Stars And Stripes Smores Cups Recipe By Tasty Food

STARS-AND-STRIPES CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment, then spray the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder and baking powder. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in the cream of tartar and salt, then slowly beat in 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Increase the speed to high; beat until stiff shiny peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the meringue to a separate bowl.
• In the same mixer bowl (leave it dirty!), combine the egg yolks, vanilla and the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until light and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Beat in the water and canola oil.
• Sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
• Add the food coloring to the batter and beat on high speed until smooth and bright red, about 1 minute.
• Stir a dollop of the meringue into the batter using a rubber spatula. Add the remaining meringue and gently fold into the batter until no white streaks remain.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet; spread evenly with an offset spatula. Tap the bottom of the pan firmly against the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately loosen the edges with a paring knife.
• Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, working quickly while the cake is still warm.
• Lay a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) over the cake. Place another baking sheet on top of the towel.
• Invert the cake onto the towel. Remove the pan and peel off the parchment.
• Starting at a short end, roll up the cake and towel together into a log. Keep the cake rolled up until it has cooled completely.
• Unroll the cake (it's OK if the end is still curled up). Cut the cake into 3 long strips, each about 4 inches wide. Use a ruler to make sure they're even.
• Spread an even layer of frosting on each strip of cake (use a little less than one-third of the frosting). Make sure to get frosting under the curled end.
• Make the frosting: In a clean mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla and heavy cream. Slowly increase the speed to high and beat until smooth.
• Roll up one of the strips into a tight spiral.
• Move the spiral over to the next strip so that the ends meet and roll up into a fatter spiral. Continue with the third strip to make a large spiral.
• Turn the cake flat-side down and place on a cardboard round or platter. Gently squeeze the spiral together to make sure it's compact.
• Cover the cake completely with a thin layer of frosting, using the frosting to cover the seam of the spiral. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Return the cake (without the cardboard round) to your workspace and cover completely with the remaining frosting using an offset spatula.
• Place a star-shaped cookie cutter on top of the cake. Sprinkle some blue sanding sugar inside the cutter (use a small brush to help distribute the sugar), then carefully lift the cutter. Repeat to make more stars in different sizes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• When you slice into the spiral, you see vertical stripes!

FROZEN SMOOTHIE POPS RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a blender mix all ingredients until smooth.
• Place six small paper cups on a baking tray and fill the cups with the smoothie and freeze for 15 minutes.
• Place one popsicle stick in the center of each cup and freeze again for one hour or until solid.
• Rip the paper cups from the popsicle.
• Enjoy!

STARS AND STRIPES CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
• Make the cupcakes: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the granulated sugar and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Beat in the melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Reduce the mixer to low speed; beat in half of the flour mixture, the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until smooth.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth, then beat in the vanilla and raspberry extracts. Beat in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until creamy. Transfer half of the frosting to a separate bowl and tint red with food coloring. Put the white and red frosting in separate zip-top bags; snip a corner of each. Snip a corner of a larger zip-top bag; put both frosting bags in the larger bag and twist so that they pipe out of the snipped corner. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
• Make the candy stars: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Microwave the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 45-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Transfer to a small zip-top bag and snip a small corner. Pipe twelve 2- to 3-inch stars onto the parchment, piping double or triple lines for stability. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift the stars from the parchment and insert into the frosting on each cupcake.

16-LAYER NO-BAKE S'MORES CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large heatproof bowl, pour the hot heavy cream over the semisweet chocolate chips. Let stand for 30 seconds, then whisk together for 1 minute, or until thick and smooth.
• Place 1 cup (85 g) of marshmallow fluff in a medium heatproof bowl and place the remaining fluff into a separate medium heatproof bowl. Add a tablespoon of milk to the bowl with 1 cup (85 g) of fluff and the remaining 2 tablespoons milk to the bowl with the remaining fluff.
• Microwave each bowl of fluff for 15 seconds.
• Remove the bowls from the microwave and use a fork to stir the milk into the fluff until it is thick and smooth. Cover the bowl with less fluff and store in the fridge - it will be used later for decoration.
• Line a 5x8-inch (13x20cm) loaf pan with parchment paper and place a row of graham crackers on the bottom of the pan. Pour a thin layer of the marshmallow fluff over the graham crackers and use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture evenly. Place another row of graham crackers on top of the fluff, then pour a thin layer of the chocolate ganache over the crackers and use a spoon or spatula to spread an even layer. Repeat three more times.
• Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
• Remove the cake and reserved marshmallow fluff from the fridge. Use the parchment to lift the cake out of the loaf pan. Microwave the leftover marshmallow fluff mixture for 15 seconds, then use a spatula to spread the fluff over the cake in an even layer.
• Optional: use a small kitchen torch to gently toast the marshmallow topping. Sprinkle crumbled graham cracker and chocolate chunks over the top of the cake.
• Enjoy!