Frosting Guns (bang bang)

Ok, take a deep breath in....and e-x-h-a-l-e. We've had a small hurricane run through our house the past couple days, this hurricane being the in-laws and our niece and nephew. I love them all to death and I'm so glad that they came for the great visit, but I have to admit that little kids take a lot of energy for someone used to her routines and general order of things.

Now peace has regained its rightful place in our household. Much needed rain has fallen all day, and even now thunder booms in the distance, a comforting sound in the middle of a drought. My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is nap. Check that one off the list, as I had a killer nap today. Second on the rainy day list: baking.

As I had some leftover frosting from the cake decorating class, I thought this was the perfect time to test out the frosting gun that my friend Amber swears by. Amber is the cupcake queen. I mean, she has a cupcake carrier; in my book, that makes you a cupcake die-hard. After telling her my tales of woe from the dreaded frosting bag from the class, she brought me spirits up and gave me hope that I, too, can decorate cupcakes by giving me a frosting gun.

For a moment, it looked like a contraption I once saw on an Austin Powers movie, but we're not going to go there.

But first, cupcakes must be made. After digging through a couple cookbooks, I landed on a coconut cupcake recipe from The Barefoot Contessa. I don't have much luck with homemade cakes. Typically, they turn out dry and heavy for me, but these are one of the few exceptions to that. And with coconut? Fantastic. Proving yet again that I turn a little bit more into my mom everyday, the coconut nut. Yum yum yum.

Loading frosting into the gun wasn't the prettiest operation, but the job got done. Locked and loaded, ready for action.

The result? Amber proves correct yet again, this sucker is so easy and steady. Whoever invented the trigger on this baby deserves a big fat gold star, since you don't even have to touch the actual plunger that pushes the frosting through the tip.

Gorgeous, darling.

I have now regained hope in cake decor. Thanks Amber!