A couple of weeks ago I received my first OFFICIAL cupcake order from my colleague!   Yipppee!!!  It was for my colleague’s mother in law’s 65th birthday!  They mentioned something about a lemony type of flavour cupcake… so immediately my head went into thinking mode of something rather adult yet yummy for a 65th birthday!  Bearing in mind apparently this was a very hip and modern 65 year old!  The thought of orange + almond came into mind… almond meal is quite subtle in flavour and gives the cupcake a slightly rough but yet more solid feel to it, which I felt was more appropriate for such a birthday, rather than for example a more plain flavour, like a vanilla cupcake!

Tonight, I finally got time to bake these orange and almond cupcakes…and I know I know, I should always follow a new recipe first, but I always find it way too tempting to meddle with the recipe, and ended up modifying it quite a bit, haha!  I’m not sure how it tastes yet – it is still sitting on the kitchen top, cooling down!  First impression?  I need to work on it again!   I think I was too generous with the orange juice… creating a citrus chemistry…

Will see how it turns out and may blog the pictures later this week!

Recipe was found from Home MadeS’ blog:

Original Recipe:  Almond and Orange Blossom Cakes

Source: Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 41, October/November 2008

125g butter, softened

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup (250ml) plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder, sifted

¼ cup (30g) almond meal

½ cup (125ml) milk

2 tsps orange blossom water

sugar flowers, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 160C (320F). Beat butter, sugar and extract until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beat well. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder, and then almond meal, milk and orange blossom water. Combine well. Spoon the mixture into 18 x ½ cup-capacity (125ml) muffin tins lined with paper cases.  Bake for 15 minutes or until springy to the touch. Remove from the tins and cool on the wire racks.

Check out this elaborate periodic table of cupcakes.   Clever and nerdy, which is why I like them.  I bet they are delicious too!

By Foodie Friday

Thanks to Sarah for the link!

yeaay! akhirnya aku bisa posting tentang cupcake jg di blog baru *noraak.. *

Makasii buat Andry, temen SDku, yg udah merekomendasikan kueku untuk ulang tahun keponakannya tanggal 1 Desember..
semua pesanan dilakukan melalui Andry juga.. pdhal *mungkin* kakaknya ada di sampingnya pas nelpon.. hihihii.. nelpon Minggu malem, tanya buat Selasa pagi bisa ato gak.. hohoho aku jawab aja bisa! soalnya aku jg lg gak ada pesenan dr mana² dan karena lg beruntung dpt kuliah libur 5 hari *yihaaa!*

katanya minta di box-in satu per satu.. aku tawarin pake mika bulat ini.. krn  menurutku lucu kalo anak kecil bawa cupcakenya pake mika yg bisa digenggam gini..

dianter Sang Mbu pagi², pake nyasar dulu padahal Mabad Bawah doang.. haduuh.. aku harus lebih concern ama jalan² yg aku lewati nii sekarang.. semangat, sti! makasii, sayank udah mau bangun pagi cuma buat nganter kue.. hehhe.. u’re the best..

Selamat ulang tahun, Gibraaan.. jd anak yg baik yaa
smoga suka dengan cupcakenya yaa..

Happy Birthday my dear petom Siti!

Saeng il chukahamnida!

May all your wish come true. May your life bless with happiness because I know you’re a great person yourself and you deserve all the wonderful things in the world. Obstacles may come to bring you down but I know you’re more than strong to handle it. And may Allah bless you dear.

Hope you have a memorable birthday this time around.

Love you! Saranghae! ♥

The cupcakes has my name below Siti’s name. It seriously looks like we’re celebrating Siti’s birthday and mine kan? Hahah. Anyway, so glad that Siti likes the cupcakes. Ouh ingat tak I ada buat contest/pertadingan/teka teki ke ape kan pasal teka2 smiles yang Doory and I buat tu kan. Sorang pun tak participate. Sedih betul. Terbukti selama ni I syok sendiri dan tak berinteraction langsung dengan siapa2. Whatever lah. Tapi hari tu I berjaya suruh Siti buat semula mimikan2 tersebut supaya I boleh letak dalam blog. Pathetic sangat ke? T_T . Hahah tak kisah la. Wekk. :p

Mane ade I senyum macam tu kan? kan kan kan? Oke tak payah syok sendiri Anne. Anyway, kita ade contestant baru iaitu Intan. Hahah. Sama habis la Siti buat senyuman Intan. Kekeke.

Speaking of birthday, it’s December! Being a December baby as I am, I can’t help to get excited and giddy for this month. And you know how it’s a self ritual that I need to go for a real shopping on my birthday kan? But this month, I’ve decided not to. Instead, I want to get myself a little something more. Hehehe. Can’t wait for that wish to come true. It felt like not too long ago I celebrated my birthday with Farrah at Midvalley, shopping. Now, it’s that time of the month again. Okay obviously shopping tu is like another way of buying yourself a present. It will be like really sad if you don’t get a single present for your birthday. So, to avoid feeling so, might as well buy myself a present. Considered a birthday present lah tu kan. :p

I’m anticipating Ksah’s birthday gift and a surprise birthday bash. Hahaha. Okay fine. Birthday party ke surprise ke bash ke takde la harap sangat sebab petom2 semua dah warn awal2 birthday dah celebrate skali dengan Siti’s hari tu. Kira mcm I beli cupcakes untuk diri I sendiri la. Tsk. Ataupun diorang akan celebrate 3 months later which is around March. Oke lah tu kan. Better something than nothing. Ceh bajet pasrah. Hahah. Ouh and I anticipate more on a gift from myself. Heh3.

Ouh a bit from my k-pop kingdom.

Family Outing MC, Yoo Jae Suk is going to quit! Jae Suk is going to quit around next year! I can’t believe it either when I first knew about it but it’s true. He gotta focus more on his family as his wife is pregnant with their first child, as claimed. The rumor has it that he’s going to quit Infinity Challenge too. Oh noooooooooo! This is totally absurd! I guess it’s unfair for both variety show if he decided to quit on only one show. There will be no more Dumb & Dumbers brothers and the Nation Sibling. Heck, I think there will be no more Family Outing. I heard that Hyori is going to London or England for 2 month to prepare herself for her next album. This is ultimately sad

And FO episodes that will be aired on December 13th will have JYP and Seo In Young as the guest artists. I can’t wait to see JYP in action in variety show. I guess they want to promote his new album. Like what the eff right, JYP comeback?Lol. And it’s been a long time since we see Seo In Young in variety show, no? Kinda miss her. Can’t imagine how her charisma meets Hyori’s. Lol. This is going to be so interesting. Hik3.

We’d been talking about having a girl’s night out for awhile. We contemplated getting a hotel room and going out on the town, maybe a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. Just something special and different. But come on people, this is a recession. And frankly, the home life is so much more cozy when its raining cats and dogs in Seattle’s nasty november season (November is the worst month here, by far). So for Jo’s birthday, we proposed a good, old fashioned, girls sleepover night.

It allowed for a night to just chat and drink wine. A chance for fiances and husbands to play video games AND to play mr. mom.

We were in our PJs SO fast. I mean, literally 5 minutes in the door we were all in flannel. Jo even bought new ones for the occasion. Awesome! Dana requested Gorgonzola Honey Bites (I mean, what is our house without them?!) and those were in the oven lickety split too.

Later on, the girls get crafty!

Starting out the evening, we whipped up some pasta dough and D’s kitchenaid pasta roller. We rolled out some sheets of pasta dough and taught the girls how to press ravioli. We did a sweet potato ricotta thyme filling (veggie friendly!). Paired with a yummy cranberry blue cheese salad, we had an easy simple and delicious dinner to chat over.

Next there was crafty time. We traced out some stockings and trees and cut shapes out of vintage Christmas books to create an early Christmas festive garland, while watching Because I Said So.

Did you think we’d forget dessert?! ha! Rainbow cake has been all over the blogosphere, and Jo has always loved funfetti, so we combined the two for some CRAZY cupcakes. I split the cake batter into 6 bowls and added a single color food coloring to each one. Then we spooned various colors into cupcake wrappers for fun rainbow swirl cake.

Paint Pots of Cake Batter

Pre-frosting

Nom Nom Nom

We finished off the night with some Sex and the City Season 6, more chatting in front of the fire. It was a wonderful relaxing evening and a great chance to really sit down and catch up. Probably would have been better if Dana and I hadn’t decided a 5k run was a good idea at 9 am the next day, but eh, live and learn, right?

Go see a photo of the whole group here

What a PERFECT start to the holiday season!

Order now for your Christmas Cookies, Cupcakes and Macaroons.

Pictures to be uploaded soon…

What’s tasty, pretty, and yummy all over?  Little cupcakes decorated with flavored icing, sprinkles, and sparkles.

Chocolate, Orange, Vanilla, and Mint ~ Delicious!

Where I live, mini-cupcakes are very popular.  They’re cute and just right for a little treat at a party, at the office, a special occasion, or a sweet with a cup of coffee or tea. I made these to take to a jewellry party that my daughter had on the weekend.

You can make the batter with your favourite recipe.  To make it easy, I use a moist cake mix…Duncan Hines is my favourite.  Line 48 mini muffin pans with paper cups. Prepare the mix as directed and fill the paper cups just to the rim.  Bake at 350º F for about 14 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Fill just to the top of the paper cup

Cool on a wire rack

When the cupcakes are completely cool, ice with buttercream frosting and decorate with a piping bag or swirl it on with a knife.  Sprinkle with colourful decorations and set aside for the icing to firm up (about an hour.)  Place in a covered container or carefully wrap with plastic wrap.  Serve within 3 days.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, beat on low speed  1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening, 1/2 c. butter or margarine, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 3 tbsp. milk.  Increase speed to medium and slowly beat in 4 cups icing sugar, (approximately 1 lb.,) until creamy and smooth. If icing is too stiff, add a little more milk.
Makes about 3 cups of icing.

For chocolate frosting, beat in 2/3 c. cocoa powder and an extra tbsp. milk.

Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.  (The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  Whip it again to bring it back to the right consistency.)

I usually make chocolate cupcakes and flavor the icing with pure flavorings such as creme de menthe … it’s a smoother flavour than peppermint … orange, vanilla, cherry, or lemon. Just add a drop at a time and taste the intensity of the flavour before adding more. Mix in cocoa powder for chocolate flavor.

For the cupcakes pictured, I mixed a small bowl of icing with orange flavouring, a little yellow and a tiny dab of red gel food colouring to make orange. (A flexible metal spatula works well for mixing colours and flavourings and for transfering the icing to the piping bag.) I sprinkled the cupcakes with orange coloured crystal sugar. In another bowl, I mixed a couple of drops of creme de menthe flavoring and a little green food colouring. After piping, I sprinkled with green crystals. For the chocolate frosting, I mixed about 3/4 cup of frosting with 3 tablespoons of cocoa and thinned with about a tsp. of milk. I topped the cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles. I added 1/4 tsp. vanilla to about 3/4 cup of frosting for an extra boost of vanilla to the white icing, piped it and sprinkled on some tiny candy flowers.

Check out www.wilton.com for more ideas for decorating cakes and cupcakes. If you’re unsure how to hold a piping bag or how to create designs, consider taking a two hour class to learn the basics.  Even though preparing and decorating mini cupcakes is a little time consuming, I enjoy the process … and, of course, the results.

Give it a try….put some music on … relax and enjoy the creative experience.

I’m a reeeeeally big fan of Count Chocula. Like, a “drive-40-miles-to-buy-out-Target’s-stock” big fan. I haven’t had a bowl in years and it hasn’t seen the shelves in my little town since about 1988. However… after several tweets between K & me and a quick search of the products on General Mills’ website, I finally found the Holy Grail. Yes, I had to drive 40 miles, but it was totally worth it… breakfast these last few weeks has been filled with chocolaty goodness.

These cuppycakes are for you K… as soon as you mentioned it, I was on the case! So, continue to think of me when you see Count Chocula on your Nashvegas shelves!!

Count Chocula Cupcakes

1/3 c vegetable oil
1 c milk
2 c Count Chocula cereal
3/4 c white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 c light brown sugar

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, then set aside.

Crush the Count Chocula cereal in a food processor. In a large bowl, mix together the ground cereal, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. In another bowl, beat the oil and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add the milk and beat until well-combined.

Fold the liquid into the dry ingredients until just blended. Do not overmix! Divide the batter evenly among the liners. Gently pat the tops to smooth them off.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Frost as desired and store in a tightly-sealed container in a cool place for up to 3 days.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

6 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c powdered sugar
3/4 c dark cocoa powder
1/3 c milk

Cream butter and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Slowly add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency, then beat until creamy.

Bautismo (Baptism)

by 5taEsencia Bakery

Bautismo (Baptism)

by 5taEsencia Bakery

Angelito Para Bautismo

by 5taEsencia Bakery

Angelitos

by 5taEsencia Bakery

Angelitos

by 5taEsencia Bakery

Argentinian  5ta Esencia Bakery, Cupcakes & Tea Time, based in the Greater Buenos Aires area created these sweet cupcakes for children’s parties and celebrations. You can peruse more photos in her Infantiles album.

The top three photos depict delicately painted faces gracing the tops of cupcakes destined for a post-baptism cerebration.   The faces of these cupcakes are rendered with an ethereal beauty.

The bottom and penultimate cupcakes portray winged sleeping angels with smiling faces topping vanilla cupcakes. The angel cupcake toppers appear floating on a cloud of flawlessly swirled frosting.  Adorable cupcakes!

Marianela is the owner and operator of  5ta Esencia Bakery.   For more information on 5ta Esencia’s cupcake menu and services, please check out her blog and Flickr photostream.  You can also find 5ta Esencia Bakery on Facebook.

¿Cuantas veces en la vida podrán decir?:

-mmmmm tu tabla periódica estaba deliciosa-

Creo que muy pocas, sin embargo he aquí una de esas pocas veces:

Yesterday my little munchkins turned 2!  It’s still hard for me to believe they are two.  It’s amazing how much they have changed in this short year.  Last year they could barely walk and now they are running, jumping, dancing, and everything in between.  Last year all they could do was say a handful of words now they are talking and singing up a storm.  It’s sad to think they are getting so big and growing so fast, but it has been so rewarding.  I still remember the day I found out I was having twins.  It feels like it was just yesterday.   I have to admit that day was overwhelming!  Not one, but two little ones….two little ones that I would need to be the best mommy I could.  Once the girls arrived I would not have wanted it any differently.  I couldn’t imagine my life with only one.  It was challenging in the beginning and there are times were it still is but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  They are the best little girls a mommy could ask for and they make me laugh and smile every day.  And at the end of a long work day, it’s the best medicine.

A few weeks ago I posted what I made for the girls for their 1^st birthday.  After a little thought I decided this year I would make them cupcakes again but this year make pumpkin spice with maple cream cheese.  They love pumpkin, just like their mommy so I knew that would be safe.  Now for the cake topper I thought about elephants because their recent obsession has been the imitations my husband and I try to do for elephants.  It’s pretty funny and they seem to enjoy it.  I have to admit last year was my first time working with fondant and this year I was a little rusty.  I started these Saturday night and they weren’t the best but the girls loved them which is all that counted in my book.  Here are a couple pictures of their birthday cupcakes…

And the elephants….

The girls had a great birthday filled with great presents from friends and family.  Thank you everyone!  By the end of the day the girls were getting that it was their birthday and kept asking us to sing the ”Happy Birthday” song.  Next year I can only imagine what their birthday will be like.  In the meantime, I’m going to sit back and enjoy another year watching my little girls grow up.  Everyone says it goes by fast so I better enjoy it.

Just a few tips on the cupcakes, you can half the recipe because a full recipe makes close to 36 cupcakes.  When only wanting a few I have just cut the recipe in half and it’s been perfect.  Also, if you want you can make the cupcakes and the frosting the day before.  Store the frosting in the refrigerator and the cupcakes in an airtight container.  Just take the frosting out 15 to 20 minutes before you plan to ice the cupcakes.  Makes things a little easier. 

And of course….enjoy!!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

 Print Recipe

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 can (15 oz) solid packed pumpkin (about 1 ¾ cups)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12 standard muffin tins with paper liners.

To make cupcakes:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, oil and unsweetened applesauce.  Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.

Add the flour mixture in three additions, stirring with a whisk until combined.

Fill the muffin tins about three fourths full.  I used a quick release ice cream scoop to make sure the cupcakes were evenly sized.  Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Transfer the tins to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the tins and let cool completely. 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 package (8 ounces) organic Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

To Make Frosting:

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add maple syrup, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar; continue beating until combined and smooth.

To assemble cupcakes:

Top each cupcake with 2 tbsp of frosting and spread to cover.  You can also pipe the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes using decorating tip of choice.  I usually use a 1mm star tip.

The last week was busy! We decided to drive up to San Jose for a few days to check things out and it was a lot of fun. We left a week ago Sunday and drove straight through, 12 hours with lots of stops for the little bud. Our first day we went into San Francisco and saw a lot of the sights.

The bottom two were from Pier 39. We ate lunch at the Boudin Sourdough Bakery. It was delicious. When you walked in though the bread was traveling around on this track in baskets.

It was fun to watch. After lunch we walked around the piers a bit and then ventured up the hill where we saw them turning the cable cars. Across the street we found Ghiradelli Square. We stopped in for a yummy treat of cupcakes. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of them!

After a bit more walking we headed back to the car and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was really pretty.

Then we headed back to our hotel in San Jose and got to experience quite a bit of traffic, which worked out since the baby was sleeping in his seat.

I will post more about our trip and Thanksgiving later.

Christmas Cupcakes

by Migraine Chick

Cupcake Robot Doodles

by Migraine Chick

Alice in Cupcake Land

by Migraine Chick

These cupcake doodles are absolutely charming.    Simple childlike-line drawings that belie an undercurrent of pain and chaos.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”   Plato

Migraine Chick, as she is known on the Interwebz, is using using the healing tools of blogging and art as she copes with persistent migraines and  “the craziness that has invaded [her] life.”

You canlearn more about the artist in her blogs, Migraine Chick Collages, Migraine Chick Comics and Migraine Chick Blog.

We feel ya, Migraine Chick.  We wish you a kind and gentle journey on the road to wellness.

One of the great joys of being into food and wine in a place like Marin County is the ability to put blind faith in local food-and-wine purveyors and see where that faith leads you. I did just that last weekend, as more than an journalistic exercise.

It was my husband’s birthday on Saturday, and with a new baby in the house, we were grounded, so I thought take-out Indian from Avatar in Sausalito and some special wine to go with it would be appropriately festive. First stop: Vintage Wine and Spirits in Mill Valley, where I asked for two recommendations. I needed a great Barolo (this was the only gift Peter had asked for), which we’d stash in the wine fridge to drink later, and something that could stand up to Indian cuisine’s strong flavors. I left with an ‘04 Mauro Molino Barolo, an ‘07 Kuentz-Bas Pinot Blanc, and a nonvintage Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry, and headed straight to Avatar, where I plead my case to Ashok, the restaurant’s owner and chef. He didn’t even take an order—just noted our likes and dislikes and told me to return at 5 on Saturday for pickup.

Come Saturday night, Peter chose the sherry over the Pinot and we sat down to our feast of samosas, blackened chicken and vegetables, and pumpkin enchiladas, with generous sides of naan and papadum. Hard as it was, we managed to save room for dessert from yet another local proprieter: Mill Valley’s Frosting Bake Shop. At the bake shop, I didn’t ask any questions—I just ordered what the kid in front of me ordered. One Chocolate Obsession cupcake later, I can assure you that’s a fine strategy in its own right.

(For the record, Peter’s not sold on the sherry-Indian combo, but I liked the way the light, dry fortified wine cut through the sweet and smoky flavors. I’ll report back on that Barolo.)

Cuppie the Cupcake Puffy Felt Ornament

$6.95

Available at CakeSpyShop.com

One of our favorite cupcake artists is CakeSpy aka Jessie.  Her trademark “Cuppie” is showcased in all things cupcake:  original and custom art, greeting and notecards, purses and even bookmarks.

If you’re looking for a special holiday gift for a cupcake fan, look no further.  Jessie’s CakeSpyShop is offering a Cyber Monday discount.

And through Monday, November 30, you can get some sweet savings! Use code CSHOL when checking out and you’ll get 20% off everything!

We adore the Cuppie felt ornament and assorted Naughty and Nice Holiday Cards.   You can view the Christmas/Holiday cards and gifts and more HERE.

Happy Holidays!

Black and White Cupcakes for Sagittarian

by Cupcakekasih

These couture cupcakes were created by Cupcake Kasih, a Malaysian baker with a “cupcake addiction” that generates the beautiful and unique designs in her cake art.

According to Western astrologers, the sun is in the sign Sagittarius from November 23- December 21st.  My birthday  is December 10th, which makes me a Sagittarian.  Since I can’t travel to Malaysia to buy these cupcakes for my birthday, I’ll have to admire them from afar.

You can view more of Cupcake Kasih’s magnificant cupcake art in her BLOG.  If you happen to live in or around Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, you’re in luck.  Cupcake Kasih holds cupcake decorating classes.  Details and schedule information is available on her website.

Looking for a gift that screams “Happy Birthday” even if the recipient must celebrate during the holiday season?  How about everything they could ever need to bake a delicious batch of cupcakes plus a cupcake class at the LES bakery Butter Lane?!

Oh my cupcakes! Gift set from GraceLockwood.com

Available now at the shop on GraceLockwood.com!

Enjoying one of Butter Lane's incredible cupcakes (vanilla with cream cheese icing!)

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

by katiskupcakes

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

by katiskupcakes

Hello Kitty Cuteness

by katiskupcakes

Hello Kitty and Friends

by katiskupcakes

These cupcakes can only be described as  “Happiness in Fondant.”

We love Hello Kitty cupcakes AND  Kati’s Kupcakes!

Hello Kitty and Friends in shades of pink and  *too too cute.*

The entire set can be viewed HERE.

Hello Kitty Cupcakes by Kati’s Kupcakes.

I love cupcakes!

It’s official! The 2010 L.A. Cupcake Challenge will be held Saturday, February 20, 2010 at the Rennaissance Hollywood Hotel from 2 PM – 5 PM.  A panel of  judges and attendees ballots will determine the best cupcakes in Los Angeles.

The L.A. Cupcake Challenge is always a sell-out!  Tickets are on sale now through the DrinkEatPlay website. The link is HERE.

Related Posts:

2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge

The 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge is Heating Up!

Cupcake News Bytes

Two Parts Sugar at the 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge

2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge Wrap Up

Congrats to Award-Winning Two Parts Sugar!

When I was paging through the November issue of Bon Appétit, I saw this recipe and was instantly drooling. When I read it out loud to Jim, he was drooling a little bit too, and I knew we were in trouble. As Thanksgiving approached, I knew it would be the perfect time to try it out without having to worry about having all of that caramelly goodness at home to tempt us. The recipe didn’t disappoint, and I received many compliments from everyone who tried them. They reach a nice balance of a not too sweet cake with a flavorful frosting, which I love. I think the cupcake part would even be good on it’s own as a muffin for brunch.

It was a pretty simple recipe, even with the inclusion of making caramel from scratch. I had decided to make mini-cupcakes instead of regular sized ones, so I reduced the baking temperature to 325⁰ and time to 15 minutes. They turned out perfect.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  
• 1 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup cake flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
  
• 1/3 cup sour cream
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Frosting

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  
• 2 large egg yolks
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  
• 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
  

Preparation:

Cupcakes

• Put rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Spray 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray; line with muffin cups.
  
• Whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped pecans. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. 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; beat on low speed just to blend. Divide batter among muffin cups.
  
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.
  

Frosting

• Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; boil until syrup turns deep amber, swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream (mixture will bubble up). 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.
  
• Spread frosting over cupcakes. Place pecans on plate. Roll edges of cupcakes in nuts. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
  

I recently received some samples of these cute cupcake cases. I think they would look fantastic for a wedding, arranged on a cupcake stand.

Am finally back in the lovely city after spending some quality Thanksgiving time in New Mexico. Why was I New Mexico you might ask? Well, my mom has some really good friends out there who she hadn’t seen in ages, so she decided that was where we had to go. Don’t get me wrong, Santa Fe was beautiful – old pueblo houses, lots of open space, and it even snowed! – but I was still the slightest bit bored. I spent a lot of time reading, which was really nice, since I never get to do that anymore. Other than reading and eating an obnoxious amount, I did just about nothing. In retrospect, I guess that’s what having a break is all about, so I can’t really complain. The food we had for our Thanksgiving meal was classic – turkey, gravy, stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes, and a lovely apple spice pie. A learned a new trick from the pie maker – freeze the butter or shortening and then grate it into the flour to incorperate. I will have to try it next time I make a pie, since testing out different types of dough is one of my favorite things to do.

Last Sunday, before we all parted our separate ways, my suite-mates and I all decided to have our own Thanksgiving dinner. We all signed up for the classics – turkey, cranberry sauce, yams, green beans, etc. I of course, had to make a dessert. Sadly enough, on the Sunday of our meal, I was required to stay at work for a horrible little meeting to go over holiday sales. It was one of the worst two hours of my life. By the time I got back to the room, everyone was finished eating, but as amazing as they always are, all my suite-mates saved me a bit of everything. And let me just that it was all AMAZING! There was so much food – delicious apple yams, filo dough balls, mixed veggies and more! I gullped everything down in a matter of minutes.

I made pumpkin pie cupcakes, which were exactly as the title puts it – mini pumpkin pies. Thankfully, knowing I was going to be late getting home from work, I made them the night before so they were ready when everyone sat down to eat. They were quite simple to make – just like real pumpkin pie but with a bit of flour and cupcake liners instead of a pie tin. They definitely sink a little bit once they have cooled off, which is why adding a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top is a must. These will definitely go down in my holiday recipe cache for next year.

PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKES

(Adapted form bakingbites.com)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice

3) In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and evaporated milk until well combined.

4) Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.

5) Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/3 cup of batter.

6) Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.

7) Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.