Island Escape

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♫ Put the lime in the coconut... ♫

Well actually, in this case, a mango. These mini cupcakes are bursting with coconut flavor in both the cake and fluffy frosting. I tried filling them with a mango mousse, but I didn't squeeze enough into the center for that component to stand out. Nonetheless, these are certainly tasty.

Okay, okay. The pineapple is only slightly random in these pictures. There is absolutely no pineapple in these cupcakes. I picked up this pineapple last week, but I guess I don't know how to select good fruit because my mother joked around that I have a fantastic eye for picking out the most unripe fruit out of the bunch. LOL. I grabbed the biggest one! It is almost ripe! Anyway, coconut just reminds me of the tropics and so does pineapple. I was going for a theme for these pictures. 

These pictures also came out with a very cool hue. I tried altering the white balance on the camera menu, but none of my pictures came out as bright or warm as I had intended. I hate cloudy days! All the cupcakes have already been eaten too, so there is no way to take more pictures!
The cake recipe I tried was delicious. Because it is made out of egg whites though, you risk over baking mini cupcakes. Once they spring back, take them out of the oven! The batch I baked until golden were quite dry unfortunately. I used Flour Bakery's recipe, but it is similar to Martha Stewart's recipe you can find online here.

Baking With The Sis: Neapolitan Cupcakes

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My sister is on her Spring break, so she is back in town! Mid April is an odd time to schedule break though, but I guess that's the way dental school rolls. None of my sisters' spring breaks coincided with mine. Sad.

When my sisters were younger, my dad used to buy neapolitan ice cream for them to eat. I however only remember him buying french vanilla ice cream. What made it special was sprinkling Rice Krispies on top to get that crunchy texture along with the silky smooth ice cream. Is that a weird combination? I just know it's one of my more vivid memories of my childhood. Of course what I remember the best deals with food. 

I have attempted to bake with my sister several times in the past. Yet, each project has gone terribly wrong. We made chocolate cookies that came out of the oven deformed, mangled, crunchy, and just bad. They looked like amoebas. We tried making buttercream together. Who knows what went wrong there. The frosting was curdled and lumpy. Today we made cupcakes and aside from this batch, they puffed up, sunk, and spread into amoebas in the cupcake tins. Come to think of it, whenever we need to refer to one of these baking endeavors, we just need to say one word: amoeba.

I must give her credit for the piping of the frosting on these cupcakes though. She did a fine job. She was able to utilize my brand new french piping tip. It is so pretty!

Below is the recipe for the buttercream frosting that literally tastes like strawberry ice cream. I ended up mashing the frozen strawberries with a fork instead of whipping out the food processor so that there were bright red speckles throughout. The cake itself is half chocolate cake, which you can find the recipe here, and the magnolia vanilla cake, which you can find a reference to here. I normally hate confectioner's sugar frostings because I find them grainy. However, I find that you just need to beat the frosting for a very long time so that it gets smoother, fluffier, and creamier. Enjoy!

Whipped Strawberry Frosting
From Sweetapolita
INGREDIENTS

• 3 sticks + 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons strawberry puree, made from frozen strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat the butter on medium speed of a mixer until pale and fluffy. Roughly 8 minutes.
2. Turn down the speed to low and dump in the rest of the ingredients except for the strawberry puree. Beat for one minute, and then increase the speed to medium again for 6 minutes so that the frosting becomes very light and fluffy.
3. Add in the strawberry puree and beat to thoroughly combine. Use immediately. 

Cute Critter Cupcakes

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Spring is officially here! It's been inexplicably warm lately. Scratch that, sweltering. Both Thursday and Friday emulated the heat of summer. Imagine two straight hours of class at high noon sitting under the beating sun... in jeans! Sweat fest much. Where are the drizzles of rain, the light breezes, the crisp air?

The panda freaks me out a bit... My mom though it was cute though!

On the bright side it is Spring break, which means plenty of time to relax, study a bit, and catch up with old friends. Of course I'm going to bake like a maniac. I'm thinking strawberries and cream scones tomorrow morning. Peaches and cream? We'll just see what flavor I am craving when I wake up.

This is NOT the cupcake recipe below, but the first recipe I tried had an interesting method of crumbling butter into the flour to make a sandy mixture. Unfortunately these cupcakes collapsed:(

I am obsessed with the Draw Something app for the iPod touch/iPhone. It is the new Words with Friends and it has swept the nation it seems. I think what makes it so entertaining is the fact that you can watch the process of the person drawing the word. My sister had to draw the word "pregnant". At first it looked like an alien parasite in someone's belly, and then it looked like a spider hugging a person. That sense of satisfaction when the epiphany strikes you makes the game worth while. It's worth it even if you get stuck staring at the screen, rotating the iPod because you think if you look at it from another angle the amoeba looking doodle will start to resemble something. HAHA. 

These cupcakes took forever. Surprisingly not as long as the cupcakes from my cupcake wars battle earlier this month. I bought gel food coloring and that made the colors very vivid without altering the texture of the buttercream one bit. Using fondant or modeling chocolate probably would have been the easier route to make the facial features, but unfortunately I had neither on hand. I just stood in the kitchen for two hours smoothing out the buttercream. It was well worth it. The little chuckle my dad gives me as he walks by my baking projects is the seal of approval of mission adorable/cute accomplished.

Pretty pink tissue paper flower I made

Try out the recipe below! The little chickadee would be perfect for Easter, the puppy for a birthday party, and well the panda is just random quite honestly. The cupcakes were absolutely delicious. One of the best yellow cake recipes I've made. Use any vanilla buttercream you desire, but I do recommend using one that does NOT crust, unless you are a lightning fast froster/decorator. The ears are simply sliced marshmallow pieces frosted in the buttercream. Enjoy!

Classic Yellow Cake

From The Smitten Kitchen

Yields 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 240 grams cake flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 200 grams sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
2. On medium speed of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla. It will look very curdled at this point.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time. 
4. Mix in the flour on low speed in three parts. Be careful not to over mix. Spoon into cupcake liners until 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Pseudo Cupcake Wars

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As a food fanatic, I love to watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. The fear of the cupcakes baking and cooling before that dreaded timer ticks down to zero gets my adrenaline going. Will she swirl on the frosting in time? Will she sprinkle on the garnish before time is out? Will that third cupcake make it onto the plate? There is as much action on that show as there is on a football game. Okay, I am pushing it, but Cupcake Wars is one entertaining creation of cable t.v.

This "episode" of Cupcake Wars entails the following:

The theme: cupcakes mom and dad would like to eat (LOL, that was my sister's genius right there)

The competitor: my sister (Hi buddy!)

The prize: grounds for gloating and tasty cupcakes to consume (You're going to be annihilated.)

I do have one griping complaint about the show. No I lie, two. First off, I despise how they are so concerned about the extremity of elaborate decorations. I would rather have mouth watering, tasty, and scrumptious cupcakes than glammed out pastries that taste mediocre at best. If cupcakes were baked to be admired and not eaten, let's just make cake batters out of sand and dirt. Second, I get enraged when that one French judge criticizes contestants who make red velvet cupcakes because he has a deep-rooted grudge against red velvet. Let's not completely eliminate a contestant because they made a southern classic.

The region I reside in is known for its wacky weather. This is exemplified by this afternoon's walk to my car after school. I only have to walk two blocks. In those two blocks, those 3 minutes, I encountered a plethora of climates. The sunshine was beating down as I exited the school. Crossing the street the sky suddenly darkened. Seconds later I was walking against a sudden gust of wind and snow. By the time I reached my car, the sun emerged again from the... blizzard? Snowstorm? Mother nature's temper tantrum? I am still in dismay. 

I've been catching up on watching the Big Bang Theory, and I simply have died and then been resurrected by the humor that is Sheldon Cooper. My favorite moments are when he is in the ball-pit trying to make carbon molecules by meticulously sorting the "carbon atoms" and then Leonard who catches him in the act, has to jump in to take him out. Sheldon then plays catch me if you can, popping up to the surface sporadically shouting, "Bazinga!" Or when Sheldon thinks his appendix is about to burst, and he wakes Leonard up in the middle of the night panicking and moaning hilariously. Turns out he just needed to fart! 

Now I present to you my cupcakes for the Cupcake Wars. If I were on the show, my decorations, or lack there of, have already rendered me a failure. They taste good and that's all that matters. You can go far with one massive batch of buttercream and two batters. I need to start handing out these cupcakes to my friends and neighbors before I start spiraling into a sugar coma. I only posted the buttercream variations because you can use any chocolate or vanilla cake recipe you want. Enjoy!

A vanilla buttermilk cupcake speckled with blueberries, lemon blueberry swiss meringue buttercream, topped with a fresh blueberry

A vanilla buttermilk cupcake with mango bits, peach swiss meringue buttercream, topped with a sort of random sprig of mint and a sliver of dried mango 

A chocolate buttermilk cupcake, coffee swiss meringue buttercream, drizzled with ganache

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yields 3-4 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 113 grams egg whites
• 200 grams sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt. Place over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Whisk continuously until the mixture reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take of the heat, and using a mixer on medium high speed, beat until stiff peaks have formed and the bowl is cool to the touch. 
3. Add in the butter several cubes at a time until it is all incorporated. If curdled, just keep beating and a smooth, glossy buttercream will form. Divide the batch into thirds to proceed with the variations below.

Coffee

• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon water

• Dissolve the coffee in the water. Beat into the buttercream. 

Lemon Blueberry 

BLUEBERRY PUREE

• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon water

1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, cook over medium heat until the berries burst and a syrup has formed. Strain through a sieve and allow to cool.

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

• Beat in all the ingredients plus the puree into the buttercream. 

Peach 

• 3 tablespoons peach jam

• Beat in the ingredients into the buttercream. 

Chai in the Summer Time

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YUM.

BEST Chocolate Cupcakes!

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BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE EVER!!!!

Of course these cupcakes were made using my only trusted chocolate cake recipe. This recipe is just perfection in my eyes. The crumb is tender, the cake is moist and fluffy, and the overall flavor is chocolatey but not enough to overwhelm the buttery buttercream on top.

If you really want to know how good these cupcakes were just go ahead and make them, but if that's not enough advice to coax you into trying it out I can tell you my sister devoured half of the entire batch.

Yes, half.

May I remind you that we're all trying to lose weight in time for my cousin's wedding later this month. Apparently the goal to fit into our dresses without sucking in our stomachs and extreme tugging at the zipper was pushed aside in favor of stuffing our faces with cake. Or maybe I should say stuffing her face with cake. The combination of the white chocolate buttercream and chocolate cake was a big winner. Simple flavors are truly profound.

Not much more I can say about these pint sized pillows of heaven. Good cupcake. Good frosting. Nothing can really beat that pairing.

Enjoy!

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Allrecipes

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter,  softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon baking cocoa
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.
2. In another large mixing bowl sift to combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. Alternately add the flour and sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended.
4. Pour batter into the cupcake liners and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Yields  4 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 14 tablespoons (256 g) unsalted butter, softened slightly and sliced
• 1/3 cup white chocolate, melted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

1)      Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. A candy thermometer should read roughly 160°F.

2)      Pour egg whites into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp and glossy peaks have formed.

3)      On a medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next.

4)      Once the buttercream has reached the ideal consistency, add the melted and cooled white chocolate carefully. Once the buttercream has been whipped, store in an air tight container until ready to be piped onto the cupcakes. 

Creamsicle Cupcakes on Accident

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First off, frosting just hates me. I've never been able to make the luscious topping in one go. Every time I end up dumping this thin sugary concoction into the trash because something just has to go wrong. This time I tried making a simple confectioner's sugar and butter frosting in attempts to make a mango buttercream. FAIL. I wasted the liquid gold, the mango purée, after trying to incorporate it into the butter and sugar. Maybe I added too much, but without the amount I introduced it just tasted like butter. In the end it was a curdled mess even after 20 minutes of constant beating. Into the trash can it went.

I had no mango left and so I had to scratch that flavor off my list. Instead I had some lovely oranges I bought last week and well they seemed promising. Look at how juicy it is!

So I started to make a cooked frosting that seemed simple enough and boy was it worth it. The frosting was creamy and tart and apparently tasted like a creamsicle according to my family. Now the sad part... I had no clue what they were talking about. I've only had one of these childhood staples once in my life, which was recently when I revealed to my eldest sister I was deprived of them. Heck. I didn't know what a creamsicle was. I mean what kind of name is that!?

The cupcake was pretty delicious too. I've been on the quest to find that perfect vanilla cupcake recipe because some just fall flat in my opinion *cough* Magnolia's *cough*.  They always seem to turn out dense and flavorless. How much vanilla extract do I need to add!? Then a thought came to me, Remember those Betty Crocker box cake mixes? I recall a little icon saying there was pudding added and so I took the initiative and added instant jell-o pudding to my batter. The result... DELICIOUS. I have no other adjective in my vocabulary to describe something that tasted good. It was concentrated vanilla in a cupcake. It was also moist but not to the point where it falls apart because it's so delicate. Yeah, that's happened to me too.

Now since this was a basically an experiment I shall give you guys the recipe that I can devise after sifting through my thought process when making these cupcakes. Please remember that I can't really remember. Lol. Uhhhh. Okay. I add ingredients according to how it tastes. A dash more salt. A splash more vanilla. Whatever seems to be missing I throw it in. I will continue to modify this vanilla cupcake to fit my tastes. Someday it will become the golden.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcake

Loosely adapted from smittenkitchen

Yields 6 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pudding and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add egg, beating well and scraping down the bow to incorporate well.
3. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined Add flour mixture in three batches, being careful not to over mix.
4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Orange Buttercream

Loosely adapted from Magnolia

Yields enough to frost 6 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small sauce pan reduce the orange juice until thick over medium heat. Then add the  milk, flour and orange zest, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick. About 10 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl beat the butter for a few minutes. Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Do not worry, it should look grainy.
3. Add in the cooked milk mixture and beat until frosting becomes significantly lighter in color.
4. Add in the orange and vanilla extract. At this point you can also add more sugar and beat until dissolved if you prefer a sweeter frosting. Use immediately!

HELLO!

Pin It Welcome to Rummy Tum-Tum! Catchy isn't it? Well, it's actually derived from a hilarious line from a Target commercial I stumbled upon this past winter. Don't we all recall that crazy (that might be an understatement, so deranged perhaps) Target lady who trains for the after Christmas sale by literally becoming a shopping Olympian? Just watch the clip below to understand.

Anyway, through this blog I intend to share my passion for baking and hopefully inspire some to embark on that treacherous journey to the kitchen. I am certainly no pastry chef, but the satisfaction I attain from popping a batch of cookies into the oven is certainly an incentive to bake. My inspiration? Hmmm, now that I contemplate it I don't really know what ignited my start with baking. I can tell you though that it was kicked into hyper-drive when both of my sisters left for college and I was left alone with my parents. I had to find some way to fill in the void or else I probably would have gone insane from boredom. I'm actually surprised my family isn't obese yet considering the volume of baked goods that are produced.

I also warn you I am quite the experimenter. Baking is supposed to be fun and simple so by mingling around with the ingredients I have on hand I'm able to keep it that way. That's pretty much the excuse I've concocted that can explain and justify why going to the store to buy the proper ingredients is so strenuous and problematic for someone like myself. It seems like a hassle when I don't want to change out of my toothpaste stained pajamas or drive those daunting five blocks. I'm just that lazy.

Hopefully I can update every week with pictures. I will post whatever I bake so check often! I'll probably throw in some random bits about my personal life too when I either feel like ranting or something so interesting occurs that I feel compelled to write about it to the internet. With each new post there'll be more insight and something new to learn about me. This blog is in addition another means for me to procrastinate on studying and other things that I could be completing in a timely matter.
Just a reminder, I bake in small quantities, so my measurements may look odd. I usually make only one dozen or half a dozen of something. It's just the way I roll. Just relax and enjoy the pictures and recipes...