Photo
June 22, 2010
1 note
Chocolate Chocolate Chip “Muffins” :) Why, these look a bit familiar… They look strikingly similar to the chocolate cupcakes I filled with dulce de leche a while back.  Hmm.. How could that be? Oh.  Because “chocolate muffins” don’t exist.  They’re just cupcakes that we eat for breakfast!  Oh, we’re so silly.  Oh well.  Whatever lets us get away with eating chocolate for breakfast, right?  :) I got this recipe from The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook that a lovely friend got for me a while back.  Warning: This book will make you salivate.  For some reason, every one of the recipes I’ve tried from this book have ended in at least partial disaster… I must be doing something wrong.  Maybe I should stop being so frugal and start using Ghirardelli chocolate?   Hm.  Well, whatever it is, I hope I figure it out soon.  I love this book, and all of the recipes sound like they’d be amazing.  Then I mess up.  Darn. Anyway.  Back to the cupca— I mean, “muffins.”  My soul reason for making these muffins was to emulate the muffins that my former house-mates and I miss so much.  Our dining hall made some pretty decent food, but their chocolate chocolate chunk muffins were beyond delicious.  They were perfectly chocolatey, perfectly dark, perfectly moist, with perfectly crisp tops… I’m drooling just thinking about them.  The moment I get my fingers on that recipe, oh, there will be nonstop muffin-making and nonstop muffin-consumption in this apartment!  (Just kidding… maybe.) These muffins were decent.  Honestly, they were just too dry and not quite chocolatey enough.  To be honest, I think I may have baked them a few minutes too long (instructions called for 20, I should’ve gone 17 for a more moist muffin).  I also must admit that I kind of strayed away from the recipe a bit … (don’t ask).  I should actually try the recipe some day just as is, too… Don’t know what came over me!  I won’t give up on this muffin experiment until I succeed — even if it takes all summer! P.S. If you missed the note in my last post, be sure to check out this summer food blog my friends and I are all contributing to this summer.  We’re all living on campus without meal plans, and, oh boy, we’re all stoked for the awesome food adventures to come!  We just had our first potluck on Sunday, so be sure to check out the blog! :)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip “Muffins” :)

Why, these look a bit familiar… They look strikingly similar to the chocolate cupcakes I filled with dulce de leche a while back.  Hmm.. How could that be?

Oh.  Because “chocolate muffins” don’t exist.  They’re just cupcakes that we eat for breakfast!  Oh, we’re so silly.  Oh well.  Whatever lets us get away with eating chocolate for breakfast, right?  :)

I got this recipe from The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook that a lovely friend got for me a while back.  Warning: This book will make you salivate. 

For some reason, every one of the recipes I’ve tried from this book have ended in at least partial disaster… I must be doing something wrong.  Maybe I should stop being so frugal and start using Ghirardelli chocolate?   Hm.  Well, whatever it is, I hope I figure it out soon.  I love this book, and all of the recipes sound like they’d be amazing.  Then I mess up.  Darn.

Anyway.  Back to the cupca— I mean, “muffins.” 

My soul reason for making these muffins was to emulate the muffins that my former house-mates and I miss so much.  Our dining hall made some pretty decent food, but their chocolate chocolate chunk muffins were beyond delicious.  They were perfectly chocolatey, perfectly dark, perfectly moist, with perfectly crisp tops… I’m drooling just thinking about them.  The moment I get my fingers on that recipe, oh, there will be nonstop muffin-making and nonstop muffin-consumption in this apartment!  (Just kidding… maybe.)

These muffins were decent.  Honestly, they were just too dry and not quite chocolatey enough.  To be honest, I think I may have baked them a few minutes too long (instructions called for 20, I should’ve gone 17 for a more moist muffin).  I also must admit that I kind of strayed away from the recipe a bit … (don’t ask).  I should actually try the recipe some day just as is, too… Don’t know what came over me! 

I won’t give up on this muffin experiment until I succeed — even if it takes all summer!

P.S. If you missed the note in my last post, be sure to check out this summer food blog my friends and I are all contributing to this summer.  We’re all living on campus without meal plans, and, oh boy, we’re all stoked for the awesome food adventures to come!  We just had our first potluck on Sunday, so be sure to check out the blog! :)

Tags: chocolate muffins cupcakes

Photo
June 18, 2010
2 notes
Cookies & Cream PANDA Cupcakes :) Firstly, I’d like to wish another happy year of existence to one of my best friends from high school: Kim Tran.  So…  HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, MA’AM! :) Kim was actually my inspiration for these cupcakes (which I gave to her as an early birthday gift).  Knowing how much she absolutely loves pandas, and having not baked in what seems like a decade, I knew I had to bake something panda-themed for Kim.  When I started brainstorming what to make, the idea of panda cupcakes instantly popped up in my mind.  I had seen about half a dozen different approaches to making panda cupcakes on various baking blogs and Tumblogs, so my challenge was sticking to something simple, yet cute and personalized.  Before I chose what type of cupcake to make, I decided I wanted to craft my pandas out of Oreos.  Exactly how I wanted to craft them wasn’t determined until I actually had to start decorating (… silly me).  So, I thought, what more appropriate cupcake body to make than a cookies & cream cupcake?    I used a cookies & cream cupcake recipe I found on Lovin’ From the Oven, and frosted the cupcakes with cream cheese icing (vanilla frosting may have been a better choice).  I used Mini Oreos halves for the eyes and ears, and frosted on the faces with standard black frosting I found at Safeway.   The cupcakes themselves were decent.  They didn’t taste as “cookies & creamish” as I had anticipated, but I think that’s mostly due to the fact that I used cream cheese icing instead of vanilla.  The Oreo on the bottom of the cupcake is an awesome idea, and is a sweet little surprise when you bite into the cupcake, but the difference between the textures is a bit odd..  This might just be a personal problem, though. :P  As for decorating the cupcakes… My older brother Alan helped me out with coming up with all the different faces (I didn’t want any of them to be the same!).  Decorating them was an absolute BLAST, and I’d recommend this activity to any pair (or group) of bakers and friends looking for a good time. :)  All in all, a super fun project.  Now that it’s summer, I’ll be doing a lot more cooking (no dining plan = my friends and I fending for ourselves on a small budget in a small kitchen) and baking.  I’m absolutely stoked! :D Keep your eyes peeled for more blog posts in the near future.  I’m hoping to keep this blog as lively as possible throughout the whole summer. :) Speaking of summer, food, and blogs, check out this summer food blog my good friend Kevin started a few summers back.  A group of us, plus Kevin, will be revamping the blog with tons of kitchen experiments this summer.  It should be all sorts of awesome. :)

Cookies & Cream PANDA Cupcakes :)

Firstly, I’d like to wish another happy year of existence to one of my best friends from high school: Kim Tran.  So… 

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, MA’AM! :)

Kim was actually my inspiration for these cupcakes (which I gave to her as an early birthday gift).  Knowing how much she absolutely loves pandas, and having not baked in what seems like a decade, I knew I had to bake something panda-themed for Kim.  When I started brainstorming what to make, the idea of panda cupcakes instantly popped up in my mind.  I had seen about half a dozen different approaches to making panda cupcakes on various baking blogs and Tumblogs, so my challenge was sticking to something simple, yet cute and personalized. 

Before I chose what type of cupcake to make, I decided I wanted to craft my pandas out of Oreos.  Exactly how I wanted to craft them wasn’t determined until I actually had to start decorating (… silly me).  So, I thought, what more appropriate cupcake body to make than a cookies & cream cupcake?   

I used a cookies & cream cupcake recipe I found on Lovin’ From the Oven, and frosted the cupcakes with cream cheese icing (vanilla frosting may have been a better choice).  I used Mini Oreos halves for the eyes and ears, and frosted on the faces with standard black frosting I found at Safeway.  

The cupcakes themselves were decent.  They didn’t taste as “cookies & creamish” as I had anticipated, but I think that’s mostly due to the fact that I used cream cheese icing instead of vanilla.  The Oreo on the bottom of the cupcake is an awesome idea, and is a sweet little surprise when you bite into the cupcake, but the difference between the textures is a bit odd..  This might just be a personal problem, though. :P 

As for decorating the cupcakes…

My older brother Alan helped me out with coming up with all the different faces (I didn’t want any of them to be the same!).  Decorating them was an absolute BLAST, and I’d recommend this activity to any pair (or group) of bakers and friends looking for a good time. :) 

All in all, a super fun project. 

Now that it’s summer, I’ll be doing a lot more cooking (no dining plan = my friends and I fending for ourselves on a small budget in a small kitchen) and baking.  I’m absolutely stoked! :D

Keep your eyes peeled for more blog posts in the near future.  I’m hoping to keep this blog as lively as possible throughout the whole summer. :)

Speaking of summer, food, and blogs, check out this summer food blog my good friend Kevin started a few summers back.  A group of us, plus Kevin, will be revamping the blog with tons of kitchen experiments this summer.  It should be all sorts of awesome. :)

Tags: Oreos cupcakes decorating birthdays

Photoset
April 04, 2010

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes 
filled with Dulce de Leche 
frosted with Chocolate Frosting :)

Before last quarter I had only read about dulce de leche in various food blog posts.  These posts ranged from critiques on dulce de leche ice cream to sharing recipes for dulce de leche cheesecake squares.  I could only guess what dulce de leche was — some type of thick, milky caramel?  Either way, I didn’t think I was missing out on too much.

One lovely evening, a friend and I were having dinner at the CoHo when a menu item caught our eye: 

“Churros with dulce de leche”

When I mentioned that I had never had dulce de leche before, my friend automatically decided that this treat was a must.  The churros were center-filled with dulce de leche and were absolutely delicious.  What attracted me most to dulce de leche was the smooth, creamy texture paired with the milky caramel taste.  I’ve always adored the taste of caramel, but never enjoyed the ooey-gooey stickiness of it.  Great texture plus the caramel taste?  Dulce de leche was basically a dream come true for me! 

I’d been hankering to make some cupcakes all quarter last quarter.  I finally came up with an idea that I thought was worthwhile, which is what I present to you today: 

Dark chocolate cupcakes filled with dulce de leche — frosted with chocolate frosting

YUM. :)
I used Beantown Baker’s Dark Chocolate Cupcake recipe and a random chocolate frosting recipe I came up with on the spot.  I bought the dulce de leche at Whole Foods.  

After baking the cupcakes and letting them cool for a bit, I cut a cone-shaped chunk out of each cupcake, filled the hollowed centers of the cupcakes with dulce de leche, replaced the top of the cupcake, and lightly frosted the top of each cupcake.

My cupcakes turned out a little more dry than I had anticipated (I actually made a huge mistake while mixing the batter, realized it half way through, and did my best to make up for it.. But the dryness was definitely a result of my mistake).  Otherwise, I would consider my cupcake baking spree for the quarter as a success. :) 

Well, it’s a new quarter now, and I’m hoping for lots of sunshine and looking forward to all of the activities that get to take place in ideal weather: running, climbing, tennis, and sand volleyball.  I’m really excited for all of my classes, and even more excited for whatever baking adventures I might embark on. 

Oh man.  I can’t wait. :)

Lessons to take away from this blog post:

1) If you haven’t tasted it before, go get some dulce de leche this instant.  If you have tasted it before, still go get some. Now. 

2) Pay attention when you’re mixing cake batter. 

3) Always take advantage of lovely weather.

Thanks for reading!  Stay happy. :)

Tags: chocolate caramel cupcakes

Photo
December 25, 2009
1 note
Day 9 of 12: Cinnamon Roll “Cupcakes” :) Over the summer, I made my first attempt at baking cinnamon rolls.  I failed epically.  Ever since that horrible experience, I’ve been gathering tons of recipes and even more courage for making cinnamon rolls.  I came across a few cinnamon roll recipes that seemed so promising and fool-proof.  But when I stumbled upon Beantown Baker’s recipe for these adorable cinnamon roll cupcakes, I knew I couldn’t resist. This recipe is definitely a keeper. :)  I was so happy when these came out of the oven looking and smelling like delicious cinnamon rolls!  You have NO idea how excited I was (or maybe you do..).  These turned out really well, and my brother even said these are probably his favorite of everything I’ve made this break!  A few things I’d do differently: 1. I wouldn’t roll the cinnamon rolls so tight (a few of them literally just shot up vertically out of the cupcake liner) 2. I would lightly butter the cupcake liners beforehand (these get super sticky) With those suggestions in mind, I’m definitely keeping this recipe in my arsenal of recipes. :) I’ve got 2 more recipes to post about, but I’ll have to do that later.  Then, just one more thing to bake, and my 12 Days of Baking will be officially completed!  Let’s hope I can do it… :)

Day 9 of 12: Cinnamon Roll “Cupcakes” :)

Over the summer, I made my first attempt at baking cinnamon rolls.  I failed epically.  Ever since that horrible experience, I’ve been gathering tons of recipes and even more courage for making cinnamon rolls.  I came across a few cinnamon roll recipes that seemed so promising and fool-proof.  But when I stumbled upon Beantown Baker’s recipe for these adorable cinnamon roll cupcakes, I knew I couldn’t resist.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. :)  I was so happy when these came out of the oven looking and smelling like delicious cinnamon rolls!  You have NO idea how excited I was (or maybe you do..).  These turned out really well, and my brother even said these are probably his favorite of everything I’ve made this break!  A few things I’d do differently:

1. I wouldn’t roll the cinnamon rolls so tight (a few of them literally just shot up vertically out of the cupcake liner)

2. I would lightly butter the cupcake liners beforehand (these get super sticky)

With those suggestions in mind, I’m definitely keeping this recipe in my arsenal of recipes. :)

I’ve got 2 more recipes to post about, but I’ll have to do that later.  Then, just one more thing to bake, and my 12 Days of Baking will be officially completed!  Let’s hope I can do it… :)

Tags: cinnamon cupcakes

Photo
September 21, 2009
Cupcake bites! I just realized I never showed what the entire thing looks like.  So here you are!  These things are amazingly adorable.  They fit into your palm and can be eaten in one bite.  The bottoms are chocolate (I varied between milk and dark), and inside is dark chocolate cake. I made them in yellow and green-topped on my own, and purple-topped with my sister (the purple was so pretty!).  The yellow was lemon-flavored, the green mint-flavored, and the purple vanilla-flavored.  Sorry I don’t have any photos of the green and purple ones! These are, in my and my sister’s opinion, best eaten refrigerated.  But the texture’s definitely more easy to handle when they’re warm (when they’re refrigerated, the coating just falls apart when you start to take your first bite). I think these would make awesome little gifts!  Especially considering that one “batch” yields about 80 of these little cupcake bites.  I actually gifted some to my friend for helping me move into my new dorm, and she fell in love with them.  I also gave one to a lady at the Southwest kiosk who let my bag pass even though it was a little overweight.. hehe. I’m back on campus, and class starts tomorrow.  Unfortunately, this means it’ll probably be a while until I can bake again; funds are low (because they’re all getting sucked up by text book purchases), and time might be a little scarce with the mayhem of the first week. I can’t wait to get back in the kitchen.

Cupcake bites!

I just realized I never showed what the entire thing looks like.  So here you are!  These things are amazingly adorable.  They fit into your palm and can be eaten in one bite.  The bottoms are chocolate (I varied between milk and dark), and inside is dark chocolate cake.

I made them in yellow and green-topped on my own, and purple-topped with my sister (the purple was so pretty!).  The yellow was lemon-flavored, the green mint-flavored, and the purple vanilla-flavored.  Sorry I don’t have any photos of the green and purple ones!

These are, in my and my sister’s opinion, best eaten refrigerated.  But the texture’s definitely more easy to handle when they’re warm (when they’re refrigerated, the coating just falls apart when you start to take your first bite).

I think these would make awesome little gifts!  Especially considering that one “batch” yields about 80 of these little cupcake bites.  I actually gifted some to my friend for helping me move into my new dorm, and she fell in love with them.  I also gave one to a lady at the Southwest kiosk who let my bag pass even though it was a little overweight.. hehe.

I’m back on campus, and class starts tomorrow.  Unfortunately, this means it’ll probably be a while until I can bake again; funds are low (because they’re all getting sucked up by text book purchases), and time might be a little scarce with the mayhem of the first week.

I can’t wait to get back in the kitchen.

Tags: chocolate cupcakes cream cheese

Photo
August 30, 2009
A sneak peek at what I have in store. :) More to come later!

A sneak peek at what I have in store. :)

More to come later!

Tags: cupcakes chocolate cream cheese

Photo
August 30, 2009
Hmm..  Shipping cupcakes in mason jars! I’ve mailed cookies, brownies, bars, and whatnot.. but never cupcakes.  I’ve always wanted to, but it seems nearly impossible.  I definitely want to try this!  I sure hope the icing doesn’t get smooshed, though. :\

Hmm..  Shipping cupcakes in mason jars!

I’ve mailed cookies, brownies, bars, and whatnot.. but never cupcakes.  I’ve always wanted to, but it seems nearly impossible.  I definitely want to try this!  I sure hope the icing doesn’t get smooshed, though. :\

Tags: cupcakes

Photo
August 12, 2009
2,443 notes
thisiswhyyourefat: Oreo Cupcake With Built In Milk Cup (Submitted by J. Pollack via cupcakeproject) On a mission to make this!

thisiswhyyourefat:

Oreo Cupcake With Built In Milk Cup

(Submitted by J. Pollack via cupcakeproject)

On a mission to make this!

Tags: cupcakes chocolate Oreos

Photo
July 18, 2009
36 notes
cupcakejunkie: Chocolate cupcakes, filled with ganache and Reeses peanut butter cups, topped with peanut butter frosting and more Reeses peanut butter cups. Peanut butter & chocolate: one of the most amazing combinations EVER.  This is definitely the next cupcake recipe I’d love to test out! :)

cupcakejunkie:

Chocolate cupcakes, filled with ganache and Reeses peanut butter cups, topped with peanut butter frosting and more Reeses peanut butter cups.

Peanut butter & chocolate: one of the most amazing combinations EVER.  This is definitely the next cupcake recipe I’d love to test out! :)

Tags: chocolate peanut butter cupcakes