Cupcake pincushions...who knew?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Recipe of the Week - Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
Week 26
My visit to Mexico last weekend inspired the recipe for this week. I had the most amazing dessert and it wasn't even a cupcake! The dessert was a plate filled with Mexican wedding cookies and a cup of melted chocolate. On the side was a small bowl of whipped cream floating in rum....the combination of all these flavors was unbelievable.
If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta stop by Joe Jack's Fish Shack located at 212 Basilio Badillo and order this dessert. You will not be disappointed!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard cupcake pans with liners, or coat with non-stick cooking spray. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, until blended.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and gradually add to the sugar mixture, until the mixture begins to come together. Very slowly, add the boiling water, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Fill the liners 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
4 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
Chocolate curls for garnishing cupcakes
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir the sugar to aerate it. Add the butter, vanilla, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon milk, and beat on high speed until the frosting is spreading consistency. If the frosting is stiff, add a few more drops of milk, beating after each addition. Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with chocolate curls.
My visit to Mexico last weekend inspired the recipe for this week. I had the most amazing dessert and it wasn't even a cupcake! The dessert was a plate filled with Mexican wedding cookies and a cup of melted chocolate. On the side was a small bowl of whipped cream floating in rum....the combination of all these flavors was unbelievable.
If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta stop by Joe Jack's Fish Shack located at 212 Basilio Badillo and order this dessert. You will not be disappointed!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard cupcake pans with liners, or coat with non-stick cooking spray. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, until blended.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and gradually add to the sugar mixture, until the mixture begins to come together. Very slowly, add the boiling water, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Fill the liners 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
4 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
Chocolate curls for garnishing cupcakes
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir the sugar to aerate it. Add the butter, vanilla, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon milk, and beat on high speed until the frosting is spreading consistency. If the frosting is stiff, add a few more drops of milk, beating after each addition. Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with chocolate curls.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Carpe Cupcakes! meets the Julie/Julia Project
What does this post have to do with the cupcake universe? Not much about cupcakes specifically, but a whole lot about blogging.
I watched Julie & Julia last night and really liked the movie but was bothered at the end that no explanation was given for why Julia Child did not like Julie's blog. Carpe Cupcakes! recently received a very negative comment so I can relate to Julie's being crushed that her idol didn't like her blog. I believe in posting all comments - positive and negative - but it still stings when a reader expresses dislike for what you are doing. In the spirit of blogging, I decided to try and find out more about Julie Powell, Julia Child, and The Julie/Julia Project.
The Wikipedia definition of a personal blog is described as "an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual and is the most common type of blog. Personal bloggers take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art."
My career as an ER nurse was beginning its 30th year when I started Carpe Cupcakes! My goal was to add something to the growing community of those who are passionate about cupcakes. This blog chronicles my adventures with all things cupcake and my baking and decorating of cupcakes, which I do most often as a hobby and infrequently as a wedding cupcake business. Julie Powell started her blog project because she felt her life had become boring and she wanted something meaningful to do. Julia Child started cooking because she had moved to Paris with her husband and wanted something meaningful to do.
What is my point? Blogs are individual journals filled with personal opinions and comments and may or may not contain facts. You may or may not like what you read. When I finished watching Julie & Julia I felt Julia Child's negative response to Julie's blog was unfair. The movie portrayed Julie and her blog as a sweet attempt to cook through Julia Child's cookbook masterpiece Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I spent this many hours reading Julie's blog and I now see Julia Child's point. Julie's blog is filled with language that many would find offensive and she did not exactly follow the recipes. Julie was probably not as respectful to the passion of learning French cooking as Julia would have wanted. But...it is Julie's blog and it is her conversation about how she chose to cook her way through the recipes in her idol's cookbook.
This blog is only six months old and I am still learning a lot about blogging...on the job training of sorts. It contains my opinions and observations and I do not expect everyone to agree with what I have to say...especially about cream cheese frosting. But I do thank all of you for joining me on this cupcake journey.
Bon Appetit!
I watched Julie & Julia last night and really liked the movie but was bothered at the end that no explanation was given for why Julia Child did not like Julie's blog. Carpe Cupcakes! recently received a very negative comment so I can relate to Julie's being crushed that her idol didn't like her blog. I believe in posting all comments - positive and negative - but it still stings when a reader expresses dislike for what you are doing. In the spirit of blogging, I decided to try and find out more about Julie Powell, Julia Child, and The Julie/Julia Project.
The Wikipedia definition of a personal blog is described as "an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual and is the most common type of blog. Personal bloggers take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art."
My career as an ER nurse was beginning its 30th year when I started Carpe Cupcakes! My goal was to add something to the growing community of those who are passionate about cupcakes. This blog chronicles my adventures with all things cupcake and my baking and decorating of cupcakes, which I do most often as a hobby and infrequently as a wedding cupcake business. Julie Powell started her blog project because she felt her life had become boring and she wanted something meaningful to do. Julia Child started cooking because she had moved to Paris with her husband and wanted something meaningful to do.
What is my point? Blogs are individual journals filled with personal opinions and comments and may or may not contain facts. You may or may not like what you read. When I finished watching Julie & Julia I felt Julia Child's negative response to Julie's blog was unfair. The movie portrayed Julie and her blog as a sweet attempt to cook through Julia Child's cookbook masterpiece Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I spent this many hours reading Julie's blog and I now see Julia Child's point. Julie's blog is filled with language that many would find offensive and she did not exactly follow the recipes. Julie was probably not as respectful to the passion of learning French cooking as Julia would have wanted. But...it is Julie's blog and it is her conversation about how she chose to cook her way through the recipes in her idol's cookbook.
This blog is only six months old and I am still learning a lot about blogging...on the job training of sorts. It contains my opinions and observations and I do not expect everyone to agree with what I have to say...especially about cream cheese frosting. But I do thank all of you for joining me on this cupcake journey.
Bon Appetit!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Neff Cupcake Beanie
I wanted a crocheted cupcake hat to wear snowboarding and I have finally found the perfect one (OK - I know it is knitted). The Neff Cupcake Beanie is available in three delicious flavors...chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Puerto Vallarta Cupcakes
I was in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) last weekend and tried to find cupcakes for sale. There were delicious pastries on every corner, but these were the only cupcakes I could find. The Mega supermarket chain had these for $5.50 pesos each.
Not to worry....$5.50 pesos is only $0.43 USD.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Epiphany (the Twelfth Day of Christmas)
Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th. The twelve days of Christmas end with the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. It is known as the day of the Three Kings (wise men/magi) - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. On the night Christ was born, these three kings saw a bright star, followed it to Bethlehem and presented Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain;
Gold I bring to crown Him again.
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Celebrating the Christmas Star
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
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