Week 28 - Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Chocolate Glaze

Ming’s version of the vanilla cupcake with strawberry filling and chocolate glaze looks adorable and delicious. Mine, on the other hand, I think looks more like the little bad-guy mushrooms from Super Mario. Bummer. But still pretty tasty.

This is my last cupcake to make for the club and, thankfully, things went pretty well. They went so well that I decided to get a little adventurous:  I made a double batch, and filled half with strawberry preserves and half with lemon filling (after baking). I dipped the strawberry preserve cupcakes in the chocolate glaze; I frosted the lemon-filled cupcakes with the lime frosting perfected by Abby. It’s my favorite frosting ever. The lemon filling was okay – mostly I just wanted to try out the filling attachment on my piping gun. Oh, kitchen gadgets!

The cupcake was alright. Not my favorite vanilla cupcake. I think maybe the cupcake from week 2 would’ve been better – I remember it being a little more moist.

But since this is my last cupcake, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned through this experience:

1.      If in doubt, sift it out: My last few cupcakes have turned out much better than my first attempts. I think this is partly because I started sifting all my dry ingredients together. Okay, so really I just force them through my colander because I don’t have a sifter. But, Christmas is only three months away. A girl can dream.

2.      Don’t just measure twice and cut once – calculate three times, measure twice, then cut once: I learned this the hard way after thinking I’d properly doubled all my ingredients. I wasted so much time and money on that mistake (seriously – a whole box of butter wasted! That stuff’s like $3 a box.). Maybe this doesn’t apply so much for people who are good at things like fractions or adding. But it’s a must for me.

3.      There’s a reason you make 12 cupcakes: Because they’re best when they’re shared. It’s been so much fun making cupcakes with everyone in this club and seeing their cupcake creations, and I’m so lucky to have worked and shared cupcakes with all of them.

And one last thing – I’m not sure how she does it, but Ming’s fillings always look so darn perfect in the cross-section view of the cupcake. I mean, every time the filling is just perfectly in the center. Whenever I try to fill a cupcake before baking, the filling always sinks to the bottom and looks kind of sad. If anyone figures out the trick to this, please let me know!  

Week 23: Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Filling and Meringue Frosting

Hello Cupcake Lovers! It's time for another blog posting from me, Sarah! Yay! This time I made the Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Filing and Meringue-esque Frosting. First, let me tell you that I was slow to jump on the cupcake wagon, such that I didn't sign-up for specific cupcakes; I just took them potluck, like my freshman roomie. Then, to make matters more complicated for the Amazing Kate (Founder of CC), I asked for cupcakes that didn't have chocolate. (I work with this weird-o who is "allergic" to chocolate). Kate was awesome and obliged. BUT GUESS WHAT, the allergy kid didn't even try these cupcakes! What!?!? I know!

Anyway, for this grand adventure I did not have to scour the globe looking for any unique ingredients, which my husband was very happy about.

The cupcake recipe looked easy enough, until I realized that there was Lemon Filing I made but it never goes into the cupcake. Hmmm….Ming! Why do you do this to me?!?!? I am not a pastry chef. I had no idea when or where to put the goo in. Sad. So, I made it up. I pretty much just followed her filing instructions from my first cupcake (even though that had "preserves" instead of "filing.").

I, again, made a test batch, since I had no idea what I was doing. They were yummy, but all of the filling disappeared into the cupcake batter! So on the next two batches—that's right, I said two—I tried different techniques…less cupcake, more goo…then ¾ full of cupcake, then I put the goo in. Every time it came out exactly the same! (for the most part – some of them were huge and had to be sacrificed to the neighbors.) They were also very dense and heavy, but they tasted yummy enough. I didn't take pictures so here is a creative interpretation of my cupcake and what Ming thinks my cupcake should have looked like.

Week 18: Sour Cream Apricot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Toasted Almonds

Sarah's cute cupcakes pose with the equally adorable Strawberry Shortcake.

I am not ashamed to admit that for my first cupcake adventure I was über nervous. I have often been a sous chef in the kitchen, but never the head pastry chef! I started my cupcake party with a little bit too much of a lofty goal – to purchase as many local products as possible, specifically from the Topeka Farmer's Market. Let's say that I failed miserably, but did end up with some very nice soap. Ming's recipe called for Apricot Preserves, which cannot legally be sold at Farmer's Markets in Kansas. Dillon's, however, carried some very nice preserves from France. So I put on my beret and got to baking.

Due to my intense fear of screwing up the cupcakes, I made a test batch. Other than my kitchen being ridiculously messy and my personal inability to leave a single dirty dish on the counter for more than 5 minutes, the cupcakes were very successful! I delivered them to the neighbors I could find to make sure I wouldn't poison anyone to work. The great people of College Hill loved my cupcakes! (Thanks neighbors! I heart you!)

I got started on my next batch (a double batch –I'm an over achiever.). I think they turned out just as delicious. Ming provided a very understandable recipe for this go-around. I was very satisfied with my first cupcake adventure! 

Week 13: Sour Cream Fig Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrie B.'s cupcakes were so sweet, even the cupcake was smiling!

I was so curious to see how the sour cream and fig cupcakes would turn out.  


Result?  Delicious.  Process?  Tricky.  


The batter is extremely thick, probably due to the sour cream.  Ming suggests filling the cupcake pan 1/3 full, then putting a spoonful of fig preserves in, and then covering with more cupcake batter.  


The problem with this method is that the preserves sinks to the bottom of the cupcake rather than staying pretty in the center like her picture.  

Fig cupcake

But certainly doesn’t detract from the flavor, so I recommend the cupcake.  I doubled the recipe and got 22 cupcakes (I might have overfilled the cupcake pan on the first batch).  And, of course, cream cheese frosting is my favorite.  


If I made these again, rather than trying to have a fig center, I might just put some of the fig preserves in both the batter and the frosting.  I didn’t have any figs or candied ginger for garnish, so I garnished with the fig preserves.  It was such a pretty color—I think it worked. 

Week 11: Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Cream Filling

Kari's cream-filled cupcakes were a sweet treat,
but it was still sad to say goodbye.

I was really excited to make Cupcake #11, Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Cream Filling, because I felt like it was the gourmet version of the classic Hostess cupcake. You know, the chocolate cupcake with the white swirls on top. In doing some research, I found out the popular Hostess cupcake is often referred to as "The Captain of Them All." A famous slogan has also attached to the famous cupcakes: "You get a big delight in every bite."

 I had a lot of fun making this cupcake, mostly because I had the assistance of my mom, who is a fabulous baker. The cake batter was thicker than most, so it was hard judging how much to put in each cupcake liner. While making these cupcakes, I learned a very important lesson in cupcake creation – don't fill the liners too full. The first batch I filled the liners too full and the cupcakes overflowed onto the cupcake pan. The part of the cake that overflowed stuck to the pan, so the cakes were impossible to remove without breaking off the top of the cupcake. The second batch turned out much better after I had a better idea of how much to fill the liners. The cake was moist and had just the right chocolate flavor. My family enjoyed eating all the broken cupcakes even without the cream filing and ganache.

A broken cupcake

The best part of these cupcakes, in my opinion, was the cream filling! And, it was really simple to make. The cake and cream filling was a perfect combination. The slogan is true, the cream filling put a "delight in every bite."  It was also easier than I thought to fill the cupcakes. I do suggest, though, waiting for the cupcakes to cool to begin filling them. It is easier to remove the inside of the cupcake after the cupcakes cooled.

The chocolate ganache also added to this cupcake. I was a tad nervous about making ganache for the first time but my mom and I worked it out. To make sure the ganache was the right consistency, we added a small amount of each ingredient, chocolate chips and half-and-half, instead of combining the entire amount all at once.  That seemed to work out well because the ganache turned out to be the right consistency and not too runny. I frosted the cupcakes with the ganache and let them refrigerate overnight so the ganache could cool. I waited until the following day, before adding a dollop of the remaining cream filling to the top of each cupcake so that the cream wouldn't melt into the ganache.  After sampling the finished product, I can definitely see how this flavor of cupcake has become the captain of all cupcakes.

As I said earlier, I was really excited to make this cupcake. On the other hand, I was a little sad because this was the last cupcake I was baking for the cupcake challenge due to relocation for my new job. In keeping with the tradition of my posts, this cupcake goes out to my friends at the COA. I will miss you. You brought much delight and enjoyment to the office. The place wouldn't have been the same without you. This cupcake also goes out to R.M.: thanks for being my #1 fan and supporting me in all my endeavors.

Week 7: Lemon Cupcakes with Jam Filling

There was nothing sour about Casey's
fantastic lemon cupcakes!

When life gives you lemons…make lemon cupcakes! With jam filling!

The first filled cupcakes made their debut in week 7. I had some trouble finding the cake flour at the grocery store. Some online sites reported that you can use a mixture of regular flour and cornstarch or less regular flour that has been sifted as substitutes for cake flour, but I was victorious in finding the box of cake flour and I didn't want to take a chance on screwing up the cupcakes.

The baking process went well. Like the other cupcakes, I found the cake to be very dense and spongy, but still very good. As I poured the ½ cup of lemon juice into the batter, I thought that the lemon would be overwhelming, but it was just right for my taste buds at least.

Inside the jam-filled cupcakes.

Then the most nerve racking part—carving out the hole for the filling. I used my Pampered Chef grapefruit knife to cut the hole out. The cuttings got a bit crumbly, especially when I put them back on, but the whipped cream masked the filling process' imperfections. Although not part of the instructions, I microwaved the jam to make it easier to pour into the holes. If I were to make the cupcakes again, I'd experiment with different flavors of jam:  strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, etc.

Once topped with the whipped cream and fresh strawberry, the cupcakes looked very summery—a perfect antidote for Kansas' cold, nasty February weather.