It's good to be back!

 Shiny and delightfully tasty. You might be able to eat just one.

Maybe. Possibly.

Aw, cupcakes.

I used to be known for my cupcakes, you know. I mean, my friends still get excited when I say I'm baking a batch of them, but it's not as often as it used to be and honestly, it's not the first thing someone thinks of anymore and this is both good and bad. But it is what it is. The other day, however, I wanted to make cupcakes. Badly. So I thought about what I wanted and then I really went old school - I broke out the Elinor Klivans book cupcakes!

It's bangerang, kids. You should all get this.

I wanted something simple. Something that would make a bad day better, which sometimes means complicated and involved but on that day? No. Complicated and involved was a bad idea. So I went with the butter cake cupcakes and their sticky fudge frosting. The deciding factor to stay with the frosting? It's made from sweetened condensed milk. COME TO MAMA.

Plus. I had some really cute cupcake wrappers that my friend gave me.

Now, this recipe calls for cake flour, but you can make your own with some flour and potato starch. All the substitutions I read had corn starch as the thing to turn the tide, but as that would make me gross, it's not in the house. Potato starch, though, is. Tapioca starch would also be a good choice. It's one tablespoon of starch in a one-cup measuring cup, then enough flour to finish it out to an even cup, by the by.

Anyway. Everyone will love these, even if your oven is wonky and makes them bake a little unevenly like mine did.

 See? Just a little. It's still pretty bomb, though.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1 TSP baking powder
- 1/8th TSP salt
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick), room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 TSP vanilla (or an extra splash, it's okay)
- 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%, but it called for whole. damn cake is lucky I didn't use skim.)

Now. To make these delightful butter cakes you're going to want to first preheat your (hopefully not wonky) oven to 350 F. Pop your cake liners in your muffin tin.

Mix your cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it's smooth and creamy - if you sneak a bite, I won't tell. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until blended, then add the vanilla and beat for about another two minutes. Add in the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two, making the batter smooth and delicious. It should be just mixed together, ideally. But no one will hate you if you forget because you are ranting about, say, someone in your apartment and beat it a little more ferociously than intended.

Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup batter, just to the 1/2 inch below the edge. Bake until the tops feel firm and a toothpick comes out clean, which should take about 22 minutes. Again, this means your oven? Is not a demon from hell. Lucky you!

I still like my oven for working at all, honestly.

Now. Put your cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.

Hop to the frosting! You will need...

- 2 oz unsweetened, chopped chocolate
- 2 TBS butter, at room temp
- 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/8th TSP salt
- 1 TSP vanilla

Put the salt, chocolate, butter, and sweetened condensed milk in a heatproof bowl or sauce pan and place that over another sauce pan of simmering water. Or, if you have a double boiler, use that. Stir constantly and cook for about five minutes, the chocolate and butter will have melted and the frosting will be smooth and thick. Remove from the stove and stir in the vanilla. Pour the frosting into a bowl and beat it for a few minutes (2 - 3) until it thickens a little more and cooks to lukewarm. This frosting needs to be a little warm to spread, so you're really just sort of cooling it down with this step.

 This is some glossy, delicious, frosting. Wowza.

Great with strawberries, I'd imagine.

Now frost those sweet little cupcakes! The recipe says use about two tablespoons on each one, I think I just put a spoonful on - I had frosting left over and poured it into a plastic storage container, chucked it in the fridge, and later used it in all manner of delicious ways. Including spoon-to-mouth.

You can let the cupcakes sit uncovered for about an hour, for the frosting to firm up, but if you eat one right away no one is going to blame you. I put mine in the fridge.

 One down, as many more as I can manage to go!

The recipe says you can store them in a covered container for three days at room temp, but honestly, I doubt that they will last that long. Too delicious!

Now, pour yourself a glass of the good stuff and enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Completely delicious! 

Oh yes, a birthday marvel.  

For ages now, I've made cupcakes for Matt's birthday (and for others as well) and this year was no exception. I ask what he wants and he gives me a flavor profile, usually, and this year he asked for lavender and vanilla and macadamia nut. He was slightly more specific, but I know him and his tastes and knew exactly what to do. 'Cause that's how we roll, here. With understanding.

Now, macadmia nuts - as pricey as they are - come in bulk at Whole Foods and so I was able to get just a handful of them. My dad had given me loads of dried lavender when I was in Ohio last, so I had that, and so it was really just a simple matter of how I was going to do it without having that soapy-lavender taste that happens. Since only one person called them "bubble-bath-cakes" (although, they did say they were the most delicious "bubble-bath cakes I've ever had"), not to mention that people really killed these and the birthday boy himself apparently ate four of them...

A win!

And simple.

To make the lavender butter, simply take your dried lavender and use the flower bits, not the stems or sticks, and chuck it in a saucepan of melting butter. I did about two tablespoons, but maybe a little less would be fine. I used one stick of butter.

Mmmm...naturally dried lavender and delicious butter.

My father is so proud. 

Melt down, turn heat to super low, stir and make sure it doesn't burn while you cook it for ten to fifteen minutes. Strain. You can use cheese cloth or a seive or something - I had a tea strainer that was mug-sized, so I used that and pressed the lavender with a spoon to get all the butter out.

TA-DA! 

Lavender butter! 

Now.

- one stick of lavender butter, melted but cooled
- one cup of flour
- half cup of sugar
- one vanilla bean
- pinch of salt
- teaspoon baking powder
- two eggs
- splash of milk (if the batter doesn't come together)

Now. Mix all those together. I did the butter, vanilla, and sugar first. Beat until combined, then add the eggs and beat. Add the flour and baking powder and eggs and beat again. If not battery, add milk.

You should have a delicious batter! Taste it and see if it needs anything - more sugar or vanilla are the likely culprits.

Pour into baking cups in your muffin pan and cook at 350 F for about twenty-five minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting

- one stick of softened butter
- splash vanilla
- chopped up macadamia nuts
- one and half  to two cups powdered sugar

 BEHOLD!  

Blend on high util the butter and powdered sugar is creamy, add vanilla and macadmia nuts. Blend. If too thin, add powdered sugar. Taste. Now. If it is too sweet, either add a little more butter and/or splash in some milk. If it is too buttery, add some powdered sugar.


When the cupcakes are cool, frost and give to pleased individuals.

Unbaked

Still delish.

And of course feel free to use adorable cupcake holders....

 

They really add something, if you ask me.

Then again. I'm always looking for cute ones. Even if I don't get a direct chance to use them!

Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes

Among my friends, I became the person who makes cupcakes. I make a lot of things and I am also celebrated for things like my pot stickers and everyone knows how much I love cooking and food and that sort of thing, but really? I became a cupcake girl. I bake them fairly often (usually) and always make batches for my friends on their birthday (they give me a flavor or an idea or something) and I even once supplied a massive amount of cupcakes for a fundraiser.

So. Yes. I make delicious cupcakes. I've got a vanilla cupcake recipe that I finally really nailed, but I've not got the photos so I'm not sharing it right now. Instead I will share the chocolate cupcake recipe from cupcakes I made.. They were so delicious that two days later, I had to make another batch (and this time, tried to take actual measurements! all for you guys! because there could be people reading this, who knows?) and those are ALSO already nearly gone. For those keeping score at home, that is twenty-seven cupcakes in not even five days.

In defense of my roommate and myself, I have to confess that other people have eaten these. And then those people? Came back for more.

So what makes this cupcake so delicious? You tell me.

- one cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar (and then a little more, but not a whole cup)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (ish. i admit, i usually just shake it until it looks right. i used starbucks.)
- two eggs
- a pinch of baking powder
- one stick melted butter
- somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of milk
- quick dash of salt (i shook the shaker twice, but our shaker is smallish)

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder, and salt together. Add melted butter and mix. Add eggs, mix some more, and finally mix in the milk. The batter is very light and almost fluffy. You can add in chocolate chips or some such if you'd really like to (and the first time, i did!)

Put the cupcake liners (cups? skins? i call them skins. i don't know.) in your pan and put large spoonfuls of batter in each one. Not all the way full, but more like 3/4 full. Cook them at 350 F in the oven for about twenty to twenty-five minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, you'll know they are done even if they look a little darker in the center. I thought some of them weren't finished, but they were. Go figure.

Now, some of my cupcakes fell a little and I'm not sure why exactly as many of them did not, but know it was entirely my fault in how I put batter in but regardless, all are delicious.

Note: you could add vanilla, I'm sure, or even something spicy. I left vanilla out when I made this because it was for a friend who is allergic to vanilla.

I feel so bad for this friend. She's allergic to basil, pine, sweet peppers, and about a thousand other things as well. It's very hard. We once found a pound cake that neither of us were allergic to. I won't tell you how quickly we ate it because, honestly, you very likely do not want to know. We were just so happy! Happy and full.

Now! On to the frosting! I made a delicious vanilla (sorry, my friend did not get the same frosting.) cream cheese frosting.

- a half stick of butter (softened)
- a packet of cream cheese
- 1 1/2 or 2 cups powdered sugar
- vanilla (one teaspoon, though maybe two)

I blended the butter and cream cheese together and then added powdered sugar, a little at a time, until I was pleased with the consistency. Add vanilla and mix, making sure it is smooth and delicious. I don't even think about what I am doing when I make this frosting, so, trying to remember measurements doesn't really go so well for me. But you know what looks and tastes like frosting.

When the cupcakes are cool, you should frost them and eat them. You should also hide some from your friends because if they are like mine, they will quietly take a few to go each time they see them.