Some More Cupcakes

May 7, 2013 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 1 Comment

Over the weekend we had a good friend celebrating a birthday! We did several ‘birthday-themed’ things from dinners and drive-ins to drinks and cupcakes.

I’ve had a gift card to William-Sonoma’s for years now so there was FINALLY parking in the Lincoln Park location to shop at that store. My better-half is a kitchen gadget/knife junkie so he was in heaven. I love baking and realized that in my moves I misplaced/lost my standard 9X13 cake pan. I picked up one for $20 – which I thought was a great deal since the quality is much better than a cheaper glass version.

I was planning on making a cake, but then I spotted some special cupcake/cake mixes that WS makes. They literally had $25 cake mixes….. I couldn’t even think about spending that much money on a cake mix so I saw their cupcake mixes were 20% off for $10. The Dude suggested Red Velvet so we went for it.

I loved the recipe – I think I’m going to incorporate the vinegar, buttermilk, and oil into my Boxed-Cupcake Cheat recipe. It really made a difference in moisture and density.

The Cake:

Box Mix

2/3 C Buttermilk

2 Eggs

3/4 C Vegetable Oil

1 tsp White Vinegar

Frosting:

8 oz. Cream Cheese

8 Tbs Butter

1 3/4 C Confectioner Sugar

1 Tbs Vanilla Extract

The frosting was TO DIE FOR. I did sub the butter for Earth Balance. I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegan/vegetarian choices into my diet so not buying butter was a good place to start. The Dude was concerned about the amount of frosting on each cupcake and usually I agree with this less-is-more frosting ratio, but with this batch I was not going to doubt the people at WS who proportioned the recipes. People loved the cupcakes (even strangers at The Silver Palm)! The frosting to cake ratio was just on the edge of being too much so maybe next time I would scale back just a small amount. In the end the Dude abided and enjoyed a cupcake.

Plus check out the awesome ‘eyeball’ satanic theme decorating job!

Easy Filled Bundt Cake

April 17, 2012April 17, 2012 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ Leave a comment

Well it has been a MUCH calmer Tuesday here free of any deceased animal incidents. However Leopold was upset because we had to go to the vet because the little snafu yesterday reminded me he needed his kennel cough shot (thank god he had his 2 year rabies done last year!). Ever since I quit my job, he and I have been attached at the hip – he goes everywhere and I’m starting to think it might not be a bad idea to start leaving him at home from time to time. Sadly, he has a huge attitude when we’re out and about and his behavior at the vet today was beyond embarrassing. Thank goodness my vet and the wonderful vet tech are so nice. I do think his needy, aggressive, and bizarre social behavior stems from constantly being around me and not having time alone or with other dogs. Maybe I’ll take him to a dog park to socialize (even though those are SO gross – wait now I know where he gets it).

Moving on – I decided to adapt my Box Cupcake Cheat method to something that always makes me mad – bundt cakes. Only because they always stick or are dry or fall apart. Like always I followed the prep and I adjusted the bake time down about 8 minutes (the box said 38 I did 30). I also buttered that pan beyond words…. no nook or cranny was left unbuttered….. Also I decided to cut this bundt in half and do a layer of Ikea Lingon Berry preserve, basically because I found a great old NordicWare Bundt at my grandma’s and HAD to use it but wanted to do the filling still.

I also decided to make my own frosting – a big deal since I usually just go with the canned version. I found this great ‘mix-and-match’ buttercream recipe chart and since my grandma loves lemon, I’m going with that.

So I ended up adding a little bit more (4 Tablespoons) of butter to this mix because I hate the way powdered sugar tastes – and of course I had to add food coloring. I primarily did that just so no one would take a bite and be surprised it was lemon. I cut the bundt in half with a knife and used a cookie pan (without sides) to slide under the top half so I could put the coating of Lingon berry preserve on there.

I put the top back on by sliding it off the side-less cookie sheet and it was back together in one piece! Then I iced a thin coat of the frosting on the budnt to fill the gap between top and bottom – from there I put both the frosting and bundt in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a little bit (see this is why I hate homemade frosting). I finished frosting/globbing and ta-dah!

Box-Cupcake Cheat!

April 9, 2012 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 3 Comments

Let’s face it, the obsession with cupcakes has really raised the bar for anyone considering making cupcakes for a party or event. Of course there are folks like me who think the over-frosted/over-sprinkled/over-developed cupcakes are seriously lacking. I remember cupcakes from childhood to present as something ‘home-made.’ This whole bakery/cupcake maker version really peeves me, especially since it seems the cake/frosting is just not that good. Plus don’t even get me started about the $4-$8 a cupcake price factor. Now I know there are some real gems out there in the cupcake industry, but unless I am craving that specific flavor or brand I am not going to try to recreate it home. That being said, I did feel a little self conscious bringing a dozen or so ‘box-cupcakes’ to a party simply because they weren’t those cupcakes on steroids that seem to be the ‘in’ thing.

Well after playing around with the box recipe and lots of frosting brands I’ve found the best cheat. Believe me NO ONE believes they are ‘box’ and it will almost hurt to admit they are because people start begging for the recipe. Plus they are less than $8 for between 16-20 of them.

So here it goes:

Step One: Follow all the directions on the box as per ingredients – I’m sorry, but if you’re trying to add egg whites only or low-fat/cal oil – just stop – it won’t taste good no matter what. Add the full calorie/full content ingredients and just enjoy the damn thing.

Step Two: Get out your mixer/hand mixer and actually blend it like the box says. For years I was just mixing with a spatula, but that is the worst mistake, you need to use the electric mixer to get the batter light and fluffy (almost mousse looking) and you need to mix for at minimum 2-3 minutes. This may seem like a no brainer, but this is why cupcakes turn out flat and dry instead of moist and with volume. Again, if the batter is runny keep mixing! Look at that volume/rise below! Perfect!!

MOST IMPORTANT – Step Three: I fill the cupcake liners with a 1/4 C measurer and fill them approximately 3/4 of the way. You probably won’t get all the way to 24 since that amount of batter is more than the box suggests. Cook according to temperature BUT only cook the cakes for 15 MIN!!!! Of course since ovens do vary please check with a toothpick/cake tester to ensure it comes out clean. This will not only make the cakes moist from the start, but they will stay moist for days (if they last past the event).

So the cakes are done – I usually take them out of the muffin pan as soon as I won’t burn myself and wait for them to cool fully for the frosting.

That does lead us to the frosting process – Of course I LOVE frosting but those half-cup piles of frosting that are piled on-top of ‘professionally’ made cakes are obscene. Not only will it waste so much butter/sugar, but it will make everyone sugar-sick and not want to eat more of your cakes. No joke! (I have first-hand witnessed a 4 AND 38 year old take off the pile of frosting and just eat the cake.)

I really enjoy Pillsbury Brand Frosting “Creamy Supreme.” Obviously not the healthiest, but come on if you’re going to argue about natural frosting at this point either make your own or sit down. I generally use Vanilla so I can customize colors and flavors (Nutella/cinnamon flavor etc). I’ve used professional food dyes before and those can make the frosting actually taste terrible. I happened upon Betty Crocker Food Gels and they are the best and brightest in my opinion. They carry standard primary colors and then neon which are a blast. Using a gel food coloring will also add that shine that is on my cupcakes.

Of course these are not the gourmet cupcakes, but I am not a gourmet pastry chef. These are a great version of an old stand-by and whether this is the limit to your baking skills or just a substitute for last minute treats, I hope you’ll have fun and remember what baking cupcakes at home was always about – LOVE!