun to make and the kids got a kick out of them....!

...happy st. patty's day to all....i'm on a mission this week to find me a shamrock shake!

also linking to sweet tooth friday

neapolitan new year's eve cupcakes....!

...so this is it....done, done, and done for 2010 after the rest of these are iced for a party this new year's eve....!....the christmas layered cupcakes worked out really well....so decided to layer them up again to ring in 2011...start with these...

....your favorite chocolate, strawberry, and white cake recipe (or boxed cake....whatever works for you)....then cool and freeze them for a couple hours.....so you can slice them up...(pretty much impossible to slice unfrozen moist yummy cupcakes evenly without smooshing them all up).....

.....add some of your favorite frosting in between the layers....and some on top....then dress them up fancy.....went with some coconut....that seemed pretty festive and new year's eve'ish....

....it's hard to believe 2010 is almost over.....it seems like the months continue to fly by faster and faster....does time really speed up as you get older?....maybe....but it's all relative... (right einstein?).....in any case.....my new year's resolution this and every year is to enjoy every day to the fullest....and let go of stuff that is totally unimportant....(i'm talking about you type A personality.....you are taking a back seat this year....at least i will try my best....!).....

...i truly hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends and will have nothing but a 2011 covered in awesome sauce.....oh and hope you like the cuppies....you definitely should use a fork to enjoy these to the fullest......!

....and this is for my better half (who reads the blog to find out some interesting tidbits about me ...which is tough after 18+ years)....

1. when i come home and the bed is made....it's like a birthday present :)
2. love love love it when you call the boys "son"
3. you know the Queen song you think is so corny....i think of you every time i hear it...."you're my best friend"

Tidy Mom's Im Lovin It

"i give up" cupcakes....!

....yep, i give up....halloween stuff is in walgreens by the end of august.....turkey paraphernalia shows up in cvs when the kids start school, and holiday/christmas tchotchkes by the time you decide you're in need of some face make-up for the halloween party you forgot you got invited to comes around.....

...so decided today that instead of complaining about how fast the holidays are coming this year yet again.....to just dive in and accept it.....accept that yes....it's less than a week away until thanksgiving....and that means that christmas is only a month or so away.....so in the spirit of that....baked up some christmas cupcakes to start off my acceptance of how fast the time flies and that i will, repeat, will start enjoying the holiday season, no matter how busy life is....

....but you can take short cuts as necessary....!....this is a doctored box mix (use an extra egg and replace the water with 1 cup of buttermilk)....decided to mix it up a bit and still go with green and red cupcakes (tint half the mix with red food gel and half with green)....but sliced them up and mixed and matched the layers....freeze the baked cupcakes first....it's much easier to slice them evenly......

...then filled with a marshmallow buttercream between the layers....swirled on top.....and sprinkled with some red and green large non-pareils...

....life is good and there are so many things to be thankful for....so these are a present to myself for remembering that's the case everyday.....happy holidays....!