SPRINKLES Cupcakes...

So for Christmas this year I received two SPRINKLES Cupcake Mixes from Williams-Sonoma. I'm assuming I got them because I love cupcakes and not because they were hinting that I should stick to premixed cupcake recipes. Hmm. We'll go with that. So I decided to give these a try since I've been so busy with school and work that I haven't had much time to plan any extravagantly decorated cupcakes. Last Sunday I made the Dark Chocolate batch and this past Sunday I tried the Red Velvet. First of all, right out of both packages, one of the "signature modern dots" was either cracked or completely demolished. They're so fragile it seems it would have been wise to add an extra one or two, but that's just me. Second, they were awful. I tasted a broken one and it was hard and tasted like chalk. Not a fan. The second batch I left them off altogether. The Dark Chocolate batter was delicious but Ken said the cupcakes were really "crumby". It was never clear whether that was a good thing or not. The Red Velvet had a wonderful color to them and since the batch made about 16-17 cupcakes (the Dark Chocolate ones made exactly 12 even though I filled the cups the same amount) I got to try a Red Velvet one and they were pretty tasty. I'm a fan of cream cheese frosting. Though far superiorly delicious to any regular cake mix from the grocery store, if used as a staple, I will say that I honestly don't think these mixes are worth $14 a pop, but they worked when I had little time to do much else. And those "modern dots" can go to hell. Blegh.

Ken's Taste Text: "Yeah. They were good."

Gottya.

Coffee and Doughnut Cupcakes...

I have to admit, these turned out amazingly cute. I'm glad I picked up a mini doughnut pan on my last trip to Oak Glen. I got the idea from justJENN Recipes (who also has an AMAZING idea for Princess Leia cupcakes that she made for her Star Wars themed party that I, as the gf of a Star Wars nerd, must try soon). The recipe for the doughnuts came with the pan but I wasn't crazy about how they tasted. I was hoping they'd be more doughnut-y then they were. I'll probably try another doughnut recipe next time or go all out and try making some fried ones. The doughnut frosting wasn't anything special either, just a simple milk glaze. I did add some espresso powder to the coffee that went in the cupcake itself because I fail horribly at making "strong coffee." It always turns out way too bitter so I made regular coffee and added the powder. Seemed to work better that way. I have a strong feeling these came out looking a lot better than they tasted. Ken's a good sport though, he'll eat them with a smile on his face, or at least that cute little smirk thing he does that makes me melt.

Ken's Taste Text: "They were good. If we hadn't already been on break for like an hour and a half I'd say it was a mini coffee break served in a portable bite-sized treat. The only thing that sucked was someone snagged just a donut off one when I wasn't looking and no one fessed up."

Snagged a donut? While you weren't looking?? OH THE INHUMANITY!!!

Hot Chocolate AWESOME STICKS!!

My homemade gifts this year turned out super cute and super yummy. Found the recipe via Giver's Log though I'm having trouble remembering how I stumbled onto that website in the first place. Hmm. Anyways, they would have been a breeze had I not made them during the 40 days and 40 nights of rain last week because the humidity made every batch of chocolate seize up. Not fun. Returning it to the heat and adding 1-2 T of oil helped but it was super stiff (heh heh) and I was so over stirring it by the third batch. Though the recipe suggests using high quality chocolate, the only kind my grocery store had was Ghiradelli, and while that's a decent chocolate, it's nothing spectacular. I had some Ghiradelli white chocolate but upon opening it, it didn't smell the best. I think it had been in the cupboard for some time so the white chocolate ones were cheap Nestle's White Morsels. I used both regular and dutch process cocoa for some variety. The milk chocolate was Guittard and it turned out tasty but kinda grainy. I dipped the tops in candy melts and sprinkles so they'd look "pretty" but I think I will leave that step out next time because I thought the candy melts took away from the flavor of the chocolate. After a quick trip to the candy supply store for Cello bags I packaged them and sent them on their merry way. And though instant hot chocolate from packets make me nauseous, I was tempted to try these out and they were absolutely DELICIOUS! No stomach ache at all. You have to make sure the milk is a little on the hot side and it takes a little while for the chocolate to melt but my friends, it's well worth the wait. 

The "Nothing Special" Cupcakes...

So these didn't come from any specific recipe this week, but rather a pic I saw on Epicute which can be found here. I cheated and used canned frosting (gasp! I know) because A) I wanted the clouds to be shiny, B) I needed the frosting to be super white and I don't particularly like the taste of all-shortening frosting (and I didn't have colorless vanilla extract either) and C) I was really bummed I wasn't able to make the cupcakes I originally planned on making (like these). I did use Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Cupcake recipe just so I wasn't COMPLETELY half-assing it. And the rainbows were Airhead Sour Belts I found at my local liquor store where I was picking up some spirits to drown my sorrow that Christmas was officially over and I STILL didn't have a pony. Santa sure is a douche. So here you have it. I say they were "nothing special" cause that's what Ken originally told me they were before changing his opinion for the blog. Yeah, like your face! BURN!

Ken's (2nd) Taste Text: "They were very good. No exotic flavors or anything but sometimes simple is delicious. Only thing I didn't like was the candy rainbow. Not only did it taste like eating a stick of Chapstick, but working for Disney, a rainbow isn't something you want to eat around a bunch of Alpha males."

So you're saying you know what sticks of Chapstick taste like? Is that similar to your diet of paint chips?

"OMG-there's-a-whole-strawberry-inside!" Lime Cupcakes.

Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes. Found here. Yup. These cupcakes have a whole, fresh strawberry inside. For realsies. And come on, who doesn't like strawberries? Even my bearded dragon noms them. And he's picky as all hell. Luckily, because it's off-season for strawberries, the ones at Trader Joe's were pretty small, otherwise you'd probably have to make jumbo cupcakes for them to fit. And I went with fresh limes as opposed to bottled lime juice because A) They were cheaper and B) I needed the lime zest anyways for both the cupcake batter and the garnish. The lime buttercream came out very tangy which helped offset the fact that the strawberries weren't terribly sweet. I'll have to try these again when they're in season. Mmm, maybe even make a strawberry puree to drizzle on top. Nom nom nom.

Ken's Taste Text: "Cupcakes were delicious. Perfect amount of tang and sweet. They are definitely a Spring cake though, not what you throw down after powering down a pound burrito. It's like a cupcake that you would have at a tea party with Easter dresses and bonnets and lace gloves and weird sandwiches cut into triangles."

Um, are you saying you want to wear an Easter dress, bonnet and lace gloves?? Kinky...

First, you take the graham...

First off, I'd like to share a text I received from Ken that made me smile: "So there's a dude here who saw an episode of Cupcake Wars at Victoria Gardens. They put him on camera and asked how they were. His answer: Ken's girlfriend makes better ones." Oh snap! And on a sadder note, I just found out Bakerella was at the South Coast Plaza back in October and I totally missed it :( Boo. Anyways, I'd been meaning to make these cupcakes for a while but kept forgetting about them. And to be completely honest, I don't even know if the bf is a big fan of marshmallows or not. Me? Can't get enough, especially when they're soft and gooey. Hell, my marshmallow to hot chocolate ratio is seriously one sided. And graham crackers, forget about it. Grahams are one of the few things I have a constant supply of in my house, but they can only be HoneyMaid. All other brands taste like cardboard. Heh, and they're a masturbatory suppressant. -giggle- As I was saying, S'mores Cupcakes with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting: Yum. Recipe is courtesy of Hoosier Homemade. You start out with two batters, a graham cracker batter on the bottom, half of a large marshmallow and a chocolate batter on top with come graham cracker crumblies throughout. A majority of the cupcake recipes I've tried I've had to reduce the suggested cooking time by about 2-5 minutes, I'm thinking my oven runs a little hot. When I checked on the cupcakes in the oven the marshmallow was gooing (is that even a word?) out and they were delightfully dome shaped so I took them out a little early. Unfortunately, upon cooling they sunk waaaaaaaaay in. I think two more minutes and they would have been perfect. My extra jar of Marshmallow Stuff I bought last week came in handy for this recipe as the frosting took an entire jar. Mmmmm marshmallow and cream cheese. And because I misplaced my pastry bad I had no choice but to dollop the frosting onto the cupcakes this time which worked out nicely because it hid the huge crater in the middle. Win.

Ken's Taste Text: "I liked 'em but there's a bit too much frosting. Would have been better with more cake less marshmallow stuff. Still delicious."

If by "less" you meant "more" then yes, yes they would have.

(Not very gingerbread-y) Gingerbread Hostess Cupcakes...

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over I can officially start on Christmas themed cupcakes <3. I decided on good ol' fashioned gingerbread to kick start my blog despite the fact that my favorite guinea pig Ken does not particularly care for gingerbread (yeah, I know, wtf right??). I figured if he loved me he'd somehow find it in his heart to stomach my tasty creations. Recipe is courtesy of Bake at 350 and the recipe can be found here. The only brand of gingerbread cake mix my local grocery store carried was Krusteaz and though I'm not a big fan of their pancake mixes, I didn't really have a choice. And the marshmallow creme was on sale 2/$3.00. I may or may not have eaten a spoonful of marshmallow creme from the extra tub. Whatever, don't judge me. I loved how smooth the white chocolate topping made the tops of the cupcakes look. I let them set in the fridge for a few minutes and then dipped them again to make sure the tops were completely opaque and hid the creme filling hole in the top. The piping was deliciously cinnamon-y and I almost wish there was more of it on the cupcake. Maybe next time I'll use a bigger frosting tip for the words. Oh, and if you were wondering, they say "cock" in various languages. Guess you could call them Gingerbread Cockcakes. Lol. I'll be here all week.

Ken's Taste Text: "The cupcakes are delicious but I'm not really tasting gingerbread"

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