Giveaway! Martha Stewart's new "Cakes & Cupcakes" plus Merch

Martha Stewart's new Cakes & Cupcakes is out and it's excellent!

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Cover shot.

 We're giving away one copy of the new publication, plus a Pastry Decorating Set

($12.99) and a Baking Silpat, 11.6" x 16.5" ($24.99), all from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy’s. The giveaway is open to any reader, worldwide!

Want to enter the contest? Leave a contact email in the comment section, below, on or before February 25 (Monday), 2013, and tell us your favorite Martha moment. In the meanwhile, you can explore this recipe, picture, video and how-to from the new publication:

Toadstool Cupcakes

Makes 10

Decorate these cupcakes with tiny caterpillars, snails, or acorns made with tinted fondant (see how-to's). They can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more for tins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for tins

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Butter Glaze (recipe follows)

Cinnamon candies, such as Red Hots, for decorating

Gel-paste food coloring in green

Fondant animals, for decorating (instructions below)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Generously butter 6 cups (every other cup) plus the top of a 12-cup muffin tin and 4 cups plus the top of another 12-cup muffin tin. Dust cups and tops of tins with flour, tapping out excess.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat melted butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla.

3. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling to the top edge. Add more batter to the center of each so that it mounds 1/2 inch above rim.

4. Bake, removing halfway through and gently tapping on counter, until cupcakes are slightly golden and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day before decorating.

5. With cupcakes still in tins, use a serrated knife (held with blade flat against the top of tin) to slice off the overflowed cap of each cupcake. Run a knife or offset spatula around edges of cupcake bases to loosen. Turn out onto a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, leaving the bases inverted.

6. Spoon butter glaze over cupcake bases. Place caps on inverted bases. Spoon glaze over tops (reserve remaining glaze). Let stand 1 minute. Smooth any drips with a toothpick or knife. Decorate with cinnamon candies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is firm, about 1 hour.

7. Using an offset spatula, transfer cupcakes to a serving platter. Tint leftover glaze with green gel-paste food coloring. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as #2). Pipe blades of grass around the bases of the cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day; place fondant or marzipan figures on cupcakes just before serving.

Butter Glaze

Makes enough for 10 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (2 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

3 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in milk.

2. Whisk together butter mixture and the sugar in a large bowl until icing is opaque and thickened but still pourable, 4 to 5 minutes. Use immediately.

How to Make Fondant Caterpillars and Snails

1. Tint equal amounts fondant light green, black, yellow, beige, and brown.

2. For caterpillar, roll tiny pieces of light green fondant into 10 to 15 balls; press together in a curved line. Pinch off 2 tiny pieces of black fondant for eyes; press onto head. Repeat to make additional caterpillars.

3. For snail, roll yellow fondant into a 1/2-inch ball; flatten into a thick disk for the shell. Roll beige fondant into a rope, about 1/8 inch thick; cut rope crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Shape pieces with fingers into snail’s head and tail; press onto front and back of shell.

4. Roll brown fondant into a very thin rope; cut rope into 2-inch pieces. Coil rope on top of shell and press to flatten.

5. Pinch off 2 tiny pieces of black fondant for eyes, and use your fingers to roll a tiny rope of black fondant for antennae; press onto head. Repeat to make additional snails.

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 Too much detail for you? Need some help? (I know I would.)  Martha Stewart has put up some very well done accompanying video tutorials to assist, and you can find them here.

All merchandise available at select Macy's stores and macys.com.




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