“Cook the Story” featured a fabulous event on her blog on June 28th.  It’s called ‘Frosting for the Cause’ and is a challenge to bloggers to feature a terrific cupcake on their blog, raise awareness about cancers that target women and to encourage people to donate to cancer research.

She also listed the link for others to accept the challenge (decorating@frostingforthecause.com). 

Well, Christine, I contacted them right away and today is my day. So if you want you can stop reading here and pop on over to BlogHer instead.

http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://frostingforthecause.com

Cancer has touched my family like so many others.  In particular, we Gibson women have been known to not only suffer from colitis but bowel cancer.  Some of us are gone but others are thankfully still here.  In particular, my Aunt Beatrice is a survivor and a reminder to me of how to face adversity with determination and a VERY wicked sense of humour. 

I’m going to make a filled cupcake that I first saw on Cupcake Wars. 

My family has morphed quite a bit in the past year and as we felt our way through becoming a multi-generational household, one of the ways that we came together was through food. 

Sharing food, planning food, watching food…:)  You get the idea.

We took these cupcakes to a friend’s house the other night to let us celebrate family in an even bigger way.  I’ll be making another batch today to take to our local hospice.

Make a big batch and share it with your family.  While you’re at it-donate to Cancer research to ensure families get a chance to bond over food instead of the unthinkable opposite.

Get your best helper up to the counter

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-cannoli-cupcake-recipe/index.html
(yep.  now you know what I needed that ricotta for)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Go against every rule of baking and dump everything into a bowl since your helper is impatient.

Breathe a sigh of relief that this is a really forgiving batter and fill 24 lined, cupcakes cups with the batter (2/3’s full).  Bake at 350 for approx. 20 minutes (they will be lightly brown) and let cool completely.
While they are cooling…

Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream
Mix together:
16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet morsels (I’m using chunks of dark chocolate just because)

Fresh Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar

1 cup mini semisweet morsels, for garnishing

To assemble: Using a small knife, cut on an angle directly into top of the vanilla cupcake in a circular pattern, staying within the perimeter of the top, removing the inside of the cupcake in one piece.

Using a spoon or small scoop, fill the inside of the cupcake with Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream. Place the top of the cupcake back on, putting a little pressure so that the top is pressed into the cream, holding it in place.

Top with a dollop of Fresh Whipped Cream and garnish with mini morsels.

Eat many, many of these and remember how lucky you are 🙂