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One Handsome Tom

By on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

What is it about Thanksgiving that invariably leads to pleas from turkeys for clemency?  Do we see similar images from cows at Fourth of July?  Fish and shrimp at New Year’s Eve?

Perhaps the answer is that we draw the turkey as children, tracing our hands with crayons, turning our thumb into the smiling turkey face, our fingers into the colorful feathers.  Seemingly every child is connected to turkeys, while all other animals are, well, options.

In an hour-long scan of turkey cupcakes, ranging from cupcakes made from ground turkey to cupcakes celebrating turkeys, this is the one turkey who captured my heart and made me think twice about the bird in my refrigerator.  If I had seen this handsome Tom earlier this week, perhaps I would have served up imitation cupcakes, under silvery domes, to be lifted to the surprise of my guests.

(Maybe next year.)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The ‘What Would You Do’ Cupcake Dilemma

By on Monday, November 21st, 2011

So I’m interested to know what you would do.

Here’s a story from England’s Daily Mail – “Cupcake Calamity” – about cupcake bakery owner Rachel Brown of Need-A-Cake, who offered a Groupon and had to bake an “astonishing” 102,000 cupcakes in response.

Apparently, Brown offered a dozen cupcakes for £6.50, instead of the usual £26, resulting in 8,500 orders…at which point Brown cut off the orders.

What’s your perspective – any sympathies?  A baker offering 75% off?  Groupon saying their offers are for an unlimited number of orders?  The angry customers, complaining that their orders were taking longer than they expected?

 

Real Watermelon Cupcakes

By on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Since watermelon the fruit is such a fun, messy, summer treat, what opportunities doe we have to use watermelon fruit in a cupcake?

From an Indiana kitchen came a watermelon cupcake recipe with instructions for making your own wrappers on a silhouette machine.  The recipe uses watermelon gelatin – very neat.

Getting warmer, I found a recipe for watermelon cupcake frosting that offers a substitution of watermelon juice for milk.

Still on my quest, I landed on What About Watermelon?, where I found a cake recipe with 1-1/3 C of watermelon, using watermelon juice in the frosting.  All the fun of the fruit and no napkins required!

All About Almond!

By on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Having recently feasted on a Cumbs Bake Shop “Almond Bliss” cupcake (pictured), I thought to gather some almond cupcake recipes for you.

How about a Vegan Chocolate Cupcake with Almond Buttercream and Raspberry Glaze?    The “Oh She Glows” blog site has both the recipe and fantastic photographs for step-by-step instructions, including a video to guide you through piping.

Or, how about Honey, Lavender, and Almond Cupcakes, complete with the directions for making your own lavender milk for the frosting?  The recipe from Lily Vanilli in England is in metrics, but worth the math exercise to get you there!

Finally, from the Love & Olive Oil site, let’s go for the Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting.  This yummy recipe includes almond extract, vanilla bean seeds, and coconut milk.

 

Top It Off with Happy!

By on Monday, August 8th, 2011

Is it possible to cupcake topping your way to happiness?

Let’s start with the basics:  a white cupcake with a white frosting.  Vanilla-on-vanilla, and I’m going to add a little vanilla ice cream.  Vanilla signals simple, uncomplicated, neat, cool enjoyment.

Put mini M&Ms on that same vanilla-on-vanilla cupcake, and it’s a game changer!  It’s not just adding the chocolate of the candies.  It’s adding everything associated with rainbow-colored M&Ms, like childhood, blue skies, remembering the brown ones, and even reminiscing about UK Smarties.

Likewise, take the Crumbs Bake Shop cupcake “Good Guy.”  How do I know, just by looking at it that it will be good?  It’s vanilla cupcake, vanilla frosting, rainbow sprinkles, and white drizzle.  Think Glinda, the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Or, how about tye die and peace sign cupcakes at Cupcakes by Carousel?  Now there’s a sure-fire way to make me smile.  I don’t even think that there’s a flavor associated with this visual, but it signals to my whole being:  “Don’t worry – be happy!”

Cupcake with a smiley face, anyone?

Cupcakes by Carousel

By on Saturday, August 6th, 2011

As I said in my bio (albeit jokingly at the time), I thought my spot with ATC might entice my parents to get into the act.  Sure enough, while visiting them, my mother and I went out on a cupcake expedition.  In Ridgewood, NJ, we found a local cupcakerie with flavors to spare.

Cupcakes by Carousel is on Main St. in Ridgewood, next to the movie theater.

The product line starts with “Classic White/Chocolate with Fudge” and “Red Velvet” and moves on to “Vanilla Dirt Worm” and “Chocolate Pretzel.”  “Pink Marshmallow Snowball” and “Turtle” looked almost too pretty to eat.

The winners in our taste selection included “Key Lime Pie,” which my mother said included candied lime, made by taking lime zest and packing it in sugar (the moisture makes the sugar adhere to begin with until it soaks in).

Dad had the gluten free vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing and gave it a thumbs up.  This is a new product line for Cupcakes by Carousel, and, from pans used only for gluten free to individual cupcake holders for gluten free, it’s just the recipe for those with celiac disease.

I might just be going home to visit my parents again…soon!

Rosewater Cupcakes

By on Saturday, July 30th, 2011

Rosewater.  A near completely forgotten about ingredient, except that I was daydreaming of France and how often the bakeries feature edible flowers.

So, a petit selection of the loveliest of the rosewater cupcake recipes I could find.

How about Organic White Chocolate Rosewater Cupcakes?  Yum.  The cupcake includes the white chocolate and coconut milk.  The frosting is a meringue buttercream with 3T of rosewater.

Then, let’s get a little carried away with Persian Love Cupcakes.  Candied rose petals on top.  Lemon peel and cardamon seeds within.  A frosting with rosewater, saffron threads, and pistachios.  C’est l’amour!

Just in case you don’t have rosewater handy, here’s a recipe to make your own rosewater at home.  Note that every type of rose creates a different rose water, naturally, so this, too, becomes a lovely opportunity to play in the kitchen.  From one batch of cupcakes to the next, using a different rose’s water will create a different flavor.