shape
carat
color
clarity

The Cupcake Thread!

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Making the Italian Meringue for the buttercream...

Italian Meringue collage.jpg
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Sugar syrup just before its ready, sugar syrup just as its ready
Italian meringue completed, buttercream with 1/2 of the butter added (note the color change between the two)
Almost complete, buttercream completed

Buttercream collage.jpg
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Buttercream completed, closer for texture...

buttercream collage 2.jpg
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Cupcakes from batter to frosted. The chamomile experiment didn''t quite work, although the flavor isn''t quite like normal, they are super vanilla-y, and taste great!!!

Cupcake collage.jpg
 

ladypirate

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
4,553
Freke, those look awesome! I love the look of the kitchenaid mixers--I think that''s what I''ll probably end up with. What was wrong with the chamomile flavor ooc? Have you done chamomile before with better results?
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
No, I had never done it before. If I really wanted a stronger flavor, I should have either halved the recipe or doubled the teabags...Either way, they still taste good. It''s hard to make something with a infused flavor when it doesn''t have milk or cream...
 

sevens one

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 14, 2004
Messages
9,536
that''s just awesome Freke
wow- what a great cupcake colage! mmmmm
18.gif
 

icekid

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
7,476
uhhhh Freke, I am droooooling. Think I may have to do some baking today. Seriously, so fun. Thanks for sharing the pics. Were the cupcakes just vanilla? (and by "just," I mean I love vanilla! what recipe did you use?)
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Yes, they were "just vanilla" I tried the chamomile thing, but it didn't do much. I know I could have made it better...perhaps I will try again... BF only eats vanilla on vanilla and doesn't really vary from that, so I'm kind of glad the chamomile didn't work.

I used the Gold Cake recipe Mara and I were talking about a couple pages back, and an Italian Buttercream recipe from the Culinary Institute of America's Baking book, it's one of my baking bibles, let me find a link...It's the newest version of the book-although I bet they'll be coming out with a new one within the next year or two, and it uses all weight measures, and the recipe is relatively huge-2lbs of butter, 8 oz of egg whites, and a pound of sugar and flavoring-making over 3 pounds of frosting. So I'll be making another batch of cupcakes some time this week because I have about half of it left.

link to the book
 

angel_nieves

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Messages
877
Ok I love this thread!!!!!!!!!!! Mine are not quite as pretty as your cupcakes however they are yummy vegan cupcakes! They are cinnamon sugar mini cakes that my son and I like with tea. Also I like trying to make simile faces out of chocolate chips which kind of worked.

fdgfds.jpg
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Awww Macie!!!Those cupcake (and your son!) are adorable!!!I can totally see the smiley faces!!!
 

Mara

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
31,003
cute macie...how funny i thought they were cookies at first!! also i love your avatar even if it wasn't supposed to be funny..not quite sure!

freke, great collage!! italian is a bit different from swiss i finally found out...the italian is a little harder than the swiss i think but have not tried it yet. honestly i am not a fan of swiss merengue buttercream, it's WAY too buttery AND i don't even use the whole amount of butter they call for..typically it's 4 egg whites and 3 sticks of butter and 1c sugar. but i use 4 egg whites, 1c sugar and 2 sticks of butter.

i know a lot of people like the way it tastes and does LOOK beautiful (and refridgerates well), but it grosses me out hahha. it's great for frosting cakes though. i would imagine italian tastes similar because it uses the same ingredients and a similar method of boiling then beating, but i just don't like quite so much butter. i also don't like the 'easy' confectioners sugar and butter method either because it's too sweet...though if you do 'flavor' this easy method aka with cocoa or an extract, i like it much better then since it just doesn't taste like 'sugar'. do you ever use 'butter' flavoring in the frosting...someone recommended that to me but then i thought well if i dont like REAL buttercream, why would i like butter flavoring hehee.

so today i'm trying another recipe...from one of my fave bloggers who answers my Q's via email, she's so awesome...i ask her random stuff and she has been baking since she was 14 so she has an answer for everything! she gave me this recipe for 'fluffy boiled icing' which she says tastes kind of like vanilla marshmallows. uses no butter. so we'll see.

i'm making meyer lemon cuppies today with this icing for dessert with some friends and their kids.

freke, in the gold cake did you use your recipe or try the alton one? next time i will use less butter for sure.

oh and in honor of you, Fire Goddess, i made Coconut & Lime cookies last nite. they came out SO YUMMY...!!! let us know how the next batch of your cuppies go.
 

MichelleCarmen

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
15,880
I cannot believe this thread has been going on for 21 pages!!! After seeing the scrumptous pictures on the first few pages, I decided to avoid any more reading!
 

mel047

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
136
Mara

The fluffy vanilla marshamallowy icing sounds amazing! Can you post the recipe and let me know how it goes? Very very interested... and hungry...
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Interesting Mara, that you don''t like the Swiss BC. Italian is harder because you have to pour the boiling hot sugar syrup into the egg whites-and they both have to be at the right stage. Swiss is actually harder for me to make because I''m just not patient enough and can''t sit there and watch/stir it for so long. As for the butter--I don''t know-you either like it or you don''t. It''s the classical recipe that has all of the butter, and I don''t know what else to say about that. As for similarities-Italian and Swiss buttercreams are essentially interchangeable.

No, I don''t ever use imitation butter flavoring. I won''t use imitation anything in cooking, to be quite honest.

As for boiled icing-I''m curious as to the recipe as well. I''m guessing it has sugar, egg whites, and vanilla flavoring-which is a meringue...

A marshmallow is usually made up of sugar, egg whites, flavoring, corn syrup, and gelatin. Perhaps some glucose could be added in there as well.

I used my recipe for gold cake, but I don''t really consider them to be different because they just have the leaveners and the lemon juice as differences.
 

ladypirate

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
4,553
Date: 5/17/2008 10:59:20 PM
Author: FrekeChild
No, I don''t ever use imitation butter flavoring. I won''t use imitation anything in cooking, to be quite honest.

A woman after my own heart!
3.gif
I''m the same way--one reason I hate the shortening buttercream.
 

angel_nieves

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Messages
877
That’s ok Mara; they did kind of look like cookies. I was trying a new recipe and they did not rise the way I wanted them to.
39.gif
 

icekid

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
7,476
I did some strawberry cupcakes last night and was pretty disappointed with them. the cake itself was fine, but it barely tasted like strawberry at all to me and my hub. Annoying. I didn''t try the sprinkles recipe, because the reviews on martha stewart''s website were so mixed. Maybe next time...

Think I''m going to be some super healthy flax seed / whole wheat carrot cupcakes today, but they''ll turn out a lot more like muffins w/ the mods most likely. And I''m ok with that
1.gif
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
Yum Macie and FC!!! Looks delicious!!!
18.gif
 

angel_nieves

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Messages
877
Ok this thread has me in major baking mode! Here are some strawberry cheesecake cupcakes. They are yummy, but I have to work out how to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Please forgive the "look" of them; they are vegan so no dairy and no eggs.

ck1.jpg
 

angel_nieves

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Messages
877
Here is the inside.

ck2.jpg
 

dragonfly411

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,378
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY CUPCAKES AND MUFFINS KEEP STICKING TO THE CUPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
32.gif
32.gif
32.gif
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
To the paper cups?
 

Dandi

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
6,652
Date: 5/18/2008 12:29:39 PM
Author: Macie
Ok this thread has me in major baking mode! Here are some strawberry cheesecake cupcakes. They are yummy, but I have to work out how to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Please forgive the ''look'' of them; they are vegan so no dairy and no eggs.
Ahhh... cheesecake... my one weakness...
30.gif


Combined with the glory of cupcakes, girl you''re a winner!! They look and sound amazing!!!
 

FireGoddess

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
12,145
Date: 5/17/2008 4:47:44 PM
Author: Mara
i'm making meyer lemon cuppies today with this icing for dessert with some friends and their kids.

oh and in honor of you, Fire Goddess, i made Coconut & Lime cookies last nite. they came out SO YUMMY...!!! let us know how the next batch of your cuppies go.
Oooh, meyer lemons are a total weakness of mine. I'm waiting for the batch on my tree to finish ripening so I can use them. Let us know how the cupcakes go...that's definitely what some of my meyers are destined to become!

Aren't the coconut lime cupcakes insanely good!?!?! I love that flavor combo and I'm glad you liked them!! I didn't get a chance to make another batch this weekend (holy cow there were a ton of graduations to attend) but it's on my list!!!

I'm having a Sex and the City get together this coming weekend (to rewatch the last season before the big movie comes out)....any suggestions for a good cuppie to serve?! mmmmmm I thought there was a big deal about the girls eating cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery or something but I honestly can't remember that at all. Maybe a recipe from that cookbook? hmmm.

Oh....I also got some red food coloring paste from Michael's this weekend...how do you use the paste if a recipe calls for food coloring? Is it the same amts as the liquid?
 

dragonfly411

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,378
Freke
Yes the paper cups! Both of my last two batches have done this. I tried pam the second time and still!!!! I am not sure what to do?
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Like regular cupcake/muffin paper cups or the funky folded ones that Mara uses?

BTW-I made buttermilk cuppies last night...
9.gif
 

dragonfly411

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,378
I use regular cupcake cups Last night I tried adding pam, but no avail
15.gif
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Like stick how bad? Mine always stick-but it''s not so bad that they say, when I pull on the paper, it rips. The paper just peels off with crumbs attached.
 

Mara

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
31,003
dragon are you letting them cool off entirely? a warm cupcake WILL stick like crazy to the paper. you have to let them cool down so they peel pretty nicely. are you using special type of papers? i don't have stickage on any of the papers i have used thus far unless the cupcake is still warm.

freke i don't like imitation either, i used some imitiation banana flavoring in my frosting recently and was like EW this is GROSS. i also don't like shortening based creams!

i know it's so funny about me not liking the real buttercream. i do like the way it tastes a LITTLE But it's SOOO rich i really cannot eat more than a tiny tiny taste. but lately i have been finding i am so over all frosting anyway! so it may just be my weird tastebuds. i like butter in general. funny cuz greg loved my mothers day cake with the crazy buttercream..he said he thought it came from a bakery.

for those interested...the fluffy boiled icing was great...interesting for sure. i really like the way it TASTES, it's very light and almost melts on your tongue. i put in lemon extract for flavor so it came out really light and yummy...the cupcakes were amazing, as good if not better than last time. i ate like three!

You can also find the recipe online but here it is.

Fluffy Boiled Icing
3 tablespoons of meringue powder
1/2 cup of cold water
2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup of water

Beat meringue powder and cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to boil and cool slightly.With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the syrup mixture to the meringue.
Then beat on high for 4 minutes, until stiff and glossy.
Store at room temperature.

Note...I made HALF the recipe and it was WAY too much to frost 12 cupcakes, I have like another 1.5 cups of frosting leftover and you really can't store this stuff, it separates. You can get merengue powder at Michaels, it's a Wilton brand I think.

It was pretty easy to make and does taste marshmallowy. The interesting thing is that everything I read said use it immediately since it hardens on the outside and stays soft inside...but mine took HOURS to harden and even then if it was a 'little' warm, it would soften and melt. It TASTES good, just have to figure out how to stabilize it a bit more. I also found a version online that had confectioners sugar added to it after all was said and done -- I imagine to stiffen it.

here is a beautiful shot of the icing immediately after piping, it does pipe quite prettily and is very shiny. this looks like a hersheys kiss to me.


lemon cupcake fluffy.jpg
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top