Now down to business. The OLQM bazaar was the perfect excuse to try some of the cupcakes I've been eying but also not have them lying around the house. So, 10 hours, 8 sticks of butter, 2 bags of powdered sugar, and a dozen eggs later....here are the results!
I started with Neapolitan cupcakes. The link is here: http://www.howtoeatacupcake.net/2008/01/neapolitan-cupcakes.html
Unfortunately, I neglected to notice that each batter makes 12 cupcakes, not both batters combined, so the result was jumbo, not so pretty cupcakes. I decided to try making them again later because I wasn't happy with the results, but I will show you how that turned out later.
I didn't use the frosting recipe from the link above, I tried something different. I'm so disappointed with the results! I wanted to top them with a strawberry buttercream that was made with fresh strawberries. It tastes great but looks a little funky. But, here is the final product. Not exactly the prettiest, but they are tasty!
Next up was the peanut butter truffle cupcakes. I actually just doubled the chocolate batter recipe from the Neapolitan cupcakes to make life a little bit easier. I made the truffles the night before and kept them frozen. They taste like Reese's Pieces!
I made the icing off the top of my head, with cream cheese, about a 1/2 a cup of peanut butter, a little vanilla extract, 3 or so cups of powdered sugar, and a few splashes of whipping cream. It tastes like the frosting on the peanut better cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.
Truffle recipe:
TRUFFLES
6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Place white chocolate in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium just until chocolate is soft; stir until smooth. Whisk in ¼ cup peanut butter until smooth.
Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes or until firm. Using 1 tablespoon each, roll chocolate mixture into 12 (1-inch) balls; place on waxed paper-lined plate. Roll each ball in cocoa powder to coat completely. Freeze on lined plate 1 to 3 hours or until frozen solid. (Truffles can be frozen overnight.)After filling the cupcakes in the liners, drop the frozen truffle into the center.
Now it's on to cupcake #3. Apple cider cupcakes. I came across this recipe when I was looking for a fun fall cupcake.
I was a little weirded out about using unpasteurized cider, but I figure they wouldn't sell it if it was that bad, and it can't be any worse than licking brownie batter from the bowl.
The first step included boiling down the cider so the flavor is more concentrated. This took FOREVER. And then I had to wait for it to cool. Next time, I'm doing this way ahead of time. Also, when you are boiling down the cider for the frosting, keep an eye on it. I let it go on it's own for a while and came back to a sticky burnt mess.
These definitely scream FALL! I added a little more flour to the recipe, and I think next time I will cut down on the clove and use a little bit of nutmeg.
Apple Cider Cupcakes Recipe
Finally, it's time for some cake pops. I made these with Fufetti cake and frosting- the Betty Crocker kind with the rainbow bits in the frosting. Pillsbury cheaps out on their frosting and just gives you vanilla frosting with a packet of sprinkles. LAME.
OK, I debated posting this picture for three reasons:
1. It might give my mother in law a heart attack.
2. You may lose faith in me.
3. It may prove to my mother than I am useless in the kitchen after all.
But, when Jeff fell on the floor laughing when I opened the oven door and the smoke alarm started going off, it might give everyone a good laugh.
Remember how I said I was going to make the Neapolitan Cupcakes a second time? That didn't work out so well. So here it goes, and I would like to call this work of art..."Don't forget the baking soda."
DISCLAIMER: Mom P- I PROMISE this oven is now 100% back to normal.
I hope you all had a good laugh about that one. If you haven't already, make sure to check out my husband's photo blog here: Jeff Porter Design . If it wasn't for him, my stuff wouldn't look half as good!
