Week 20: Coconut Sponge Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream

It was only a matter of time before a cupcaker was unable to successfully complete Ming’s recipe and be forced to make an entirely different recipe so as to not disappoint the fellow cupcakers. Well, if you haven’t guessed it by now, that cupcaker was me.

I dutifully followed the recipe, but there were so many places where things could go wrong, and evidently, something did. I needed to beat the egg whites and salt until there were soft peaks. Then add sugar and beat until there were stiff peaks. Then fold the stiff peaks gently into an egg yolk mixture.



I don’t know if I went wrong at the soft peak, stiff peak, or gently folding stage, but the cupcakes shriveled up a few minutes after I took them out of the oven. After splitting one open, it appeared as though the ingredients separated:  the bottom was a congealed glob of goo and the top was somewhat spongy. There was no way I’d serve these to anyone, and I unfortunately didn’t have the time or culinary resources in stock to go through the soft-peak, stiff-peak, gently-fold process again and risk another fail at any/all of those stages. So I claimed defeat and used Barefoot Contessa’s coconut cupcake recipe instead. The batter was absolutely delicious—I had no problem licking the bowl—and the cupcakes graciously didn’t shrivel into a congealed glob after I took them out of the oven. Instead they turned out plump and tasty.

The conquest wasn’t a complete fail:  I used Ming’s frosting recipe, which was very good. However, because it uses egg yolks, I’d be somewhat leery to make it for other people again. I’d hate to make someone sick.

All in all, if I were to make coconut cupcakes in the future, I’d probably choose the easier route again and stick with Barefoot Contessa’s recipe and leave Ming’s recipe for those with more culinary genius.

Week 19: Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting

Reader, I did it: I baked the heck out of these cupcakes. I mean, things went seriously well. After the disasters I've had before, this was a very welcome surprise.

I can't put my finger on what, exactly, made everything go right. Maybe it's that I stopped trying to multitask while in the kitchen (read: cook dinner and bake cupcakes at the same time, or read textbook and bake cupcakes at the same time, or bake cupcakes while waiting for nails to dry, etc). This time, I focused entirely on the cupcakes, measuring everything precisely and reading the instructions carefully before taking each step. From the baking time to the measurements, nothing went wrong. Everything was right on in the instructions.

Things went so well with the baking that I decided to get a little creative with the frosting. I made a double batch (about 30 cupcakes) and frosted half with the maple brown butter as Ming recommends, and half with lemon frosting. I topped the lemon frosted cakes with candied lemons. I thought I could save a step by cutting the lemon slices into quarters before candying them; don't. Put whole slices into the boiling water, then quarter them when they are done. It works much better, and looks a lot nicer.

I really preferred the lemon frosting on the blueberry cupcakes. Maybe it's because I'm nostalgic for blue and yellow (the colors of my high school, law school and wedding). But after this round of cupcake baking, I have to say: Ming, you make a mean blueberry cupcake!

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! 

Week17: Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache

Week 16: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting



Peeps eye Carrie B.'s tasty Guinness chocolate cupcakes.

Hi all!  Its Carrie again, and this week’s cupcake challenge was the Guinness chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting.  I was really excited to try baking with Guinness.  I’ve used Guinness before for savory stews and soups, but never for sweets.  Luckily, my husband is a huge fan of Guinness so he helped put away the Guinness I didn’t need for the recipe.  (Thanks, Travis!)

I thought this recipe was pretty easy, particularly in comparison to the filled cupcakes.  I used room temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs rather than cold.  I read in my Bon Appetit magazine this weekend that room temperature makes all the difference.  I also sifted the dry ingredients together to avoid clumps before mixing with the wet ingredients.  Overall, the batter was thinner than the last cupcakes I made, and, therefore, a lot easier to pour into the cupcake pan.  Oddly, there was a difference in the cook time between the foil cupcake wrappers and the papers ones.  (The paper took longer.)  I have no idea why.

This Peep may have had one Guinness
(cupcake) too many.

Overall, I would definitely make these again.  The cake is not too sweet—almost like a dark chocolate—and you can’t really taste the Guinness.  And, once again, I’ll eat anything with cream cheese frosting on it, so load it up.  I played with the idea of adding a few big chocolate chips to the top of each cupcake as a garnish, but decided against it.  I thought I would stay pure to the recipe before adding my own things to it.  In the future, though, I might be throwing on some chips, or perhaps a raspberry to cut the sweetness of the frosting.  I don’t know, I’m just brainstorming.

I give these a big thumbs up.