The Cupcake Thread!

[Dandi]

Thanks HEAPS for your reply Mara (650!? Holy cow Wonderwoman!!) I could use the expert help and support!!

Fortunately I have a pretty big oven so I think I'll manage to get them all happening!

I ran the flavours past the bride-to-be, and she is dead keen set on the vanilla strawberry, which she has tried and LOVES, so I think they'll have to stay! She hasn't tried the red velvets but I don't think I can go wrong with them, do you?? As for the black forrests, that's just all about chocolate cake, cream and black cherries. I'm not too fussed on the whole cherry thing and neither is she, she's keen on just a dense mudcake type thing, which these are. Plus they're easy and pretty quick to make, so I'm happy to stick with them. I've made them with vanilla cream cheese frosting before which is beautiful, but I wanted to try a different flavour frosting because the RVs will already have vanilla on them. I love your suggestion of mint frosting for the chocolate, or I was thinking maybe cinnamon? Would those flavours even work?!

Like you said, I want to stick to cream cheese for all of them, just to make life a tad easier on myself!

 

[Mara]

actually chocolate with simple cream cheese frosting is a hugely popular flavor out here. also there is coconut chocolate, aka chocolate cake and a coconut cream cheese frosting with pressed coconut in top. one idea to keep it cream cheese. i am not a big fan of chocolate and cinnamon unless it's considered a mexican hot chocoalte hehehe....but that is pretty ethnic. also you are doing snickerdoodle right? so that should have cinnamon in frosting so i'd stay away from it.

people seem to LOVE red velvet so i am sure those will be popular. those are not my favorite, in fact it's my least because to me it tastes like *nothing* but it is a novel visual for sure and is fun to decorate. i have seen a red velvet with cocoa cream cheese frosting recently at a cupcake store which was interesting and apparently popular but i did not taste it. what about peanut butter cream cheese frosting for the chocolate? but then you will have to worry about peeps with allergies.

and yes as you mentioned, i would stay away if possible from doing too many that are 'complicated' aka with filling or similar because trust me when you are stresssing out the day before or whatever, the last thing you want to be thinking is 'holy crap why didnt i make this easier on myself'...hehee. i am a huge stickler for presentation too so i put a lot of pressure on myself to make them look perfect.

 

[Dandi]

Hehe, I hear ya on the stickler for presentation thing Mara! If a cupcake isn't even and perfect I piff it (well, eat it) and it doesn't make the cut!! Have you done chocolate cream cheese frosting? That was my other thought for the choc muddies, although I think I'm pretty safe with mint.

 

[Mara]

YES choco cream cheese is VERY good. Use extremely good quality cocoa (I like Valhrona powder from WF, it''s like $3.50 for 8oz which is not bad) ... and make sure it''s got the ''tang'' and it''ll be quite yummy.

 

[Dandi]

Awesome, I think I''m set on that! Thanks so much for your help and suggestions Mara, I do appreciate them very much! It''s a pretty big undertaking for me and she''s my best friend, so I''m just set on getting them perfect, or near enough to!!

 

[icekid]

Soooo disappointed- I have a few days off from work this week, and wanted to make my sister cupcakes for her graduation. She wants plain vanilla! Seriously.. I want to do something fun

 

[Dandi]

Date: 6/20/2009 7:33:57 AM
Author: icekid
Soooo disappointed- I have a few days off from work this week, and wanted to make my sister cupcakes for her graduation. She wants plain vanilla! Seriously.. I want to do something fun

Aww. Can''t you colour the frosting hot pink or something, at least?

They''ll still taste like vanilla!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/19/2009 1:20:15 PM
Author: Mara
YES choco cream cheese is VERY good. Use extremely good quality cocoa (I like Valhrona powder from WF, it''s like $3.50 for 8oz which is not bad) ... and make sure it''s got the ''tang'' and it''ll be quite yummy.

HI:

Mini hijack--Mara any chance you''ll be in PS the same time as us, July 16-30th?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Porridge]

These aren't exactly cupcakes in that I didn't serve them in cups, but they're cakes and they're bitesize so I figured I could get away with it! I had a little gathering today and made these yummy coconut cakes with coconut and lime icing. They looked better without the extra icing on top, but they were too dry like that. Next time I'll slice them horizontally and add more icing there before adding icing and coconut flakes to the outer layer. The lime and coconut flavours are really delicious together.

From the top:

 

[Porridge]

Side view:

 

[Porridge]

Close up:

ETA Oops photo didn't attach.

 

[Porridge]

Close up take 2:

 

[Dandi]

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!

Porridge they look and sound incredible!!!!! I adore lime and coconut!!!

 

[summertime]

Hi everyone!

I''ve never tried piping icing on cupcakes before, but this thread inspired me! I made these chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese icing this weekend.

 

[summertime]

Hopefully after some practice I will be able to do them as neatly as you ladies can!

Close up with a strawberry:

 

[atroop711]

awww DAMN now I want some cupcakes

 

[Porridge]

Date: 6/22/2009 6:07:13 AM
Author: DandiAndi
Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!

Porridge they look and sound incredible!!!!! I adore lime and coconut!!!

Thanks DandiAndi! They disappeared rather quickly

I think these will be regulars!

I must try your éclairs next, that pastry looks so light. I always have a problem keeping it stiff enough to pipe into sausages though! It always comes out too runny. I usually end up putting it in the fridge overnight to stiffen it up and then throw them into a really hot oven.

 

[InLuv101]

Wow Summertime! Those look great for your first time piping!

And Porridge, those sound so incredibly yummy! I''m sure they didn''t last long.
**********************

 

[Mara]

wow summertime, for a first time piping job you did really well!!! much better than me when i was learning hehee.

hey canuk! nope we will not be in PS this summer. we went to AZ in may for our 5 year anniversary, figured let''s try something diff than PS but still similar...we loved it and the resort we stayed at was fabulous (the boulders in carefree)!!! but we will prob be in PS this fall. the parker just sent a 4th of july special via email, sooo tempting. my girlfriend just went a few weeks ago. have a blast!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/23/2009 11:13:38 AM
Author: Mara
wow summertime, for a first time piping job you did really well!!! much better than me when i was learning hehee.

hey canuk! nope we will not be in PS this summer. we went to AZ in may for our 5 year anniversary, figured let''s try something diff than PS but still similar...we loved it and the resort we stayed at was fabulous (the boulders in carefree)!!! but we will prob be in PS this fall. the parker just sent a 4th of july special via email, sooo tempting. my girlfriend just went a few weeks ago. have a blast!

HI:

cheers--we always have a breaky or two at the Parker.....another year!

Sharon

 

[Dandi]

YUM summertime they look DELISH!! And fantastic piping skills too!!

 

[Porridge]

Mmm summertime, they look so soft and velvety and delicious! Great piping. I must try chocolate cream cheese icing...

 

[Dandi]

Date: 6/24/2009 4:59:25 AM
Author: Porridge
Mmm summertime, they look so soft and velvety and delicious! Great piping. I must try chocolate cream cheese icing...

Aahhhhhh, is gooooood!

 

[icekid]

I am home this weekend for a little vacay.. and my little sister and I are having a "cupcake party" tomorrow for her friends, following their HS graduation rehearsal. I am so excited and my baby sis keeps calling me a loser

Should be fun!

 

[Jas12]

Need Opinions

I am making cuppies for a friend's bridal shower. Her colors and black and white with chartreuse accents.

I recently bought this chocolate transfer to make toppers with. So the icing will be the greeny color and the topper will be black and white. The paper sleeve is also black. Depending on how busy they look, i might add a few black or pearl balls.

Do you think i should stick with a plain vanilla cuppie and a vanilla buttercream OR a coconut cuppie with a lime frosting? I think vanilla is safe and most ppl like that flavor, but i also like the idea of the color of the frosting hinting at the flavor of the frosting...???

I am trying my chocolate transfers some time this week. They make me nervous! they are expensive and not a good thing to screw up on...wish me luck!

ETA--opps, the link was to a dress i bought--ha. Think i fixed it

 

[neatfreak]

Are these chain restaurant people? Or foodies?

 

[Mara]

i would do vanilla vanilla to serve masses. not everyone likes citrus and some people really don't like coconut. for things where i am doing 'mass' cupcakes for parties or something where they don't request something special, i tend to do vanilla and chocolate ... boring i know but most people like either one of those. oh also re: choco transfers, i haven't even used mine yet! they are expensive and i am paranoid. i just like looking at the patterns. but i have thought that for an art deco or similar kind of black and white theme it would be so fun. post pics!

 

[stepcutnut]

Ooooo I am loving this thread!!!

Just a quick question...

Does anyone have any good recipes for gluten free cuppies???

 

[Jas12]

neat--a combo. I think most are foodies (our good friends anyway) but a few aren''t and some ppl i don''t know at all.

I think to be safe i''ll do plain vanilla....wouldn''t want to do all that work and not have them eaten


Mara--in theory the whole transfer thing seems easy enough, but i have this inkling that it may be harder than it looks. Getting the chocolate all one thickness is what scares me the most. I''ve read a fair bit about them, so hopefully i won''t ruin a sheet (i have a few small sheets to work with)
I will post pics for sure. I am going to do a trial.

 

[Jas12]

So i tried the choco transfers tonight and it went okay! I was being really lazy and didn''t use anything to level the chocolate, didn''t let it set long enuf before cutting them out and i didn''t have a cutout with a sharp enough edge so i lost a few in the process, but my real attempt will be more organized. I whipped up a bunch of vanilla cuppies for my class and reserved a bit of icing to play with the color green i need for the wedding shower. I think i got it matching the invites (ignore the yellow icing streak --again i was being lazy)....

here is my first attempt