Cupcake Crawl 2012!

This past weekend, Courtney took one last trip to Chicago  as her year here in the states to raise support was coming to an end. She wanted to spend one last time with her Chicago gang before jetting away to Costa Rica.

So as I racked my brain to what we could do for our one on one time (Jeremiah's crankiness and eventual sickness had thwarted some plans the night before), it hit me....a Cupcake Crawl!

You see, the couple of times that she has been here, especially as of late, her and I have gone on a couple of cupcake escapades, usually in the name of free, fancy cupcakes.

And then a couple of those cupcakes made it back to Michigan, the most notable a Key Lime Cupcake from more.

But during her last visit I told her that when she came back for her "Goodbye Tour", we had to go to Sprinkles so that she could taste the ultimate S'more cupcake.

So Saturday morning, I googled, and yelped, plotted, and contemplated...and then there were 7. Yes, 7 bakeries that we were going to hit up.

A cupcake from each to be enjoyed and tasted later on that day. And so our journey began. We came across bachelor/bachelorette parties, parking woes, anxiously awaiting friends, whispers of "sizzling", tiny morsels of goodness, and gigantic mouthfuls of sweetness.

And then we raced back home to finish out the day. Courtney went on to each a brunch style lunch and relax in the park. I did some things around the apartment, hung out with my brother and sister-in-law during an impromptu visit and waited for the "festivities" to begin.

Not only did Courtney and I sit down for the "tastings" but Brad, Catie, Jacob, Tony, Angela, and JoAnna joined in on the fun as well.

As expected, there was a couple duds, though only one cupcake got a clear "thumbs down" from everyone (the Coconut Cupcake from Magnolia Bakery). But the funny thing was that there was no clear "winner". The two favorites were the Drumstick from Swirlz and the Chocolate Cheesecake from Twisted Baker (though it was definitely not a winner in everyone's book, in fact it was one of Courtney and my least favorite).

But the rest definitely stood their ground. The S'more I think will always be a top contender for me, and people were also impressed with More's blueberry cupcake, to hugeness of Crumbs PB Cup cupcake, and the peppermint/chocolate concoction of SugarBliss. Why yes, I do believe we've found a new tradition.

The soft opening of Flirty Cupcake Dessert Garage

This Friday my mom took the train into Chicago to spend the weekend. The night before, I just happened to see on my newsfeed that Flirty's new storefront was getting set to debut the following day as their soft opening. What timing! I knew my mother would be more than willing and would love to go which made the excitement even greater!

We have been frequenting Flirty's vans for almost a year now. Well, perhaps frequent isn't the right term. It's more of whenever we were at the same food truck event as well as whenever they are in Bridgeport. I just love their flavor combos and their creative names for the cupcakes.

Another love? That I can get a cupcake essentially whenever I want now without having to track down the truck and that it's in our old neighborhood (Ah, Little Italy, how we miss you). Yeah, didn't take too many photos though since I was pretty excited about just being there. Whoops!

Flirty warned on their facebook that there might be a couple of hiccups but everything was perfect. The smell of cupcakes baking wafts in the air and their display cases were tantalizing. Everyone was super helpful and quite cheery for it being their first day of business at their garage and there being a steady stream of customers coming in and out.

We tried their limited Valentine's Day edition of "For the Love of Chocolate" which was a Nutella chocolate cupcake and a "It's so new it hasn't been named because it just came out of the oven" coconut cupcake. The Nutella cupcake was nice since it actually had a Nutella center, unlike other cupcake shops and my mom couldn't stop raving about the their coconut concoction.

Ahhh, cupcakes, you have stolen my heart.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Remember how delicious I said the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes were at JAM? Well, I couldn't wait for Brad to try them and I wanted to make them for his birthday because, well, every birthday needs a cake, and snickerdoodles are his favorite so why not bring him the best of both worlds?

I looked at various different recipes and ultimately decided on Bakerella's version of Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. It was one of the few that used all purpose flour rather than cake flour and really, Bakerella has never steered me wrong. And the statement still stands.

They turned out very well and everyone was impressed with how well the cupcake captured the essence of the favorite cookie. Because I was putting these together while we had company over, I didn't use Bakerella or Martha Stewart's frosting recipe but rather made up my own. However, because I just threw this and that, I can't really share that with you. I'll have to define it at a later time and share that when I have it figured out. I can tell you though that it was cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. But back to the cupcakes, Brad is a major fan. In fact, I was going to take the left over cupcakes to work with me to share with staff and he asked if we could keep them here instead so that we can finish them off. Yes, they were just that good ;o)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
adapted by Bakerella from Martha Stewart


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk, room temperature

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line regular and miniature cupcake trays with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined.
• Add vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar in three additions. Alternate with milk in two additions.
• Fill baking cups about 3/4 full.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes.
• Remove cupcakes from trays and let cool.

To decorate, pipe on frosting
Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

I don't even remember how I came across this recipe a couple weeks ago but I have been admiring it ever since. It was created by Jennifer Shea, owner of Trophy Cupcakes out in Seattle. Martha Stewart apparently had Jennifer on her show back in 2008, sharing this recipe with the world. And here I am, almost two years later just finding out about this glorious treat. And today I finally got the opportunity to try it out!

 

making graham cracker crumbs with my food processor ^_^

By the way, you should take a look at both Trophy's website and also Martha Stewart's and just look at Jennifer's creations because there is no way that I am at that level of perfection (though I hope to someday make it up there). When Brad and I finally make it out to Washington, this bakery is a must stop for me. I am dying to try their Chocolate Hazelnut (Nutella Buttercream....Yummmm), Chocolate Chip Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Triple Coconut, Snowball, Chocolate Macaroon...must...go...to...Seattle...now!

Anyway, these turned out fantastic! It is of course reminiscent of a S'More and therefore uberdelicious. Plus it gave me a reason to go out and buy a hand held torch ;o).  The only "problem" I found was once we started eating the cupcakes. The bottom graham cracker crust on a couple of the cupcakes tended to stick to the bottom of the liner and thus separate from the cake. My friend Erin suggested that next time to try spraying the inside of the liners with cooking spray and that should allow the crumb crust to release much easier. So simple, yet so brilliant. Thanks Erin! So yes, needless to say, these cupcakes were a hit to everywhere I took them. Oh, and I know that the recipe said it makes 24 cupcakes...but I ended up making 24 cupcakes and a small 9 inch cake. Just as a heads up. Commence daydreaming....now.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes
by Jennifer Shea of Trophy Cupcakes, originally posted at Martha Stewart

• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• Marshmallow Frosting

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
• Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.

• In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.

 

• Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.

• Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping. 

 

• Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. 

 

• Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely. 

 

• Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. 

 

• Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days. 

  

Marshmallow Frosting
most likely developed by Jennifer Shea, originally posted at MarthaStewart.com

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.  

 

Hello, Cupcake!

Take a look at this little guy

And all of his friends

Can you tell what this cupcake, oreo, banana runt, and chocolate covered pineapple is?

Hey Look!

Guess what I did the other day....

::snickers to herself::

making these was so much fun! The frosting I made from scratch using fresh strawberries...However, I was in a hurry so I didn't blend it as well as I probably should have nor did I follow the directions either..so at some point I'll try the frosting again before posting.

:o)