London Day 2: Harrod's Cupcakes & Jack the Ripper

Yesterday's passport drama is behind me so on to the cupcakes!  We went to Harrod's this morning and I have to say it was quite overwhelming plus it really is no fun shopping when there is little chance you can actually purchase anything. Well, you can purchase things but you must be prepared to pay...and pay...and pay. 

The Food Hall at Harrod's is worth the trip, even if you don't venture anywhere else in the store. Any type of food you can think of is there (and some I had never thought of).  Amazing!  I bought vegetable samosas with mango chutney and then picked out four mini cupcakes for $3 each. Since it is highly frowned upon to eat your purchases inside the store, we took our munchies outside and sat with the pigeons.  (message for Kristi...absolutely NO picnicking at Harrod's!)

We ended our evening with a Jack the Ripper tour that started at Tower Hill and ended near the Liverpool tube station.  We were starving after all that murder & mayhem so we found a pub and had fish & chips.  We drank shandies (a combination of beer & lemonade) and even though I do not drink beer, I must say that I could have drunk a pitcher of those!

Cupcake box from Harrod's

red velvet, coconut, lemon & chocolate minis

eating outside with the pigeons

cupcake carnage

Party Cupcakes

Took some minis to a party tonight....they were deelish!

Experimenting with Minis

My friend Shelly went to Mexico a few weeks ago and brought me some fresh vanilla beans. What else could I do but experiment with vanilla mini cupcakes?  I made the cupcakes and some vanilla and chocolate buttercream frosting. I had some decorations left over from a Sprinkles cupcake mix I bought at Williams-Sonoma last fall....instant minis!

Vanilla minis with vanilla buttercream

My version of the black & white cookie

Black & White minis

Recipe of the Week - Mini Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes

Sour cream pound cake is a go-to dessert on the southern table.  My mom has a great recipe, but this recipe absolutely will not work at 7000 feet (where I live).  The results are quite sad...a sunken cake that resembles a meteor crater.  I wasted quite a few ingredients and a lot of money trying to adapt the recipe to high altitude.  But I finally gave up and came up with the ultimate plan...when I want or need her pound cake I just call her and she overnights me a cake.  Perfect cake every time and I don't have to clean the kitchen!

This recipe comes from Southern Living magazine. 

fabienne & co via Flickr

Mini Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter - softened
4 oz. package cream cheese - softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare mini cupcake pans with liners.  Cream butter and cream cheese for 3-5 minutes. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda & salt. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until blended. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake pans.

Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes - check frequently after 10 minutes.  Cool completely & frost with desired buttercream.


Variation:  Fresh Citrus Cupcakes


Prepare cupcakes as directed, omitting vanilla and adding 1 Tablespoon orange zest and 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice to batter. Frost with Orange Buttercream.

Cupcake Kabobs

For quite some time I have been wanting to make cupcake kabobs and today I finally took the plunge.  The strawberries really helped to stabilize the cupcakes, some of which wanted to slide down the skewer.  I tried a smaller 6" skewer at first but the cupcakes kept sliding down the stick.  I found the way to prevent sliding on the smaller skewer is to soften candy melts and pipe a small dot below each cupcake.  Let it harden for a few minutes.  It takes a little extra time but this will keep your cupcakes in place.  The strawberries were very stable on the stick - not sure how a raspberry would work.  Overall, my first cupcake kabob experience was a good one!

Recipe of the Week - Lemon Blossoms

Week 28

This is my absolute favorite Paula Deen recipe - Lemon Blossoms.  Mini cupcakes so lemon-y they will make your mouth pucker.  Make a double batch because they will disappear fast!

Lemon Blossoms

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil   (at 7000 ft. I decrease the oil to 1/2 cup)

Glaze:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature cupcake tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth - about 2 minutes. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix until smooth.

Using your fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Autumn Cupcakes

Labor Day has come and gone and fall is just around the corner. Time for some autumn cupcake inspiration....pumpkin, spice, cinnamon, gingerbread, hazelnut, carrot, applesauce.

So many flavors, so little time!

A platter of mini pumpkin spice cupcakes

Carrot cupcakes with gum paste leaf cut-outs

Applesauce cupcakes with autumn sprinkles