Miss Dot's Cupcake Spot

And They Lived Happily Ever After...

2010-09-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

Just this past Saturday, I had the privilege of making cupcakes for my best friend's sister's wedding down in San Diego.

Doesn't she look stunning?

~♥~

{.married.}

[{♥}]

{.wedding cupcakes.}

[{♥}]

{.and they lived happily ever after.}

Graduation Cupcakes

2010-06-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

[[graduated.]]

Today, we celebrated my dear cousin's graduation from high school
-and-
her subsequent entry into college.

This summer, she will be packing up and leaving Southern California for the trek across the United States to Barnard College in New York.

New York has no idea what's about to hit it, but once she gets there,
it will never be the same.

[[♥]]

Mr. Dot and I contributed to the festivities by putting together some cupcakes to represent both of her schools:

HIGH SCHOOL

[brown and yellow]

COLLEGE

[blue and white]

Together, we baked and decorated *100 cupcakes* for the party. I used just two of my favorite recipes in order to keep it simple:

♥Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, and

♥Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcakes

I like both of these recipes because I feel that they are pretty fool-proof, (yes, I have accidentally doubled the amount of butter necessary for the vanilla cupcakes before and they still ~~clogged arteries~~ turned out delicious) and they both turn out nice, moist cupcakes. If you too are a fan of low-maintenance cupcakes, then these recipes are perfect for you:

♥ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES♥

From "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes"

Makes about 24 cupcakes

(Note: I find it usually makes just under 24... perhaps 20?)

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. AP flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
2 large eggs (room temperature)
3/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. buttermilk (I usually end up using the ol' vinegar-and-milk substitution since I never have buttermilk on hand)
3 T. vegetable oil
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F and line cupcake pan with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, SIFT together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
ADD eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; MIX until smooth (about 3 minutes). Scrape down.
DIVIDE batter evenly among liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
BAKE until tops spring back when touched; about 20 minutes. (Note: this recipe usually takes about 17 minutes for me. I'd set your oven for 15 and go from there)

~♥~

♥VANILLA CUPCAKES♥

From, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence," by Amy Sedaris

Makes 24 cupcakes

(Note: I can actually usually get more than 24 outta this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking powder
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. milk

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F and line cupcake pans with liners.
In a large bowl, CREAM together butter and sugar.
BEAT in eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking powder.
ADD flour in 3 batches, alternating with milk.
MIX until batter is smooth with no lumps. Do not overbeat.
DIVIDE batter evenly among cups.
BAKE for 16-20 minutes or until tops are pale gold and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. (Note: this recipe also bakes at 17 minutes for me)
COOL on rack until at room temperature. Proceed to smother with buttercream frosting (recipe follows).

*DISCLAIMER*

Now, before I continue on to my buttercream frosting recipe,

allow me to clarify something really quickly:

~In this happy world of baking and sweets, there are two major frosting parties~

[1] Those who subscribe to the SMBC [Swiss Meringue Buttercream] fan club

and

[2] Those who swear by shortening-based buttercreams

I, my dears, am of the latter persuasion.

There's just something about a sweet, traditional buttercream

[just like mom used to make]

that makes me smile every time I bite into a piece of cake.

It's simple to whip up, it's simple to change the consistency, and the use of shortening (instead of more butter or eggs) results in a pure white buttercream that tints to precise shades.

*sigh*

Shortening-based buttercreams will always be

my favorite ♥

♥MISS DOT'S BUTTERCREAM FROSTING♥

From, well, me.

Ices 10-12-? cupcakes (obviously, this depends on how thick you ice them!)

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter or margarine
1/2 c. shortening
1 lb. powdered sugar (I don't sift it. I know, I'm such a rebel...)
1 T. vanilla
3 T. Karo brown sugar corn syrup (optional -- I think this adds a really robust flavor in the background of the icing but it's not necessary)
Milk or water (as necessary)

Directions:

CREAM the butter and shortening.
ADD the sugar in two batches.
ADD vanilla and corn syrup (if using it).
BLEND in milk/water as necessary to achieve consistency you want.

NOTE: Don't be afraid to really whip this icing to remove lumps. You'll end up with a fluffier, lighter product if you do. Since this recipe is so simple, it's fun to experiment with consistency to get a good feel for what you like.

These recipes are very simple yet they yield delicious results. They're perfect for summertime get-togethers [[think family BBQ's, neighborhood block parties, Fourth of July...]] or an afternoon bake session with the kiddos.

Toss some sprinkles on 'em and they're done!

Until next time...

xoxo

{Re}Introduction

2010-06-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

OK, let's see if we can try this again. Allow me to (re)introduce myself: I am Miss Dot, wife to Mr. Dot (yes, yes, I know it says "Miss," but it just has a nicer ring to it than Mrs. Dot, don't you think?), and I love to bake. In fact, I even work at a bakery! (Cutest bakery I ever done seen, too, thankyouverymuch!)

I know I've been out of the picture for a bit so if you're still following this blog, THANK YOU! If not, and you're new, that's just fine, too, because I'm going to be changing how this blog works a bit.

To begin, one of the main reasons I took a Blog-cation in the first place was because I found myself getting really, really overwhelmed. It's hard to maintain two blogs, work a full-time job, be a full-time wife, and maintain friendships with all your bloggy friends (which means reading their blogs and making meaningful comments on their posts!) Plus, I wanted to keep up with SITS stuff, too, and I found myself constantly feeling like I was drowning in an online frenzy of comments, posts, and emails. I can't imagine how people with kids do it! Yikes. I'm so super impressed. Seriously.

That's why, from here on out, there are gonna be some NEW RULES:

[1] No "Follow Me and I'll Follow You" - Did you stop by and like what you saw? Fantastic! Follow along! Don't feel like following? Peachy keen. I hate feeling bullied into following sites that half the time I can't remember why I followed in the first place.

[2] No Fancy-Schmancy Alliteration Days - I'm sorry, but I just can't commit to these darn things! I think they're nifty, I love reading 'em, but I don't have Terrific Tuesdays, Wordless Wednesdays, Thrifty Thursdays, Fahrvergnügen Fridays...

[3] This Blog is Award-Free - Think this blog should get an award? Thank you for thinking of me (and I genuinely do appreciate the recognition!) but I'd rather keep this blog as clutter-free as possible!

[4] No Daily Posts - Holy mac-a-roni, I don't know how people do this, but I swear I've even see people post multiple times daily. What the heck are they doing? Are they attached to their computer? Does their brain automatically send signals to a keyboard so anytime they think a post is written?! I can't even fathom how people do this. In my case, I'd like to keep this blog almost as an online public journal of any baking/decorating that I do. I can't say I'll post every day, but I'll sure try to post as much as I can! That might be a couple times a week, that might be a few times a month, but most certainly not every day.

Lastly [[and most importantly]]...

[5] This Blog is about having Fun - This blog is going to be really relaxed and laid-back. Wanna share a recipe or baking tip? Send it on over! Have a question about a recipe or a technique? I'm all ears! Did you hit up a really cool car show this past weekend and you want to go in on buying a sweet '57 Bel Air with me? I'll pony up my half right now. Know of a hot sale on wiggle dresses? Shoot, let's go shopping!

Bottom line here is that this blog is about something fun for me to do and hopefully something fun for you, too. Hopefully, it'll be a win-win situation.

Thanks for coming 'round! Until next time...

P.S. -- I only just realized that somewhere along the line, my header lost an apostrophe (between the "T" and the "S" in "Its." This is utterly frustrating and I sure as heck hope that my mom doesn't notice because the only other person who gets annoyed by bad grammar as much as I do is, well, my mom. Sorry mom! I'm fixing it soon, I promise...

Blog-cation!

2010-02-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hi!!

Thanks for stopping by :)

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be taking a little break from blogging for a bit as I strive to find the new groove of life between taking care of my home and husband and working at my new job.

In the meantime, check out some recipes or browse some galleries to get some ideas for your own cupcakes!

See you soon!

The Fame... It's Going to My Head...

2010-02-17T22:55:00.001-08:00

Um, so I know I'm no celebrity, but there's something about being asked for advice that makes me feel super important.

Like I'm some sort of ZENITH of knowledge.

A wealth of information.

A source of all there is to know.

The end-all be-all of ---

OK, do you get the point yet?

Can I let my big head deflate now?

Last week, Amber of Amber's Life sent me an email asking me if I had a good recipe for red velvet cupcakes.

Do I have a good recipe for red velvet cupcakes?

Uh...

Does Gertie Rock? Does doing taxes stink? Are Reality TV shows overrated?

[answers: yes, yes, and double yes]

You get my point.

So yes, I had a recipe to share with her as well as my own recipe for cream cheese frosting.

Here's what she came up with:

Look at these little beauties!

Look how RICH and RED they are!!

Ohhhhh... that's what a red velvet should look like...

Here they are iced:

Mmmm... word on the streets is that these suckers didn't last long...

Check out the sweet little sprinkles she found to put on top:

Awwww...

♥

Thanks for ~~petting my ego~~ making my day, Amber!!

(And hey, if any of you get a chance, go check out her blog Designs by Amber, too. She's so talented!)

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

OK OK, I know Valentine's Day is over, but can I still show you what I made anyway?

Plus, look at the newest addition to my cake stand collection:

[••[courtesy of my Aunt Carol]••]

Isn't she pretty??

I made these cupcakes at my mom's house this past weekend for her to take into work on Monday.
(Which meant I didn't have my nice camera... I hope the digital will do!)

Even though they were a day late for Valentine's Day,
I don't think anyone complained.

Cupcakes on a Monday?

I'll second that motion!

•○•[[All in all, here were the combinations that I made]]•○•

BOX 1

♥ Chocolate Cake + Chocolate Buttercream Frosting + Nutella Filling

♥ Chocolate Cake + Chocolate Buttercream Frosting + Chocolate Ganache Filling

♥ Chocolate Cake + Cream Cheese Frosting + Cherry Filling

♥ Chocolate Cake + Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (no filling)

[♥]

BOX 2

♥ White Cake + Chocolate Buttercream Frosting + Nutella Filling

♥ White Cake + Vanilla Buttercream Frosting + Strawberry Filling

♥ White Cake + Chocolate Buttercream + Chocolate Ganache Filling

♥ White Cake + Vanilla Buttercream Frosting + Chocolate Ganache Drizzle

[♥]

BOX 3

♥ Red Velvet topped with Cream Cheese Frosting :)

(C'mon... did you think I'd forget to make these? It's VALENTINE'S DAY, for heaven's sakes!)

I hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day!

I know I sure did!

♥

Sick Day(s)

2010-01-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

Miss Dot's feeling a little under the weather right now (food poisoning...ugh...), so it may be another day or two until her next post. Until then, use this to keep yourself occupied. Happy Monday.

Cookies and... Beer?

2010-01-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

Let's try some word association:

Peanut Butter?

(Jelly.)

Peaches?

(Cream.)

Captain?

(Tennille.)

Cookies?

(Beer.)

All good things must come to an end, my friends, and it is with that that I bring to you our final

BEER WEEK

recipe.

~•Recipe #5•~

♥STOUT COOKIES♥
Adapted from Carolyn Smagalski's recipe on BellaOnline

Makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. butter

2/3 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 T. molasses

3 T. stout

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. ground cloves

2 c. oats

3/4 c. dried cranberries

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F and lightly grease cookie sheets.
SIFT together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
CREAM butter until light and fluffy. ADD sugars and beat until light and fluffy again.
BLEND in egg, molasses, stout, and vanilla.
ALTERNATELY ADD flour mixture and oats, blending in between additions.
FOLD in dried cranberries.
DROP by rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes or until done (mine took 8 minutes)

The site notes some health benefits at the bottom which I will relay to ~~make myself feel better~~ help you track your daily vitamin intake:

Health Benefit: Rich in fiber, calcium, vitamin B-complex vitamins, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper

There. Feel better?

These cookies were pretty good. I tried adding chocolate chips to the last couple sheets of cookies and I wasn't too into it. They're definitely good and chewy but I'll admit, if I hadn't seen stout in the ingredients list, I wouldn't have known there was stout in them at all. If you're looking for a recipe that really showcases stout, this is not it. However, if you're looking for some good, spicy cookies and want to brag to your friends that there's beer in them, these are your best bet.

Then again, you may want to ask yourself why you're bragging to your friends that you have beer in your cookies.

Weirdo.

*shakes head*

I'm a Changed Woman

2010-01-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

I must admit -- I used to be an unbeliever.

I used to think that I couldn't bake brownies.

I used to think that it was...too difficult.

I would overbake them; I would underbake them; they would stick to my apparently unnecessarily-greased pan.

Bottom line:

I LOATHED [making] BROWNIES.

That is, until I met these little beauties.

Yep, you guessed it...

{STOUT BROWNIES}

These little brownies behaved so well.

They baked for the amount of time they promised they'd bake.

They didn't stick to the pan.

They even had a toothpick test and guess what?

THEY PASSED.

I'm so pleased with these brownies.

They're everything a good brownie should be:

Moist, decadent, and fudgy.

Plus,

there are chocolate chips on top.

MmmMMMmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmm.

If you like dark chocolate,

(or are a fan of chocolate that isn't too sweet),

these are definitely for you.

This recipe combines three different kinds of chocolate to create a rich, dark chocolate flavor that only serves to enhance the bold stout.

May I introduce you to:

~•Recipe #4•~

♥STOUT BROWNIES♥

Adapted from Cookie Madness

Makes 15 Miss Dot-sized-brownies or 36 normal-person-brownies.

Who knew?

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 t. salt

6 T. unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes

6 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 c. white chocolate chips

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 c. granulated sugar

10 oz. (1 1/4 c.) stout (she used Guinness Extra Stout) -- room temperature

3/4 t. vanilla

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/8 cup confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with a nonstick foil like Reynolds Release *TIP: I didn't have nonstick foil so I just lined the pan with regular foil and then sprayed it with cooking spray.
WHISK together flour, salt, and cocoa powder until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, MELT butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat. Alternatively, you may do this in the microwave by microwaving on high and stirring every 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, BEAT eggs and sugar together on high until fluffy (about 3 minutes).
ADD melted chocolate mixture to sugar-egg mixture; beat until combined.
BEAT flour mixture into chocolate mixture.
WHISK in stout.
POUR into prepared pan and drop semisweet chocolate chips on top of batter. Some will sink in; this is fine.
BAKE for 25-30 minutes on center rack in oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
COOL; Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

This recipe has been Swedish Chef-approved!

Beer Bread Remix!

2010-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

Sooooo this one time, I made some beer bread. It was from a mix, it was from a Partylite party, and it was delicious.

Since then, I've done

three [3] things:

[1] I researched beer bread recipes.

[2] After looking at a bunch of recipes and learning how easy beer bread is to make, I vowed to never buy beer bread mix again because it would be like oh, I don't know...buying a paper airplane kit (contents: 1 piece of paper).

[3] I chose a beer bread recipe and tried it.

I **know** I've posted about it before

(duh, I just put a link to it up there)

so, in order to avoid any unnecessary name-calling,
(i.e., cheater, lazy baker, un-original nincompoop)

I'm doing a little

RE-MIX.

Same recipe,

DIFFERENT BEER.

Let's try this recipe ONE MORE TIME, but this time, let's do it with {stout}

[♥]

~•Recipe #3•~

♥BEER BREAD♥

From Farmgirl Fare

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 T. baking powder

1 1/2 c. (12 oz.) stout beer

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F and grease 1 loaf pan.
COMBINE flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
STIR in beer slowly (dough will be thick and sticky) and spoon into loaf pan.
BAKE for about 45 minutes or until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean
**NOTE** Mine only took 35 minutes
COOL in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.
REMOVE FROM PAN and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

THIS is how beer bread, round two, came out.

The cracks are kinda scary huh? Like a monster?

Let me help you out with that:

See what I mean??

Crazy.

Aside from its resemblance to something kids imagine comes from their closets, this was pretty darn good!

I mean, look at this crust!

Mmmmm craggly scraggly goodness...

Aww... poor widdle bread. Look at you. You want some butter, don't you? You're all warm and happy and you just want some butter. Butty wutty wutter. Wubby buddy wubber. Bubbe--
OK, I'm done.

Butter.

Done.

Pancakes??? More like MANcakes!!!

2010-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

So the wife asked me do a guest post on this little blog thing she's got going...bear with me as I'm not what you'd call an avid blogger. In fact, I don't know that I've ever blogged. The closest I've been is updating my facebook status more than once a month. So here goes something...

For those of you out there on the interwebs who don't know anything about me (which I'm pretty sure is like 98.4% of everyone reading this), I'm what most people would consider a man. And by that I mean I am a male of my species and have reached an age that allows me to do everything from buying lottery tickets to renting a car. So for quite a while, I also assumed I was a man. That was until I came across what is quite possibly the coolest website ever (besides this one of course). The Art of Manliness is like a guide to becoming the man that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers were. With articles covering everything from manly skills to how to get a manly shave, it is a treasure chest of thoughts and tips on how to be a Man.

While there are numerous articles that I could get into to show you how cool it is to be a Man, that's not why I'm here (plus I'm pretty sure that most of you reading this are of the female persuasion). My purpose today is to tell you about the delicious pancakes that I made. "What do pancakes have to do with a website about shaving and plumbing?" you may ask. Well let me enlighten you to the wonder that is the FREE Art of Manliness Man Cookbook. AoM put this together back in October 2008, but I just recently discovered it. It is a compilation of recipes by AoM readers (which is sometimes evident in the way the recipes are written) for Men and their female counterparts. And boy was I excited to try some of the recipes.

Note: You did have to subscribe to AoM via RSS feed or email to get the FREE cookbook, but it's well worth it.

I decided to give the Beer Batter Pancakes found on page 18 a try. The recipe is simple, but the pancakes are amazing. I attribute part of this to the fact that I had recently acquired a six pack of a friend of mine's home-brewed stout (that Miss Dot has been and will continue utilizing all week). While the recipe didn't call for such a flavorful brew, I really think that these flapjacks tasted just a little more manly with such a tasty base. For those of you without access to my secret stash, I think a dark beer like Guinness or a darker micro-brew would be great here as well.

Well I'm sure you're wondering when I'm going to actually get to the recipe and all that fun stuff. Well you're in luck, because here it comes.

~•Recipe #2•~

Beer Batter Pancakes

By Steve from MKE (with some additions by me)

from The Art of Manliness Man Cookbook

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup beer

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl

Pour 1/4 cup of batter on whatever surface you normally make pancakes on

Wait until bubbles appear

Flip

Cover in warm maple syrup

Enjoy!!!

So there you have it. Not only did I make delicious pancakes, but I also successfully wrote a delicious blog post for the wife. I'm sure you have lots of great comments to leave me now, so go ahead and get to it. Thanks for letting me stop by for a few minutes.

Until next time...

It's like college all over again!

2010-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Remember that one night?

The one where I was feeling persnickety?

Well, the only thing I was missing that night was that one special

[[KEY]]

secret ingredient that I needed from a friend.

The one for that new cupcake recipe.

Remember?

Yeah, I thought you did.

Well, I GOT THE INGREDIENT:

{STOUT}

Strong, dark, robust, home-brewed

stout.

Now, if you'll recall, I actually don't drink, so for me to really enjoy this beer and its bold, roasted malt flavor, I had to come up with some recipes that would showcase just that.

Thankfully, my husband joined in on the fun, too, and we've come up with a glorious week of
[[stout-tastic]] bliss.

Let's start the fun then, shall we?

~•Recipe #1•~

♥STOUT CUPCAKES♥

From "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes"

Makes 24-30 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. plus 1/8 t. baking soda

1 3/4 t. baking powder

1 1/4 t. salt

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 1/4 c. unsulfured molasses

1/2 c. plus 1 T. packed light-brown sugar

2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 T. plus 1 t. finely grated orange zest

1 1/4 c. (10 oz.) stout beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled

Stout Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F and line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
WHISK together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
BEAT together oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest, and stout on medium-low speed until combined.
ADD flour mixture; beat until just combined.
DIVIDE batter among cups, filling each three-quarters full.
BAKE, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean (about 20 minutes).
COOL on wire racks.

*TIP: Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature or frozen up to 2 months in airtight containers.
To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

STOUT GLAZE: Whisk together 2 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted, and 1/4 c. stout beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled. Use immediately. **NOTE** I found that this was barely enough to drizzle over my cupcakes. Maybe it's because I'm such a frosting nut anyway that glaze doesn't really do it for me, but I could barely get a full tablespoon on each cupcake, and I only made 24 cupcakes!

Since I only had enough room for two cupcake tins in my oven, I filled those both and used the remaining batter to make a little double layer 6-inch round cake. I iced it with a lemon buttercream on top and cream cheese frosting in the middle. That way, I still got my frosting fix. Silly glazes -- who uses those, anyway?? Pfft... glaze is like frosting for wimps. If you can't stand the sugar, get out of the kitchen!*

This recipe is just great. Those little cupcakes are packed with such a rich, spicy flavor that I had a hard time keeping Mr. Dot's grubby little mitts off 'em. They taste like a spice cake -- a moist, dark, spice cake with a little zing of orange. I definitely recommend you give this one a try!

*Just as a side note before I start getting hate mail, I am fully aware of the dangers associated with mass sugar consumption. As the daughter of a diabetic father, niece of three diabetic uncles, and reformed overweight child myself, I genuinely appreciate the idea of sugar in moderation. However, I also genuinely appreciate frosting. It's a vicious life I lead.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Poundcake

2010-01-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

It's been raining here lately.

A lot.

What better time than now to try some new recipes?

No better time, I say.

So what are we waiting for?

~♥~

I did that thing again. You know, the non-cupcake thing. Is that OK?

♥CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE POUNDCAKE♥

This new recipe comes from Ingrid of 3 B's .... Baseball, Baking, & Books who found it on the blog One Ordinary Day

Makes one 12-cup bundt cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. unsalted butter (3 sticks) room temperature

8 oz. Philadelphia Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Spice Swirl cream cheese, room temperature

*TIP: Both Ingrid and I chose to make our own brown sugar and cinnamon cream cheese. Here's how I made mine: mix 1 T. brown sugar + 1 t. cinnamon into 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese. Sample it and add brown sugar/cinnamon to your taste. Try not to eat it all before you add it to the batter.)

3 c. granulated sugar

6 large eggs

2 t. pure vanilla extract

2 t. ground cinnamon

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Cinnamon glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 325°F and lightly spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
CREAM butter and cream cheese.
ADD granulated sugar and beat for 5 minutes on HIGH (until mixture is light and airy)
ADD eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
ADD vanilla and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, COMBINE flour and salt.
ADD flour mixture to wet mixture and mix until just combined.
POUR batter into pan and even out the top.
BAKE for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake is golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.
COOL in pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. REMOVE from pan and allow to cool completely.
GLAZE with cinnamon glaze (recipe follows)

Now comes the time for the glaze. I bet you're pretty excited, right? I mean, twice now I've mentioned it and said "recipe follows," so I'm sure you've been dying to scroll down and check it out. Well, here's the situation: There are three (3) recipes.

-There's the first recipe, the original recipe, which is the one I used initially but thought it was missing some oomph.
-There's the second recipe, a thicker recipe, that Ingrid came up with and, if I'd had some heavy cream, I totally would have tried.
-Then there's a third recipe, a thick, more cinnamon-y glaze, that I came up with after I felt the first was lacking.

Here they are in the same order:

[ORIGINAL] CINNAMON GLAZE: Whisk together 1 c. powdered sugar, 2 T. milk, and 1/2 t. ground cinnamon until smooth. Pour onto cake. (This is the one in the pictures above)

INGRID'S CINNAMON GLAZE: Whisk together 3/4 c. powdered sugar and 2 T. heavy cream. Pour onto cake. Grate cinnamon on top (optional). (This is the one pictured in Ingrid's post)

MISS DOT'S CINNAMON GLAZE: Whisk together 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. Coffee-mate French Vanilla, and 1 T. cinnamon. Add more Coffee-mate as necessary to get preferred consistency. Pour onto cake. (I didn't get a chance to take a picture of this because, well, let's just say it didn't last long...)

I cannot express how incredibly moist this cake is. I feel it could stand alone without the glaze -- perhaps just some jam? Preserves? Powdered sugar? Whatever sprinkles your cupcake. As for how much we liked this recipe, well, let's just say Mr. Dot has announced that it has made it to the Top Ten List of Things to Bake for my Husband [AKA: him].

enjoy

♥

Apple Tar-- er, Cobbler...

2010-01-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I was feeling a little persnickety.

(See my Williams Sonoma bowls in the background there?

Yep, my kid sister gave those to me for Christmas. Such a smart little shopper!)

My original plan was to try out a new cupcake recipe tonight but I was missing a

KEY

ingredient that I need to get from a friend.

I know that sounds shady,

but that's how I roll.

So what was I to do??

I was all itching for some baketitude and needed SOMETHING to stick in the oven or else I feared I might

**implode**

Thankfully, one of my favorite baking bloggers came to my rescue.

Whisk Kid, the crazy-talented baking teenager with so much skill in the kitchen it just isn't fair, posted a recipe for Apple Tarts.

So what if it's not cupcakes?? I can bake whatever I want!

(OK, OK, I take that back!! I'm sorry little cupcakes, I love you. I only want to bake you. I promise.)

(But sometimes cookies too, OK?)

I went through the recipe but when it came time to roll out the dough, I found it way too sticky to manage. I wasn't sure how adding more flour would affect the recipe [I hesitate to add flour for rolling out dough if the recipe doesn't explicitly say it's OK] but I still tried to make one Apple Tart. It was pretty pitiful and I began to throw the dough away when I realized it would be a
total shame to waste it.

Therefore, undaunted (as my mom would say -- haha!), I charged onward and came up with this recipe:

♥APPLE COBBLER♥

Adapted from Whisk Kid's Apple Tart

Makes two 9-inch apple cobblers

[1]

Look over the recipe.

[2]

Grumble because the ingredients are measured in grams. Ugh.

[3]

Convince myself that I can totally work in grams. Who needs cups anyway?

(I do, that's who.)

[4]

Note that my scale measures in kilograms.

Quickly Google kilograms→grams to make sure I remember correctly from 5th grade.

Assure myself plenty of people need to do this sort of thing all the time.

[5a]

Cream together:

125 g confectionery sugar

250 g butter

1 vanilla bean (seeded)

[5b]

In case you've never seeded a vanilla bean before, here's a quick tutorial on how to do it:

Start with as fresh a vanilla bean as you can;
ones that are dried out get kinda fibrous when you cut into them.
(I got mine at Costco of all places!)

Split the bean in half lengthwise.

Use your fingers to pry apart the sides of the halves.

Use the dull side of your knife to scrape out the mushy meat from inside the bean halves.

Ta-da!

This little pile of vanilla mush is exactly what you want!
This is what will give you those coveted vanilla specks that scream:
EAT MY VANILLA GOODNESS!

[6]

Add in 3 eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

[7]

Sift in 500 g cake flour and 1/2 t. baking powder. Mix until just combined.

•[Here is where my changes start to come in]•

[8]

Form a ball with the dough and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

[9]

While the dough is in the fridge, start peeling and dicing up 6 granny smith apples. Separate them into the two pie dishes.

[10]

Dice up 6 T. butter and divide evenly over the apples.

Over each pie dish, sprinkle:

•1/4 c. brown sugar

•1/8 c. granulated sugar

•1 t. cinnamon
•2 T. lemon juice

[11]

Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it in two. Begin pulling off chunks of dough and plopping them on top of the apples. Dust with sugar.

(There's WAY too much dough on top of this one, but I didn't find out that my apple-to-dough ratio was off until after I baked it. Definitely make sure that you leave space between the dough lumps for the apple gooey-ness to bubble through)

[12]

Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes until you achieve a good, golden-brown exterior and the apples are bubbly:

Oh so GOOD!

Yep, definitely worth saving the dough.

I was really surprised by how cakey the dough was. If the dough had been plain I think I would've scrapped the cobbler; however, the strong vanilla flavor combined really well with the apples and they went together perfectly. It was less a biscuit and more a cake. Yum :)

In case you're wondering,

this is how my tart came out:

Not TOO bad visually, but taste-wise it was awful. As you can see, the cake is incredibly puffed up due to my lack of ability to roll out the dough properly and the apples totally dried out and became tasteless, too.

I completely blame this on user-error, by the way. If you're more tart-savvy, I know this recipe's for you!

I see your Gingerbread Cuppies and I raise you an apple...

2010-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Check out these terrific cupcakes* made by Stephen K, one of my favorite followers.

(I say "favorite" partly because of his interactive nature and partly because, well, he says neat things like "favourite," "japes," and wears things like "brogues" and "trackies.")

[Cue touristy American giggle...now]

Anywho, what makes Stephen really neat is that he likes my cupcakes.

And then he changes my cupcakes.

And then he tells me he changes them, and tells me they're awesome.

No, wait, he tells me:

"it worked a freakin' TREAT."

He took my gingerbread cupcakes and kicked them up a notch:

He added apple chunks.

Uh huh. Drooling yet? I'll bet his gran was. Yep, you heard (read?) me right. His gran. That's who he made them for.

ISN'T HE ♥SWEET♥?

Try to resist him NOW, Zooey Deschanel ;)

*Yes, yes, I know they're not ALL iced, but those ones in the back? The ones with the chocolate buttercream? WHO WOULDA THUNK IT? Not I said the cat. Extra cupcake bonus points for ingenious ~~flavour~~ flavor combination there, Stephen!

Cupcakes in Vegas!

2010-01-14T15:17:00.001-08:00

We're Back!!

In case you haven't heard, my husband and I spent our one-year anniversary in

•[[VEGAS]]•

and, since we don't really gamble or drink, we actually did a bunch of really, really cool stuff:

We saw the Blue Man Group...

[[♥]]

...Jersey Boys...

[[♥]]

...and Le Rêve.

This last show took place at the Wynn which, in case you've never been to Vegas, is only the classiest, most chic hotel (and casino) I've even been in. They had a Ferrari dealership IN THE HOTEL and I swear the toilet paper had real gold flakes embedded in it.

Naturally, the hubbs bought me one for our anniversary.

[[♥]]

I also ran into my ♥childhood sweetheart♥

and then again later:

[[♥]]

But just about the **coolest** thing we did was this:

A CAKEWALK!

After reading through the Cakewalks on CakeSpy, I thought it'd be fun to try out a bunch of new cupcake places.

Then, Amber (who suggested Vegas to us in the first place) found some cupcake places in Vegas, and so the hubbs and I went and searched for some more to try out and review while we were there.

Without futher ado, here is our

~VEGAS CAKEWALK~

First stop:

Sugar's Bakery

[website]

It took us a bit to find this place -- it's not on the strip and so we had to drive about 10-15 minutes to get there. Initially, we were kinda bummed about the distance but we soon found out that there are (at least) two other cupcake places in the immediate vicinity (reviewed below!) so it was OK.

Our first impression came from their sign.

How cute is this?

Inside, it gets even cuter! (Can you believe it?) It has great display cases for their cupcakes and other baked goodies (like cookies and brownies!) plus fun seating and reading for kids and adults alike to enjoy while munching on their baked treasures ♥

[Look at the cute hubbs enjoying the little kiddie chair on the far right]

[Hubby enjoying a cupcake classic]

For flavors, we finally settled on these three:

(clockwise from left: Lemon Cream, Red Velvet, and German Chocolate)

Review

The good: They had a nice variety of flavors to choose from, the decorations were thoughtful and creative, and we liked that they sold other baked goods though they advertised themselves as a cupcake shop. We loved their interior decorations, too. Everything was fun, whimsical, and made us want to stay forever.

The not-so-good: Their cupcakes were refrigerated --boo!-- which tends to make the cake dry out. Sure enough, after tasting the Red Velvet, we thought both the cake and frosting were dry and unappealing.

Bottom Line: Of the 4 cupcake places we visited, we ranked this one #2. Definitely worth the drive!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Second Stop:

Mad Hatter Cupcakes

[website]

This is the second cupcake place that we visited in the area that we came to term "Cupcake Alley" because of the (awesome) predominance of cupcake shops.

Seriously, there were three all within a 2-mile radius.

FANTASTICO.

Here's the front of the cupcake shop. Seems pretty cool, right? Oh wait, it gets better.

CHECK THIS OUT.

WHAT?!?!

Did I READ that correctly!?

CREATE YOUR [my] OWN CUPCAKES???

OMC I'm sold.

They let you choose your cake flavor, filling flavor, frosting flavor, and then your own candy to put on top. They even offer suggestions if you can't decide on your own!

This place is like Coldstone for cupcakes.

MAKE MY CUPCAKES!!

(please!)

Yummy cupcake supplies :D

Taking in the glory of Mad Hatter Cupcakes.

After much thought, we finally chose to make two cupcakes:

•HIS: Peanut butter cake with chocolate ganache filling and white chocolate frosting

•HERS: Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and chocolate frosting with m&ms on top

Review

The good: OMC can you say "MOIST"?? The cake was so, so nice and moist. MmmMmmMmmmmmmMmm. The chocolate was so good and rich. In the words of my husband,

"That's a d*mn good chocolate cake."

The peanut butter cake was perfect, too. I feel like it can be difficult to capture a good peanut butter taste without creating an overwhelming flavor but Mad Hatter achieved it!

Other things we liked:

They sell shaved ice, too (neato!), they have a great seating area for enjoying your goodies, they provide mini cupcakes as samples (that day they had peanut butter cupcakes with white chocolate frosting), they have single cupcake holders in case you just want to take one for the road, AND they have a punch card for frequent visitors.

The not-so-good: Um...

Bottom Line: Of the 4 cupcake places we visited, we ranked this one #1. Are you booking your trip to Vegas yet?

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Third Stop:

Cupcake Lane

[website]

First off, fantastic sign! No doubt about it -- this is a cupcake shop!

The inside was cute and quaint with curtained windows into the back bakery area.

This cupcake shop also had a great selection of cupcakes to choose from. With flavors that had names like Savannah Street (their version of red velvet) or Michigan Avenue (lemon cupcake with lemon frosting), they definitely won the award for more creative names.

We chose three cupcakes here, too:

(clockwise from left: Lombard Street (their "Hostess Cupcake"), Lake Tahoe Boulevard (their s'more cupcake), and Southfork Ranch (a German chocolate cupcake))

Review

The good: Fun flavor names, creative decorations, and cute to-go boxes for single cupcakes (they used Chinese take-out containers). We also liked that they offered some sugar free cupcakes as well as cupcakes for canine companions.

The not-so-good: Their cupcakes were refrigerated. No no no no no! Pooey. Also, I really (really) hate to say this, but we were totally underwhelmed. We expected a lot given the nifty names and decorations but the cupcakes themselves were totally lacking. Lombard Street tasted like, well, a Hostess cupcake which isn't necessarily bad within itself but if I'm paying $3+ for a cupcake, it better taste amazing, not like something that usually comes wrapped in plastic in a pack of two. Lake Tahoe Boulevard also failed to deliver the nostalgic s'more flavor that I was hoping for.

Bottom Line: Of the 4 cupcake places we visited, we ranked this one #3. I'd be willing to go back and taste others (they do say that Savannah Street is their best-seller and we didn't taste that one) but I'm not holding my breath for our next visit. If you check out either of the first two you'll already be in the area to visit this one in which case, go ahead. I wouldn't block out time in my day specifically to make the trek, though :-/

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Fourth (and final) stop:

The Cupcakery

[website]

This cupcake shop has three Vegas locations:

Two off the strip (which are listed on their site) and one ON THE STRIP in the Monte Carlo.

We chose to visit the latter.

This cupcake shop has a great staff who seems to love cupcakes as much as we do (which is a lot!)

We were informed that the above case houses two different kind of cupcakes:

ON THE LEFT: cupcakes whose flavors come from the frosting

ON THE RIGHT: cupcakes whose flavors come from the cake (they had cream cheese frosting)

I'm not going to lie, we were excited about these. Not only were they all pretty and sparkly but they had lots of fun colors and flavors and, well, since it was our last cupcake shop, we decided to go out with a bang.

We got six.

SIX WHOLE CUPCAKES

just for us two :)

(From left to right, back to front: Southern Belle (Red Velvet), Gingerbread, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Boston Creme, Tickle-me-Pink (their signature flavor), and Strawberry Shortcake)

Review

The good: Great staff, fun decorations for cupcakes AND interior (did you see that giant cupcake??), and come on, they're located ON the strip! Can't get much closer than that!

We really enjoyed the Gingerbread Cupcake; not only was the cake good but the little decoration on top is really a gingerbread man and boy, is he tasty!

Our favorite cupcake, though, was the Peanut Butter Chocolate one. Fantastic peanut butter flavor! Man, two great peanut butter cupcakes in one weekend. I'm in love!

The not-so-good: OK, I really hate to do this, but we were pretty disappointed by the other four. The Tickle-me-Pink (I'm almost positive this is what they called this flavor), their signature flavor, is just vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. You can also get it as a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting.

Here's my thinking:

If you're going to do such a simplistic flavor combination as your signature cupcake, MAKE IT AMAZING! I want it to be the best vanilla (or chocolate) I've ever tasted! After tasting it, I want to feel like all the other vanilla (or chocolate!) cupcakes I've had before were made of deception and lies.

Their Strawberry Shortcake cupcake was not made from real strawberries, either, but rather that stomach-churning, fake-me-out chemical strawberry flavor that probably comes from this rather than these.

Finally, did you see the carrier we got? Our six little cupcakes were sadly squished into that container with no separators to protect them from getting all mixed together! I feel like if you advertise selling your cupcakes in combinations of four, six, and twelve, you'd better have holders for each!

Bottom Line: Of the 4 cupcake places we visited, we ranked this one #4. We expected so much from this cupcake shop and were really disappointed by the end of the last cupcake. We were really sad to rank this place last, though, because we really did think we were going to get some yummy cupcakes. I'm not sure if the Monte Carlo location does its baking on-site, though, so maybe we'll chalk up the downfalls to the fact that they weren't fresh...?

[[♥]]

Well, m'dears, THAT was our trip to Vegas.

We had so much fun together and definitely celebrated our first year together in style.

I can't wait for our second (And third! And fourth! And fifth! And...) anniversaries.

Here's to forever together!

Apple and Cinnamon Cupcakes

2009-12-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

My family's coming up to visit tomorrow and to check out our new place!

To welcome them, I thought I'd have some cupcakes ready and waiting.

What better time than now to try out a new recipe courtesy of a cookbook from a cupcake kit I received as part of some recent winnings??

♥APPLE AND CINNAMON CUPCAKES♥

Adapted from "Cupcake Creations"

Makes about 20 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces (I used Granny Smith)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. cinnamon
3 eggs (room temperature)
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. self-rising flour, sifted

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 320°F (yes, 320°F... crazy, I know...)
LINE cupcake tins with liners.
MIX together apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
CREAM together butter and sugar.
ADD eggs and beat until combined.
ADD flour and milk, alternating each and beating between each addition.
BAKE for 20-22 minutes; tops will remain slightly sticky so use toothpick test to check for doneness (if toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, they're done!)

ICING

CREAM together 1 c. butter and 1 c. powdered sugar. SPREAD on top of cupcakes. TOP with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

~♥~

The cookbook that this recipe came from is an Australian cookbook so it gave measurements in metric units but had U.S. conversions (thank heavens!) They called for caster sugar (berry sugar) and some recipes required essences (instead of extracts) and chocolate drops (instead of chocolate chips). How fun!! It was so neat to read :D

These cupcakes had a pretty buttery taste but they were good. What do you expect, though, with an entire POUND of butter being used between the cupcakes and icing?? I liked the apple chunks and I thought there was a perfect amount of cinnamon in the cupcakes themselves, though. I'd say these would make GREAT breakfast cupcakes, which is exactly what they're gonna be!

Gingerbread Cuppies!!

2009-12-15T00:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun gingerbread cupcakes I made for a friend's Christmas party:

Gingerbread cupcakes + cream cheese frosting = mm mm good!

I don't know what's more fantastic -- gingerbread cupcakes or this stupendous cupcake carrier my old supervisor gave me as a gift before we moved. Let's see, yummy cupcakes or cupcakes arriving safely? Yeah, it's a toss up.

I even made some with peppermint frosting as a little experiment:

ECA and I have already decided that there's really nothing too special about them but they are a neat twist on the usual combo!

I think I like the way the sprinkles look on top versus the fondant cutouts from the cupcakes in the post below. Meh -- lesson learned!

♥GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES♥

Adapted from "Crazy About Cupcakes" by Krystina Castella

Makes 20-24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup dark molasses (use light molasses if you don't want a strong molasses taste, but I like my gingerbread cupcakes like I like my men: strong 'n' spicy!)
2 teaspoons lemon zest (I omitted this)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sour cream

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F and line cupcake tins.
CREAM together butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy.
ADD the egg and molasses. If you're using lemon zest, add it here, too.
In a separate bowl, MIX together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
ADD dry mixture to wet, alternating with sour cream.
SPOON mixture into cupcake tins, filling liners 2/3 full.
BAKE for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean.
SERVE as-is or frost with desired frosting (I used cream cheese frosting and peppermint buttercream)

Christmas Cupcakes!

2009-12-06T01:04:00.000-08:00

Been wondering what I've been up to lately? Well, one of my most recent days was filled with 12 dozen cupcakes for an order I baked for a Christmas charity event.

The flavors were:

♥Gingerbread
(gingerbread cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and a fondant gingerbread man)
♥Red Velvet
(red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a fondant Christmas tree)
♥Peppermint Brownie (recipe here)
(brownie cupcakes --I tried not to loathe these-- with a peppermint patty baked into the center and frosted with peppermint buttercream then topped with a fondant candy cane)

The hubbs' favorite? Gingerbread, of course!!

How do you bake for Christmas?

Hey YOU! Pssst! Lookin' for a Sexy Cupcake?

2009-12-05T06:53:00.001-08:00

Do you know what time it is?

It's time for ~*SEXY CUPCAKE SATURDAY*~!!

My friend Amber over at The Daily Tribal has declared all Saturdays to be Sexy Cupcake Saturdays to celebrate her longtime ♥love affair♥ with these little personal cakes -- and who can blame her??

Today she's chosen to feature one of my very own cupcakes as her Sexy Cupcake. What an honor!

Go check out her post and my sexy cupcake! Give her some looooove!

Coming Back!

2009-12-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

HEY!

I've been gone, but I'm coming back, I PROMISE!! Hold tight :)

I'm Moving!! And Staying...? Er...

2009-11-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

~♥HELLO EVERYONE!!♥~

From this day forward, I will be writing more personal posts on my NEW BLOG:

Saving the World One Cupcake at a Time.

I'll still post here, but this will be for more cupcake/baking-related topics.

Follow both of me!

~♥~

Charger Cupcakes and Strike 2, Bon Appétit...

2009-11-18T23:17:00.000-08:00

Remember the cookie cutters ECA and I made the other day? Well check out the fruits of our hard labor!

This order included three types of cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Filling and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Lemonade Dream Cupcakes

(Vanilla Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Buttercream Frosting)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Of course, ECA was quick to point out that the "50" on the 50-yard-line cupcakes was incorrect because it's actually supposed to look like this but I felt the need to take some artistic license for aesthetic purposes. Being the adult that I am, I took his constructive criticism in stride.

~♥~

I also took some time to try a new recipe tonight: Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts. Verdict: Meh :-/ I wasn't impressed. To begin with, after much discussion with my kid sister, we decided to omit the walnuts and just keep the chocolate chips. That, I think, was our first mistake. I thought the bread was way too sweet and dessert-like. In retrospect, if we were to have omitted something, I would have omitted the chocolate chips. A nice toasted nutty taste would have complemented the bananas perfectly. Also, though I layered the batter and the chocolate chips as the directions indicated, the chocolate chips failed to stay afloat and opted instead to sink to the very bottom making a thick chocolate chip layer that caused the loaves to stick to the pans (despite my very best pan-greasing.) Finally, the loaves didn't rise as my usual banana bread recipe does. Instead of nice, golden-brown domes I was treated to flat, deep brown tops even though I set the timer for 15 minutes less than the suggested baking time. Boo! Hiss! Just as a side note, this is another Bon Appétit recipe failure (see the first here). Strike two, Bon Appétit!

Here's the recipe in case you want to try it yourself:

♥Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts♥

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/2 (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 c. mashed ripe bananas
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F and butter and flour 9x5x2.5" metal loaf pan.
WHISK first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
COMBINE chocolate chips and walnuts in small bowl; add 1 T. flour mixture and toss to coat.
BEAT butter in large bowl until fluffy.
ADD sugar gradually, beating until well blended.
BEAT in eggs one at a time.
BEAT in mashed bananas, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
ADD flour mixture.
SPOON 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. SPRINKLE with half of nut/chocolate chip mixture. SPOON 1/3 of batter over. SPRINKLE with remaining nut/chocolate chip mixture. COVER with remaining batter. Run knife through batter in zigzag pattern.
BAKE until tester inserted into center comes out clean (about 1 hour 5 minutes). Turn out onto rack and cool.
Try to suppress your utter disappointment at the dismal failure before you. Or else have amazing success and come tell me all about it. I'd love to hear how you made it better!

Streusel Cupcakes

2009-11-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

Have you been hankerin' for a yummy treat for breakfast? Tired of spending $5 on muffins at Starbucks that taste like glazed cardboard? Try these tasty goodies! These Streusel Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's book Cupcakes really hit the spot. I made them on Saturday before the fam and I took a roadtrip to Disneyland and they were just what we needed!

♥Streusel Cupcakes♥

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse salt
1/2 c. + 2 T. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. sour cream

Streusel Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. packed dark-brown sugar
2 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. coarse salt
1/2 c. + 2 T. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F and line tins with liners.
FOR STREUSEL:
-WHISK together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
-CUT IN the butter using a pastry blender. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
WHISK together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (just like Clive says!)
CREAM butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
ADD eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
STIR in vanilla by hand.
ADD flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.
DIVIDE batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half of the topping over the cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping.
BAKE, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
To finish, place cupackes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze.

MILK GLAZE: Whisk together 1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar (sifted) and 3 T. milk. Use immediately.

**Glazed cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers**

The streusel topping really does it for me on these cupcakes. I mean, I suppose these somewhat violate my rule of needing frosting to really be considered cupcakes but hey, Martha says they're cupcakes and I'm sure as heck not gonna argue with the Homemaking Queen!

Cookie Cutter Tutorial

2009-11-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

The above little beauty is the team logo for the San Diego Chargers or who we San Diegans affectionately know as the Bolts.

Due to a couple of football party cupcake orders I have for this weekend, I'm going to be needing a few of these cut out of fondant. Instead of manually cutting them one by one, I thought it would be a good idea to use a cookie cutter. One problem: Where was I going to get a Charger Bolt cookie cutter in the size I needed?

I figured the best way to go would be DIY. Armed with incredible ingenuity and an over-inflated sense of self-confidence, my ECA and I headed to Lowe's for material ideas. We ended up buying some metal duct pipe that ran us about $3. I had the ECA borrow some tin snips from our onsite property manager and cut the piping in 1" wide strips that ran the length of the pipe (Come on, that's a man's job. I just bake cupcakes.)

Below is a step-by-step of how we made the cookie cutters:

Here's the ducting with the crimped ends trimmed off (thanks baby!)
One of the 1" strips.
The templates/guides I used for the cookie cutters.
I began by folding/bending the strip of metal around the shape of the bolt.
I used my thumbs to work out as many of the wrinkles in the edges as I could.
Of course, ECA couldn't let me have all the fun. He had a go at it, too.
Once you're done shaping your cookie cutter, you might be left with a tail.
Use the tin snips to cut it off but leave a little bit at the end to fold over and glue.
Wrap the extra bit over the raw edge and use a bit of hot glue from a glue gun to seal.
Ta-da! The finished products. ECA's is on the top and mine is on the bottom. It's OK, you can say his is better. It'd probably just serve to stroke his male ego. Oh fine I admit mine looks more like Sonic the Hedgehog than a Charger Bolt but COME ON, it was my first try!!
Look, I made a football, too :)

I've got a bunch of strips left that I can't wait to fold into other fun shapes. Perfect activity to do in front of the TV when you're watching something like, oh, say, Willow. Not that that's what I was doing or anything. Noooo... not at all...

I'd love to see some cookie cutters that you made! If you get a chance, post a pic!

Patriotic Cupcakes

2009-11-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

How excited am I about these cupcakes you might ask? SO EXCITED! This is a set of custom cupcakes I made for a patriotic-themed party a client is putting on. It's also the first time that I've used fondant on cupcakes this extensively. I was a little hesitant because I wanted to make sure that there was enough frosting so that the cupcakes still tasted good so I really swirled it on thick under the ones with the most fondant.

~♥~

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

In keeping with the patriotic theme, now would be a good time let your voice be heard!

I must say, sifting happens to be one of my least favorite activities. In fact, though I know that it can affect the results in a recipe, there are often times that I will forgo the act altogether when I'm feeling particularly anti-sifty. This usually applies more to sifting powdered sugar than sifting flour as I feel like powdered sugar is unusually difficult to sift. At least, I feel like it takes for freaking EVER!

This is what I look like when I know I have to sift something.

With that in mind, I ask you: to sift, or not to sift? And if you sift, HOW do you sift? Do yo use a sieve? A hand-crank sifter? A pull-handle sifter? Do tell!

Iron Cupcake Earth - Apples

2009-11-08T22:36:00.001-08:00

Please take a moment to pause and sniff the air. Go ahead, inhale. That's it... take a big whiff. There. Have you done it? Good. Now, what did it smell like? Smell like time for another cupcake challenge? Yes, yes it did.

I've decided to try my hand at this month's Iron Cupcake Challenge. The theme for this month is Apples.

Last month's challenge was "Music" but I ~~chickened out~~ never quite got myself together in time to submit anything.

This time around, though, I've got some great ideas. Time to start making some sample batches... Tasters, ready your tastebuds!

~♥~

In the meantime, I've been playing around with a (non-cupcake -- *gasp*) recipe that I've been trying to perfect. It all started with a PartyLite party that I hosted at our apartment earlier last month. No, I'm not a consultant, but somehow I managed to get stuck hosting one. Anywho, PartyLite has teamed up with Two Sisters Gourmet to bring really tasty goodies to the candle-buying public. Here's where the fantastic comes in: Two Sisters Gourmet offers this really, really delicious, Beer Bread Mix. Now, before I got this mix, not only had I never eaten Beer Bread before, I'd never even heard of it. Its simplicity intrigued me, though: literally all I had to do was open up a can of beer, stir it into the mix, then pop it in the oven for 45 minutes. When it came out, I was **intensely** amazed. Outside of this bread, beer doesn't even tempt me. Not a chance. In fact, I somewhat gag a little bit at the smell. INSIDE this bread, though, beer morphed into this intensely tastebud-titillating nectar of the gods. I practically ate the whole loaf myself!

After consuming approximately 3 guinea pigs worth of beer bread (yes, I measured the amount of beer bread I ate in guinea pigs...), I started panicking. How was I going to get more Beer Bread? Should I order cases of the mix immediately? Did they have a limit on how much I could buy? If I didn't buy cases ASAP, was there going to be a run on the mix that might possibly --heaven forbid!!-- delay my consumption of more Beer Bread? WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO?

Then it dawned on me -- this bread couldn't just possibly exist in mix form. In fact, I bet I could find recipes elsewhere and make it myself! And, dear friends, that's just what I did :)

After a bunch of researching online I settled on this recipe that I found at Farmgirl Flare's blog. The first time around I made two loaves: one regular and one Italian style (come on, I had to!). I wasn't satisfied with the taste, though. It seemed really dry and more like English Muffin Bread than the amazing Beer Bread I'd been jonesing for. I made a couple alterations and tried again. This time, I feel like I've gotten closer to the end product I'm trying to achieve. Basically, I want the beer taste to really come through and right now I feel like it's less the main player and more a supporting actor.

Here is the recipe as Farmgirl Fare printed it with my notes in red:

♥Beer Bread♥

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour (I used 2 1/2 c.)
1 T. sugar (I used 2 T.)
1 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
12 oz. beer (I used this beer)

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F and grease 1 loaf pan.
COMBINE flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
STIR in beer slowly (dough will be thick and sticky) and spoon into loaf pan.
BAKE for about 45 minutes or until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean (I set my timer for 35 and baked at 2-minute increments from there just in case. Good thing I did, too, because mine was done at 37 minutes.)
COOL in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.
REMOVE FROM PAN and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

**ITALIAN VARIATION**
Add 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano (or 1 tablespoon each fresh basil and oregano), 2 cloves of garlic (minced), and 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Romano cheese.

Seeing as the first batch's loaves sat around practically untouched all week long while this second loaf has had four slices eaten from it before it's even had a chance to fully cool down, I'm pretty darn sure that batch two is better than batch one. Though I'm not sure that I've totally perfected it the way that I want it, this is still a really tasty, really easy quick bread to make.

Brown Sugar Pecan Cupcakes and Dollface Delights!

2009-11-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

Picture from Bon Appétit Magazine

It's been waaaaaay too long since I got a chance to play around with a new cupcake recipe but thankfully my dearest, sweetest mother came to my rescue this past weekend by showing me that she had received the latest issue of Bon Appétit. I believe the conversation went like this:

Mom: Did you see I got the newest issue of Bon Appétit?

Me: No! [grabs magazine] Sweet! Thanksgiving recipes! AND A CUPCAKE RECIPE!! Can I have this?

Mom: No.

Me: [Takes it anyway]

THANKS MOM!! Don't worry -- in return, I'll bring the first batch by your office for testing and analysis purposes. QUALITY CONTROL IS KEY! Though I didn't get a chance to take pictures of these tasty treats, they were QUITE delectable. Darling hubby thought they were a bit too nutty but he doesn't like pecans anyway. I, on the other hand, thought they were scrumptious. Pecan pie is my favorite pie, though, tied with cherry pie, so perhaps I'm slightly biased. Mmmm... pie. Back to this recipe, the caramel frosting was the **perfect** topping BUT I felt like it was less a frosting and more a glaze. It was so runny!! Definitely had a great caramel flavor and by far my favorite caramel ~~frosting~~ glaze recipe :)

♥Brown Sugar Pecan Cupcakes♥
Makes 12 cupcakes (I got 13)

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour*
1/2 c. cake flour*
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. coarsely chopped toasted pecans (I didn't toast mine)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. (packed) brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract

*I didn't have any cake flour so I used the following substitution: 1 c. cake flour = 1 c. all-purpose flour MINUS 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch (so in this situation since I needed 1/2 c. cake flour I used 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, took out 1 tablespoon flour, and added 1 tablespoon cornstarch).

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F
WHISK flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. ADD pecans.
In another bowl, BEAT butter until smooth (about 30 seconds).
ADD brown sugar, BEAT until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
ADD eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions.
BEAT in sour cream and vanilla.
ADD dry ingredients to wet; beat on low speed just to blend.
DIVIDE batter among muffin cups.

♥Caramel ~~Frosting~~ Glaze♥
(Don't try to make this at 12:30 AM. It takes foreeeeeeever. At least, that's what it seems like when you really just want a cupcake.)

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 t. salt
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted (I didn't sift mine. Laaaaaaazy!!)
1 c. coarsely chopped toasted pecans (again, I didn't toast mine. *sigh*)

Directions:

STIR sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high.
BOIL until syrup turns deep amber*, brushing down sides with wet pastry brush (about 6-7 minutes)
*NOTE: I haven't really made a lot of stovetop frostings so maybe this is expected by some people but I DID NOT KNOW that the sugar-water went from liquid to powder and then back to liquid again. I thought I did something wrong but apparently that's exactly what's supposed to happen! Also, I didn't do the pastry brush bit. Oops :)
REMOVE FROM HEAT.
ADD cream (mixture will bubble up -- this is OK!)
STIR over low heat until caramel bits dissolve.
WHISK egg yolks in medium bowl. Very gradually whisk hot caramel into yolks.
COOL to room temperature.
Using electric mixer, beat butter and salt in large bowl until smooth. Beat in caramel.
ADD powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Let stand at room temperature until thick enough to spread (about 1 hour). <-- WHAT?? I got this far and was SO READY to eat one of these dang things when I read this part. WHAT GIVES!?!
Spread frosting over cupcakes. Place pecans on plate. Roll edges in nuts.
OMC EAT THEM RIGHT NOW!

~♥~

As a total side-note, can I just take a moment to review my new dish soap? We don't have a dishwasher here in the Miss Dot household. Rather, I AM the dish washer. This means that I pay particular attention to the dish soap that we use and its ability to help me clean the dishes (i.e., does it make my life easier?) My newest soap purchase has received my highest rating so far:

Bright Green Concentrated Dish Washing Liquid
(lavender scented)

Pros:

Seriously cuts grease. No lie there. It even says "Tough on Grease" right on the front but it ain't no namby pamby marketing scheme -- it's the real deal.
It doesn't smell like natural lavender BUT the smell isn't sickening or cloyingly sweet.
No animal testing.
Biodegradable.
No petroleum solvents.
Naturally derived ingredients/surfactants.
Phosphate-free.
Packing made from 25% post-consumer waste.

Cons:

Lavender makes me sleepy.

Just kidding.

~♥~

In other news... Check out what I got in the mail from the LOVELY Erica B. of Dollface Delights!!

::DRAMATIZATION::

So there I was, Monday afternoon, bored bored bored and wishing something would appear to cheer me up...

...when lo and behold, A PACKAGE CAME!!

I could tell right away that this was no ORDINARY package. It even SOUNDED special!

I began to open the package.

FINALLY! Got it open :)
Ta-da!! Look what she made for me!!

She even sent me a little note, too :)

Aren't I just the luckiest girl?? Apparently that's what I get for telling her that I LOVED her cute sign that she used at Bite Fest 2009.

BTW -- Can you tell we're totally twins? She's my sista from anotha motha. I love her style!!

If you haven't yet, definitely take a minute to stop by her blog and check out what she's up to. She's got the neatest stuff! For example, check out one of my favorites of hers: The Monroe Brownie. I'll bet Marilyn would be proud!

Apron Giveaway!

2009-11-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Check out this awesome Apron Giveaway featured on The Apron Goddess' site! Julie from Aprons by Julie is sponsoring an apron giveaway of an apron of your choice from her store! The instructions are to PICK YOUR FAVORITE and then comment on their post. Bonus points for a post on your own site and for sending in a pic of you in an apron!

I've chosen this cute Tiny Flowers Aqua Gingham apron. I just adore the ruffle at the bottom!!

Ghoulish Goodies

2009-10-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the next round of dastardly delights for this Halloween!

I took my spiderweb cupcakes from last year and kicked 'em up a notch with a wicked-looking blood-red spider perched on top of each cupcake:

Next, I took inspiration from Sweet and Stylish to create these little ghosties to haunt my cupcakes:

Armed with fondant, an egg carton, a food marker, and some buttercream "glue," I made the ghosties yesterday and then let them harden overnight.

First, I cut 2" diameter (or so) circles from fondant.
Then I used my little roller to flatten them some more so they weren't so bulky.
Once they were a little thinner (and ghost-ier), I gently put the circles over the craters in the egg carton and pushed 'em in a bit with my finger (and sometimes the bottom of the roller) to get a smooth, round top.
After letting them sit out overnight I took them out this morning and used my trusty food marker to give them each a ~~face~~ personality of their own. Man, I totally could've used that food marker here. Oh well... next time!

I made one extra just in case a little ghosty didn't make it but the first 12 that I made came out just fine. Number 13 was little jealous that he didn't get to go :(

And the finished order!!

I think this combo is my favorite so far. I might have to make some more of these for tomorrow! Then again, maybe we'll find some other tricky treats to make :)

BRAAAAAAINS...

2009-10-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today we had our company Halloween Potluck. We originally had it scheduled for tomorrow but the CEO will be coming down for a little meeting and presentation so we thought it'd be best to show our good sides tomorrow and keep the raucous rowdiness for today. It was no surprise that I showed up to the potluck with cupcakes and also no surprise that my costume was a combination of two of my favorite things: PINUPS and ZOMBIES!!

The two cupcakes that I made were Bloodshot Eyeballs (pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting) and Mummies (chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting).

Check them out!

I modeled these after what my eyeballs look like after a night of baking X-P

Watch out, Jon! I am a very, very scary zombie! Geez, why doesn't anyone take me SERIOUSLY?

Waaaiiit a second... these aren't brains!

So much fun! Can't wait for our party on Halloween. Got some more cupcakes to bake -- who knows what we'll come up with next??

P.S. -- check out some more fun zombie pinups here and here!

DO YOU SEE THIS??

2009-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my heavens to cupcake it's like Christmas morning. LOOK AT THIS NEW LAYOUT! Amy of Designer Blogs really, REALLY worked her magic on this one. I'm so disgustingly pleased I could squeal. Ok, well, maybe I am squealing, you just can't hear me...

Anywho, I'm going to be super busy with Halloween orders this week so I'll try to find time to post on my pretty new blog but I can't make any promises about frequency. I'll definitely be taking pics of my creations, though, to share with you after this frenzy is over! Plus, you HAVE to see my costume (like it'll be any surprise... it's a combination of two of my most favoritest things ever).

If I don't post before then... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Countdown to Halloween!

2009-10-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

My my my, I've been BUSY this past week! I feel like I've been pulled in at least twenty different directions as we've been drawing closer to Halloween. Here are some of the things I've been doing just to catch you up:

Halloween cupcakes orders are rolling in!
Here's a box of yummy creepy graveyard delights before heading out to their Halloween party destination. We've got orders for pumpkins and spiderwebs, too. More later this week!

Haunted gingerbread houses are being made!
My kid sister and I went to a haunted gingerbread house workshop hosted by friend and fellow baker Jill Reilly, owner of the incredibly successful Cute Cakes (where we get ALL our special occasion cakes!). We had so much fun making these houses. Sure we popped a few piping bags at the seams and maybe more candy corn went into my mouth than on my house but hey, don't the houses look great??

We're decorating for a party!
Check out these amazing invitations to the Halloween Party that Meghan, Cupcake Testing Specialist and Pie Queen Extraordinaire, and I are throwing. Yes, we had to cut out each invitation BY HAND and then use brads to make the movable joints. Meghan found them here on Martha Stewart's site (Is anyone really surprised? I mean, who else would come up with these?! Somehow, I find them reminiscent of the chocolate chip cookies that Erica just made. The recipe even calls for nap breaks!)

Pumpkins are being carved!
My mom, sisters, ECA, and I got together this past Sunday to carve our pumpkins. The trick is all in the timing: carve them early enough to have a few days to enjoy them but not so early that they get gross and rotten by the time Halloween comes around. We figured that Sunday was perfect 'cause we'd have a week to let them glow before Saturday. As a precaution, though, I took note from a little Pumpkin 101 and stuck them in the fridge for the daytime hours. As ECA just realized, between cupcake ingredients and pumpkins, there's not much room in our fridge for anything else. Sorry honey!

P.S. -- Don't judge me by the current state of my fridge! I promise I feed him more than milk and frosting!

Peppermint Swirls and a Ladies' Event

2009-10-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

OK, so I haven't posted in a bit. In fact, it's been almost a week! While I haven't had the chance to get on the computer, I have been busy, I promise!

Just recently I had the chance to participate in a Women's Boutique Event where I got to showcase some of our favorite cupcakes as well as some fun new holiday ones, too. Below are some pictures I took of our table and cupcakes:

Clockwise from left: rotating cupcake tree with 4 flavors - Lemonade Dream (our signature flavor), Strawberry Shortcake, Cherry Bomb, and chocolate cream-filled cupcakes, sign reading: "Chocolate doesn't make the world go 'round but it sure does make the trip worthwhile!", cute vintage flour and sugar tins, our shop sign, Halloween cupcakes, a stand with cupcake samples, our mailing list sign-up sheet, and another tray with samples. In the middle is a little stand with business cards, my cupcake table runner (a present from my hubby ♥), and our new Peppermint Swirl cupcakes on a stand.

Here's a closeup of our Halloween cupcake stand:

I took note of the fun fondant bones from Alicia at Red Deer and made some of my own, though mine look like they've been in the ground a lot less than hers -- Haha! Next time I'll smudge 'em up a bit:

Of course, there had to be some pumpkins!

Getting back to those new Peppermint Swirl cupcakes, here's the story on those. I've decided I want to try my hand at a new cupcake each week. Of course this will be as time allows but last week, well, time allowed. I wanted a holiday cupcake and the flavors I've tried already have been red velvet, gingerbread, pumpkin, and sweet potato. This time I wanted to mimic a favorite holiday treat: the candy cane! After a bit of research online, I decided I liked this Peppermint Patty Brownie Cupcake recipe by Martha Stewart, posted by justJENN.

One of the problems I ran into can be seen in the picture below:

DOES THIS EVER HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE?? I can't figure out why this happens for the life of me. I have a standard size cupcake tin and I'm using standard size cupcake liners (from Wilton, no less!) and yet almost 100% of the liners crinkled like this after putting batter in. Not all liners do this but I don't know why the ones that do, do. Anyone?? Anyone?? Oh so annoying. Here's my reaction to watching my lovely liners wrinkle up:

Can you tell how annoyed I am? Yep, annoyed.

Anywho, though the recipe calls for mini York peppermint patties, I could only find big ol' patties so I just cut 'em up into fourths:

I started to clean up the table after putting the cupcakes in the oven, but wait! What do I see??

A chocolate mustache! Ahahahaha!!

OK OK OK, I pulled the cupcakes out and LOOK at these gooey little cups of joy! They're just OOZING peppermint-y flavor!
I love the cracked tops, too. Very reminiscent of brownies. I think I baked these a little too long, though. I kept them in for about 27 minutes when I think I could have pulled them out at 25. Oh well! They were still really good.

I iced them with a peppermint buttercream (still not SMBC though!) that I swirled with red (all right fine, more like PINK) and white. Perfect icing but, like justJENN commented, these don't NEED a frosting. They're great both ways! If you ask me, though, a cupcake deserves frosting (see Step 8 of our Blackbottom Cupcakes post to see the resolution of that conflict).

New Boxes!

2009-10-13T11:41:00.001-07:00

Take a look at our new delivery boxes! Above you can see the cute little wavy window on top to that lets you peek in to see all the delicious goodies inside. Below, check out the holders inside that have convenient little finger slots to help get your grubby little mitts around the cupcakes without smooshing the frosting.

Not only are these boxes way, WAY less expensive than the ones we were using, my Executive Cupcake Analyst tells me that transport is much easier now that the cupcakes have more support.

Last night when I was putting together this sampler I realized that I didn't have a spot like I did before for a big "Miss Dot's Cupcake Spot" label. I didn't want it to go off all nekkid, though, so I whipped out my slightly neglected scrapbooking supplies and made a little tag for it:

This was at about 1:30 in the morning so really the fact that I even spelled everything correctly on the tag surprises me.

Look at these cute lil' cuppycakes all nestled in their lil' holders. Go, lil' cakes, make someone smile!!

October is...

2009-10-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

...NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!!

Every year when October comes around I get invited to participate in the Bath and Body Works team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Toni, my best friend, heads up the team and works to solicit as many participants and donors as possible. This will be my third year participating with her team and the first year that I have more motivation than before. This year, my mother and two aunts were diagnosed with breast cancer. This year, the cause has become more important to me than ever.

On Fridays, my Aunt Carol orders two dozen cupcakes to share with her fellow chemo patients at the hospital. I decided to show my support by including some cupcakes with breast cancer awareness ribbons and some with pink frosting and pearl dragées. I love me some dragées!

Each one of these ladies is a fighter and they're all going through their personal battles against breast cancer with amazing strength and optimism. I know that they will all pull through and be better for what they had to overcome. I will be participating in the walk on November 1st. If you would like to donate towards my fund-raising goal, click here for my personal page.

October is...

2009-10-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

...NATIONAL COOKIE MONTH!!

Can you believe it? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have national months for just about everything. This one, though, was just too fun to pass up. National Cookie Month? This must be celebrated appropriately (read: with cupcakes.)

Thankfully Chelsea, a dear friend of mine, had just recently sent me a recipe that she thought I might like: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (originally from Southern Living but posted on Bake or Break's blog.) Naturally, this would be the optimum time to give the recipe a whirl!

I did make a couple changes, though. To begin with, the recipe noted that it made 3 dozen mini cupcakes. Now, I don't have a thing against mini cupcakes but, when it comes to cupcakes that I make, I prefer to make them standard size. Also, it called for pecans on top but alas there were no pecans to be found in the cupboard last night. Smoked almonds, yes, but I felt that perhaps it would lend the wrong flavor notes to the cupcakes. I dunno, what do you think? Haha. So pecans were out. Next time, though, I'll make sure I've stocked up before cracking this recipe out again. In retrospect, I think they would have been wonderful on top.

Now onto the method. First thing's first: please make sure that your Pandora station is tuned to an appropriate station for singing while baking. I personally prefer my oldies station filled with Chuck Berry, The Temptations, and Ritchie Valens. Wooooohoooo!
Once you've made sure the necessary music is playing for some sweet groovin', it's time to make some sweet goodies!!

Start by getting the heat crankin' and preheat your oven to 350°F. Get your pan ready with liners and coat them with cooking spray (a minor itsy-bitsy step that I forgot and only realized when I went to peel the little suckers out of their paper shells. Ooops!!)
Next, CREAM 1/2 c. unsalted butter (softened), 1/3 c. granulated sugar, and 1/3 c. brown sugar.
ADD 1/2 t. vanilla extract and 1 large egg; beat until blended.
For some reason, this is my favorite part of making cooki--er, cupcakes. I love the texture of the dough (batter?) right at this point. Favorite favorite favorite.
ADD 1 c. all-purpose flour, 1/2 t. baking soda, and 1/2 t. salt. Mix until just combined.
SPOON about 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS batter into each cup (tablespoons because we're making standard cupcakes here. If you want minis, follow the recipe and spoon out about 1 1/2 teaspoons.)
BAKE for 12 minutes. I followed the original timing of the recipe (though it was for minis) and this is what mine looked like at 10 minutes:

While they're baking, make the TOPPING:

COMBINE 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1/8 t. salt.
STIR IN 1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans, 1 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 t. vanilla. I used regular chocolate chips here and omitted the pecans (just because I didn't have them, not because I didn't want them!)
SPOON topping mixture over each cupcake after the first baking, and then BAKE for 8-10 more minutes (again, adjust timing as necessary for standards vs. minis).

I pulled mine out of the oven after 10 minutes of the second baking. I had a hard time gauging doneness and obviously wasn't completely accurate as there was some gooey-ness in the center. However, I am blessed to be surrounded by people who love gooey cookies so really it was no problem whatsoever.

Henceforth, these shall be known as GOOEY Chocolate Chip COOKIE Cupcakes:

Overall I really liked them. They were dense, moist, and really tasted like a cookie in a cup. I definitely would add pecans next time though they hold their own without. Also, I'll spray the liners before putting in the batter to avoid excessive sticking. They definitely hit the cookie spot!

Looking Ahead

2009-10-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

THINGS I WANT TO LEARN/ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS:

1. Learn how to make the notoriously delicious and much raved about SMBC
SMBC, for those of you who don't know, is Swiss Meringue Buttercream which, apparently, is the frosting of the gods. OK, OK, enough of your rantings and ravings about how amazingly awesome SMBC is. I have to see what all the fuss is about. Last night I tried my hand at Alicia’s Maple SMBC only to come up with what can be described as the mutated lovechild of marshmallow fluff and Elmer’s Glue. As Erica gently put it: “Ooh..no bueno!!” I've spotted a tutorial on Cassie's page and Erica has offered phone support for the next attempt. Any comments or tips on how YOU make your favorite SMBC would be lovely.

2. Take a cake decorating class
No more YouTube and book learnin’ here, I’ve got to go in and put the icing tip to the cake, so to speak. There are definitely some techniques that you just can’t learn from watching a video.

3. Take a fondant class
Akin to the one above, I think it’d be really neat to take a class that taught the inner workings of fondant and how to use it properly.

4. Make separate blog pages
I have started to notice that there are some items I’ve blogged about that I would like to group together on my page. I’ve seen other bloggers do it and I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about it. Off the top of my head I know I want a separate page to list my flavors and pricing as well as a page to showcase some of my favorite specialty cupcakes (like the Jungle Cupcakes and Baby Cupcakes).

5. Use fun decorative cupcake liners
I love how Kim’s liners stick out in this photo. I feel like I always purchase fun printed liners only to find that the cupcake batter saturates the paper and the designs aren’t apparent after the cupcakes are baked. Are there special liners you have to buy? Kim suggested buying liners from a quality kitchen store. Perhaps I’ll do that.

6. Make cupcakes from each of my pretty cupcake books
Throughout this cupcake saga I have accumulated a few cupcake books (OK, well, 3... but still!!) and I have as of yet to actually MAKE a cupcake from one of these books. For the most part I haven't done anything from them because they either a) require ingredients I don't keep around often, or b) have so many steps that I get tired just reading it. I'd like to get off my lazy cupcake bum, though, and finally choose a cupcake from each book to make.

I'll try to keep these six things in mind for the next six months and I'm thinking maybe I'll assign one per month and knock 'em out that way. I'll post as I go so you can keep track!

Little Babies

2009-10-04T13:49:00.001-07:00

OK, I had a really, really hard time taking pictures of these cupcakes because of the angle that I had to take the pics at. I couldn't take them from the side because then, well, you only got side baby. Trying to take a pic from above put them right in my shadow. I also tried holding them and tilting them towards me but for some reason those turned out really odd, too. So here's a picture of them all in their box, half chocolate with cherry filling and vanilla buttercream and the other half vanilla with strawberry filling and lemon buttercream.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of more fun cupcakes with fondant. I'm planning on taking a class or two, too, to help me feel more comfortable working with it.

Makin' Babies!

2009-10-01T22:23:00.001-07:00

Sweet Shoppe graphic from my good friend Lauren's Couture Baby Shower Collection on Storkie.com.
She also created my logo!

Yes yes yes, I know exactly what the title of this post implies and, while it is indeed true that my husband and I spent all night last night making babies, nothing of the sordid sort happened. This is not that kind of blog! Allow me to explain.

I've gotten a request for baby shower cupcakes for Sunday. I've never made cupcakes for this lady before so I'd like to make a good impression. Not that I wouldn't try my best for someone who already knew me, but this time I feel like the pressure's slightly higher than if these were for a good friend or family member.

This lady is having a little baby girl (yay!! pink!!) and of course the first thing my mind raced to was, "SWEET! Now I get to make those cute little ballerina cupcakes I found the other day! I thought about it a bit, though, and decided to nix that as I feel that those cupcakes are more for a little girl than a baby. I still needed pink so I thought back to the pink Mary Kay cupcakes I made for my friend's Mary Kay debut party. Coincidentally, I also made baby shower cupcakes that weekend (the jungle cupcakes). However, while they were pink and pretty, I thought they might seem too grown-up what with the little pearl dragees and all.

I kept my mind open as I came up with more possibilities. Sure I could just go buy some little mini decorations (baby rattles, bottles, booties, etc.) and stick 'em on but I wanted these to be a bit more special. I made an exception for Dede's yacht party cupcakes because, come on, those picks were freaking awesome. If I were an Elvgren girl I would totally have eaten those cupcakes in a heartbeat.

That's when I happened upon Alicia's post about her recent foray into fondant. "I could do that," I thought. I used to play with clay all the time as a kid and I loved sculpting little creatures. Surely I could make some little babies for the tops of cupcakes, right? It's not like I was covering a whole cake or anything. How hard could it be?

*Snicker*

I bought some pre-made Wilton's fondant at Michael's and set to work tinting it with my gel food coloring. That's where I ran into my first problem. There are no little recipes on the side of the food coloring boxes to tell you how to make "peach skin color" or any color whatsoever. I decided to wing it and threw some orange and yellow together and hoped for the best.

"The best" didn't happen.

The worst happened.

Unless this lady is planning on celebrating the birth of her horribly jaundiced baby girl, the color I came up with was ALL WRONG. I finally caved and looked online like I should have in the beginning. What a time to act like a guy and refuse to ask for directions! I found that I should have actually been adding more red, not yellow, so I added some red and then a bit extra for safe measure and came up with a passable skin color. Let me tell you right now I still have some of the coloring on my hands. I know I could/should wear gloves when coloring fondant but somehow I felt like I wouldn't be able to work with the fondant as well as I could with my bare (clean) hands. Besides, wearing gloves hearkens back to the days in biology class with ether-filled frogs and other such non-appetizing things. Well, that and helping my mom color her hair.

Anywho, back to the topic at hand: fondant babies. I googled "fondant babies" and found some at Who Doesn't Like Cake? that were good go-by's. I felt that the simpler I could go, the better. I needed 24 and I decided to do half with white blankets and half with pink to mix it up. I don't know that I particularly like the idea of fondant covering my entire cupcake. I can definitely appreciate the beauty of fondant and while I don't necessarily subscribe to the "Ew fondant tastes disgusting" party, I definitely do subscribe to the, "I'll take a corner piece of sheet cake because it has two sides of frosting and yes, I'll take the one under the giant bunch of superfluous neon-colored flowers thankyouverymuch" party. Mmmm... Costco cake...

There I go again! Ugh. Keeping on track: bottom line is, I love me some frosting and to make my cupcakes covered in fondant would completely detract from my absolute most favorite part of cupcake anatomy. Therefore, these had to be single little babies. It took me a while to get the blanket-wrapping part down pat. Rolling the little blankets out took some time, too, because the more I worked the fondant the stickier it got and the more it clung to the little rolling pin. I tried using cornstarch like you would flour for rolling out cookie dough but all it ended up doing was getting everywhere.

Finally, there came the time to give the little babies faces. I've seen a lot of faces drawn on fondant babies with what appears to be a food marker (?) but I don't know where to get that sort of thing. A specialty kitchen shop? Time for more googling. I ended up using a toothpick, though, and that somewhat worked for the two facial expressions that I decided on. Some of the mouths are a little crooked but that's the homemade charm, right? RIGHT??

After much coloring, rolling, smooshing, wrapping, and poking with toothpicks, here's the end result:

Rub a dub dub, three babies in a tub...

Holy smokes, Batman! These babies go on forever!!

Yacht Club Cupcakes

2009-09-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes came out so great! I ended up just with a swirl of frosting on top instead of trying to figure out the lettuce-y look but I like the way they look all classy :) I even tried a new chocolate cake recipe and found that the cupcakes came out much more uniformly than with my last recipe. Sorry Better Homes & Gardens, Martha does seem to know best!!

Happy Friday!

2009-09-25T11:15:00.001-07:00

I like to think that if I ever found myself in a bind like this, I'd be as innovative at this guy right here.

And on that note, Happy Friday :)

Tune in tomorrow for pics I'll post of cupcakes I'm making for a boat re-christening party at a yacht club. I found the prettiest vintage-looking nautical-themed toppers for them from Sugarcraft and I'm excited to see how they end up on my cupcakes. I'm hoping for a sort of classy look -- something Audrey Hepburn would be pleased to eat :)

Here are the toppers:
The hostess would like chocolate cupcakes with cherry filling and vanilla buttercream on top. We talked about possibly tinting the buttercream blue so that it would look like water but she wanted it to stay white. I think doing frilly icing like one of Trophy Cupcakes ' signature looks would be nice to still give a water-like effect:

I'm not sure about my icing skills, though. They'll really be put to the test. Any suggestions?

Ballerina Cupcakes

2009-09-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

Would someone please, PLEASE, please be kind enough to have a daughter and then throw her a ballerina-themed birthday party so I can have a reason to make these sweet little cupcake toppers?? Carrie of Bella Cupcake Couture just put up a post about them and I'm dying to make them.

So...any volunteers?

My Entry - Chic Cupcake Challenge

2009-09-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you my entry for the VERY FIRST EVER Chic Cupcake Challenge:

**drumroll please...**

Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Cupcake with Marshmallow Frosting

OK, wait, inside shot:
*drool*

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? How amazing is that? The whole concept came today when I was working on fall flavors to incorporate into a cupcake. Naturally, my go-to fall flavor is pumpkin. I really, really feel like I can't go wrong with pumpkin (At least pumpkin in the sweet sense. Savory pumpkin is a whole 'nother monkey).

With my favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe in hand I set out to tweak it a little to give it some oomph. When I got home and looked in the fridge at an open can of pumpkin that I'd used a couple weeks ago, though, I got the heebie jeebies. No, the pumpkin wasn't fuzzy, it wasn't a creepy color, and it hadn't yet reached a sentient state. Nonetheless, the pumpkin just kinda looked at me funny and I thought to myself: If I'm going to go through all the trouble of testing a bunch of these cupcakes, I'm going to do it right.

So I set out for the store. In the back of my mind I recalled an article that I had just read today in fact about how there's a pumpkin shortage due to bad weather on the east coast. Little did I know, though, that they weren't exaggerating! I went to FOUR DIFFERENT STORES and found approximately zero pumpkin. Oh, wait, if I count that one store... ok... carry the one... multiply by pi... aaaaaaaand ZERO. Nada. Zilch. Niente. OK fine. No pumpkin.

I stood in the baking aisle for at least fifteen minutes trying to gain inspiration from boxed cake mixes. Flavors I came up with included cranberry, maple, pecan, and apple (I shudder at the last one as I am reminded of the fiasco involving my first attempt at Apple Pie Cupcakes. Ew.) I wasn't too excited about any of those, though, and I thought I might just have to throw in the towel.

The last store that I stopped at was Trader Joe's. There, a sales associate lead me to the inevitably empty spot where canned pumpkin would normally sit if it were in stock. He said it was more of a seasonal item for them so they'd probably get some once it got closer to Halloween. Little good that would do for me, though, as this contest is over on Saturday! I was about to trudge out of the aisle and go home dejected when I saw the canned pumpkin's neighbor: canned sweet potato. That was it! SWEET POTATO!! I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of that! Well, actually I could believe that because I'm not really the biggest fan of sweet potato but hey, it's sweet, right? I could make a cupcake out of that. I know plenty of people who make sweet things out of sweet potato. I snagged a can and went home to amend my pumpkin cupcake recipe to allow for the sweet potato.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with the cream cheese center because I wasn't sure how it would go with the sweet potato. For testing purposes, I made some with and some without cream cheese. I pretty much knew which way I'd lean, though. As I've stated before, you can never go wrong with more cream cheese.
I decided on a marshmallow frosting because that seemed like the obvious choice to pair with a sweet potato. I mean, come on. Thanksgiving, anyone? That's where I ran into another glitch, though. I didn't want to do a cooked frosting; sure I have a candy thermometer and I could've easily gone that route, but I wanted something reminiscent of the sweet marshmallow topping on sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving dinner. That's when I realized I could make something from marshmallow fluff and top the cupcakes with that.

After a series of taste tests by members of the Cupcake Board, it was indeed determined that the cream cheese-filled cupcakes were superior to their filling-less sisters. As you can see from the below pictures, we take cupcake testing very seriously:

Executive Cupcake Analyst (aka Will, super-cute husband) steeling himself for another round of taste tests

Brian (aka the Beer Baron) approves of the cream cheese filling

This is where the magic all happened.

For anyone else who'd like to try these out, here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Cupcakes
(makes approximately 28)

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 t. vanilla
dash ginger
2 t. baking soda
2/3 t. baking powder
2 t. salt
2 c. sweet potato puree (or 1-15 oz. can)
3 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. milk

Filling (adapted from black bottom cupcake recipe filling in "The Great Book of Chocolate" by David Leibowitz):
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined.
Add sweet potato puree. Mix again until just combined (I usually do this by hand to avoid over-beating).
Alternate adding milk and flour, starting and ending with flour.
Pour into cupcake tins using 1/4 c. measure.
Bake for 20-23 minutes or until the cake part is springy and bounces back to your touch.
Cool for as long as you can possibly stand before you have to eat one. Or five.

Marshmallow Frosting
(should frost the whole above batch)

1 stick butter

1-7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Instructions

Cream marshmallow fluff and butter for 30 seconds.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together until smooth.
Revel in the sugary goodness before you.

*These recipes are of my own creation and/or tweaking. If you would like to use them, please reference where you found them! Thank you :)

Chic Cupcake Challenge

2009-09-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

MY FIRST CUPCAKE CHALLENGE!!!
Mission: Create a Fall/Autumn themed cupcake, post pics and recipes on my blog, and then link it up on Pink Sugar so everyone can see. Contest closes Saturday -- voting will last for 3 days.

Am I up for this? Do I really think I can do it? Answers: YES!! followed by a resounding MAYBE!! Haha! No, really though, I think it would be fun just to play around with some flavors and post a recipe. Erica, author of Dollface Delights and chick who's quickly becoming one of my virtual besties, is pairing with Pink Sugar to bring us this contest. I'm really excited to give it a shot. Looks like I have until Saturday to put something together (no pressure) so I'll have to get started tonight. The Cupcake Board will definitely be busy over the next couple days!

Big Brothers, Big Sisters

2009-09-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Some of you may already know that I've signed up to be a Big Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Well, after an orientation, an interview, a background check, and weeks of searching, they've finally found a Little Sister for me. Now even though I've already got two little sisters of my own who are just awesome, I thought it'd be a fun idea to pair up with another little girl who may not necessarily have someone older to regularly hang out and spend some time with.

I get to meet my Little today and as an ice-breaker I thought it'd be a good idea to show up with something that really represents me: cupcakes! I made some vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and filled them with strawberry filling. I made some violet-colored fondant flowers to decorate them with, too, because her name is Violet.

Also, I got the chance to try out my Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. Woohoo!

Yes, I DO know the way to San Jose!

2009-09-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Oh my, has it really been that long since my last update? For heaven’s sakes, WHERE ARE MY PRIORITIES? Oh, right, I was on a business trip. Alone. With no computer. GASP! Can you believe it?? Yes, from Wednesday to Friday of last week I was in San Jose attending the League of California Cities Conference. I stayed at the lovely Fairmont Hotel (seriously, lovely doesn’t even begin to describe this place. This place is the freaking PLAZA of San Jose, I’m telling you! ) and met up with Tavis, the most amazing concierge I have ever met. And yes, I’ve met more than one concierge. In San Jose, at Tavis’ recommendation, I saw Spamalot (FINALLY!), ate at Bella Mia, an Italian restaurant with simply the best vodka cream sauce I’ve ever had, and spent an evening walking around Santana Row, a mall that I cannot fully describe yet seems to be a hybrid between an open-air mall and a park (Think Fashion Valley meets Balboa Park.)

On my first day there, I had a couple hours free before I was able to begin setting up our booth. I took that time to orient myself in my new surroundings and take a look around at the local scene. After visiting an information kiosk at the convention center, I found a local cupcake shop that wasn’t too far from the hotel: Love’s Cupcakes. There I met Vanessa, the owner’s daughter, who was only too happy to chat with me about my favorite thing: cupcakes! She even offered me a suggestion on a cupcake to try and of course I absolutely loved it.

Vanessa showing off her wares

Me with my itty-bitty cupcake!

Check out this little beauty! It’s a chocolate cupcake with a cheesecake center and it’s drizzled with chocolate frosting. Isn’t it to die for??

Wait, let me check...

Yes, yes it is to die for.

Thursday morning, as I was on my way down the elevator, I ran into a wonderful woman from Sacramento named Connie. Little did I know she was in San Jose to attend the conference, too! We ended up having breakfast together and talked about all sorts of things from our current jobs to our lives and dreams. When I talked to her about my hesitations about opening up a cupcake shop of my own (I'm afraid the cupcake wave will come crashing down as I'm trying to get on my feet), she simply stated:

"Well, there still are donut shops, aren't there?"

Well played, Connie, well played.

That night Tavis joined up in my quest for cupcakes and recommended Kara’s Cupcakes in Santana Row. Totally different style of cupcake yet equally as pleasing. He’s just so good at recommending things! Tavis, if you’re reading this, you’re fantastic! I can’t wait to come back to San Jose just to plan another evening with you!

Also while I was in Santana Row I took the time to stop at Sur la Table to check out their gadgets. Kitchen stores are by far one of my ultimate weaknesses. Though I attempted to walk past without a second glance, I finally decided that I actually did need to go inside because I could fulfill one of my new missions: get some legitimate vanilla extract and give it a go! I’ve never sought out quality vanilla but after reading so many blogs in which people talk about their favorite vanillas I realized I’m probably missing out on something big. Cassie recommended “Vanilla Bean Crush” from the Sonoma Syrup Company. I checked them out online and they have some great reviews! It was between that and the Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. I ended up choosing the latter for two reasons: One, Love’s Cupcakes advertised in their shop that that’s the vanilla they use, and two, when I was in Sur la Table, it was the brand they carried! I can’t wait to try it out.

Softball Cupcakes - Complete!

2009-09-14T23:18:00.001-07:00

These cupcakes came out great! I didn't go all out and fill them but I did try a new recipe: Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcake recipe (as posted by Cassie). I wasn't completely sold on the previous recipe I had been using (they didn't fully rise and had a nasty habit of becoming too dense too easily) so I'm pretty excited about how well these came out.

Look how evenly they rose!

I used my standby Wilton's Vanilla Buttercream recipe to ice them and then piped on the laces:

Too bad ECA doesn't play on a ping-pong team -- I'd be done right here!

Piping laces!

Even though the team lost their final game, they seemed pretty happy to get cupcakes!

These cupcakes were a real catch... hardy har har :)

Executive Cupcake Analyst says, "Yum."

Softball Cupcakes

2009-09-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

My muse.

Tonight is ECA's last softball game and I want to do something special. I've decided that I'll try my hand at decorating cupcakes to look like softballs. Not sure if I'm going to fill them yet but check back later for a post of my final creations.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2009-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Of all the Universal Truths that exist, not one has been proven more than this one was yesterday: You can never go wrong with more cream cheese.

The inspiration for this cupcake came after a visit to a local cupcakery called Babycakes. Ever the avid researchers, my Cupcake Board and I strive to frequent cupcakeries whenever possible to, er, sample the competition and compare. Of course this is diligent, scientific work with lots of note-taking and and calculations. We don't enjoy even one minute of it and we most certainly never lick our plates (or fingers) clean.

After our first visit to Babycakes, though, Meghan, Cupcake Testing Specialist and Piemaker Extraordinaire, noted that she particularly favored their signature cupcake: “Babies”(Marble Cake with Chocolate Chips & Cream Cheese). They also carry a black bottom cupcake but theirs has raspberry in it as well (an interesting thought that I might play around with). Since then she has mentioned on more than one occasion that perhaps I should try my hand at making such a cupcake. I found this recipe from Cassie (How to Eat a Cupcake) who snagged it from David Leibovitz's book The Great Book of Chocolate . What could be a better time to try out this recipe than a lazy Sunday afternoon after traipsing through Costco??

1. STEP ONE: Collect Ingredients:

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 c. granulated sugar, 1 large egg (at room temp.), 1/2 t. vanilla extract, and 2 oz. semisweet mini chocolate chips (I used regular chocolate chips due to a lack of minis).

For the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-process), 1 t. baking soda, and 1/4 t. salt.

For the wet ingredients:
1 c. water (not pictured... oops!), 1/3 c. vegetable oil, 1 T. white or cider vinegar, and 1 t. vanilla extract.

2. STEP TWO: Mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla for the filling.

2.5 STEP TWO...and a half: Add the chocolate chips. Set aside.

3. STEP THREE: Sift together the dry ingredients and, in a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (not pictured).

4. STEP FOUR: Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ones in.

5. STEP FIVE: Mix just until smooth and then divide amongst lined cupcake tins. The recipe says it makes 12 cupcakes but, like Cassie, I got 14 out of it.

STEP SIX: After dividing up the chocolate batter, drop the cream cheese filling in by the tablespoon until the cups are almost completely full (which is OK because they don't rise much).

7. STEP SEVEN: Bake in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes (or so the recipe says... Cassie did it for 19 and hers were fine. I think I could have pulled mine out at 18 but left 'em in for 19 and had a couple that looked a little too golden). When the tops are slightly golden brown and cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed, you're good.

OK, well, I guess we're done here. There's nothing else we could possibly do to these cupcakes to make them any better than they already are. Oh well. I guess I'll just post this and be done with it...

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

Due to the fact that there was some controversy over whether or not an un-iced baked good in the shape of a cupcake was a indeed a cupcake or a muffin, I called an emergency meeting of the Cupcake Board where it was unanimously decided that there is a long-lost SECRET step 8:

FROST THE CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!!

Om nom nom nom...

And that, my dears, is how we came to prove that, without a doubt, you can never go wrong with more cream cheese.

Me, by Amanda Kirby

2009-09-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this illustration of me (with a cupcake, no less!) created by my one of my very favorite friends in the world, AMANDA KIRBY! Man, I give Amanda a cupcake and look what she does!! I'm just tickled pink that she made this for me :) What a nice surprise! Thank you, Amanda!

Borderline INDECENCY

2009-09-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet

Made from the Better Homes & Gardens Red Waldorf Cake recipe, this ruby gem is the most amazing piece of red velvet I have ever tasted. Of course, I might be biased seeing as I lovingly brought these little beauties to life. However, surely you can believe the words of my Cupcake Testing Specialist, and I quote:

"The red velvets are so good they're obscene."

I rest my case.

I again would like to reiterate, though, that the only frosting appropriate to top these cupcakes is the frosting recipe that accompanies the cake recipe in the BHG cookbook: the traditional stovetop-cooked frosting.

Look at them, fresh out of the oven, practically begging to be iced and eaten!!

"Ice me! Eat me!"

Feeding the Apron Fetish

2009-09-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I didn't actually cave and buy this apron but with the polka dot lining and the faux pearl necklace, it would totally fit into my collection! Christmas present, anyone? Hint hint... ;)

Upcoming Cupcakes

2009-09-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

OK. I feel like I've been making a bunch of promises on upcoming cupcakes but barely following through. I would like to remedy this situation. I need to be more accountable and doggone I'm going to do what I do best: make a list! MY FAVORITE!! Here we go:

To the best of my knowledge, here are my most recent promised cupcakes followed by their current statuses:

RED VELVET
Status: COMPLETE! Just need to take photos. Stay posted!
Update: Here they are!!

GINGERBREAD
Status: Still looking for a good recipe Update: COMPLETE!
--I tried (and subsequently scratched) one recipe. Not gingerbread-y enough. My Executive Cupcake Analyst, a gingerbread purist and self-proclaimed expert on all things gingerbread, found that the molasses taste was barely noticeable (a mere aftertaste, he said) and he wanted something more pronounced.

APPLE PIE
Status: Not satisfied
--I liked the spice cake recipe that I used for this one but the filling came out less like apple pie and more like applesauce. I don't know how I feel about that.

MOCHA/COFFEE
Status: Back burner
--I could sit here and pretend that this has nothing to do with the fact that my interest in anything coffee is approximately 0% but, well, what's the use in pretending? Neither my husband nor I like coffee and therefore this one totally fell into the "save for another day" bin.

BLACK BOTTOM
Status: Untried but found a recipe! Update: COMPLETE!
--I found this recipe on How to Eat a Cupcake's site and it looks really promising. I can't wait to make these! My Cupcake Testing Specialist has hinted on more than one occasion that these need to be made. Of course, I've hinted on more than one occasion that she needs to keep supporting my pecan pie addiction but I have as yet to see another one of her glorious deep-dish pecan pies on my doorstep when I get home from work...

These are some cupcakes that have been mentioned at one point or another and have definitely piqued my interest but I just haven't gotten around to making them yet:

COCONUT CUPCAKE
S'MORE CUPCAKE
BEER CUPCAKE

RED VELVET CUPCAKES ARE HERE!

2009-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right, you read it correctly -- RED VELVET CUPCAKES ARE HERE!!

Mellissa: take note of this post

Aunt Carol: you were right on the money with the frosting

Mom: THANK YOU for getting the ingredients together so we could finally buckle down and experiment!!

These cupcakes utilize the original Waldorf recipe to the best that I can tell -- there are so many variations! After searching through dozens of them, my mom and I finally decided to go with one that seemed pretty trustworthy from my never-fail Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I love that cookbook! You can't really tell from this picture but they came out the exact shade of red that I wanted them to AND we decided to use the traditional frosting at the prompting of my Aunt Carol. According to her, it's the use of the original frosting that makes the whole cake.

Here's a little sneak-peek of how they came out. Better pics yet to come! Update: Here they are!

Labor Day Pool Party!

2009-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've been itching for an opportunity to try my hand at making these fun cupcakes ever since I saw them on Me and My Pink Mixer's blog. Using Teddy Grahams, gummy Life Savers, and cocktail umbrellas, these little teddy bears got a chance to relax in the fun and the sun before getting gobbled up by our family and friends. I used a spunky raspberry filling in them, too, to give 'em a little punch. Here's one of the teddies floating poolside:

Fall Holiday Trio

2009-08-31T11:51:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Cupcake

Fall has to be my absolute most favorite season of the year. Growing up on the East Coast meant that fall was beautiful colors on the trees, raking leaves in the front yard, and a welcome drop in temperature from the hot, humid, and often rainy summer weather. Fall was pulling my favorite coats and scarves out of the attic, stocking up on candy for Halloween, and finding the perfect pumpkin for carving. Fall meant new school supplies, dreams of Thanksgiving pies, and that the winter holiday season was just around the corner.

Even though I live in San Diego now and the season change isn’t as significant as it was in Maryland, I still want to do the best that I can to pull in memories (and flavors!) that I associate with this time of year. At the suggestion of my mom, I decided to put together a Fall Holiday Trio of cupcakes that I felt emulated this upcoming season. With that being said, our Fall Holiday Trio consists of the following:

Pumpkin Cupcake
Gingerbread Cupcake
Apple Pie Cupcake

Since filled cupcakes are our specialty, I thought about each flavor and what I would want to taste inside. I found that of the three in the holiday trio, only one seemed to call for a filling: the Apple Pie Cupcake. The other two, however, seemed like they were perfect as they were and that filling them would only be overdoing it. That’s why our Pumpkin Cupcake and Gingerbread Cupcake are kept in their natural state – no fillings.

The Apple Pie Cupcake is a spice cupcake with an apple pie filling and a luscious vanilla frosting. As for the other two, the Pumpkin Cupcake called for an obvious choice of cream cheese frosting but the Gingerbread Cupcake is as yet unfrosted. I wouldn’t want to rush into icing this cupcake merely to put a topper on it. Instead, some more thought is going in this one before unveiling. Perhaps a glaze? Suggestions welcome!

Adding to the Cupcake Collection

2009-08-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

As Executive Cupcake Analyst, my husband's jobs are many. Not only is he required to taste all new cupcake flavors before they are offered to the public but he also must continually sample batches for quality control purposes (sometimes up to 2-3 cupcakes per batch). It's a demanding job but one he consistently excels at and for that I am thankful. Another job that he has (though somewhat unofficial) is that of cupcake decoration supplier. On that note, take a look at the table runner that he found and surprised me with! This is just the cheeriest table runner I can imagine. How can you not smile when you see this?? Thank you, sweetheart!

The UND1SPUTED Best Cupcakes!

2009-08-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

So I got a call from Rhonda on Friday after I took her some cupcake samples the day before. She thanked me for the cupcakes and proceeded to tell me that while they were delicious she simply could not eat them all herself. Personally, I think she just wanted to make sure she could continue to fit into all of her stylish boutique clothes!! Even though she couldn't eat them all herself, she wanted opinions on the cupcakes so she took them next door to UND1SPUTED, a local gym that offers training in various martial arts and fighting styles such as Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and boxing. She said that they really liked the cupcakes and wanted to get in touch with me and possibly order some. Little did she know that I had a short stint there earlier this year and had come to be friends with the trainers on staff. My friends were eating my cupcakes and didn't even know that I made them!

I stopped by the gym after work on Friday and said hello to Ryan, Landon, and Manny and let them know that it was actually me who baked the cupcakes but it took a bit of "convincing" (read: "sample cupcakes") to get them to believe me. Landon inhaled those things like Skittles! I didn't realize that cupcakes were one-bite treats. At least he stopped and took the wrapper off first!

After talking to Ryan and showing him a flavor list the guys ended up placing an order of four dozen for a BBQ on Sunday. Turns out they really liked the Peanut Butter Perfections (how could they not??) and the Lemonade Dreams so I made sure that their order was stocked with them. They also got a chance to try out the newest member of the bunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly! This cupcake was a natural choice after the Peanut Butter Perfection. Once you've got the peanut butter frosting, the possibilities are endless! We haven't settled on a way to decorate it, yet, so its appearance is still being worked out. Here it is with its sister cupcake, Peanut Butter Perfection (brown sprinkles):

They're like little buddies!! The Peanut Butter and Jelly is a vanilla cupcake filled with strawberry filling and topped with fluffy peanut butter frosting. The ultimate lunch-in-a-cup!

Samples! Samples!

2009-08-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took 6 of our favorite flavors over to Rhonda at Mimi & Red, a little boutique down the street from us (check out reviews for them here). I love their merchandise! I've bought a couple of cute belts from them AND my super cute new black and white checkered dress that came complete with its own belt and giant bow (I love bows -- note giant bow on dress below):

Anywho, back to the cupcakes! OK, so we wanted to bring a fun sampling of our flavors and make sure they were all of the filled variety so we chose these:

Lemonade Dream
Strawberry Shortcake
Cherry Bomb
Strawberry Lemonade
Chocolate Covered Strawberry
Peanut Butter Perfection

I made little labels to stick in them, too, so that Rhonda would know which was which after I left since I was pretty sure that she wasn't going to stuff her face with them right then and there:

Here's a close-up of our latest little beauty, the Peanut Butter Perfection:

One bite of this little sucker and your mouth is filled with the most heavenly combination of chocolate cupcake, chocolate cream, and fluffy peanut butter frosting. If you're lucky, you might even get one of the chocolate jimmies on the top (hand-sprinkled for superior flavor enhancement).

Oh how I love filled cupcakes! Just for kicks and giggles, here are some shots of the other guys, too. Wouldn't want them feeling left out!