I apologize for the long wait here in posts! We’ve been moving- the sister’s been moving on up (sorry, couldn’t resist) to a different apartment and the boyfriend’s been moving in and it’s been a period of flux- meaning that time to post has been fairly limited! That said, I’m now catching up on the backlog :). Here’s the first!:

The first batch of cinnamon roll cupcakes were a great success. As B was joining me for dinner the day after, this led me to wonder- can I make these rolls gluten-free? Being nothing short of a gluten-free expert, I knew it to be possible…. and by that I mean I lack any expertise in gluten-free baking and was doing everything incorrectly. Did I check to see if I was making the right substitutes? No, of course not! And did I think of xantham gum? Nope! At least, not until they were baked and done…. ah. So, if you follow this recipe to a T, you’ll find the dough VERY crumbly and difficult to work with- and you may be a bit frustrated. That said, if you can make some minor adjustments, it’s a nice treat for your gluten-intolerant friends.

The taste was very enjoyable, although I was told that the nutless ones were generally better. Still, I’d make them again! They’re conveniently small, and have a satisfying crunch.

Nutty Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Adapted from Fastest Cinnamon Rolls at Don’t Forget Delicious (from FineCooking.com)

Ingredients:

Bun Dough:

• 3/4 heaping cup low-fat (part skim) ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tblspn soy butter
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic rice flour
• 1 + 1/3 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Filling:

• 1 tablespoons soy butter
• 3/4 heaping cup packed light brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup salted cashews, crushed
• 2 tblspn slivered almonds, crushed
• 1.5 tblspn candied pecans, crushed

Icing:

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 heaping cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons organic vanilla soy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line large or small (or combination) cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. Place ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted soy butter, and vanilla in food processor and process for a few seconds until the mixture is smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together. Add to mixture in the food processor and and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (be sure not to overprocess- this will toughen the dough).
4. Emtpy the dough onto a flour countertop and knead gently into a ball (kneading process should only take about 20-30 seconds) – be careful, the dough will be VERY crumbly and will fall apart easily. Expect holes and tears if you do not add xantham gum
5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 1/2 cm thick). Take about 1/3 of the melted soy butter from the filling section and brush onto the rectangle, leaving about an inch on all sides untouched.
6. In a small bowl (you can re-use that same one from earlier), and mix together the brown sugar, nuts, spices, and the remaining melted soy butter. Spread the sugar/spice mixture over the dough as evenly as possible.
7. Roll the dough up into a long log, like a jelly roll, and get your pastry cutter ready. There will be holes and tears- do not be alarmed, if it doesn’t have a perfect shape, your icing will hide everything :).
8. Pinch the edges and the side closed, and push the two ends inward to create sharper angles (straight edges).
9. Sharply cut the log into slices that are slightly under 2 inches thick. Place each slice into one of the cupcake liners, swirled side up (as opposed to on the side). Bake for 15 minutes (my oven is hot)- possibly a few minutes more if your oven is cooler.
10. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool. The tops should be just golden brown and with a very slight crisp. The sugar mixture should have oozed out over the edges.
11. Prepare the icing: place the mascarpone, vanilla, soy milk, and confectioner’s sugar in the food processor and process for 3-4 seconds, just until smooth and homogenous. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack, take a spoon, and drizzle (if you’re me, quite liberally) the icing over the cupcakes. Feel free to do a second drizzling later when the rolls have cooled a bit.

Mine were definitely on the crumbly side, but delicious nonetheless! I suggest baking these at varied temperatures- I tried starting at 395, then down to 385… but honestly the baking time is up to you, based on how large you make them, how many you make, how hot your oven is, etc etc.

I love cinnamon rolls. There, I said it, they’re a weakness of mine. And, you know what? I seem to share that fact with the general populace. I made a batch of these last night and brought them in the work, and even those who usually resist the baked goods I bring in due to watching calories went for them. That’s right. They looked that good. What’s not to like about a cinnamon roll in a cupcake?!

These things are warm. They’re gooey. They’re sticky, and you have no choice but to lick your fingers so as to not waste the icing you’ve accidentally just removed from the bun’s surface. After all, sustainability is ‘in’ right now- if you don’t save that icing, who knows what your coworkers, friends, and family will think of you?

If you have an apology gift, I-need-you-to-like-me gift, a woo-ing gift, or a make-that-someone-smile gift, these are it. A box of these wrapped up nicely with a ribbon is enough to make any heart melt. Guaranteed.

Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Adapted from Fastest Cinnamon Rolls at Don’t Forget Delicious (from FineCooking.com)

Ingredients:

Bun Dough:

• 3/4 heaping cup low-fat (part skim) ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tblspn soy butter
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic AP flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons soy butter
• 3/4 heaping cup packed light brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Icing:

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 heaping cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons organic vanilla soy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line large or small (or combination) cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. Place ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted soy butter, and vanilla in food processor and process for a few seconds until the mixture is smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together. Add to mixture in the food processor and and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (be sure not to overprocess- this will toughen the dough).
4. Emtpy the dough onto a flour countertop and knead gently into a ball (kneading process should only take about 20-30 seconds)
5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 1/2 cm thick). Take about 1/3 of the melted soy butter from the filling section and brush onto the rectangle, leaving about an inch on all sides untouched.
6. In a small bowl (you can re-use that same one from earlier), and mix together the brown sugar, spices, and the remaining melted soy butter. Spread the sugar/spice mixture over the dough as evenly as possible.
7. Roll the dough up into a long log, like a jelly roll, and get your pastry cutter ready. Pinch the edges and the side closed, and push the two ends inward to create sharper angles (straight edges).
8. Sharply cut the log into slices that are slightly under 2 inches thick. Place each slice into one of the cupcake liners, swirled side up (as opposed to on the side). Bake for 15 minutes (my oven is hot)- possibly a few minutes more if your oven is cooler.
9. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool. The tops should be just golden brown and with a very slight crisp. The sugar mixture should have oozed out over the edges.
10. Prepare the icing: place the mascarpone, vanilla, soy milk, and confectioner’s sugar in the food processor and process for 3-4 seconds, just until smooth and homogenous. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack, take a spoon, and drizzle (if you’re me, quite liberally) the icing over the cupcakes. Feel free to do a second drizzling later when the rolls have cooled a bit.

These are utterly delicious. There’s really not much else to say about them because I’ve since baked a second batch and all this talking about them is reducing my willpower in staying away from the countertop where batch #2 is resting. Must.. resist… mmmmmmh. The best part is that they’re low-fat! Low-fat buttermilk, low-fat ricotta, no eggs… yes, there’s sugar, and yes, there’s mascarpone, but I can tell you with complete confidence that this is far healthier than anything you’ll find at the store. :)

For those of us who ended up not being a brain surgeon, rocket scientist, or astronaut, there’s always a bit of wonder about what could have been- and a tinge of regret. My lovely friend B was very amused at the idea of injecting cupcakes- and apparently somewhat regrets not having become a doctor- and requested a ‘sugery date’ during which we would inject some cupcakes together. Of course, that alone isn’t enough of a challenge, so we had to add a little something to the mix: B is gluten-intolerant. To add to the fun, she has trouble with lactose, particularly with cow’s milk. So basically we needed to make a cupcake that was gluten-free, with something to inject that is low(er) on the milk. Yikes! Challenge! What to make?

I decided to peruse my I Heart Sugar cookbook (it’s a delicious one to look through) and found a Raspberry Almond Cupcake recipe that seemed good. I was wary of the raspberries and had a large influx of strawberries my mother had kindly delivered the weekend before, and thus opted for strawberries in stead (after a brief consultation with B get approval).

The cake is a bit moist where the berries settled in- despite drying them for a few hours beforehand and parching their thirst upon paper towels. Despite this, they’re really yummy (note: you must be fairly crazy about almonds to agree with that statement). They’re low-fat, almost vegan friendly (darn you, eggs, I wasn’t of a mind to substitute you with pumpkin), and use all-natural ingredients. They’ve got chewiness and crunch. And with a little strawberry chunk and powdered sugar on top, what’s not to like?

Gluten-Free Strawberry Almond Cupcakes

Adapted from Raspberry Almond Cupcakes from I Love Sugar

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup organic rice flour
• 2/3 cup organic almond meal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 vegan buttery stick (earth balance) (aka 1/2 cup butter)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp organic almond extract
• 2 eggs, brown, organic, cage-free
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
• 1/2 package neufchatel reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup whole dry-roasted sugar-coated almonds
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Process:

1. Cut all but 5 of the strawberries into 1/2-inch chunks and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top, press firmly, and leave otuside to dry for as long as you can (preferably a few hours at the least)
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 14 large cupcake cups or some combination of large and little cups (amount of batter may differ for you slightly)
3. Place the butter (softened), sugar, and almond extract in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in to the mix one at a time, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Stir the mixture with a large wooden spoon, then fold in the almond meal. Lastly, fold in the dried strawberry chunks.
4. Spoon the mixture about 1/2-full into the cups. Sprinkle slivered almond pieces on top and bake for 20 minutes.
5. While the cupcakes are baking, place the cream cheese, two of the strawberries (chopped coarsely), and the almonds in a food processor (if your almonds are whole and crunchy, you can process these first into tiny pieces). Process until you have a thick, creamy batter.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven (tops should be just turning golden-brown and cracking towards the center) and place to cool on a wire rack.
7. Fill a piping bag or tube with the crea, cheese mixture and inject the cupcakes, taking a long injecting tip (thin, long, tubular) and placing it halfway through the cupcake from the top. Press the batter in, and stop when the cupcake ‘pops’- you’ll see it suddenly pop upward and puff up slightly. This means it’s taken its fill of cream cheese :)
8. Once all the cupcakes are filled, dust with powdered sugar, and place a strawberry slice on top. Enjoy!

B holds that the best part of these is the injected cream cheese batter, but I like them better as-is, and would want to make them strawberry-less. The almond taste is so whole and good, and you get it from so many sides (almond extract, almond meal, crushed almonds, slivered almonds) that it’s like an almond attack! Watch out! They may come for your taste buds!

Yes, I realize they’re a bit overdone and not all that original, but that’s beside the point :). So we held a tropical, Hawaiian-themed Fourth of July picnic at work… and it was a potluck… and so of course I was expected to come bearing sweets. I decided upon the obvious but simple (I was seeing Eclipe with my sister and very close friend the night before and thus needed a do-ahead recipe) and settled on these pineapple cupcakes. They were rather good! There was some confusion, however, as to their assembly: to make transportation easier, I opted to bring the icing (which was, admittedly, fairly runny- more of a glaze than an icing, really) in a small bowl and allow everyone to dunk their cupcakes individually. Unfortunately, despite my having labeled ‘cupcakes!’ and ‘dunking station!’ few seemed to ice their cupcakes. But this is okay – those who understood it, enjoyed it (and ended up with some very sticky fingers aftward). Should you follow this recipe, I’d suggest removing the wrappers prior to dunking… or baking in silicone cups and not worrying about baking cups alltogether.

Tropical Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes

Adapted from Pineapple Meringue Cupcakes at A Good Apetite

Ingredients:

• 3/4 heaping cup AP organic flour
• 1/2  heaping teaspoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh!)
• 2 tablespoons soy butter, room temperature/ soft
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg (cage-free, brown)
• 1 teaspoon 2x extra strength vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• Just under 1/4 cup organic skim milk
• 1/8 cup apricot nectar
• 1 small can pineapple pieces (small) in juice (NOT syrup)
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Icing/Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 box jell-o vanilla instant pudding mix (weird, I know)
• 1/3 cup low-fat smart balance sour cream
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 tsp 2x extra strength vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apricot nectar
• 2 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 1/4 cup pineapple chunks in juice (not strained)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 36 muffin cups with liners
2. Briskly cream together the soy butter, sugar, egg, & vanilla extract until light & fluffy. Then beat in the milk and apricot nectar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid mixture in 2-3 portions, being sure not to overmix.
5. Fold in the pineapple and coconut until just mixed. Do not overmix!
6. Fill the muffin tins until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown.
7. For the icing, combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until combined. Chill glaze thoroughly before dipping cupcakes. Top with fresh pineapple chunks and toasted coconut for decoration.

They’re cute, and rather good, if you’re the tropical sort, so try them out! They’re certainly convenient for potlucks or transport if you ice them separately, and for those who catch the hint, dunking stations are quite a bit of fun… interactivity + food = stupendous :).

Lemonade seems to be one of the defining items of summer, does it not? When you think of summer, one can feel this thirst for lemonade… as well as a desire for the crunch of fresh fruit. Strawberries and lemons make for fabulous partners. Vitamin C + ascorbic acid = amazing conservation. This cupcake was one that immensly appealed to those who usually dislike sweets- and love fruit. I’m glad to say they were the recipients of some excellent feedback- “I usually don’t like cakes or sweet things but these were pretty darn fantastic!” “I loved them. Those strawberry cupcakes were the best!” “I usually hate icing- but that was some really good icing.” If that’s not enough to convince you, I don’t know what is :)

The cupcake itself is very low fat- using all canola oil in favour of butter, and with plain low-fat yogurt. Yum! The icing, however… well… let’s pretend that’s equally healthy, shall we?

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from Lemon Yogurt Cupcake @ Smells Like Bean Spirit

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/3 cups King Arthur organic cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp Sicilian sea salt, large grain
• 3 large cage-free eggs
• 1 cup plain low-fat Stonyfield organic yogurt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• zest of 1 small orange
• 1/8 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely-chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup organic canola oil

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together briskly the eggs, vanilla, zest, juices (lemon + orange), and sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder into a small bowl.
4. Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture in two batches, mixing briskly and thoroughly but not overmixing.
5. Pour in the oil and mix this in as well, still briskly. Then fold in the strawberry bits.
6. Pour into baking cups (small, large, both, you pick!) and bake for 18-20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven). Then let cool in a wire rack while you prepare the icing!

Icing Ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons soy butter, softened
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 2-3 large strawberries, finely chopped
• about 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar

The ‘about’ in reference to the powdered sugar is because this depends on the consistency you’re going for. I wanted a thick, creamy icing that would pipe easily and hold its shape; but if you’re going for runnier, then add less sugar, and for a more thick icing, add more, and so forth. It’s not overly sweet, surprisingly, but that’s thanks to the lemon. It’s very rich, and goes very nicely with the airy cake.

This one’s a cupcake for friends and family who claim they aren’t dessert people. Make a batch of these and prove them wrong! :)

SPECIAL NOTE: The one complaint I had concerning these- and it was the same excat complaint every time- was regarding the texture of the cupcake around the strawberry bits, which sort of melted into the cake during baking. The cupcake became rather gooey around these parts, mostly due to the excess moisture being thrown out by the berry pieces. To combat this, try either a) drying them on a paper towel for 1-2 hours prior to baking (thanks, Jon!); or b) masserating them in sugar to ‘sweat out’ the moisture, then dry on a paper towel. It all depends on the sweetness level you would like your cupcake to have! Another alternative is to use method b but then rinse the berries thoroughly to remove the added sugar which has not been absorbed- this may reduce the sweetness by a bit.

It’s my take on red velvet, and it’s not red, but I do believe all the other necessary elements are there. Right? I mean, for a cake to be red velvet, from what I understand, it needs to:

• -be a moist, midway-density chocolate cake
• -be adorned with a thick and creamy cream cheese icing
• -be red

…two out of three! Clearly, this is a red velvet cake. So, now that we’ve discussed the formalities of the naming conventions, we can discuss the making, baking, and eating of this thing. These were a HIT. I hadn’t realized the passion Southerners have for red velvet prior to this day but, goodness, they really do love it. And the best part is that, all in all, it was fairly simple: a chocolate cake with creme brulee coffee, chocolate chips, some icing and cocoa powder and voila, you’re set. I have only one in-production picture of this one because the chocolate made it SO DARK in colour that the camera had trouble focusing on the mixture. I’d consider that to be a good thing :).

Triple Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (whole)
• 1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 & 1/4 cups organic AP flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup organic canola oil
• 1/2 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 2/3 overflowing cup Folgers Selects creme brulee coffee
• 2/3 cup cool water
• 4 large eggs (cage-free!)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt chocolate by pouring the hot coffee into a bowl containing the chocolate chips, and stir slowly until melted. Add canola oil, water, and vanilla extract; set aside.
3. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, coacoa powder) in another bowl; set aside.
4. Beat eggs lightly together for about 45 seconds, until slightly thickened. Add sugar slowly while continually beating. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix slowly but thoroughly. Then add in the flour and briskly mix together, being sure not to overmix.
5. Add in the chocolate chips (remaining, not to be melted) and mix briskly.
6. Pour into baking cups (small or large or both!) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18-20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven).

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 package Neufchatel cream cheese (reduced fat)
• 1 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons soy butter
• 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar

Process all of that together in your food processor until it reaches a thick, creamy, smooth consistency, and then place in a ‘poor man’s piping bag’ (a ziplock). Then cut a tiny corner and pipe it onto the tops of the completed cupcakes. For decoration, sprinkle on some cocoa powder.

And there you have it! A bit of a variation on your typical red velvet cupcake. Yum yum yum yum. :) Moist, chocolate-y, flavoured, and rich.

This past week (Tuesday, to be precise) marked my one-year anniversary of working at, well, the company at which I work :). It’s been a really wonderful year- I’m blessed to have some amazing coworkers (incredibly sweet, humours, caring people, and I’m surrounded by nerds, which is wonderful), many of whom have a sweet tooth. I had promised baked goods for my anniversary (my new hobby is finding excuses to bring baked goods in to work, so birthdays, anniversaries, etc) and decided to make it a cupcake extravaganza. I decided upon three (well, actually four, but unfortunately due to a rather untimely migraine I was unable to make the fourth) batches, the first of which was this one. The sister and I had sampled some new nut varieties (they’re always coming up with new coatings and flavourings for them, it seems!) and we really enjoyed these white-chocolate-covered pecans. Mmh. Clearly, it was a sign- they were meant to be mashed into brownies, right? Right. So, herein lies the secret to making your own. NOTE: my brownies do not usually rise, but for some odd reason (I blame the pecans) these did… therefore, underfill your cups (mine were a little over 3/4 of the way up and that was too much) just in case! At the worst, you can just add extra frosting. No one will mind this. Just be wary, because spilled cupcake is usually no big deal, but spilled brownie hardens. I had many coworkers resigning themselves to eating ‘extra fiber’, aka the paper wrapping. Oops. Learned my lesson!

White Chocolate Pecan Fudge Brownie Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate (chips, baker’s chocolate, you pick!)
• 1/2 cup soy butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons organic canola oil
• 3 teaspoons 2x vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (cage-free!)
• 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup (slightly heaping) AP flour (preferably organic)
• 1 cup white-chocolate covered pecans, chopped chunkily
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water (based on your texture preference)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt chocolate using a double-boiler with salt and soy butter (or, if you’re trying to cheat, go ahead and use the microwave).
3. Once smooth, take off the heat, and slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add in the vanilla and sugar and stir quickly- don’t worry about not mixing it perfectly. 
4. Add in the oil and water and stir again, then pour the flour in and mix until just combined. Lastly, add in the pecans, slowly mixing and do be careful not to overmix, this will ruin the texture of the brownies.
5. Gently pour the battle (slightly over 1/2 cup full) into brownie cups lined with papers (I did minis, you can do any size) and place in oven for approximately 15 minutes (or until firm and giving only slightly to the touch).
6. For the icing, I did the following: take half a package of betty crocker vanilla rich and creamy frosting (migraine = not enough time to make all my icings = sad), and place in the food processor. Add 1/8 tsp 2x vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp peach fondant gel colour (or none at all, or any colour), and a heaping cup of confectioner’s sugar. Mix until just combined.
7. Ice the cupcakes by piping on the frosting (once chilled), then add on fruit and coconut shavings for decoration.

These were the least popular of the three, but then again, it’s all up to choice. They were by far the sister’s favourite- which just goes to show that when it comes to cupcakes, we all have wildly different tastes! This one’s a tried-and-true happy one, easy to make, and oh so delicious.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of a good friend of mine from Seattle. As he is a self-proclaimed Cookie King and lover of baking, we planned to bake together when he came. I had the two batches of cookie dough set to go, but we wanted to make something together. I asked, and he delivered, with the suggestion of this gem from Giada’s recipe collection. Ironically, we had both seen the episode featuring it, and both had a mind to make them.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry-Mascarpone Filling

Recipe: Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes by Giada de Laurentiis

We followed the recipe quite precisely- my friend from out of town is yet another stickler for measuring (how is it I end up being friends with all the exact folk?). Our only change was to add sliced strawberries to the top (there’s a cupcakery in town named Cupprimo which does this and ever since, I refuse to make a strawberry cupcake or cake that doesn’t follow this example). The mascarpone seemed to not integrate fully into the strawberries, but yet again this may be an issue with the blender not handling non-liquids… we should have put the strawberries on the bottom, followed by the sugar, then cheese- but I was far too excited and giddy to be thinking through such logic.

The icing was fascinating- too runny for the first 15-20 seconds, and then it was a race to get the cupcakes all iced in time, before the hardening process resulted in a dry, thick paste without moisture. Incredibly easy icing to make, though- in fact, the entire recipe is quite easy. Yes, it has a number of parts to it, but as long as you have patience- and a friend or two- then you’re set. I luckily had a piping set with an injection tip handy, but if you don’t, that’s the one complication I see in completing this recipe.

I know pictures can’t convey flavour, so I feel the need to say that these little beauties are utterly delicious. I’ve never enjoyed a baked good I’ve made (or, in this case, co-made) as much as these, and they will definitely have repeat performances in the future. Cutting one open and seeing the strawberry filling is great- and knowing that the pink colour is all natural, coming only from the strawberries, is rather rewarding as well!

There are far too many pictures of these, I know. But I had far too much fun setting up the shoot area and lighting for them and too many of them turned out nicely to not put up. :)

Backpost: In December a close friend of mine (let’s call her D) was celebrating her 23rd birthday. Naturally, baking a cake was in order. My first thought was to make a red velvet cake, as it was on my culinary to-do list of things to try out. A glance at a few recipes had me coughing and running away… have you seen the amount of sugar and butter required for that icing/ Goodness, it was frightening. An alternative had to be found. Luckily, I decided upon something simpler: a vanilla cake- fragrant and moist (slightly tres-leches-esque, once the icing sunk in) with a cream cheese frosting, strawberry slivers, and pieces of Hershey’s Hugs around the side. A much healthier alternative (using olive oil in the cake in stead of butter, and greatly reducing the sugar for the icing- and no butter there, either) and much tastier one as well, it turned out a success. Sadly I was running late and thus didn’t get a chance to photograph the cake too extensively, but I did get some close-ups of the cupcakes I made with the extra batter and icing.

• I tried piping this icing on (I was hoping for some decorative edging and a chance to try out my piping set) and it was a great mess- far too liquidy! Lesson learned, make sure the consistency is thick enough at time of piping to bother with it, and if not, just spread.
• Room-temperature icing (prior to cooling) will hold fruit in place on top of a rounded surface far more effectively than I would have thought.