Chihuly Inspired Cupcakes

Who knew Jolly Ranchers were our 'secret' to this stunning topper?

Here's the background on this fun treat.

My daughter and Holly's three children attend the same elementary school.  It's a public school, nestled in a quiet country town.  And it's filled with wonderful, dedicated and creative teachers.  Including an outstanding and inspiring art teacher, Mrs. Herklots.  She has taught hundreds of students over the years, as the resident art expert and teacher.  But her teaching isn't simply showing the kids colors, shapes and doing crafts.  She incorporates all areas of art into her classroom.  And it all culminates at the end of the year in one highly impressive art show.

Several years ago, during my daughter's first week of kindergarten, she came home and told me how much she "loved" her art class.  I asked her what she did in it, thinking maybe coloring? or gluing noodles to a plate?  she said, "Mommy, we're learning how to color block like Mondrian!"  What? in kindergarten?  That's how amazing Mrs. Herklots is.  My daughter's experience in art is like that of so many at her school; she has been enriched and excited by what she learns and this will last a lifetime.

This year, Mrs. Herklots has taught the children about the artist, Dale Chihuly.  He is an American glass sculptor and artist.  His handblown glass creations are colorful and spectacular.  (We have posted some photos of the real Chihuly art below and a link to Dale Chihuly's website).

So the children have been inspired by him (and our art teacher) and created their own "Chihuly Art".  The annual art show is tomorrow and Mrs. Herklots (with the help of parents) will transform the hallways of the elementary school with this amazing, colorful, fun art that the children have worked on all year.  It's really breathtaking when you see these pieces hanging from the ceilings.

Since Mrs. Herklots is such a Chihuly fan, Holly and I thought we would honor her with a surprise treat tomorrow night giving her our "Chihuly Inspired Cupcakes".  I think we made about 150 cupcakes?! 

It's our way of saying, thank you for your inspiration and creativity and all that you have taught to our children.   We hope you enjoy them, as much as we loved making them!  

Recipe for Chihuly Cupcakes

48 mini cupcakes or 24 large cupcakes frosted (we used a box mix for this!)

1 package of Jolly Rancher hard candies
parchment paper
baking sheet

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
• While the oven is heating, unwrap the candies and chop them into small pieces on a cutting board and using a chef's knife, chop each candy into several pieces.  It is not necessary to chop them into crumbs. (Or you can do what Wendy does and put the unwrapped candy in zip top bag and break with a wooden spoon!). 
• Cut the parchment paper into 4 inch squares.  You will need 4 to 8 squares depending on how fast you work.  (Or you can use one large sheet of parchment).
• The candy hardens quickly, so start by making four at a time and once you get the hang of working with the melted candy, you may find you can make more than four at a time.  In the size of a quarter, sprinkle two colors of candy on each square.  
• Bake for 3-5 minutes. 
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven.  
• Take one parchment square off of the sheet and let it cool for about 30 seconds.  
• Carefully peel the candy off of the parchment square.  
• If it is sticky and does not peel off easily, let it cool some more.   
• Once it is peeled from the parchment, flatten and stretch with your hands.  
• Have fun twisting and creating your own Chihuly inspired designs.  Continue this process until you have enough shapes to top each cupcake. Let your creations cool completely before topping the cupcakes.

 Getting the Jolly Rancher's ready

 Unwrapped.

 In bags to 'smash' them with a ladle!

 Put a small amount on parchment, on cookie sheet.

 After 3-5 minutes, remove from oven.

 Let cool for 30-60 seconds to be able to touch it.  They should peel right off! no spray needed.

 Gently stretch and form the warm candy into fun, abstract shapes.  There's no wrong way to do it!

Pretty, isn't it?  

Wendy's daughter and my three children each recognized these creations as Chihuly as soon as they saw them.  My four year old said, "Where did you get the Chihuly mom?"  My six year old proceeded to teach me how Chihuly creates his pieces step-by-step.  Pretty impressive knowledge, thanks to one amazing teacher!

You can see some photos below of Dale Chihuly's actual art work.  Visit his website at: http://www.chihuly.com

Recipe for Tomato Bites

Tomato Bites are the perfect sampling of all things summer.  Fresh tomatoes, cheese, fresh herbs .... so cute, so simple and fabulous for a summer party.

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes for tiny servings, like I did in the photo)

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1 package cream cheese

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Wash tomatoes.  

Trim top and bottom of tomatoes so they can stand on tray.  

Set aside.

Combine all other ingredients (reserving one tablespoon of chives for topping) in a bowl and whip together.

Put blended cheese into pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice.

Pipe a small dollop of cheese on each tomato.  

Sprinkle with remainder of chopped chives.

Enjoy!

"Tasty Trashy Taters" as featured on abc's The Chew

Watch Wendy teach Mario Batali (that's right, the famous, award winning chef, Mario!) how to make these fun treats on
abc's "The Chew".   What an amazing experience!

The Chew and all of the hosts are so awesome! they are friendly and fun and totally great.  And, incredible chefs.   I had an experience I'll never forget.  Thank you abc and The Chew!

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Tasty-Trashy-Taters-Wendy-Bradley
Here's a behind-the-scenes photo.

You'll see the reaction to this dish as Wendy creates it for the hosts!  Hint: we know your guests will enjoy it as much as they did!
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"Tasty Trashy Taters" Recipe

Weird ingredients make an amazing finger food! Your guests will surely love this crazy combo. So be sure to make extra because they go very quickly!

Recipe:

• 1/2 bag of tater tots (let them sit out for a few minutes because you can add the cheese if they are frozen solid)  
• sharp cheddar cheese, cut into TINY squares
• hot sauce (I prefer Trader Joe’s jalapeño pepper sauce)
• one package of bacon (cut strips in half so they wrap around tater nicely)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Line a cookie sheet with foil.  And spray the sheet with non-stick spray.  

To assemble:
1. take tater tot, carefully take a small knife and cut into it slightly! 
2. place cheese in small opening.  If this doesn’t work because tater tots fall apart.....place the chunk of cheese on top
3. add dash of hot sauce on the cheese 
4. wrap tater with cheese and hot sauce in bacon 
5. secure with toothpick
6. roll entire ensemble in brown sugar
7. place on baking sheet but not too closely together
8. bake in oven and you’ll need to flip them after a few minutes so the bacon cooks easily and the cheese doesn’t drip out *

Repeat until all the taters are used up.  Bake about 10-15 minutes until the bacon looks ready.  Yum!  You’ll want to make extra because these will go quickly!

* should the cheese drip out and ‘burn’ while cooking, just trim off with a pair of cooking scissors and you’re good to go.

Recipe for Risotto Stuffed Peppers

Recipe for Risotto Stuffed Peppers, a great alternative to a classic dish.

Ingredients:

8 oz mushrooms

4 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

2 cups arborio rice

1 leek chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

juice of 1 lemon

2 cups white wine

2-32 oz containers of vegetable broth

1 tbsp chopped parsley to garnish

1 cup shaved parmesan reggiano

In a large saute pan, saute mushrooms in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about two minutes.  Add the asparagus and saute for 2-4 minutes.  Asparagus should be slightly crisp.  In a large sauce pan, heat the broth until it comes to a low boil then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover.  In a large dutch oven, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil on medium low heat.  Turn the heat to low and add the butter.  When the butter is melted, add the onions and garlic.  Saute the onions and garlic on medium low heat and the onions are opaque in color.  Add the arborio rice.  Cook the rice until it is lightly browned but be careful not to burn. Add the wine.  Once the wine has cooked down, add one cup of broth to the rice at a time.  Let the broth simmer and allow the rice to absorb the broth completely before adding another cup.  Continue this process until you have used as much broth as the rice can absorb and the texture of the risotto is creamy.  This should take about 30 minutes.  Finally, add the lemon juice then incorporate the parmesan cheese, mushrooms and asparagus.  Garnish with parsley and more cheese.  

To serve as a stuffed peppers: cut peppers in half and take the seeds out.  Fill with risotto and serve. Enjoy!

Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

How did this recipe come about?  Recently my daughter had a birthday and asked me to make a treat she could take to school to celebrate.  To accommodate the dietary needs of all of her classmates, she asked me if we could make a cupcake that everyone in her class could eat.  The challenge:  a long list of allergies which included:  gluten, yeast, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, peanuts, and apples.  Well we managed to come up with quite a few ingredients and actually succeeded in creating these yummy chocolate treats.  Let us know what you think.

Ingredients:

egg substitute:  1/4 c coconut milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice(this equals one egg)

1/2 cup dark chocolate melted (must be dairy free)

*Note: If using unsweetened baker's chocolate, use 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup of agave nectar in place of the 3/4 cup of sugar that follows in the recipe)

1 cup plus 1 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate melted (must be dairy free)
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c canola or corn oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
*Note:  All of the ingredients we found met the criteria but is was nearly impossible to find ingredients that weren't produced in a facility that shared equipment with soy or dairy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Start by making the egg substitute by putting 2 tbsp of lemon juice in 1/4 cup of coconut milk.  You will see it slightly curdle.  Sift flour, xanthum gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Next melt the chocolate either in the microwave or over a double boiler.  In a large bowl, mix the sugar, oil, milk and vinegar.  Add the egg substitute then slowly whisk in the melted chocolate.  With a hand held blender slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture one cup at a time until the mixture is smooth.  Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full.  For mini cupcakes bake for 12-15 minutes.  For regular size cupcakes bake for 20-25 minutes.


Frosting:

Here are two choices for chocolate dairy free frosting.

1 can unsweetened coconut milk-full fat
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight so the water separates from the fat in the milk.  Scoop out the solid coconut fat.  Use can use some of the liquid if you need to thin out your frosting.  Blend all of the ingredients together.

or

3 tbsp vegan butter
2c confectioner's  sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla

chocolate and peanut butter easter eggs recipe

It's that time of year, when the bunny brings yummy chocolate and peanut butter eggs to everyone.... but you want something sweet, salty and chocolate-y, without all of the processed stuff?  How about these homemade chocolate and peanut butter eggs?!  Plus, there are some 'secret ingredients' that make these a healthy version! and this recipe is gluten free.  

Try them out and let us know what you think.  We'd love to hear!

Ingredients for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Easter Eggs:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup (heaping) Chex Rice cereal 
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
dash of salt
20 oz. dark or bittersweet chocolate chips (two bags)

You'll make the peanut butter filling first. 

• Melt butter in saucepan, remove from heat and set aside.  
• In a food processor, grind Rice Chex cereal, whole almonds and almond meal *(You can buy almond meal or you can grind almonds in food processor separately. You want it to be finely ground.  So it looks like cornmeal or sand.)
• Add peanut butter, flax seeds and Chex cereal to this in the food processor and finely grind.
• Place all ground ingredients in a bowl.  Add melted and cooled butter and powdered sugar and blend well. 
• Mix well until all of the ingredients are incorporated.  The peanut butter filling should have a consistency like Play-Doh.
  
• Pat the peanut butter filling down in the bowl a bit, so that you have a dense filling.  You do this because you want to 'scoop' the egg shape.
  
• Take a spoon and scoop peanut butter mixture into an egg shape and lightly reshape with your hands, if needed.  Place on flat dish or pan.  
• Continue until all eggs are formed.
  
• Place peanut butter eggs in fridge for at least one hour.  You want them to set.  
• Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or microwave for one minute and then at 30 second intervals until all of the chips are melted.  
• Place eggs onto cookie cooling rack and pour chocolate over the top of each egg.  Take your time and gently drizzle.  This will give the eggs a nice coating.  Alternatively, you can dip the peanut butter eggs into the chocolate but the warmth of the melted chocolate may misshape the eggs as you handle them.  The pouring technique will allow the eggs to stay in an egg-shape.  And the chocolate tempers nicely, giving a clean look. 
  
• Let chocolate+peanut butter mixture set (about 20-30 minutes).  
• Once set, the eggs can go into the fridge to keep.  

Makes two dozen eggs (about one inch in length).

Italian Easter Bread Recipe

It isn't Easter at my house unless there is a loaf of freshly made Easter Bread to adorn the table.  This is a recipe passed down to me from my grandfather who owned and operated an Italian bakery.  The year after I graduated from college, my grandfather taught my cousin and I how to make this bread.  Sadly, he passed away shortly after.  And, somehow something got lost in the translation of the recipe and it took me many years to recreate the recipe so it had the consistency and taste of the way I remember it to be.

So if you enjoy a recipe that someone in your family makes, apprentice with them and write every ingredient, measurement and step down.  What a great honor it is to carry on the tradition and memory of loved ones especially during the holidays. Enjoy!

Italian Sweet Bread Recipe

The first step is to make a yeast sponge:

4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm milk (no warmer than 115 degrees)

1 cup all purpose flour

Warm the milk either on stove top or in microwave.  The temperature should be around 110-115 degrees F (any higher may kill the yeast).  Add the flour and stir with a whisk until incorporated.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and lightly mix.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour.  The sponge will rise and look bubbly.

Step 2:

2 sticks of butter softened

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of honey

(flavoring is optional. For a traditional Easter Bread add 2 tsp of lemon extract or zest of 1 lemon)

6 eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and honey (and flavoring).  Add one egg at a time until mixed.

Step 3:

In another bowl, mix together:

5 cups of four (scoop/scrape method)

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt

Step 4:

Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, blend the egg mixture with the yeast sponge(do not over mix), add 5 cups  of flour incorporating one cup at a time to form dough.  Add additional 1-2 cups of flour as needed.  Dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Put dough on floured surface and punch down dough.  Divide dough in half.  Divide each half into three equal parts.  Roll each part to a twelve inch long rope and braid three of the ropes tucking the ends in.  Place on a baking pan sprayed with oil.  Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   

Brush loaf with egg wash: one egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp. water.

Sprinkle with sesame, poppy, anise seeds or colored sprinkles.  (If making a traditional Easter Bread, place a colored egg into each loaf)  
Bake for 30 minutes.

This will make two large loaves.  

*note if making smaller loaves, baking time may vary.

Italian Zeppole Recipe

Every year on March 19th my family celebrates St. Joseph's Day or the feast of San Guiseppe. It is the Italians equivalent to St. Patrick's Day.  Many Italians wear red on St. Joseph's day, prepare a meatless meal and serve zeppoles:  the traditional dessert shared in honor of this celebrated day.

Zeppoles can be baked or fried, are filled with cream, dusted with powdered sugar and decorated with a cherry.  My grandfather who owned a bakery made the most amazing zeppoles.  It is often a challenge trying to recreate his recipes especially since his were made in bulk.

This year my mother and I both tried making them unbeknownst to each other.  After comparing recipes, techniques and with with much trial and error, here is our version of one of our favorite Italian desserts.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Pastry:

1 cup of milk (or water)
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
5 eggs
1 and 1/4 cup of flour
*pastry shells can be made ahead and stored in the freezer until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a medium size bowl, sift the flour and salt.  Next, melt the butter in the milk in a large pot over low heat.  When the butter is melted, remove the mixture from the heat.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the milk mixture stirring constantly with a whisk.  Return to low heat.  Continue stirring with a large spoon for about two minutes until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and the dough forms a ball.

Remove the bowl from the heat.  Put the dough in a large bowl.  Mix on low speed with a beater for about a minute or until the dough has cooled but is still warm.  (This step is very important.  If you don't cool the mixture the eggs will cook.)  On medium speed, add one egg at a time until it is completely blended in.  The mixture will be smooth.

Fill a pastry bag with the mixture using a large star tip.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Form circles with the mixture going around twice.  I made mine on the small side.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Lower the heat to 375 degrees F and bake an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Cooked Yellow Cream Filling:

4 cups of milk
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of cake flour
3 eggs beaten
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
*cream can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

In a medium size bowl, make a paste with 1 cup of sugar, cake flour, beaten eggs, salt and vanilla.  Set aside.  In a large pot, heat milk and one cup of sugar on low heat to dissolve the sugar.  Raise the heat and allow the milk and sugar mixture come to a boil.  Stir constantly.  Turn the heat down to a low.  Slowly add the paste to the milk mixture stirring constantly over low heat. Cook the mixture until it is thick.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Refrigerate.

Assembly:
Remove the zeppoles from the baking sheet and slice in half.  Fill a pastry bag with cooled cream and pipe cream on the bottom half of the zeppole.  Place the top on the zeppole and pipe cream around the top.  Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with half a cherry.  Serve and enjoy!

Makes 18 small zeppoles.

Peanut Butter Squares - Gluten Free Recipe

Holly made these this year for Valentine's Day.  And when our family went to her house for a party, I grabbed one and ate it immediately.  It was so delicious!  But gluten and I don't mix well.  So I thought, perhaps I can create a gluten free version?  Here's what I came up with.  It's super creamy, salty, chocolately; and has the density of the gluten version.  It's quite addictive.  And, I have to admit, I definitely ate more than one! 

The recipe below is just as Holly made it with a substitution for the graham crackers/gluten.  Try and out and let us know what you think.  We love hearing from you and your ideas are so creative! Enjoy!

Ingredients for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Squares:

1 stick unsalted butter melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup natural peanut butter (I used a chunky/crunchy version)
1 cup Rice Chex Mix
1/2 cup almond meal (you can grind plain almonds in food processor or buy it already ground)
2 cups, heaping, GF chocolate chips
dash of salt

• Spray or thoroughly butter a 13x9 inch baking dish or cookie sheet with edges.  
• Melt butter in saucepan, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.  
• In a food processor, grind Rice Chex Mix and almonds OR almond meal.  Set aside.
• Add the sugar, peanut butter and ground rice Chex Mix and almond meal to the butter. 
• Mix well until all of the ingredients are incorporated.  
• Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly in the buttered pan lined.  
• Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or microwave for one minute and then at 30 second intervals until all of the chips are melted.  
• Spread the chocolate over the peanut butter layer. 
• Let chocolate+peanut butter mixture set (about 20-30 minutes).
• Cut into one inch squares in the pan or dish.
• Keep in the pan.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  
• Carefully lift peanut butter squares out of the pan with a small spatula.  

Makes two dozen.

As Holly suggests, the leftover pieces from the pan -- or the chunks that break off -- can be saved in the freezer to use as an ice cream topping.  Yum!!  What a great idea, Holly! 

 Almond meal and Rice Chex Mix instead of the graham crackers, for a gluten free version.

Mix peanut butter, sugar and butter together then add Rice Chex and almond meal.

Marshmallow Chick Pops

If you are looking for a cute and simple spring time treat then try making these adorable marshmallow chick pops.  Only three ingredients are involved and it takes less than 30 minutes to make; the perfect addition to any Easter basket. They would also make a sweet favor for a baby shower or first birthday party.

Ingredients:

16 marshmallows
1 cup yellow candy melts
1/4 cup orange candy melts
1/8 cup chocolate chips
8 candy sticks

Makes eight pops.

Place two marshmallows on each pop stick. Melt yellow candy melts according to package directions.  Tilt the bowl with the melted candy and one stick at a time twirl the marshmallows in the melted candy until completely coated. Swirl the pop on the inside of the bowl then gently shake to get the excess off. Cool by placing on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Next melt orange candy melts in one bowl and the chocolate chips in another bowl.  Once melted put the melted orange candy in a small plastic bag and put the melted chocolate chips in another small plastic bag. Snip the corner of each baggie making sure the hole is very small.  Pipe on eyes, beak and feet.  Cool. If you are going to give as gift or favor, wrap the pops in small cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon.

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting Recipe

                    

It's our good friend Michele's birthday this week (happy birthday Michele!). And Michele is an amazing baker herself, making killer chocolates during the holidays, I thought I'd make her something special for her day.  But she can't have eggs or dairy.  Hmmm......why not have a vegan cupcake?

I omitted the eggs and milk but I think I maintained the density of a nice, delicious, flavorful cupcake.  Try it out and let us know what you think.  We love your comments!

Recipe for Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes 

1 3/4 cups of flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (you can substitute soy milk)
1/2 cup oil (vegetable or olive oil; for this recipe I used olive oil)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tin with paper liners.  Set aside pan aside.

In medium bowl mix all dry ingredients.  Set aside.  In large bowl mix 'milk', oil, vanilla and cider vinegar.  Whisk well to incorporate all ingredients.  Now add flour mixture to wet ingredients.  Stir well but be careful not to whip.  Scoop batter into liners and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle row of cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

Makes one dozen regular sized cupcakes.

Here's my recipe for vegan frosting.  Below is a step-by-step in the photos.

Just a note about the frosting.  It's best prepared just before you're serving it.  It doesn't have the butterfat or lard, to hold it's shape so on a hot day for instance, it's likely to droop a bit.  The flavor is fine but it's not the same consistency as traditional buttercream.

Vegan Coconut Frosting Recipe
1 can coconut cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut

I use the Trader Joe's Coconut Cream but any brand of coconut cream will do.  Just be sure that it's not the "light" version.  You want the full fat style.  Put the can, unopened, in the refrigerator overnight to chill.  This will cause the opaque cream to solidify and stay above the coconut water.  When you are ready to frost the cupcakes or cake, remove from the fridge and open the can but don't shake it or stir it! you want this to remain separate.



As you can see in this photo.  The clear liquid (coconut milk/water) has settled to the bottom.  Leave it there and save it for another recipe or discard.

Spoon it into a bowl to mix it.

Whip it in the mixer.  An electric mixer is best because the cold cream is dense and needs to be fluffy.

Spread on your cake or cupcake, top with shredded coconut and you're ready to serve!