S'mores Cupcakes

I now interrupt your Parisian feed with a dose of summer campfire classic: s'mores, in cupcake form.

Meow had a craving for s'mores but lack a campfire, so I tried the next best thing: cupcakes!  Thankfully, Martha Stewart has a recipe for it and I decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe called for graham flour, I have no clue what it is, where it's sold nor the time to hunt it down.  So, I did the next best thing: bought a box of graham crackers and crumbled it.

I was too lazy to make a chocolate ganache glaze for it too, so I substituted the base for a chocolate cupcake base.

I didn't mix in the crumbled graham crackers and used it like flour because I wasn't too sure what exactly it will do, but I did sprinkle it on top of the cupcake batter.

Meow's Two Bite Fancy Brownies

It was godsister's house warming party and I was responsible for dessert.  By this time I was working pretty much everyday and didn't have much time to bake and stuff (hence the lack of posts), so what can I whipped up in an evening?  BROWNIES!!

I followed the recipe on the side of a can of Fry's Cocoa.  I find that their recipe is by far the best.

Topped with some chocolate frosting...oh yeah!

I would like to think that my piping skills have improved :P 

An egg tray works surprisingly well as a mini cupcake carrier. 

The trays were a bit deep and hard to get the brownies out

without wrecking the pipe job, so I stuck fancy toothpicks

to help get it out. 

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Red Velvet: Cupcakes Edition

Back in September of 2010, it was my godbrother's birthday, so in the 2 hours that was before the dinner, I decided to whip up some cupcakes for him.  I've been eying the red velvet recipe, so I decided to give it a whirl.  And this is my result:

Red Velvet cakes existed before the advent of food coloring.  Someone discovered that by mixing vinegar and cocoa powder together, it makes red!  Today, red food coloring is added to enhance the redness, otherwise, it will be a deep reddish-brown color.

Mini cupcakes

Cupcakes are just too fattening...what if I made small ones and I *could* just eat one little one?  Wishful thinking really, but it's self-denial.

I made them anyways in between making pork cutlets rice bowls during dinner.  Those little mini muffin pans must have a better use than to make two-bite brownies.

The most appealing part about cupcakes is the decorating part.  I'm not that creative, but I still have fun playing with the pastry bag.  Oh, this time, I got to play with the pastry bag TWICE!

This is a different cupcake base recipe as opposed to the previous wheat one.  The cupcake base recipe can also be applicable to making an actual 9" cake.  Frosting is the same recipe.

Vanilla Cake Layer
adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking


3/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of flour
6 oz of unsalted butter
1/2 cups of sugar
3 whole large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of sour cream (I used 14%)

Cupcake Cravings

Last weekend, Mr. Meow said he was craving cupcakes, and then I started having cravings.  Maybe it's because I had my cats whine and he kept saying "aww muffin" but the kitties insisted on "pink cupcakes".  Whatever, cupcakes were craved and then were made, but still no pink cupcakes.

The Offending Kitteh

I didn't make the cupcakes, Mr. Meow did but I squirted the frosting on as I love playing with pastry bags.

Wheat Cupcakes

adapted from JoyofBaking.com

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) stone ground wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Note: Mr. Meow used 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour and it turned out a bit dry.  Adjust your flour amount accordingly.  We live in a dry climate and high altitude and usually our batter needs more moisture.

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177 C)

2. Butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

6. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

7. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

8. Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

9. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

10. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, decorate with icing.

11. I used a large open star tip to pipe the frosting.

Vanilla frosting and sprinkles

Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

3 teaspoons of cocoa powder (for chocolate frosting)

1. In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended.

2. Add the vanilla extract.

3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

6. Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed.

7. Add the cocoa powder for color and flavor at this point if you want chocolate frosting.

Chocolate frosting with sprinkles

Make about 12 cupcakes

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Mr. Meow and I finished these eye-a-betes (thanks Zad) on my birthday.  I thought quietly to myself, is this gonna be my birthday cake...a CUPCAKE???  Thankfully (or not), Mr. Meow didn't stick candles in them to make it even more lame.