Moving

No cupcake this week, as my cupcake making tools are packed away. Hopefully unpacking will be finished next week.

#13 Update

Re-Reading my last post, I didn't mention enough that the cake-bit was GOOD. The frosting, it was not for me, but the cake was for me. Meat in cupcakes is a Good Idea (see: bacon cupcakes, corned beef cupcakes).


So, in conclusion: Meat cake = good. Vegetable frosting = less good.

I'm thinking mustardy frosting would be interesting. Again, maybe not 'good', but 'a unique culinary experience'.

#13 Corned Beef & Cabbage

Yes, really. I saw this on CupcakeProject and went "OMG BEST IDEA EVER"

As it turns out, I was WRONG about that. The frosting is most definately the worst idea ever. SRSLY. Not good. Comments include:

"It's not as disgusting as I imagined?"
"Wow, that's awful"
and from me: "This is the worst thing I have ever done"

I made six, cos I knew they wouldn't be super popular. The cake bit, I have to say, was good. Perfect Salty/Sweet, nice texture, everything about it was nice. I would consider making them again.

The icing, though. I feel like I need to repent.

The inspiration recipe is here

Cupcakes (6)
1/4 cup beer
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon oil
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons ground beef

Combine the beer and the vinegar. Add in the sugar and oil, whisk vigorously. Gently introduce the flour along with the baking soda, being careful not to over mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

Icing
1/2 package cream cheese
butter
powdered sugar
1/4 candied cabbage (Cabbage + Brown sugar + Oven = Candied Cabbage)

Mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar. Add cabbage.

Someone suggested pureeing the cabbage, but I honestly don't think it would have helped.

#12 Chocolate Stout

Happy St-Patrick's Day! In honour of this wonderful holiday, some beer.

This is one of those complicated stove using recipes. I generally shy away from them cos I am not a stovetop kind of girl. It was reasonably easy, though.

Cupcakes
¼ cup		unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup		Guinness draught stout
1 cup		flour
¾ tsp		baking soda
¼ tsp		baking powder
1/8 tsp		salt
1/3 cup		butter, softened
1 cup		granulated sugar
2 large		eggs
½ tsp		vanilla extract
1/3 cup		low fat buttermilk

On the stovetop (see!) combine Guinness & cocoa powder. Heat through until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add buttermilk to the cooled cocoa.

In a mixer, mix together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder (OMG I totally forgot to add this!!), and salt (This too!!).

Alternate adding buttermilk mix and flour mix to the eggs/butter/sugar mix. End with flour.

Bake @ 350F for 20 minutes.

RecipeSource: Here

I glazed the top of the cupcakes with a beer/cocoa mixture. Beer (your choice of amount) + cocoa (til thickish) = glaze. Brush on top of cakes.

Frosting:

Chocolate (99% Scharffen Berger)
1/2 package of Cream Cheese, softened
Few tablespoons of butter
Icing sugar until icing consistency

Melt together Chocolate & Butter.
Whip Cream cheese until fluffy, add in chocobutter mix.
Add Icing sugar until frosting consistency.

This isn't my favourite icing, and I'll go back to ganache from now on. It's nice to try new things though.

Pictures are still on the camera, will update soon!

#11 Maple Bacon

I saw these and thought 'I love bacon. I love cupcakes. How could I not love bacon cupcakes?'

And I do love them. They came out a bit biscuitty for me, but I think that's mostly due to conversion, and not so much the original recipe. I doubled it, and it ended up making 18 cupcakes, so I think the actual recipe probably makes more than 6.


Recipe Here @ Vanilla Garlic

I was hoping for more BACON flavour. When I make these again (and I will!!) I'll add more bacon, and more bacon fat in an effort to embacon them. As they are, they're baconny, but they're not BACONny.

The frosting, though? Heaven in my mouth. Nothing better.

I topped them with large sea salt crystals, which was a really good thing.

Without the frosting, I wasn't keen on these. - too much like a ham and cheese biscuit, not enough cupcake - I thought I might not even bring them in to Officeland for consumption. With the frosting, though, WOW.

Two thumbs way up.

#10 Carrot

Long time no update. Sorry about that. I nearly missed a week of cupcakes, but luckily I wasn't feeling good at home last weekend and made myself some carrot cakes to feel better. Camera was out of order, so alas no photos! But they were alright. It's my mom's recipe from when I was a kid, and always makes me feel better. I will remake these at Shiv's request.

Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 egg
1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cups white sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t each ground cinnamon & nutmeg
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat together egg, oil, sugar, vanilla. Add in flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. Fold in carrots and pecans.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

I love carrot cake, I really do. My mom used to make this with cream cheese icing, (Cream cheese, butter, icing sugar) but I didn't have any, so I used left over heavy cream (from Alfredo the night before) and just had a light whipped cream topping. (Heavy cream, pinch of sugar, pinch of cinnamon. Beat until peaky)

Reminds me of spring and happy things.