Spork or Foon?

Baby Shower Cupcakes - Lemon Buttermilk Vanilla Bean Filled with Raspberry Jam and topped with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

WOW. I has been a LONG time since I have blogged.  I have to say, it's hard to work hard and have a blog. When do I have time to cook? When do I have time to photograph before the sun goes down?  More importantly, when do I have time to actually EAT anything besides a nutritional bar. 

It makes me nervous for my busy season. Which is nine months long. Ten if playoffs are involved.

But I digress.

Let me introduce to you these magically wonderful cucpakes.  My cousin is having what is sure to be one of the most beautiful babies on the planet, and her twin sister, who has the other most beautiful baby on the planet, threw her a baby shower and asked if I could provide the desserts for 50 guests. 

I must admit, although I was excited, I was slightly nervous.  I knew that with my newly crazy schedule, fitting in baking would be difficult. But I love these two girls like they were my own sisters and I would slave through endless sleepless nights to give them the cupcakes of their dreams.

I know I'm being dramatic, but hey, that's me.

Unfortunately, the week before, I also had to make a wedding cake to feed 200 people.  In my apartment in Manhattan. With a stove that doesn't fit a pan larger than 13". Let's just say that it was the most traumatic day of my life.  Tears were shed. Nervous breakdowns were had. Boyfriends were yelled at. And red velvet cake still stains the walls of the kitchen. But it all worked out in the end, and I think I made a pretty decent wedding cake.

But the Cake Boss I am not.

Needless to say, I was not thrilled about baking. Ever again. Until the next day when my cousin told me the number would now be closer to 65 people.

Kill me now.

As a side note, I know if my cousin Desi reads this blog, she will be worried for my well-being and stress levels.  Desi, I love you, and you know me. I stress over everything.  It's a DiMicco trait.

Back to the post. Normally, I would have prepared my recipes and done my shopping weeks before, but I was delaying. I didn't have it in me.  Friday night, I finally pulled it together, chose my recipes, went shopping, and truged into my kitchen to prepare. At 10 pm, I finally started baking. I baked 100 cookies and called it a night. The next morning, at 6:00 am sharp, I baked off 75 cupcakes.

 

The worst part of it all?  Packing it all up and trudging to my car, parked what seemed like miles away (it was 3 blocks) and drove the hour drive to Long Island.

The cupcakes looked pretty, but it wasn't until I set them up in the cute little cupcake stands, sprinkled them with purple and green edible decorations, and topped them with rattles held up by clothespins (another great idea by my cousin), and surrounded them with lime cookies sprinkled with purple and green sprinkles that I was truly excited.  The vibrant purple and green tops popped against the bright yellow setting.

How was the taste? Well, I'm not sure. After two solid weeks of large baking projects, I could't stomach anymore frosting.  But people raved about them. So I took a small bite. I LOVED these cupakes. The sunny lemon flavor really shined through in the tender cake and the raspberry jam added a wonderfully cool and smooth texture and sweet tart flavor. And of course, no one can go wrong with cream cheese icing.

Of course, there were also cocoa cupcakes topped with a salted caramel buttercream, which I'll post about tomorrow.

I'm back.  Miss me? :)

Ooh. Wow. I think that's the first time I've used a "smiley face" in my posts. Don't know if I'll do that again.

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting - adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

Makes 18 cupcakes

1 pound(s) of butter (2 lbs)

4 eggs (8 eggs)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 vanilla bean, seeded

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cup(s) of flour

3/4 cup(s) of buttermilk

Frosting 
12 ounces cold cream cheese 
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, firm but not cold 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 pounds (1 1/2 boxes) powdered sugar, sifted 
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, cream together 2 sticks of butter, eggs, and the remaining granulated sugar until very light a fluffy.

To the creamed mixture, add lemon zest, vanilla bean seeds (discard pod), salt, baking powder, flour and buttermilk.

Beat batter together just until well mixed. Be careful to not overbeat the mixture!

Spoon batter into a standard-sized muffin tin which has been lined with paper cupcake liners

Bake cupcakes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or just until the centers have set and spring back to the light touch.

Frosting 

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. 

Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. 

Add vanilla. If necessary, add milk to thin.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

 

Earlier in the month, I was asked to make something special for a family member's best friend's 30th birthday party.  She asked me to make separate gift packages for each party attendee and gave me free reign as to what to put together.  She supplied me with a few credentials - said birthday girl loves strawberry shortcake, shoes, and fabulosity, and the plan was that the girls were going to go out for a night on the town and head back to a hotel in Midtown Manhattan where the gift bags would be waiting for them.

Well, since everything I do is FABULOUS, there was no problem covering the fabulosity part.

I joke! I joke!

But in all seriousness, it was fun to have carte blanche.  I decided to do sugar cookies decorated like different types of shoes and the Bailey's truffles, but I was unsure of how to include strawberry shortcake.

I obviously couldn't do a traditional strawberry shortcake, as the packages weren't actually going to be received until hours after I dropped off the packages (4 am, to be exact) and the biscuit would be stale and soggy by that time. So I decided to make strawberry shortcake cupcakes. 

I toyed with the idea of doing a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, but I couldn't find a good strawberry cake recipe that was well reviewed (if anyone has one, it would be much appreciated).  I instead went with a vanilla cake with strawberry jam frosting.

I used a recipe from Billy's Bakery, a famed cupcake bakery in NYC, but the recipe was a little strange. The dry ingredients are mixed in with the butter until the butter is just coated.  The wet ingredients are then added, but not overmixed.  So I ended up with a batter filled with little lumps of butter.  So I broke a cardinal baker's rule and turned the speed up until high and beat. For, like, 2 minutes.

I know. I know.  I need to be banned to baker's detention.  But I didnt' want lumps of butter in my cupcakes!

Luckily, the cupcakes still came out light and fluffy, with a supremely tender crumb. I wanted to add a little more pizzaz to the cupcakes. I hollowed out the middle of the cupcake and filled it with diced fresh strawberries.

 

That little adjustment took these cupcakes from good to great!  The soft vanilla cake was the perfect vessel for perfectly sweet, ripe strawberries and a deliciously creamy strawberry frosting.

Luckily, the birthday girl was very happy with the surprise treats that awaited her at the end the night.  And I was happy with a new springtime cupcake creation. 

But seriously, on another note, what is up with March? Where was the whole "In like a lion, out like a lamb?" thing? Why did we have temps in the 70s in the middle of the month, but temps in the 40s and low 50s (getting as low as the 30s!) towards the end???

Out like a lamb, my ... butt.  

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Cupcakes (cupcake recipe adapted from Billy's Bakery via Martha Stewart)

1 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 pint fresh strawberries, cut into a small dice

Frosting

12 tsbp unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2-3 tbsps milk
Strawberry Jam

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a small, serrated knife (I actually like to use the hollow end of a piping tip) to cut the centers out of the cupcakes (about 1/2" in diameter).  Be careful not to go all of the way through the cupcakes. You want to cut the hole about 2/3 of the way down the cupcakes.  Fill the cupcakes with diced strawberries. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Frost the tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

For the frosting:

In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the softened butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat the mixture at low speed just until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the milk and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix the frosting and the jam, to taste.

Chocolate Whiskey, Baileys, and Beer Cupcakes

 

 

Need a fun dessert for St. Patty's Day?  Then you need to try out these Chocolate Whiskey, Baileys, and Beer Cupcakes.

From the Archives

"A lot of people go to college for 7 years."

"Yah.  They're called doctors."

-Tommy Boy

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to make a Chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey's Cream frosting.  But then I saw these.  Chocolate Whisky and Beer Cupcakes, designed after the famous "Irish Car Bomb" shot.  The drink is an everyday part of a college student's quest to remain perpetually wasted.  Not as harsh as a Long Island Iced Tea, these shots work just as well, but don't come with the possible danger of praying to the porcelain gods all night.

Immediately, I was brought back to the days where I was an undergraduate student at Syracuse University (CUSE #1 in the AP!).  Those where the days where I could drink with wreckless abandon and not suffer the consequences.  Where it was not a complete night unless I was coming home when the sun was rising.  Where beer pong was the sport of champions, Flip Cup was a way to socialize with everyone at the party, Dr. Mario (yeah, old school Nintendo!) was my daily reflex exercise routine, and hangovers did not exist.  Where sleeping until 2 pm was the norm and classes before 3 pm were unacceptable, as if it were completely understandable that a college student is not cognizant before mid-afternoon.  

These were the days where I drank classy drinks such as Irish Car Bombs.    

This drink is a lovely little concoction.  The people partaking in said shot are handed a 3/4 of a pint of Guinness and a shot of Baileys.  Then, the participants drop said shot into the Guinness and "pound" the drink as fast as they can.  Do this too slowly, and you would find yourself drinking a bitter and coagulated concoction that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.  Drink it quickly, however, and you would think you were drinking the most wonderful milkshake known to man.

I told you.  Classy.

Unfortunately, at the ripe old age of 28 (and 1/2), my body is not what it once was.  A shot glass has not touched my lips in many moons.  Any more than two glasses of wine and I'll either be Chatty Cathy, Giggly Gina, or Sleepy Sally, depending on the night.  Hangovers and body aches are a natural side-effect of imbibing.  Don't even get me started when that clock strikes 1.  Shouldn't I be in bed by then?  And if I sleep past 9:00 am, I am mad at myself for "wasting the entire day". 

But these cupcakes are my way of living on the edge. They are badass.  I'd be hard pressed to find another cupcake that contains three types of alcohol.  Guinness Cake.  Chocolate Whiskey Filling (there was no whiskey in any Irish Car Bomb I ever drank, but I admire the author's tenacity in adding as much alcohol as possible).  Bailey's Cream Frosting. 

Cupcakes with an edge. I like it.

I was nervous about the Guinness in the cupcakes (I am not a fan of stout alcohol), but I was pleasantly surprised.  I could not taste the bitter flavor that normally accompanies Guinness at all.  Instead, the cake was extremely fudgey and chocolately, as if the alcohol was there solely to intensify the chocolate flavor.  The chocolate whiskey filling is both rich and light at the same time, bringing a complex flavor to the cake.  Finally, the cupcake is topped with the most glorious of frostings - Bailey's frosting.  Bailey's makes everything better. Like bacon. Sweet, sweet bacon. 

Eating this cupcake makes me think that I can live it up like the old days one more time.  Maybe one more shot for old times sake.

Who am I kidding?  I'd be sore and have a headache for days.  

I miss college.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling 
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting 
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Baileys (you can substitute heavy cream, if you like)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer (I used the open end of one of my piping tips) and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

To Make the Cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the Filling:  Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

For the Frosting:  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

[Note from Smitten Kitchen:  "This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up." Thanks, SK!]

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or cream) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. 

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.) 

 

Lots'o Halloween Desserts

 

 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

FASTEST POST EVER.

I made all of this stuff last night after going out with a few friends.  So you can imagine how that went.

Note to all bakers: Don't try baking lots of food for a party after a night out with friends. You won't get anything done.

I woke up at 5 am to finish start baking.  It took 6 hours. Plus, we're moving out of our apartment. Today was a bit crazy. It is only noon. Now I have to drive to Long Island. Holla.

 

Spice Cookies with Dulce De Leche Filling

 

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookies

Do-It-Yourself White Chocolate Lollipops! Thanks Wilton!

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Pumpkin Pie!  Chocolate Crust Recipe care of Martha Stewart (scroll down). Pumpkin Pie recipe care of Joy of Baking.

I also have the coolest skull cake that I will photograph later.  Gotta run!

Orange Chai Spiced Cupcakes with Spiced Vanilla Buttercream

Fall is here.  For many of us, that means cooler temperatures, a chill in the air, the rustle of warm-hued leaves at your feet,  a change back from iced coffee to warm coffee, fragrant spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, creamy butternut squash and pumpkin, and football season. 

For me means all of those things, but most importantly, Fall means that Christmas is coming soon.  Yes, right around this time, I whip out the Christmas albums.  Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song is my personal favorite, and I anxiously anticipate the opening minor chords to the title track. And it is almost as if I can faintly hear the crackling sound that accompanied those chords on the record player that I listened to the album on when I was a young girl.  When that album is done, I follow it up with WCBS FM's (a New York Oldies Station) "The Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 1" and dance to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Santa Baby". 

But my personal favorite - one that makes me both laugh and smile warmly - is Mr. Hanky's Christmas Album from the TV Show South Park. This album was gifted to me by my father, and as you may have read, my father is quite the "young spirit" to put it nicely. 

Mr. Hanky, the Christmas Poo (I will not show the picture on this blog for fear that even a picture of a cartoon piece of poo wearing a Santa Hat will make your stomach turn slightly, something I don't particularly want on my food blog), is joined by his friend's Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Satan, Wendy, Kyle's Sister, Ike, Mr. Garrison, and Chef, among others, to sing about the wonderful season.  Classics such as "Christmastime in Hell", "Carol of the Bells (Mmmmkay)" and "Merry F---ing Christmas" are belted out. But I personally enjoy Eric Cartman's rendition of "O Holy Night".

O Holy Night

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of the dear savior's b-b-b-birrrrth

O Holy Night

um... something something something

It is the night with the Christmas trees and pies

Jesus was born, and so I get presents

Thank you Jesus for being in born!

So you can imagine me in my kitchen, making what can be considered a very "fall" treat, as I danced around to the most twisted Christmas album of all time.  But as I took one bite of these, I was pulled right back into the fall season as I tasted hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, enjoyed the chai scent, savored the orange flavor, and devoured the creamy, spiced buttercream frosting. And then "The Most Offensive Song Ever" came on and I was once again pulled back into the Christmas spirit.

And yes, that is the real name of the Christmas song on that album. Google, if you dare, but it is not for the religious, prudish, or thin-skinned. You have been warned.

Merry Christmas!

Orange Spice Chai Cupcakes with Vanilla Spice Buttercream Frosting adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

2 ½ cups sifted cake flour


1 tsp baking powder


1 tsp baking soda


½ tsp salt


zest of one medium orange


2 tsp ground cinnamon


1 tsp ginger
 

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg


1/3 cup vegetable oil


½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed


1 cup granulated sugar


2 eggs


1 tsp vanilla extract


2 chai tea baga


¼ cup water


½ cup buttermilk


½  cup orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed

 Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two mini cupcake tins with baking spray. Or grease and flour them.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside.

Place sugars in a medium bowl. Add zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. Oils should release and give your sugar an orange flavor.

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup water to a simmer. Add tea bag. Leave for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want the flavor. Remove tea bag. Let cool to room temperature. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, add the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat at high speed of an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl often.

In a large liquid measuring cup add cooled tea, buttermilk, and orange juice.

Add sifted dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk/chai mixture, starting with and ending with the dry ingredients.

Mix until fully incorporated and batter is smooth with no lumps.

Bake for  12-15 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and move cupcakes to wire rack to finish cooling. When cool, frost with buttercream.

Vanilla Spice Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature


6 to 8 cups powdered sugar


1 tsp ground cinnamon


1/8 tsp ground ginger


1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg


2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the spices, and vanilla.

On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.

Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Frosting source: Adapted from More from Magnolia by Allysa Torey

TWD: Chipster Topped Brownie Ice Cream Cupcake

I ate WAY too much food this past weekend.  Although I did get to go running every day (on the beach while listening to Bob Marley), I still feel like poop on a stick.  The thought of even talking about food makes me semi-naseous - which poses a problem when it comes to maintaining a food blog.

So I will say this:  I wasn't so crazy about the Chipster Topped Brownies (chosen by Beth of Supplicious - click the link for the recipe) by themselves.  Put a chocolate chip cookie on a brownie, and that's what you've got here.  So it is a good idea, in theory, but overall, it just didn't do it for me.

Put ice cream on top of a cookie on top of a brownie? Now we're talking!  These were delicious as ice cream cupcakes! I was going to use Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked frozen yogurt (which is chocolate and vanilla ice cream with cookie dough and brownie bits - perfect for this recipe), but I couldn't find it anywhere (was everyone stoned yet conscious about counting calories this weekend???), so I just used vanilla frozen yogurt. In hindsight, I guess the extra hundred calories a serving didn't make a difference for a recipe that contained 3 1/2 sticks of butter.

Regardless, this was so, so, so delicious.  Ice cream is like bacon.  It makes everything better. 

Unfortunately, ice cream does not help me burn off the gazillion calories I ate this past weekend, so it is back to the gym.  I have set up a little tent next to the ellipticals so I can camp out there all week.

In the meantime, check out the rest of the TWD crew for more Chipster Topped Brownies! 

I think I'll enter these into the Ice Cream Cupcake Challenge of 2009! Click here for details!

Cupcake Camp NYC

Picture this.  You are walking down the streets of Chinatown. New York City. The sun is setting in the distance as you maneuver your way through the crowded city streets, passing stands featuring gorgeous steamed buns, $2 dumplings, and buckets of raw chicken necks.  The bright signs illuminate foreign characters, growing brighter as the sun sets lower.  Steam rises from the netherworld of the subway below your feet.  You arrive at an unmarked glass door, illuminated by the most subtle of pink lights.  A large man towers over you and wordlessly extends his hand and grunts.  You instinctively reach into your wallet and retrieve your license and quickly hand it over to the imposing figure.  His eyes bounce from the license (which is dwarfed by his enormous hand) to your face and back to the license.  Without saying a word, he grabs your wrist and stamps your hand as he opens the door glass door with his free hand and grants you entrance.  You head down the dark hallway as the pink light grows brighter and you are swallowed by the darkness behind you.  You reach an open doorway and take a deep breath, ready for the onslaught that is about to attack you.

CUPCAKES ARE EVERYWHERE!

Yes, my friends, this was my night on Friday, April 10th.  Cupcake Camp NYC was a sight to be held. 

Just to give you a little background on the event, Cupcake Camp was an event started by Ariel Waldman, Lynn, Marianne Masculino and Cindy Li. CupcakeCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and eat cupcakes in an open environment.  It was a free event that was all peace, love, and cupcakes.  There have been Cupcake Camps in Toronto, Ottawa, and San Francisco with events coming up in Ireland, Boston, Chicago (and soon, DC! More on that later).

Hundreds of people packed into Happy Endings, a nondescript bar in Chinatown to sample hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of cupcakes. I spent 6 hours (yes, 6 hours) making 3 dozen cupcakes: the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and S'mores Cupcakes (which I was very unhappy with the bland recipe, so I will not be posting it here, but decorated them with Teddy Grahams, and people love Teddy Grahams, so they went quickly) and then hightailed it into Manhattan with my boyfriend, Jack and my friend, Tino in tow. 

Tino had the right idea.  He ate nothing but a tuna fish sandwich leading up to the event and was sure to make it to the gym so that he could down as many cupcakes as he could.  And boy, did he consume cupcakes.  Eight to be exact.  In an hour.

Think about that.  Eight cupcakes in an hour.

.....

The crazy thing is that I don't think he was the only one to accomplish such a feat.  People were pushing their way through the event with 2 cupcakes in each hand and going back for seconds and thirds. In all seriousness, frosting was flying everywhere.  I kept finding frosting in my hair hours after the event. However, I somehow managed to not eat ANY cupcakes, partially because of my willpower and partially because, after baking cupcakes and tasting and adjusting frosting for six hours, I wanted to vomit six times over.  So I had three bites of interesting cupcakes and called it a day.  

There were cupcakes from amateurs and professionals alike (Magnolia Bakery, Baked by Melissa, and Billy's Bakery were just some notable New York City bakeries that brought cupcakes to the event.) Some cupcake highlights were Domo Cupcakes (I had no idea what Domo was before this event), Pink Lemonade Cupcakes, Strawberry Mascarpone, and Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Cupcakes.  

Click here and here for photos of the event. I was so excited to get my photo taken for Cupcakes Take the Cake, one of the BEST cupcake websites to hit the web, IMHO. I'm the girl smiling like a fool wearing a brown leather jacket and double fisting cupcakes.  They also took a photo of my cupcakes and my make-shift advertising (the Red Velvet Cupcakes with orange flags that are pictured on the website were my cupcakes. I made those flags fifteen minutes before the event with safety scissors, post its, and a Sharpie as I chomped down a slice of pizza before the event)!  

Thanks so much to Mary Ann Porch for setting up an amazing event!  She was a great host and my future mentor (although she may not know that yet) because....

Jackie of Food Wanderlust and I are organizing Cupcake Camp DC this summer!  Our website is still under construction, but follow us on Twitter for the time being and we'll keep you updated with all of the Cupcake Camp DC happenings!  It is a month before I move back to NY, and what better way to leave a city than to bombard it with cupcakes!

If any of you are in the DC area in July, let me know! You too can stuff yourself silly with frosting and happiness!

This picture does not do the event justice.  Add about 300 more people at any one time over the course of 3 hours and maybe 900 more square feet and then you'll get a better idea of just how packed this event was.

Click the links above to get the full Cupcake Camp NYC experience!

WOOOOOHHHH!!! Yeah, Dude! Chocolate Whisky and Beer Cupcakes! College Rules!

"A lot of people go to college for 7 years."

"Yah.  They're called doctors."

-Tommy Boy

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to make a Chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey's Cream frosting.  But then I saw these.  Chocolate Whisky and Beer Cupcakes.  Designed after the famous "Irish Car Bomb" shot.  The name of this shot is highly offensive, IMO, but the drink is an everyday part of a college student's quest to remain perpetually wasted.  Not as harsh as a Long Island Iced Tea, these shots work just as well, but don't come with the possible danger of praying to the porcelain gods all night.

Immediately, I was brought back to the days where I was an undergraduate student at Syracuse University (Go Orange!).  Those where the days where I could drink with wreckless abandon and not suffer the consequences.  Where it was not a complete night unless I was coming home when the sun was rising.  Where beer pong was the sport of champions, Flip Cup was a way to socialize with everyone at the party, Dr. Mario (yeah, old school Nintendo!) was my daily reflex exercise routine, and hangovers did not exist.  Where sleeping until 2 pm was the norm and classes before 3 pm were unacceptable, as if it were completely understandable that a college student is not cognizant before mid-afternoon.  

These were the days where I drank classy drinks such as Irish Car Bombs.    

This drink is a lovely little concoction.  The people partaking in said shot are handed a 3/4 of a pint of Guinness and a shot of Baileys.  Then, the participants drop said shot into the Guinness and "pound" the drink as fast as they can.  Do this too slowly, and you would find yourself drinking a bitter and coagulated concoction that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.  Drink it quickly, however, and you would think you were drinking the most wonderful milkshake known to man.

I told you.  Classy.

Unfortunately, at the ripe old age of 27 (and 1/2), my body is not what it once was.  A shot glass has not touched my lips in many moons.  Any more than two glasses of wine and I'll either be Chatty Cathy, Giggly Gina, or Sleepy Sally, depending on the night.  Hangovers and body aches are a natural side-effect of imbibing.  Don't even get me started when that clock strikes 1.  Shouldn't I be in bed by then?  And if I sleep past 9:00 am, I am mad at myself for "wasting the entire day". 

But these cupcakes are my way of living on the edge. They are badass.  I'd be hard pressed to find another cupcake that contains three types of alcohol.  Guinness Cake.  Chocolate Whiskey Filling (there was no whiskey in any Irish Car Bomb I ever drank, but I admire the author's tenacity in adding as much alcohol as possible).  Bailey's Cream Frosting. 

Cupcakes with an edge. I like it.

I was nervous about the Guinness in the cupcakes (I am not a fan of stout alcohol), but I was pleasantly surprised.  I could not taste the bitter flavor that normally accompanies Guinness at all.  Instead, the cake was extremely fudgey and chocolately, as if the alcohol was there solely to intensify the chocolate flavor.  The chocolate whiskey filling is both rich and light at the same time, bringing a complex flavor to the cake.  Finally, the cupcake is topped with the most glorious of frostings - Bailey's frosting.  Bailey's makes everything better. Like bacon. Sweet, sweet bacon. 

Eating this cupcake makes me think that I can live it up like the old days one more time.  Maybe one more shot for old times sake.

Who am I kidding?  I'd be sore and have a headache for days.  

I miss college.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling 
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting 
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Baileys (you can substitute heavy cream, if you like)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer (I used the open end of one of my piping tips) and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

To Make the Cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the Filling:  Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

For the Frosting:  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

[Note from Smitten Kitchen:  "This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up." Thanks, SK!]

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or cream) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. 

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

Self-Frosted Nutella Cupcakes

You make some cupcake batter. You take a tablespoon of Nutella and swirl it in. You pop it in the oven.

You have the best cupcake in the history of man.

Self-Frosted Nutella Cupcakes (adapted from Baking Bites)

10 tbsp(140 grams) butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups  sifted all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Nutella

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. They should be 3/4 full, if you’re not using a scoop. Top each cake with 1 tbsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12.

The Great Cupcake Debate: Sprinkles vs. Magnolia

This is East Coast vs. West Coast. It is bigger than Biggie vs. Tupac. 

Magnolia Cupcakes vs. Sprinkles Cupcakes. Rolled into one. 

Who will win?

I'm going to start this post off by saying I am a completely biased and unfair judge starting this competition.  I'm a New Yorker. I love anything New York. I've never had a Sprinkles Cupcake in my life. I have, however, had a Magnolia Cupcake.  I don't agree with the seemingly popular sentiment that these cupcakes are overrated.  I have only eaten a Magnolia cupcake once, but I will tell you, it was the best cupcake I have ever had. Chocolate with vanilla frosting. The size was perfect.  Light and moist with a strong cocoa flavor, that cupcake made my day.  There was just one downfall. The icing to cupcake ratio was a bit high and I had to throw some out.  But other than that? Pure perfection.

Made famous by Sex and the City, Magnolia Bakery is now a New York City institution, beseiged by Upper West Side mothers with their children in tow, trendy West Village bretheren, or throngs of female tourists dreaming to live like Miranda, Samantha, Carrie and Charlotte, shouting "You go girl!" with two snaps and a twist, teetering on their high heels and drunk off of their watered-down Cosmos.  

On the other side of the country, we see paparazzi shots of the LA rich and famous walking out with large bags emblazoned with the Sprinkles logo, written in perfect cursive, with the "i" dotted by a tiny heart.  I know what you're thinking. These LA actresses don't eat food, no less cupcakes! You are probably right. But maybe these cupcakes are good enough to forget your calorie counting for a day. To spend a little more time at the gym. Or to partake in other questionable activities that keep those LA actresses so slim, which we will not mention here.  

I've been dying to try a red velvet cake recipe. Being that it is Valentine's Day, I decided that the time was right.  I found the recipe for Magnolia Bakery's red velvet cupcakes, but I did not like the fact that they came with a vanilla buttercream and not a cream cheese frosting. Now, I'm not from the South, but I do know one thing:  Southerners are very proud of their rich, caloric cakes!  Go on many-a-recipe site that features Red Velvet Cake recipes, and I guarantee you there will be one southern woman saying "I KNOW my red velvet cake, and this is all wrong!" Actually, the cake is traditionally supposed to have a butter roux frosting (aka a boiled milk frosting), but I don't like warm milk. Don't ask.

Through further searching, I found Sprinkles Cream Cheese frosting recipe. My heart lept a bit. I can combine Magnolia and Sprinkles, all into one cupcake?!  This is some serious cupcake lover's fantasy right now! 

So who won out?

The Magnolia cake was very good.  It features a perfect amount of cocoa, where the flavor is subtle enough that it is not a chocolate cake, per se, but you know it is not a vanilla cake. I like the use of the cake flour, which made the cupcake very light.  It was pretty moist, but I have seen many red velvet recipes that use vegetable oil in leiu of butter, and I want to try that in the future to see the difference. 

Onto the frosting.  Ohhh. The frosting.  I am trying to relieve the memory of tasting that frosting for the first time. Upon tasting, my eyes shot open in delight. I let out a slight squeal of joy. This frosting is unbelievable light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness and cream cheese tang. I would have slathered it on my arm and eaten that if I could.  This is going to be my go-to cream cheese frosting for everything.  Carrot Cake, Spice Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Cake, Cookies, Whoopie Pies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, braised celery, beef provencal. You name it, it's on it.

I think Sprinkles just won.

Please don't hate me, New York. 

I will say that, combined, this is pure cupcake magic. I think Sprinkles and Magnolia should join forces in Kansas, smack dab in the middle of the country, and create a cupcake mecca. I'd totally make that trek.

Then again, I can just make them at home.

Sprinknolia's Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cake Recipe via Epicurious

Cream Cheese Recipe via Pinch My Salt 

3½ cups cake flour (not self-rising) 
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened 
2 ½ cups sugar 
3 large eggs, at room temperature 
6 tbsp red food coloring 
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I think I actually put 6 tablespoons. I liked it, so maybe it was a good mistake)
1½ tsp vanilla extract 
1½ tsp salt 
1½ cups buttermilk 
1½ tsp cider vinegar 
1½ tsp baking soda

Frosting 
12 ounces cold cream cheese 
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, firm but not cold 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 pounds (1 1/2 boxes) powdered sugar, sifted 
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes). 

To make the batter: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well. 

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. 

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about ¼ cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles. 

Frosting 

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. 

Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. 

Add vanilla. If necessary, add milk to thin.