Please Pass The Cupcakes

My memories of Thanksgiving don't match up with current reality. In my childhood, Thanksgiving was a wonderful time when we brought out the very best of everything. The linen, china, and candles made the dining table a glittering, shimmering tableau of beauty. The heavenly smells wafting from the kitchen had us all drooling with anticipation for the coming feast. My mother sternly warned us not to snack, but black olives were always pilfered from the cut glass bowl in which they resided. When the perfectly browned turkey was carried out and set on the table, and the plates were loaded up with slices of meat, great globs of mashed potatoes and stuffing, over which rivers of gravy were poured,  it was torturous to sit patiently through the grace. 


My current reality is that I spend 3 days baking and then collapse at the table while everyone eats. Is it just a lot more fun and special when someone else does all the work? In a word, yes. I know this to be true because this year we had two Thanksgiving dinners. (My, that does sound porky, doesn't it?)


The first dinner was an early Thanksgiving feast that we put on as a send-off for my son who's on his way to boot camp (he joined the Naval reserves). He and his wife came over to break bird with us and give thanks for our blessings. While I didn't go all out (no pies, to everyone's disappointment), it was still essentially a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. 

For our second dinner, we were invited to my daughter's house. She and her husband did all the work, cleaning, baking and prepping for two days ahead of time, then serving us a beautiful meal. All we brought was wine and gravy. That was much more like it! So, apparently, the key to a happy, relaxed meal is to have someone else fix it for you. 


The only downside to eating at someone else's house is the lack of leftovers when you get home. Normally I hate leftovers clogging up my refrigerator, but Thanksgiving leftovers are as much a part of Thanksgiving as the main meal is. How can you properly watch a football game without a turkey-cranberry sandwich or a plate of turkey and stuffing, with extra gravy? Can it be done? 


More importantly to me, what do you eat for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving if there is no leftover pumpkin pie? Pumpkin pie has squash, milk, and eggs, so what part of that doesn't say healthy breakfast to you? But if the leftover pie is languishing in someone else's kitchen, you either have to suck it up and have oatmeal, or bake your own pie. Or cupcakes.


Yes, I said cupcakes. These beauties are even healthier than pie because there's no crust. They're just delicious pumpkin pie taste in cupcake form. So there's no fussing to get straight edges when you cut a piece of pie (you pie nibblers out there know what I'm talking about!), just single-serving goodness, ready to go. Plus without having to make a crust (my pie downfall), they're a snap to make. I'd say, "easy as pie," but they're easier!


Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
  - adapted from Baking Bites

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 pie puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract 
3/4 cup half and half or evaporated milk 
Whipped cream (for topping)

1 - Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the cups of a mini muffin tin with paper liners. (You can't skip the liners, or you won't be able to get the cupcakes out neatly.)

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 half and half until well combined. Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.

4- Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. They won't really rise.

5- Bake for 11-14 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.
Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 24, possibly a few more.

Party Paranoia

For the most part I am a fairly rational person. I can look at situations and think through the possible outcomes, arriving at conclusions supported by data, probability, and experience. There are, however, a few cases that defy logic. Heights, spiders, and birthday parties.

We recently visited Hoover Dam. Did you know that thing is freaking tall? And that above it they've built a brand new bridge that spans the gorge? And that unwary fools can walk out onto that bridge, cluelessly taking pictures, seemingly unaware of the perils posed by the combination of strong, gusting winds and extremely high bridge? I suppose they just think logically that, hey, if it was dangerous, people wouldn't be allowed to walk out there, right? Or that since thousands of people have done it before without dying, the odds are that they'll survive. I know all these things, and yet I just can't get my brain beyond, "high, windy, slipping, falling, plummeting to certain, splatting death below."

It's the same with spiders. I've been through the exhibit at the zoo, designed to soothe the arachniphobe with informational plaques about the harmless, beneficial spiders, placed right next to the case containing the "HOLY COW! There's no glass on this case! That huge, hairy spider could jump right out and land on my face!! What kind of place is this, putting innocent kids at risk?!! Someone give me a shoe so I can smash that thing!!" My husband had to escort me out and put a paper bag to my face so I wouldn't hyperventilate and pass out. (If I had, I'm sure the spiders would have rushed out and dragged my body away to be wrapped in the spider equivalent of Tupperware to be sucked dry at a more convenient time.)

Perhaps you're wondering why birthday parties might fall into the same category as heights and spiders. Let me clarify - it's not all birthday parties that reduce me to a quivering wreck, huddled in a corner, rocking and sobbing. Just the birthday parties that I have to put on for my children.

My first two children were born in the same month and it ruined that month for me. I dreaded having to put on their parties and the dread swallowed up the whole month in a cloud of worry, guilt, and dread. (Yes, I know I've said dread 3 times, but I really, really dreaded those parties.)

First of all, there was the question of theme. What would be fun? What would be different? What wouldn't break the bank? And what would make all the kids happy? I've done basket weaving, tie-dyeing, card making, nail decorating, American Girl doll, and several piñatas. There's been playland, beach, pool, and backyard parties. I've done theme cakes till I see Pixar toys in frosting in my dreams.

Through all my years as a party planner, I've learned that the key to happiness is low expectations. I no longer do huge shindigs. We alternate friend party years with family party years. And I strive for the lowest stress possible. For my youngest son's birthday we invited friends to come to the pool. I brought cupcakes and watermelon slices. They swam, opened presents, and ate cupcakes. Ahh, the sweet smell of another birthday party over!

I ended up making three different kinds of cupcakes. I wanted to make minion cupcakes, not because they fit so naturally with a pool party theme, but because they're cute. So I made Twinkies, doubling the recipe, and making cupcakes with the rest of the batter. Then I made strawberry cupcakes, because I had strawberries in the fridge that needed to be used up. Then I made chocolate gluten-free, egg-free cupcakes for a guest with special dietary requirements. After all, what fun is it to go to a party and not be able to eat cake?

Today you get the strawberry cupcakes and next time I'll give you the chocolate speciality recipe. So you'll be doubly prepared next time you're called on to throw a party. Do not fear, they're easy to make and even with lousy decorating skills like mine, you can still wow the crowd.


Strawberry Minion Cupcakes
- adapted from Sky High, Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

1/4 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2-3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup milk

1 batch of Twinkies (preferably homemade)
1 batch of your favorite buttercream frosting
Smarties - yellow and white ones
Edible food pen
Thin black licorice ropes, or black gel paste food coloring

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line cupcake pans with 18 cupcake liners.

2- Place strawberries in a food processor or blender. Process till no lumps remain. Measure out 3/4 cup puree and set the rest (if there is any) aside for smoothies or pouring over ice cream or french toast.

3- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter. When it's fluffy, add the strawberry puree.

5- Add the dry ingredients and blend until light and fluffy (the batter will be very thick).

6- In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites and milk to combine. Add the whites in three parts to the batter, mixing only until incorporated after each addition.

7- Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

8- Let cupcakes cool in the pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

9- To assemble the minions, cut the Twinkies in half. With the edible food marker, draw around the outside of 1/2 the Smarties and color in a circle for the eyeball. Then glue together pairs of Smarties with frosting. When the frosting has dried and the goggles are stable, use frosting to glue the goggles to the Twinkie halves. If you like, for some of the minions, use a single goggle, instead of a pair.

10- If you have the licorice, cut small lengths to use as goggle holders, smiles, and hair spikes. I didn't have licorice (my husband can tell you precisely how many stores in a 5 mile radius of my house don't carry it), so I used an ample amount of black food coloring gel with a small portion of the frosting to do the smiles and goggle straps. We had to make do with bald minions.

11- Frost the cupcakes and plant the minions into the frosting.

CCCakes with CCFro

A lot of popular culture I just don't get. What is the fascination with people who have no discernible talents or attributes other than a willingness to take off their clothing, get arrested, or do bizarre things on television? I stand in line at the checkout counter puzzled and amused at the celebritrash on the magazine covers and their latest rounds of rehab, divorce, and plastic surgeries.

And why does the gossip media insist on doing a weird abbreviation of people's names so that Kevin Federline is now KFed and Rob Pattinson is RPatts? If that's the way it's done, I think I'll call Lady Gaga LGag.

Would I be CBLynn? I doubt I'll ever be famous, or infamous, enough to be abbreviated. That's OK. The weight of celebrity would chafe on me. I'd be too concerned about how I look in paparazzi photos to enjoy things like carrot cupcakes and cream cheese frosting. And those are definitely things worth enjoying. Especially when the recipe is from the celebrity jailbird cupcake queen herself, MStew.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

1 pound carrots, peeled and finely grated
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 lb (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1- Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Line standard muffin tins with 24 paper liners.

2-In a large bowl, whisk together carrots, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

3- Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, rotating tins halfway though, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean.

4- Place tins on wire racks to cool 10 minutes, then turn out the cupcakes onto the racks and let them cool completely. (At this point, the cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in an airtight container.)

5-To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (If not using immediately frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.)

6- Use a small offset spatula to spread a mound of frosting on each cupcake. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cute As A Cherry

Cherries are the hands-down winners in the cutest fruit contest. Strawberries are nice, kiwis have a special appeal, and oranges are colorful, but I'm drawn like a magnet to anything with cherries printed on it. Aprons, kitchen towels, dresses, handbags - anything with cherries on it is just about irresistible. Something about the bright red color, the cheerful off-round shape, and the jaunty stem just makes them darling.

Another cute thing that's hard to resist is tiny food. Petit fours, itty bitty cookies, tiny tarts, brownie bites, and miniature cupcakes.

Now if you combine cherries with mini cupcakes what do you get? Serious cuteness. And deliciousness. When I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart's Cupcake cookbook, I had to make them for the cuteness factor alone. Bonus that they are moist, almondy, and have the surprise of a whole cherry in the middle.



These are perfect for a tea party, a picnic, or just a mid-afternoon indulgence. Small, sweet, and oh so cute - how can you resist? Just be sure to warn guests that there's a pit in the middle so they don't break a tooth. Of course, you could pit the cherries, but I think it's more fun to leave them in. There's a certain amount of cute in having to spit the pit from a cupcake, too.


Tiny Cherry and Almond Tea Cakes
- adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

makes about 24-30 mini cupcakes

1-1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 oz almond meal OR 1 cup unblanched almonds
1 cup sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
5 large egg whites
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp kirsch (cherry brandy)
30 sweet (Bing) cherries, stems intact

1- Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Brush mini muffin tins with butter and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

2- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the heat and skim off the foam from the top. Set aside.

3- Place the almond meal in a large bowl. (If using whole almonds, process them in a food processor till finely ground, then transfer them to the bowl.) Whisk in the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add egg whites and whisk until smooth. Stir in the kirsch. Pour in the browned butter, leaving any burned sediment behind, and whisk to combine. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes.

4- Fill each prepared cup with 1 Tbsp batter. Push a cherry into the batter of each cup, stem standing up. Dip the back of a small spoon into the remaining batter and smooth the batter over the top of each cherry to cover it.

5- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted near the cherries comes out clean. Cool the tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges to loosen and turn out the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Cakes can be stored overnight at room temperature in airtight containers.

Pumpkin's Last Hurrah

It's been a very pumpkiny fall for me. I've tried some new pumpkin recipes and baked several old favorites. But I see the end is in sight. My pumpkin binge is waning and the peppermint season is coming on. As a final send off for pumpkin, I would like to share with you the cupcakes I made to use up the leftover maple cream cheese frosting from this cake. They were moist and delicious, perfect thrones for the maple cream cheese topping.

Goodby fall. It's been wonderful. We've shared so much - especially pumpkin. I hope to see you again....in about 9 months.

Pumpkin and Maple Cupcakes
- adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
makes 15

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the tins
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the tins
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1- Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour and tap out the excess.

2- In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium-olow heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns golden brown. Skim foam off the top and pour the butter into a bowl to stop the cooking. Leave any burned sediment in the pan. Let the butter cool.

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

4- In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs and browned butter. Add the flour mixture and whisk just until combined.

5- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared tins, filling each three-quarters full. Bake about 20 minutes, rotating the tins halfway through baking. Check for doneness with a cake tester inserted near the center - when it comes out clean, they're done.

6- Transfer the tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

7- Spread the frosting over each cupcake and, if desired, dust with decorative sprinkles.

Buzzin' Along

It may seem strange that I live in the heart of Starbucksland but I don't drink coffee. I'm a tea gal. I never got into coffee. As a child, it was a grown-up's beverage, harsh and bitter. I associated it with cigarette smoke and bad breath.

I know a lot of people start drinking coffee in high school when the late hours of studying combined with the early hours of school make for very groggy students. That was when I discovered tea and began my lifelong romance with Mr. Lipton.

The few hold-outs to the lure of coffee usually succumb in college. The frenetic pace of college life combined with the intensity of finals can make the stoutest of coffee-shunners turn to the urn for the promise of a few extra hours of study time. College was when I caved.

My first quarter of college I took Chem 101. I'd never taken a chemistry class before and I was totally out at sea. The basic, cursory review material given in the first week was all new to me, and since they assumed that everyone had a firm foundation of elementary terms like "mole," they quickly moved on. I was left in the dust wondering, "A mole? What's a mole? Burrowing earth creature? What does that have to do with chemistry?"



Come finals time I decided I needed to buckle down and learn chemistry (Yes, you read that correctly. I decided to learn the subject in the last week of the quarter. Ah, delusional freshman!). The night before the final I was up late, randomly highlighting things in the textbook, thinking somehow this was an aid to memory. Frantic for more cramming time, I got a big cup coffee and put enough sugar in it so that I could choke it down. After swallowing the magic elixir I awaited the increased focus and concentration that I knew would come. What came instead was a feeling like I'd swallowed a swarm of mosquitos - BZZZZZZZZZZZ. Concentration? Learning? Comprehension? Forget it. So I decided to throw in the towel and get some sleep. Ah, again, forget it.

You can imagine how well I did on my final. It was a disaster. And I blame coffee for failing to magically come through for me.

So why on earth would I tell the nice people at POM Wonderful that I'd like to try their line of Iced Coffees? Well, I like getting stuff in the mail. Plus, I know a lot of people who love coffee and I thought it would be fun to let them do some taste testing. Also, in the years since college I've discovered that while I don't like coffee plain, if you mix it into something like coffee ice cream, it becomes amazing.

Thinking about putting coffee into things gave me a brilliant idea. This was a seriously brilliant idea, not brilliant as in "learn chemistry in a week", but brilliant as in put the POM Iced Coffee into mocha cupcakes. I adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes using the Iced Coffee in place of brewed espresso, which worked out well, since I have no capability to make espresso (or even coffee) in my kitchen. And how did it work? Beautifully! The cupcakes were moist, delicate, and wonderfully mocha-flavored. I iced with a mocha icing, added a chocolate-covered espresso bean on top, and they were heavenly. I may be a genius. Just don't ask me any chemistry questions.


Healthy Buzz Mocha Cupcakes
- adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

2-1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
3/4 cup POMx Chocolate Iced Coffee, at room temperature
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
Mocha Cream Cheese Icing (below)
Chocolate-covered espresso beans for garnish

1- Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F. with racks dividing the oven into thirds. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (a total of 24).

2- In a small bowl sift together the cake flour and the cocoa. Set aside.

3- Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer. On medium-high speed, cream the butter until smooth and light. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly.

4- Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each addition. Mix together the POMx Iced Coffee and the espresso powder; add to batter, and beat until smooth.

5- Divide the batter evenly between the 24 lined cups, filling each three-quardters full. Bake about 22 minutes, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored unfrosted up to 3 days at room temperature or frozen up to 2 months in airtight containers.

Mocha Cream Cheese Icing

1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar (more or less, to consistency)
1 Tbsp baking cocoa

1- Combine espresso powder and vanilla in small bowl.

2- Beat cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in the cocoa, and espresso- vanilla mixture until well blended. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. As you beat it it will hold beater tracks, but then relax as soon as you stop beating.

* Visit the POM Iced Coffee site to learn all the healthy reasons for making these cupcakes and why they don't taste like pomegranate. Also, the sheep buzzed up on caffeine are very entertaining.

Hard Earned Cupcakes

As a baker, an important part of my schedule is working out. That way I can still fit through the kitchen door. I prefer to do video workouts at home. I know some people like going to a gym, but it works best for me to workout at home for several reasons:

1- I don't have to be embarrassed about how I look. The workout style bar is set pretty low in my family room - ratty t-shirts and shorts are just fine.

2- I don't have to drive anywhere. I could say this was about saving the planet, but it's really that I hate taking the time to drive to the gym when I can just walk downstairs and work out.

3- I can talk back to the instructors. Which I do. I moan and complain, whine and gripe, and let the instructor know what I think of her "just 4 more."

There is a workout which I'm quite fond of. Although the workout is tough, the instructor is darling, so I don't give her much of a hard time. But there is a point in the video where, after a particularly grueling part, she says, "You deserve this stretch! But not the cake." Every single time. Do I never deserve the cake?


When I checked out a new cookbook from the library, I fell in love with these darling cupcakes. Such pretty pink frosting - how could I resist? So I made them. I may not deserve the cake, but I'm pretty sure I deserve the cupcakes.

Dainty Cupcakes
- adapted from Deep Dark Chocolate by Sarah Perry & Jane Zwinger

1/3 cup premium unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp premium unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder*
1-1/2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 cup very hot water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

(* - The unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder gives the cupcakes a darker, richer color. If you don't have it, you can omit it.)

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

2- In a small bowl combine the unsweetened cocoa powder, the unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, and the espresso powder. Add the hot water and stir till well blended. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

3- In another small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar on low speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the whole egg and the egg yolk, one at a time, until fully blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla.

5- Stir in the coffee-cocoa mixture again and add it to the butter mixture in 3 increments, alternating with the dry ingredients. Stir just until blended and smooth. Scrape down the bowl again. Divide the batter equally between the cups, filling each on 3/4 full.

6- Bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out just clean, 18- 22 minutes. Do not overbake or your cupcakes will be dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Dainty Pink Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Scant 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Red food coloring
Sparkly white sugar

1- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are not too soft, or the frosting will be too soft. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and almond extract on low speed. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add two drops of red food coloring and blend it in. To finish, increase the mixer speed to medium-high for 30 seconds.

2- Using a pastry bag and a large tip, top each cupcake with a generous amount of frosting. Sprinkle the sparkly sugar across the top of each cupcake. Serve at room temperature.

So Many Choices

See's Candies opened their first shop in 1929 in Los Angeles, California. My mother-in-law grew up in Los Angeles and one of her favorite places to go was the See's candy shop. She said the smell of chocolate wafted from it for miles around and it was heavenly. Her earliest memories of going to See's was for Easter treats. Mainly she and her siblings got jelly beans and such in their Easter baskets, but her parents took them to See's to pick out one nice piece of Easter candy, usually a chocolate covered marshmallow egg, for their baskets.

To this day, See's is still my mother-in-law's favorite chocolate and a treat for our family, too. When a nice person from See's wrote and asked if I'd like a box of chocolates to play with and blog about, it was a no-brainer to say yes. The only part that required brain cells was what I'd do with the chocolates when they came (besides eat them, I mean). Should I chop them up and stir them into brownies or add them to cookie dough? Maybe slice them and sandwich them between cookies? (Or just eat them. No, must restrain myself!)



When the chocolates arrived and I opened the box, I decided they were too pretty to chop up and hide. So I used them to garnish devil's food cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting (after sneaking just one from the box- mmm). I liked the idea of serving them at a party, so guests could pick their favorite chocolate and get a cupcake, too!



I must say that I had a lot of help with this project. I mean a lot. It seemed like everyone was eager to be a helper when there was an open box of chocolates nearby. And after I was done taking pictures, I had a lot of offers to help with the clean up. Lick the bowl? Check. Lick the spatula? Check. Help eat the chocolates? Check, check, check.

Thanks, See's for the fun treat! But, dear reader, don't be pouty that you're only looking at delicious chocolates, not eating them. I get to give away a $25 gift certificate to See's! If you'd like to win, leave a comment with your favorite treat from See's (or that you've never tried See's candies). I'll draw the winner over the weekend and announce it next Monday. And if you post a link for the contest on Facebook, MySpace, or on your blog, you can come back and leave a comment telling me about it for an extra entry.

Chocolate Box Cupcakes
- adapted from More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey

These are really good cupcakes. Light, yet moist, and very chocolatey.

2 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter; softened
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line three 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2- Sift together the flour, cocoas, baking soda and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.

3- In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until it's smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4- Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and the vanilla. After each addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, filling them about 3/4 full.

5- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Rotate the pans top to bottom halfway through the baking time.

6- Cool in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting
- also from More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey

This is my new favorite frosting. It's smooth, creamy, not too sweet, without the harsh edge that powdered sugar can impart to a frosting. It's a bit persnickety to make, but totally worth it for the creamy, dreamy taste and texture. I'm going to use it as filling next time I make Twinkies!

6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1- In a medium saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, press waxed paper directly on the surface, and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 minutes, until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well.

3- Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat at medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes exactly (set a timer). Use immediately.

I had leftover frosting and put it in the refrigerator. I set up like a brick. It softens again at room temperature, but I haven't figured out yet if the creamy quality can be regained by beating it again.

Crunch Time & Munch Time

A question that my daughter and I frequently get asked, especially from people who read this blog, is "Why do you not weigh 300 pounds?" (It's always 300 pounds. Is that a magic number?) Well, for one thing I try not to hork down all the food I make and am always on the lookout for friends and neighbors to share with. For another thing, we exercise. A lot. We're kind of workout junkies.

We are addicted to the FIRM workouts (pre-2000) and buy anything that has Tracie Long or Susan Harris in it. 5 to 6 days a week we cajole, boss, and encourage each other to put on our workout clothes and go lift weights, stretch and sweat. It feels good in a strange, painful kind of way.

While we workout my 6 year old sits on the couch and practices for his future career as a personal trainer. He'll point out if I'm doing the wrong leg and gets truly distressed if I'm holding my weights at my side if the ladies on the tape have theirs on their shoulders.

When we're all done, he gets his reward for being such a helper. We watch a segment of Everyday Baking. He loves "the baker guy" (John Barricelli) and as John measures out his ingredients my son says, "Do we have that, Mommy? Let's make this!" With such a winsome request, how could I resist?

We made carrot cake cupcakes. They have carrots, so they're pretty much health food. Plus, I just burned all those calories working out, so I can feel positively righteous eating one of these moist, delicious cupcakes. Eating 3 or 5 is another matter, though.

Perhaps some day Sarah and I will get to Charleston, South Carolina to work out at Tracie's health club, V. But in the meantime, if anyone can score me a copy of Tracie's Yorktown workout, I'll trade you a cookbook for it!

Carrot Cupackes
- adapted from Everyday Baking

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2-In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside.

3-In another large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir in carrots. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture mixing until well combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

4-Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5-To make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar together till creamy. Add the vanilla and orange zest, beating till smooth and creamy. Using a knife or small offset spatula, swirl the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

Slacker Cupcakes

"Grown up" is such an interesting concept. We hope and expect that somehow the days ticking over like numbers on the odometer magically confer on us wisdom, maturity, and self-restraint. But age and maturity don't necessarily go hand in hand.

My sister and I have sons the same age and one day when we were commiserating over our boys' childish ways and wondering whether or not they'd ever grow up, I came up with a list of characteristics that I thought are essential elements of maturity.

1) Impulse Control - Resisting the temptation to do something at the moment the idea occurs, just because it seems like a good idea.

2) Delayed Gratification - Realizing that "wanting" and "deserving" are two different things, and that sometimes you have to put off pleasure until work happens first.

3) Goal Setting - Planning long term for a desired outcome and breaking that outcome into achievable steps.

4) Initiative - The ability to see something that needs doing, and doing it without being asked.



When I saw this post by Peabody, I was smitten by her pictures and swooned over her description of the cake. I wanted it. Now. But I knew I had other things which were on my baking list, and I had no reason to bake cupcakes, and if I made them I'd just eat them, which wouldn't help my waistline at all.

The following day in the grocery store I saw strawberries. They jumped into my cart. I couldn't help it. They practically shouted out, "If you buy us, you can make Peabody's cake!" I'm surprised the other shoppers didn't turn around and stare.

I know I could have frozen the strawberries and used them later at a better time when I had an excuse for making cupcakes or when I fit into my jeans better. But I didn't. I baked the cupcakes, frosted them, and ate them (with some help from my family).

So viewed with an eye toward maturity, I'd say I'm a failure. No self-control, delayed gratification, or goal setting. At least not where cupcakes are concerned. But, I must say, I did take the initiative on baking those cupcakes. Points for that?

I guess I'll just go slouch off to the couch and watch Better Off Dead
again. Should I eat sugared cereal straight from the box? Nah, I've got some leftover frosting, so I could make more cupcakes....




~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to leave a comment here if you'd like to enter to win a free copy of Confetti Cakes for Kids. You have till Nov. 1st.

Lemon Delight

Until just a couple of years ago I'd never tried lemon curd. It was the name. Curd. It sounds like curdled. As in gone bad and chunky, something you pour down the drain, holding your nose as it glop-glops into the sink.

My first taste of the stuff was at a fancy, schmancy tea. I'd paid $14 for this tea and wasn't going to let a single morsel go untasted, name or not. My first bite of a scone dabbed with lemon curd and I saw the error of my ways. It was fabulous! Nothing moldy, rancid or undesirable about it. Except the name. So I renamed it - Lemon Delight.


The other day at Trader Joe's a jar of lemon delight caught my eye and then boldly jumped into my cart. Then in my kitchen it glanced meaningfully at a boxed white cake mix my 5 year old son had brought up from the pantry. (Yes, I keep some on hand, but don't tell. I'll never admit it!) I've been neglecting my baking lately because there's so much wedding prep to do. Plus I'm supposed to be cleaning up the kitchen, not making more messes.



Then the jar of lemon delight gently reminded me that part of cleaning is clearing out the fridge of stuff that needs to go. Like that carton of whipping cream. Hmmmm.

I made the cupcakes then dug divots out of the top when they were cooled. I drizzled lemon delight inside, and replaced the plugs, pressing down just a bit to force the lemon delight into the cake. I whipped up the cream (1 cuppish?) then folded in lemon delight and used that to frost the cupcakes. Because the mix made 24 cupcakes I quickly took many of them to neighbors and the ones left didn't linger for long. They were quite delectable.

If you want to try these, you can make your lemon delight and white cake from scratch, you can find plenty of recipes on the internet. And if you want to make it my way, I won't tell. Either way, share and enjoy.



This will be my last post till after the wedding. Too much to do! Hopefully I'll have two brain cells to rub together afterwards and can post some pics of the big day.

Spring Flutterbys

The first formal dance I went to in high school was a spring dance. I had no idea what I was supposed to wear, other than a formal. I had a long, navy blue velveteen dress that was quite elegant. But it had only straps and I thought that would be a tad chilly, so I put a shiny turtleneck on underneath. Boy, did I feel like the odd one out at the dance. All the other girls were wearing frothy confections in pastel colors. (If you've seen Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, you know what I'm talking about.) Everyone else looked like a spring garden, and I looked like the winter carpet, rolled up to go to the cleaner's.

Bad fashion memories aside, I think spring is the happiest season of the year. The drudgery of dreary winter is buried under a carpet of cherry blossoms, dainty flowers lift their cheerful heads to the sun, and the promise of warm summer is in the breeze.

My daughter needed a dessert to take to a meeting and in thumbing through my copy of Nigella Express I came across these adorable cupcakes. They are quick and delightfully simple to make and will lift the heart of any recipient with the thrill of seeing the first butterfly of spring. I made a double batch so I'd have even more joy to spread around. And if you want to cut corners and use a boxed cake mix, I won't tell!



Butterfly Cupcakes
- adapted from Nigella Express

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp soft butter
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup heavy cream
food coloring of your choice
colored sugar crystals

1- Preheat the oven to 400 deg. F. If making a single batch, place a rack in the center of the oven. If making a double batch, position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. (Two, if doubling the recipe.)

2- Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy.

3- Add the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour, beating after each addition.

4- Fold in the rest of the flour, the baking powder and baking soda. Gently fold in the vanilla and the milk.

5- Spoon the batter into the paper liners, dividing equally.

6- Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cupcakes are cooked and golden on top. Take the cupcakes in the paper liners out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

7 - Once they're cool, cut off the mounded peak (if one has formed), digging down a little with your knife. This will leave a small hole you'll fill with cream. If the cupcakes haven't peaked, just cut a slightly wider circle, digging in as you do so. Cut the removed top into half to form the butterfly wings.

8- Whip the cream until thick, coloring with food coloring if you wish, and place about 2 tsp of cream in the hole of each cupcake. Stick the wings into the cream, rounded edges together. Sprinkle the colored sugar down the middle to form a butterfly body.

Serve soon after making or store in the refrigerator.

Buried Treasure cupcakes

As a child I had a super sweet tooth. I loved candy, especially chocolate, and all my allowance went to the corner grocery store for candy. I'd stop on my way home from school and get a 3 Musketeers bar to nibble while I read. Hence, my favorite books from childhood all bear chocolate smudges on the page corners. Two of my favorite things together, books and chocolate - bliss!

My father, on the other hand, had a salty tooth. Potato chips were his idea of a treat. My mother loved sweets, too, but was on a perpetual diet, usually something nasty involving grapfruit and soft-boiled eggs. Urp. So it was pretty much in self-defense that I started baking. If no one was going to bring treats into the house, by gosh, I'd make them!

I loved making cakes because cakes involved frosting, a seperate and important food group. I still love cakes - for celebrations, a layer cake, for picnics a 9 x 13 pan cake, but for pure kid fun, nothing beats cupcakes.

My daughter needed a treat to take to her group of high school girls she leads so I had a great excuse to pull my 4 year old baking buddy into the kitchen. If you're a baking purist, this will make you ill, but he loves baking a boxed cake mix. We had fun with him breaking the eggs and helping hold the mixer. Then I wanted to dress up the cupcakes a little, turn up the fun meter a notch. I had some mini Reese's peanut butter cups sitting in a drawer, so together we unwrapped them and placed one in each cupcake. Actually, I placed and he submerged, but they all worked out the same. You bite into it and encounter a sunken Reese's in the middle. Then, to echo the Reese's theme I hid a layer of peanut butter under the chocolate frosting. Delicious!

If you are anti-boxed mix, certainly you can make this with your favorite chocolate cake recipe and it would be even better!

Buried Treasure Cupcakes

1 chocolate boxed cake mix
Creamy peanut butter
24 Reese's mini peanut butter cups
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with 24 cupcake papers. Make cake batter according to directions.

Fill each cupacake paper about halfway full, place a mini peanut butter cup on each cupcake. Then gently cover with the remaining batter. Place in the oven and bake 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

When the cupcakes are cool, place a thin coating of peanut butter on each cupcake, stopping short of the edges. Then frost generously with the chocolate frosting all the way to the edges.

To Make the Frosting:

Place the chocolate in a microwaveable dish. Heat on high power in 30 second bursts, stirring between intervals. Stop microwaving when chocolate looks glossy and begins to loose it's shape. Stir till smooth. Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using either a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in the corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating wile gradually adding the chocolate. Beat until smooth.

I let my chocolate cool a little too long and ended up with flecks of chocolate throughout the frosting. I like it that way, though. It's pretty and makes it more interesting.