It was cupcake HELL here today. I volunteered to bake 2 dozen cupcakes for Big A's school fundraiser tomorrow. I had good intentions of being on every parent committee when she started there last year. Seeing as I am not in a 9-5 work schedule, I thought it would be a cinch to get involved. Unfortunately for me, they work the committee meetings around people WHO DO have 9-5 jobs so they are all in the evening, which is when I have NO desire to leave the house - it's rare that I'm not already in my PJs (or at least yoga pants and a tank) by 7pm. As a result, I've not participated in ANY committees so far.
So to assuage my guilt, I thought I'd wow everyone with 2 different not-so-run-of-the-mill flavours for the fundraiser. I figured everyone else will be doing chocolate or vanilla.
Unfortunately, the only person I think I'm going to wow (and not in a good way) is Adam when he sees the mess in the kitchen. I also was far too cocky and made some silly booboos...like not getting the first batch when they dinged because I was busy with something else...and figured a few extra minutes wouldn't kill them - didn't KILL them but did slightly burn the edges!!...and (I blame this on my pathetic spatial-reasoning abilities), I kept overfilling the muffin cups so some of them rose up too much and then sank in the middle when they cooled.
As a result, they vary in size and shape and some had edges a bit too "golden" to be seen in public, but they are fortunately still delicious. Don't make the mistakes I made, and they'll turn out PERFECTLY.
Frosted Lemon Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
Juice and zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
2 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, juice, extract and milk, beat another minute or two. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and then dump into wet ingredients. Beat together until mixed. Spoon into muffin cups lined with paper liners (only fill about 1/3 full!) and bake at 350F for about 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 24 cupcakes. Cool before icing.
Frosting
2 tbls butter, softened
Juice and zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
2 tsp pure lemon extract
4-5 cups icing sugar
Beat together all the ingredients for the frosting. Add icing sugar a bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Gingerbread Cupkies
I call these cupkies because they are sort of a cross between a cookie and a cupcake. The molasses gives them a denser, chewier consistency closer to a cookie - amazing if you like that sort of thing (like I do!) but definitely not a light and fluffy crumb.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbls ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In large bowl, beat together butter sugar and eggs until fluffy. Beat in molasses and vanilla. In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Beat dry ingredients into wet until mixed. Spoon into muffin cups lined with paper liners (only fill about 1/3 full!) and bake at 350F for about 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 24 cupcakes. Cool before icing.
Fluffy Vanilla Fosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
5-6 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 cups icing sugar
Beat together all the ingredients for the frosting. Add icing sugar a bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Decorate as desired (I put gummy worms on top of the gingerbread ones but left the lemon ones plain as the icing has pretty yellow flecks from the lemon zest).
The ugliness of these cupcakes can only be beaten by the "sperm" cookies I made for the girls' birthday party back in May:
Oh well, for me the taste is more important! Just hope others feel the same way so the school can sell these babies tonight.
So to assuage my guilt, I thought I'd wow everyone with 2 different not-so-run-of-the-mill flavours for the fundraiser. I figured everyone else will be doing chocolate or vanilla.
Unfortunately, the only person I think I'm going to wow (and not in a good way) is Adam when he sees the mess in the kitchen. I also was far too cocky and made some silly booboos...like not getting the first batch when they dinged because I was busy with something else...and figured a few extra minutes wouldn't kill them - didn't KILL them but did slightly burn the edges!!...and (I blame this on my pathetic spatial-reasoning abilities), I kept overfilling the muffin cups so some of them rose up too much and then sank in the middle when they cooled.
As a result, they vary in size and shape and some had edges a bit too "golden" to be seen in public, but they are fortunately still delicious. Don't make the mistakes I made, and they'll turn out PERFECTLY.
Frosted Lemon Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
Juice and zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
2 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, juice, extract and milk, beat another minute or two. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and then dump into wet ingredients. Beat together until mixed. Spoon into muffin cups lined with paper liners (only fill about 1/3 full!) and bake at 350F for about 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 24 cupcakes. Cool before icing.
Frosting
2 tbls butter, softened
Juice and zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
2 tsp pure lemon extract
4-5 cups icing sugar
Beat together all the ingredients for the frosting. Add icing sugar a bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Gingerbread Cupkies
I call these cupkies because they are sort of a cross between a cookie and a cupcake. The molasses gives them a denser, chewier consistency closer to a cookie - amazing if you like that sort of thing (like I do!) but definitely not a light and fluffy crumb.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbls ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In large bowl, beat together butter sugar and eggs until fluffy. Beat in molasses and vanilla. In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Beat dry ingredients into wet until mixed. Spoon into muffin cups lined with paper liners (only fill about 1/3 full!) and bake at 350F for about 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 24 cupcakes. Cool before icing.
Fluffy Vanilla Fosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
5-6 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 cups icing sugar
Beat together all the ingredients for the frosting. Add icing sugar a bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Decorate as desired (I put gummy worms on top of the gingerbread ones but left the lemon ones plain as the icing has pretty yellow flecks from the lemon zest).
The ugliness of these cupcakes can only be beaten by the "sperm" cookies I made for the girls' birthday party back in May:
Oh well, for me the taste is more important! Just hope others feel the same way so the school can sell these babies tonight.
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