a week in cupcakes: july 14

sitting at breakfast

sunday morning,

with larry,

colleen, christian

and her sister, emily,

following a night out

at the brewery, a bar

and a run through the

pouring rain,

it hit me:

blair's birthday was

two days away.

yes, of course i knew that

her birthday was right around

the corner (in my family,

we pretty much start our

birthday countdown at the

six month mark).

but in light of the fact that we

didn't have a gift for her

(for a very good reason)

and in light of the fact

that i had recently

rediscovered cupcakes

and how much fun it is

to make them, i

sensed where this was

going.

after driving home,

i dropped to the floor

surrounded by a pile of

cookbooks, determined to find

a recipe before i left for work

the next morning.

but everything suddenly turned

to chocolate. blair (like me)

is not huge on chocolate and

if given the choice

would choose

vanilla.

so, i felt like

walking in with cocoa-laced items

was certainly not the way to go.

but really - everywhere:

chocolate peanut butter

chocolate caramel

chocolate buttercreams

black forest

and the list went on.

by the time i closed the

last cookbook and clicked

off the last internet page,

i had decided on one thing:

caramel frosting.

but, before i fell asleep

one hour later,

i had switched to blueberry.

blair's been on a bit of a blueberry

kick these days - out of hand,

in her cereal and recently, we all

made smoothies from them

for father's day.

i thought, what better

theme than that?

but, there were only a handful

of recipes - what i really wanted

was a blueberry buttercream -

and i was really nervous about

runny

drippy

streaky

inedible

frostings.

and the cupcake worries!

don't get me started.

but finally, after a day

of deliberating,

i realized how foolish i could

be. why freak out about finding

a cupcake recipe when there

is an entire blog dedicated

to cupcakes?

i had been sad last year when

cupcake blog closed down,

but who would have

guessed that she'd come

back a couple months

ago, to post just one recipe

for a vanilla bean cupcake

with grape cream cheese frosting?

sold.

with blueberries, of course.

as a family we've always been fans

of cream cheese frosting,

and usually the carrot cake that

comes under it (more on that later),

so this seemed perfect,

and at the very least,

stress-free.

of course until 5:30.

i had sworn up and down

that i was leaving work at 5:30

on the dot, shopping for ingredients

and running home to make them -

i was also planning to make dinner.

but as always happens when there is

a concrete plan, an unexpected meeting

popped up at about 5:25

and before i knew it i was running

to my car with a heavy bag

of groceries and then staring,

shocked at the clock in my car

reading: 7:09. i was still in the

parking lot.

i think the clock

was mocking me.

i ran in the house

yelling frantic orders at larry,

muffin pans!

cupcake liners!

flour!

butter...softened!

he stood there watching

the flurry unfold around him,

no doubt wishing he were

somewhere else.

i simmered the blueberries,

transfered them to a strainer

set over a bowl and yelled -

i'd like to say i didn't yell, but...

anyway, i yelled,

here's a fork, press out all

the juices, all of them,

every last drop.

baking is my favorite thing

to do, but often it ends up

turning me into a bit

of a crazy person and larry,

into an exhausted sous chef.

meanwhile, i sliced open

one of my precious vanilla beans,

coincidentally a gift from

colleen - one that i had been

too scared to waste on

something not worth it,

and scraped out the fragrant

specks.

with larry's help,

the thick batter was made in no

time and quickly scooped

into the lined wells.

they were in the oven fast -

so fast that maybe i forgot

to take a picture -

and i set to work making the frosting.

after whisking together

the cream cheese and butter,

i started adding in the sugar,

but stopped when it was sweet

and thick enough for me. as i

drizzled in

the blueberry syrup,

i debated whether or not to watch,

but i needn't have worried,

the frosting turned a vibrant

purple, not a weird grey

like i had feared.

i tossed it in the fridge

to firm up, pulled

the cupcakes out of the

oven and looked at the clock.

9:30.

how?

i don't know.

it had felt like we were moving

at crazy fast speeds.

but maybe if we rolled the tape

back we would watch all the

movements we remembered,

just

in slow motion.

i apologized to larry for the lack

of dinner before thinking, um,

cupcakes are not an excuse.

so while they cooled,

i finally found the chance and reason

to make this

10 minute recipe (including slicing)

that i've been

meaning to try. topped with

an egg it was a welcome,

if not harried dinner.

after, i quickly piped the frosting

onto the cakes,

having just enough to cover

them all,

set them into the carrier

and gladly,

put them in the fridge.

we showed up at the restaurant

the next night with cupcakes,

which had

survived their trip down

and suffered only in a small

softening of frosting.

i had a cake plate in my hands,

that i kept with me the

whole meal, but it turns out,

i should not have bothered.

the waitress brought out

the carrier,

with all 18 cupcakes aglow.

it was quite a site.

once all the candles were blown out

and the cakes distributed,

i held my breath, aware,

ready and waiting for

whatever possible reactions

came my way.

but they were good.

the cake, very moist and dense,

boasted a healthy vanilla flavor

and the specks of vanilla beans

to go with it. i like a cake

that doesn't crumble with the

first bite, and this one

fit the bill. the frosting

was pretty traditional,

with just a hint of blueberry

running through the

sweet cream cheese base.

when we were done,

i sent blair home with

the cupcake carrier and we

promised each other that

we would do it again,

same time, same place,

same people,

in exactly one week

for my mom's birthday.

only difference?

the cupcakes.

vanilla bean cupcakes with blueberry cream cheese frosting

adapted from cupcakeblog.com

here's how i tackled this recipe: i made the blueberry syrup first and then while it was cooling, i prepped the batter and baked the cupcakes. that way, by the time i was ready to whip together the frosting, the syrup was cool and ready for me. to frost, i used a large plain tip.

vanilla bean cupcakes

it didn't occur to me until after the cupcakes were in the oven, but i totally changed around the recipe to the way i feel most comfortable baking. all ingredients and proportions stayed the same, but i had mixed up the order. for instance, the original recipe asks you to combine the milk and vanillas, and to whisk together the dry ingredients, once the butter, sugar and eggs have already been beaten. i need to have my mise en place together, so that by the time the eggs have been mixed in, everything else is ready to go.

don't throw out the vanilla bean: bury it in your sugar for a few days, steep it in vodka for a couple months or simmer it with milk for rice pudding.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1 cup milk

2 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

heat oven to 350˚f. fill 24 muffin wells with cupcake liners. set aside.

stir vanilla extract and seeds from the vanilla bean into milk; mix to combine. set aside.

in bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

in bowl of electric mixer, beat butter 1 minute. with mixer running on medium speed, add sugar and beat 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating between each until well combined. (i used this method.)

add one-third dry ingredients to butter mixture; using spatula, fold in slightly. beat with mixer 20 seconds, or until just combined. add half milk mixture, stir slightly and beat 10 seconds, or until just combined. repeat twice, finishing with the dry ingredients.

fill wells 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full, smoothing up the tops. bake 22 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean, rotating racks after about 12-14 minutes.

let cool in pan on rack 10 minutes; transfer cupcakes to rack. let cool completely.

frost cool cupcakes using a spatula or a piping bag.

blueberry cream cheese frosting

after looking for a recipe for blueberry buttercream to no satisfaction, i realized that the frosting recipe accompanying cupcake blog's vanilla bean cupcakes would be perfect to play with. hers was a grape cream cheese frosting, but i had had my heart set on blueberry for too long (a whole day!) to deviate. plus - it's blueberry season (which makes it all the weirder that i used frozen blueberries. but for some reason, it just made sense). and now that i've tasted the fresh ones that i bought, i'm glad i went with frozen this time around. the frosting is bright purple, with just a hint of berry flavor.

8 ounces frozen blueberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup butter), at room temperature

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

in small saucepot combine blueberries, sugar and a splash of water. bring blueberries to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, mashing ocassionally with the back of a fork, until the mixture is very juicy and slightly syrupy. immediately transfer blueberry mixture to small strainer set over a bowl. press with with back of fork or potato masher to release all liquid possible (make sure to scrape the outside bottom of the strainer, too). let cool. (note: i had just about 3 tablespoons, which is exactly what i wanted so i just added it all in. if this gives you more than 3 tablespoons, use your judgement. or add a little more sugar, below, to accomodate.)

in bowl of electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy and completely combined (make sure to scrape bottom of bowl with spatula to ensure that all the butter and cream cheese have been incorporated with each other). sift confectioners' sugar in, folding to combine, then beating after each cup until the mixture reaches a good spreading consistency. add blueberry syrup; beat on medium speed until completely incorporated. adjust sugar if necessary. chill 30 minutes before using to frost cupcakes.

a week in cupcakes: july 11

growing up,

july was always a big birthday

month for our family.

from the 14th to the 21st,

we had three birthdays:

first blair's,

with my dad's in the middle

and my mom's finishing

up the week.

our house was birthday central:

weathered deflated balloons

mixed with cheery new ones,

cards on every counter

and

the fridge crammed with

three types of cake.

it hasn't changed -

we're still celebrating

birthday upon

birthday,

regardless of the fact

that we're all adults

and now, the cakes

and cards are spread out

amongst several houses.

and, we've all added more people

with july birthdays into the mix.

my friend, colleen

(birthday: july 2nd)

had a big

birthday earlier in the month

and celebrated a week later

with a party at a local brewery

(party: july 11).

colleen and her husband, christian,

live in pennsylvania,

and we're in new jersey -

they were nice enough to let

us stay with them.

that, combined with the

fact that it was a birthday

(and i love any reason for

celebration),

confirmed that i had to

bake for the ocassion.

my fallback,

always seems to be cookies -

and i was heading there,

until i saw a recipe in

smitten kitchen's archives,

for cupcakes,

clearly reminiscent of college:

chocolate whisky

and beer cupcakes.

i don't know why i wanted to

make them.

yes, colleen and i met in college.

but, i was never a big drinker. never.

i nursed a beer or two all night

long, often staring at the clock

(i later learned that i was the only

one in my group of friends who actually

knew there was a clock in the bar)

until it was time to go home.

the two times in my life

that i actually drank an irish carbomb,

the drink that these cupcakes were based on,

i will blame on complete coercion.

after four years of saying no

to most shots,

to schlitz and slide,

to waking up to boone's and bagels,

i think i was tired of watching everyone else

have fun and also,

slightly sentimental enough about

the impending ending of college

to think that this would give me

an added memory.

and so, at senior week in dewey beach, delaware,

after months of prodding,

i agreed to drink:

1/2 pint of guinness with

a shot glass of

bailey's and jameson dropped in.

everyone swore to me

that it tasted like a milkshake,

and gave the very clear warning:

you actually have to shoot this.

if you drink it slow, it will curdle.

so i did. it wasn't terrible.

my next and last one,

was one week

later, the night before

graduation, at the tally ho,

the bar we spent a minimum

of two nights in each week.

that was enough for me.

yet, these cupcakes seemed perfect

for a birthday.

the grown-up version of

a drink we all spent a lot of time

talking about, if not actually

drinking. and - we were headed

for a brewery that night.

it was perfect.

when i e-mailed larry asking

him if we had:

guinness

jameson

bailey's

at home, i thought for sure

he would know what i was making.

but, he didn't. i was very excited.

i felt like it was the ultimate suprise dessert.

yes. i need to get out more.

the cupcake recipe was

very different than most cake

recipes i make: the butter

is melted and mixed with

cocoa powder, the eggs are blended

with sour cream and the sugar

is actually combined with

the flour.

but, it was a very easy (if not

admittedly, messy - you have to

dirty a bunch of bowls and

saucepans) and before i knew it,

the cupcakes were baking.

there was only one mistake

while baking, and it was totally

my fault. in spite of knowing better,

i opted to trust the muffin liner

package. it said that i could place

the liners on a baking pan,

fill them and bake them.

except for one really oozy

cupcake, it wasn't so terrible,

but it did make it hard to fit

them into the cupcake carrier

the next day.

the ganache.

i had spent a full day deciding

whether or not i should fill

them with ganache

as indicated in the recipe,

or use the ganache as a glaze.

i loved the idea of filling them,

but i just had a weird feeling

that for me, it wouldn't go well.

when the cupcakes were cool,

i made the executive decision

to add a little more heavy cream

to the chocolate and to dunk

the cupcakes in the mixture to coat.

the frosting, would be

for decoration.

you know how sometimes, right

before you start to do something

you know it will not go well?

well, i was sure that the glazing

would be a bust and i would

ruin the whole lot of them.

luckily, save for one unlucky

cupcake that slipped out of

my hands and fell in foil-first,

i was wrong.

the glazing was a great idea,

so easy and so pretty.

the frosting.

it came together,

well too, but i again suffered

from the fact that i am not

especially good at cake decorating.

i spent 6 weeks of culinary school

listening to a pastry chef tell me to:

put my pastry bag tip at

a different angle,

stop pulling away and creating points,

start leveling off the spatula to avoid swoops.

yet, i still thought that i could make

them pretty. unfortunately, i think

i succeeded in making a pretty sophisticated

confection (cake plus ganache glaze),

look like a fourth grader's art project.

i tried several designs, kicking myself

every time it didn't look so great,

before finally deciding upon

a frantic back and forth frosting

square in the middle of the cupcake.

i thought they looked ridiculous.

but, in the 24 hours between

making them and giving them,

i grew rather fond of the frenetic design.

bottom line:

these were cupcakes modeled after

a bar favorite and truth be told,

it probably didn't matter what they

looked like. plus, i think they

were rather delicious. while

i'm not a huge fan of chocolate -

i'd always choose vanilla if given

the choice -

i think these were one of the best

cakes i've tasted in a long time.

rich and so moist, with just

a slight, is-there-beer-in-here?

aftertaste.

the glaze was thick

and a great addition

to the yummy cake.

and the frosting was, i thought,

very sweet. but in small doses,

it brought everything together.

i was worried that they wouldn't

come together well,

that it was risky to bake something

new not only because it was

for something special,

but because it was for someone

who has quite a lot of baking

expertise under her belt.

i worried that they would melt

and wilt on the long car ride

into philadelphia and that

they would be even gloopier

by the time they got into

colleen's kitchen.

but i needn't have worried.

they survived the ride.

colleen and christian each

had one unwrapped before

we even had our overnight

bags upstairs. and my favorite

part? colleen's mom ate one, too.

it was the perfect start to what i didn't

know was to become,

a cupcake marathon.

stout cupcakes with whisky glaze and irish buttercream

adapted from smittenkitchen.com

chocolate stout cupcakes

larry and i split the last cupcake three days after i had made them and the cake was still very moist - i was impressed. i actually think - that as long as i'm not making them for someone who cannot have alcohol - these could turn into my chocolate cupcake standby.

1 cup stout, like guinness

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cups sour cream

arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven. heat oven to 350˚f. line cupcake wells with cupcake liners (i was able to make 21 cupcakes from the batter, but you could have up to 24, i think).

in small heavy saucepot over medium heat, bring stout and butter to a simmer. remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until mixture is smooth; set aside.

in mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

in bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream on medium speed 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until completely blended. carefully (mixture is still hot and dark and chocolatey), add stout mixture to eggs; use spatula to gently combine (this keeps the mixture from splattering). on low speed, beat just until combined. add flour mixture; use spatula to fold the two mixtures together; on low speed beat until just combined.

at this point, i think it's easiest if you can transfer the batter to a large measuring cup, or something with a spout for pouring. fill cupcake liners 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. bake 16-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. (it's best to rotate the pans midway through baking - top to bottom and front to back.)

let cakes cool 10 minutes in pan; transfer cupcakes to rack to cool completely.

when ready to glaze: dip cupcakes, cake side-down, into glaze, rotating to cover completely. gently turn upright, letting excess drip off. place on cooling rack. if the cupcake is not completely covered, use a spoon to carefully drip over uncovered areas of the cake. let sit 20 minutes, or until glaze has firmed up.

when ready to frost: place frosting in large resealable bag. snip small edge from corner (about 1/4-1/3-inch). pipe designs on cupcakes.

chocolate whisky ganache glaze

i debated whether or not to halve the recipe below. i didn't, but i had figured that using it as a glaze, i would need much less. i was right - i had so much ganache left over, that i ended up chilling it to make truffles. so, it's halved below. if you're worried that it won't be enough, or if you're ok with leftovers, double it. also, if you don't want to use whisky, you can leave it out or replace it with a splash of vanilla extract.

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chips or bar, chopped)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whisky

place chocolate in bowl. in small saucepot, bring heavy cream to a simmer; pour over chocolate. let sit 2 minutes; whisk together until smooth. stir in butter and whisky.

irish cream buttercream

again, i halved the original recipe because, when used as a decoration or garnish, you don't need nearly as much frosting. i had a ton left over when i used the full recipe. if however, you'd rather use this mixture to frost the entire cupcake, double all ingredients below. oh, and if you don't like irish cream or would rather not use alcohol, smitten kitchen recommends milk or heavy cream.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (or more)

2 tablespoons irish cream (or more to taste)

in bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until completely softened. slowly add confectioners' sugar a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture is thick (if it seems a little too thick, remember that the liquid is coming to smooth the mixture out). add irish cream; beat to combine.