Fantasy cupcakes v7.0

One-bowl chocolate cupcakes with rainbow buttercream

Cuspcake rating: 3.5

These looked much better in my head than they did in real life. Tried the one-bowl choc cupcakes recipe from Martha Stewart as I've read favourable reviews of them several times, and am still in search of a go-to chocolate cupcake recipe.

This one was easy, chocolatey and moist (it uses oil instead of butter) and was light and tasty – definitely a go-to in-a-hurry recipe. The batter was liquid too, which made filling the cups especially easy.

The rainbow buttercream was too soft, as my buttercream is wont to be, partly I think the new brand of butter I bought. The painting-the-inside-of-the-piping-bag method was fun though (although my hands were stained with food colouring for several days after!). Used animal biscuits to cover up the ugly piped cream (and uneven colours) but it was too soggy so they wouldn't stay up straight. Also wasn't able to get the chocolate teddy grahams I'd wanted, which I think would've been alot cuter than these plain zoo ones.

These were nice, and will use them in future for sure, especially in a pinch. They're crowdpleasers, but lack a certain something-something, will continue to look for the perfect choc cuppies...

Peanut buttercup cakes

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling and peanut butter cream cheese frosting

Cuspcake rating: 4.5

Probably the longest title in the short history of my cupcaking. Nope, couldn't keep away from cupcaking this weekend after all. This recipe was from Good Housekeeping, by the way of one blog and another. I've realised that sometimes after bloggers change up a recipe, which is then changed up by someone else and so on – whether in the name of improvement or avoiding copyright infringement suits, who knows – isn't it as likely that the recipe will be worsened by all this as improved?

Anyhow, I tried to go back to the source for this one. I have a perpetual craving for Reese's peanut buttercups, which I can't get here, and was hoping these'd be better than the real thing. I mean, it's cake, right?

The peanut butter didn't shape up into balls at all, so i ended up dropping teaspoonfuls of it into the first layer of cake batter. Was left with not enough batter to cover the last two cuppies (bad conversion or over-enthusiastic heaping of heaped tablespoons?) so swirled them around and hoped for the best.

Seems like everytime I use my muffin pan I reach the same conclusion. Again, will I never learn? Once in a while it seems like it'd be nice to have pretty patterned cupcake papers, and not need to space souffle cups out, or guess at quantities (since everything's written for regular muffin tin sized cuppies), so I dutifully pull my muffin tin out, and end up with oddly lop-sided cuppies, with scrunched-up paper cups (why do mine seem too big for the tin somehow?), am desperately unable to rotate the tin, or to even remove it properly from the oven, almost drop a few and swear never to use it again.

Yet.

They looked lovely up till 15 minutes into baking (isn't that always the case?) and then started developing the cracked, rounded tops I always seem to turn out. Never beautifully rounded either. They just never look like they do in the books. Or do they just not, ever? Well in any case, I'm hoping its the oven and not me, as I've tried everything and the only common factor seems to be, well, the oven.

Will take them to work tomorrow, haven't brought any in for more than a month now. Would rather bake for appreciative kids than weight-watching adults, really. Report back then.

Update: Took them to my cousin's wedding instead, and the relatives were glad for them (several were peckish between the ceremony and the dinner). The cream went down particularly well, even a non-peanut-butter eater liked it. The cupcakes are best at room temp, when they have a nice, fine crumb and rich flavour, possibly a good choc cupcake recipe on its own? A winner! Next time I won't do them in the muffin tin, and I'll make sure the centres are properly buried, and I won't overfill the cups.

Fantasy cupcakes v6.0

Yellow butter cupcakes with chocolate-egg white buttercream

Cuspcake rating: 3

Was most delighted to get my hands on Rose Levy Berenbaum's new book (when am I not delighted to get my hands on any new book?), and keen to try some recipes. Picked the first Baby Cake recipe, Yellow Butter Cupcakes, as I love butter cake and haven't done one yet, and well, it was first in a very short list of recipes.

Was very interested to try her reverse method of mixing batter, and while I was doing it, was really excited about it, as it seems to be far less mess (none of that creaming, and less splashing), and resulted in a lovely batter which tasted fantastic off the spoon. She also bakes at a slightly lower temp and a lower rack position than all the other recipes I've tried.

Believe I followed the recipe to the best of my attention, but somehow the cakes turned out each with crooked tops, which appeared to be caused by a large air bubble trying to get out of the cooked top of each cuppie. And then the cake batter under that hole seemed undercooked. Not sure what I did wrong, was rather disappointed, but the cakes still tasted great.

Opted for the chocolate-egg white buttercream, to offset the vanilla cake. It was easier to do than the recipe sounds, and the texture of the buttercream was perfect. A bit rich, perhaps because my dark chocolate was too dark, but still yummy. Finger-licking good, even in my overheated, frosting-averse state.

Topped them off with marshmallows, which looked comically huge on the tiny cuppies, but I thought would do well to cut the richness of the chocolate, and my little cupcake loves marshmallows. :)

Fantasy cupcakes v5.0

Dad's brownie cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Cuspcake rating: 2

Finally got around to trying dad's brownie recipe as a cupcake, only I used part self-raising flour, and, well, let's just say it works better as a brownie recipe! It was too sweet, and rose too much then sank. Also created that crusty top that works on brownies, but not in little portions, somehow. Back to the search for the perfect chocolate cuppie then!

As for the vanilla buttercream, used the Primrose Bakery one again, but managed to botch it up. Really must stop trying to skip steps. Seems ridiculous to botch up a recipe I've used before. It tasted good, but was runny, and if you looked closely, looked like it was separating. I made up for it with extra gumpaste flowers and star sprinkles.

Nonetheless, I was rewarded for my sub-par efforts by the sight and sounds of my favourite 5-year-old licking and yumming her way through her cuppie :) Kids. Gotta love 'em. And I guess it proves the theory right that kids like anything sweet, soft and damp.

Fantasy cupcakes v4.0

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Cuspcake rating: 5

My weekly baking for the kids, and after tossing ideas around in my mind all week (caramel cupcakes? malted cupcakes?) I hit on the perfect idea – red velvet cuppies. They were my first – and worst – attempt (see entry #1, and my misunderstanding of butter measurements), and I think it's about time after about 20 different recipes that I try them again, isn't it?

Have collected quite a number of red velvet recipes to date – from chowhound, cupcakeblog, various books – but decided to try the repressedpastrychef one, since it looked easy and I don't have shortening.

The batter didn't taste too great off the spoon, but the cake turned out fluffy and moist, with a fine crumb, and cocoa-y and sweet enough (the batter tasted of salt and baking soda). The baking soda aftertaste is a little stronger than I'd like (or perhaps its the colouring, it's something artificial, anyway), but I'm sensitive to these things.

The cream cheese frosting recipe looked a little wrong to me, so I added more sugar, and used more butter to replace the shortening I didn't have. It turned out fluffy and cheesy, and in combination with the cake – heavenly. Amazing how the sum of the parts is so much greater than the whole. Red velvet should not be eaten on its own. And although people say cream cheese icing is all wrong for Red Velvet cake – well, traditional or not, it's yummy!

(So yummy I had to stop myself eating all 6 extra minis at once – and I've really been suffering cupcake fatigue and have a splitting headache to boot!)

Fantasy cupcakes v3.0

Vanilla cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting

Cuspcake rating: 4.5

Another of my now-weekly batches for the kids. Tried the Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe again, and it's really tasty, just it rose with bumps in the centres again, I have no idea why. Definitely didn't overmix, and it wasn't even the same recipe as I used the two-flour version instead of the one-flour Chockylit adaptation.

Added mini M&M baking bits to the batter for variety, since they had vanilla last week too, and I'm guessing they aren't as attuned to the subtle variations in Magnolia vs. Primrose recipes the way I am. Topped them off with the Milk Chocolate Icing from Magnolia Bakery, which was quite runny at room temperature, but tasty and sticky. The gumpaste flowers are new, they came in assorted colours, which looked especially pretty altogether.

I hear they went down well again. Wonder how many kid-friendly choc and vanilla combinations I can come up with before they get sick of them!

Chocolate cupcakes v2.0

Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel filling

Cuspcake rating: 3.5

So, everything you've read about poorly designed muffin pans being a pain in the arse is right. My $20+ muffin pan from Cold Storage (double what I expected to pay in a supermarket) has no "handles", which led to me dropping it and ruining five cupcakes.

I kinda like my souffle cups better.

It also makes it a real pain to turn, or to hold at all with an oven glove on. (Although I'm certain it'd be more of a pain without one). Absolutely annoying.

Tried the chocolate cupcakes from primrose bakery, have to say, was a little disappointed with them right out of the oven. They were very fluffy and the texture is great, seemed perhaps a touch dry (which might be my genius pan, anyway), smell fantastic, but tasted somehow...bland. Decided to make the salted caramel filling to zing them up.

Strangely enough both the cupcakes and caramel taste better the next day. Perhaps I was tired? The cupcakes are chocolatey and the texture is velvety (it settles down a little overnight, i kept them in a box at room temp), like red velvet. I did mix in cake flour, perhaps that makes a difference too.

The caramel that I filled the cupcakes with the night before got half absorbed by the cakes, I suppose because it's meant to be a sauce not a filling. The sauce was rather a pain to make, but I think my mistake also is making all the components of more complicated cupcakes at the same time rather than spacing them out at a more leisurely pace. It took much longer to reach all the stages described than you'd think – from the sugar dissolving to the caramelising to the thickening.

Also, I tried the custard buttercream I made successfully on my birthday morning, but it was runny and ugly because I mixed the butter right into the custard before creaming it with sugar. Heh. At least I've learnt that doesn't work :) It tasted good but looked awful though.

All in all, they seemed a hit at work, I was surprised, until I ate one myself. They taste pretty good, even after they've been fridged, and do keep well for three days out of the fridge as well. Could this be the chocolate cuspcake recipe I've been looking for? Perhaps. Will have to try them in my regular souffle cups to see if the slight dryness can be managed, and with a plainer topping to see if they can hold their own.

Fantasy cupcakes

Old-fashioned chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream

Cuspcake rating: 2.5

Now these were requested by my favourite almost-5-year-old. She gets a cupcake every week at least, usually the prettiest one which is photographed for this blog, and was so enamoured of the melt-in-the-mouth choc mini that she wanted to treat her friends to cupcakes.

Spent rather a long time deciding on a combination of flavours – I wanted to be certain her little pals would be impressed. Settled on the old-fashioned chocolate cupcakes from cupcakeblog, and chocolate buttercream from my new book Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery, a steal at just $15.94 and my 30th birthday gift to myself. Topped them off with hundreds and thousands, and mini M&Ms (rather anally arranged all in the same order too).

In my eagerness to please, I also led to my own first failed cupcakes – I'd stuffed marshmallows in the centre of each of the first batch, hoping for a gooey melted marshmallow filling, but ended up with eruptions all around instead. 

I later discovered with my second batch that this recipe is somewhat prone to coming over the top of the cups and developing a bubbly, sticky top (others have commented on the same on Cupcakeblog). Perhaps this is because of the sugar, or perhaps because my oven has a fan and should be set to a slightly lower temperature (noticed that in Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery temperatures are offered in various conversions and there's usually a 20ºC difference with fan). Thankfully they didn't affect the taste and the little 'uns, it is reported, liked them.

I found them rather too sweet and sticky, and the chocolate buttercream wasn't to my taste either (is it ever?). But hey, I'm slowly discovering that baking for kids is a whole different affair. As as long as my tiny was happy, I'm happy. These were my most rewarding batch ever to make. I hear she was delighted when she saw them, and I was thrilled to make them – they brought back lovely memories of being a child in kindergarten and having a cake to share on my birthday, complete with fancy buttercream icing, my name piped on in cursive, and even a fancy topper like a little rubber Strawberry Shortcake figurine. :)

These'll melt your heart

Melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cupcakes

Cuspcake rating: 5

A super-easy recipe with barely any cleanup! Love not having to plough through a ton of dishes after. These were literally one-bowl, and wouldn't have needed the hand-mixer, although I did use it. Now this is what I call an after-work recipe.

Made these because I was craving something chocolate, and sated myself on licking the batter off the spoon :) These are from chocolateandzucchini.com, via cupcakeblog. Made half a recipe, which turned out 14 tiny cupcakes. Adapted baking time to 12 minutes, and left them in the oven after for another 8 (was going to be shorter, but I got distracted).

The tiny size is irresistible – why do women find everything miniature adorable? They look like they'll just be a mouthful or two. Chockylit finished hers off with simple whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, which looked really cute. I plan to dust little icing sugar hearts on mine and call it a day.

The recipe says they should be made the night before, so I'm waiting till tomorrow to taste them. Report back then. Fun! All baking should be this easy.

Update: The cupcakes taste just like my favourite "flourless" chocolate classique cake from French-style patisserie Canele, which obviously excites me a great deal. It always feels something special when you duplicate a recipe that tastes like something you get in a shop, somehow. The tiny size was just right, anything bigger would've been overkill, these leave you satisfied but wanting more. The whipped cream would probably be a perfect, light touch (the one at Canele is served with a side of whipped cream) or even a tiny scoop of vanilla icecream. Delightful, and thoroughly rich enough to satisfy a chocolate craving! The first to attain full cuspcake-hood.

Bottoms up

Black bottom cupcakes (The Great Book of Chocolate)

Cuspcake rating: 3

Second batch today, think I'm starting to understand the general principles of baking cupcakes. Cleanup's gotten alot easier too, although I lack a few pieces of equipment which will streamline things. Must head to the baking supplies store soon, also to buy decorating bits. Am toying with the idea of taking a course in cake decorating, something I never thought I'd say.

Been curious about Black bottom cupcakes, the chocolate-and-cheese combination is still new to me as I used to think it sounded quite appalling. Used David Lebovitz's recipe, which was simple enough to do, and followed it to the T, as I had all the ingredients on hand.

They're tasty, the sort of treat which could become a family favourite. Nice contrast of creamy cheese, bittersweet chocolate chip, and light fluffy chocolate cake. Ate one for dinner – a recent TV appearance made me realise I should lose a little weight, so a cupcake diet it is.

One main problem though – most of the cheesecake centres erupted up and all over the tops while baking, even though I'd dropped them quite neatly in the centres and pressed them in a little. I've long suspected my oven's temperature is off (note to self: buy oven thermometer) as I never get pretty cupcake tops – they're always bumpy or cracked. But in the case of these cupcakes though, the problem is two-fold – these don't need icing so there's no covering-up, and the cheesecake filling when exposed to heat turns dry and crumbly and tastes of egg, instead of staying creamy and cheesy.

Next time I try these I'll push the filling in more and maybe spoon a little more chocolate batter over the top, so it'll hopefully it'll be completely hidden, which should improve both taste and appearance.

And I'll be sure to have my thermometer by then too.

Animal-free cupcakes

Basic Chocolate Cupcake and Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping (Vegan Cupcakes)

Cuspcake Rating: 3/5
 

Perfect chance to try a vegan cupcake recipe today – I'm heading to a family gathering later and as with most modern families, I too have some relatives with medical conditions and the related dietary concerns, so I'd feel guilty bringing dessert if it weren't a somewhat healthier option.

While most of the reviews of Vegan Cupcakes I read raved about the fact that omnivores wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and regular cupcake recipes, I beg to differ.

The cupcakes are like chocolate cupcake lite – with a lighter and less crumbly texture, almost like an Asian steamed rice cake. The closest description I can think of is the difference between drinking soy milk and full-cream milk – similarly, these are less cloying in the mouth and the stomach, and leave you feeling virtuous, and like you're on a diet. Which unfortunately for me means my omni relatives will probably need more than one each to feel satisfied.

The Ganache was good, not too rich, despite its name, and a welcome touch to the breathy cupcakes. I'm glad I opted for it instead of a cream frosting, which I think would have made the eating even more fleeting.

Will definitely try more recipes from the book, which as far as I can tell mostly replaces dairy products with their soy equivalents, and magically makes up for the missing eggs, I have not yet figured out what replaces them. I like the convenience of not having to look out for the expiry dates on a dozen packages of dairy perishables, and think these vegan recipes will make a great pulled-these-together-last-minute option since all the main ingredients involved keep quite well.

Will perhaps look for soy milk powder and try that out too, as currently soy milk is the only fresh refrigerated ingredient I'll have to remember to keep on hand.

Update on the vegan chocolate cupcakes: They were well-received, said to be very moist and enjoyable. There were lots of I-can't-believe-it's-vegan!-type responses and expressions. Will try more soon, especially since there's loads of soy milk in the fridge! Perhaps the Apricot-glazed Almond Cupcakes this weekend, since I've an opened package of almonds as well.

Second try

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (Ina Garten)

Cuspcake Rating: 2.5/5

Used cake flour in place of all-purpose, which made them almost velvety in texture, and very crumbly after refrigeration, even when warmed up to room temperature before eating.

The frosting was a hit though, much better than the too-heavy cream cheese frosting which was my last attempt. Definitely a do-again.

Am wondering if I should get some muffin pans, even though I've already stocked up on several packets of what my baking supplies store calls mini souffle cups, firm waxed white cups which hold their own so I can use them on a baking sheet.

Bought Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero, and Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella today, curious about the difference using soy milk and other vegan alternatives will make to cupcakes – from reviews of the book it seems like the recipes turn out amazingly well, keen to give one a shot! So far the introductory chapters are an amusing and spunky read, great fun and most cupcake-passion-igniting.

Update: Realised where the fatal error lay with the cream cheese frosting recipe I last tried. A US stick of butter is half the size of one here. So there was twice the amount of butter in my recipe than there should have been! Bring on standardisation already! 

Make cupcakes, not war

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (Paula Deen)

Cuspcake Rating: 1/5

I'm about three years late on the craze, but I made my first batch of cupcakes last night.

Red velvet with cream cheese frosting. The icing was too sweet and too oily, badly piped. The ziplock bag I was using to frost them burst and dripped messily on the floor.

But it was great, like the best childhood craft project imaginable, with edible results.

I've found my cooking niche.

I've noticed that a number of cupcake bloggers aren't at all what you'd picture cupcake bloggers to be. And while I have no tattooes, I daresay I wouldn't match your mental picture either. I work in fashion, and most of my contemporaries spend most of their spare time at the manicure salon or at the latest trendy fusion fitness class.

One certainly does not expect me to love dessert. Most don't even expect me to eat. Perhaps even less than they'd expect I spend weekends elbow deep in batter.

I never pictured myself as a hobby baker, and I've never really liked cupcakes, finding them much better to look at than to eat. Give me something heartier and uglier for dessert every time – a whopping slice of cold cheesecake, icecream, brownies. Preferably messy to eat, rather than nibble off a china saucer with a silver fork.

An amateur home-cook at best, I'm more used to jointing a chicken than to piping delicate cream swirls. Yet I somehow arrived at this after a nine-month search for a new hobby, which took me through stovetop cooking (curries from scratch, stews and braises), to a short flirtation with roasting, then baking whole cakes.

So my perfect cupcakes may not be anyone else's perfect. But here's what I'm on a quest for: Cupcakes that taste great first, and look good second. Each one should offer the satisfaction of a hearty, full-sized dessert, in a cup. A good blend of the flavours and tasty textures everyone somehow finds nostalgic and comforting. Fun to do, and they must, must make the eater feel special. 

Ceux-ci sont mes petites génoises individuelles parfaites.