vanilla cupcakes.. again.

these were for my cookbook that i am creating for my design class.
beautiful photographs! thanks to my friend's camera.


o yes.. the dilemma.
to pipe or to spread?
i lean more towards the piped because it's a nice refined look. but a lot cafes just spread it with a spatula and then adorn it.



these sprinkles and colors remind me of childhood.
people love sprinkles i've noticed. from the two choices, my peers usually wanted the sprinkled. it shows we all have a kid inside of us. :)





all packed up and ready to go.
what would we do without tupperware, rubbermaid, or ikea!
:P


anyways,
this recipe is actually different from the one i have posted before.
i have used Billy Bakery's vanilla vanilla recipe instead of Magnolia's.
i think i prefer billy's because a.it's fluffier and b.it's easier! he uses this one bowl technique which is ALWAYS so convenient.
their buttercream is identical. and so still very yummay.

here is the recipe.
from www.marthastewart.com

Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes

ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Billy's Vanilla Buttercream
• Colored Sprinkles, for decorating, optional
• Alternate frosting: Billy's Chocolate Buttercream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

woohoo!

my friend lent me her beautiful canon EOS for the week and i am having a blast!!
i needed the camera for my project and so i am diligently working. hehe. work couldn't be any more fun!

here is my trip to "the chef". a nice thai restaurant near my house. their food is okay. it's not thaat great. but the restaurant is nicely designed with a nice atmosphere. so i like going. plus their lunch menu is pretty good. i got the pad thai with spring rolls. it comes with soup and citrus tea. and just for the project purposes, i ordered a mango sesame pudding for dessert. but yuck! haha. i did not enjoy it at all. i just ate the fresh fruit mostly. but oh well. :P

cuppy-cakes

aren't they so pretty?
they're from the martha stewart crafts line.
but they are QUITE pricey.

well.. i am all out and now i am searching for some pretty (and cheaper!) cupcake liners.
hmm where can i find them?

eat the word

mmmmrisotto

today was a fiiine day.
my book design class went on a field trip downtown to a really neat gallery called Art Metropole. and the guy working there gave us an interesting and inspiring presentation. i'm really excited for that class, and i'm hoping the fruits of it will be just as exciting.

anyways,
after that was done, i decided to walk my way back (the weather was a lot warmer than usual) and seeing how it was lunch time i thought about what i felt like. i decided to treat myself and i
walked myself into a nice italian restaurant that i've been to before called Urban Restaurant on King street because I was craving risotto. muheeheh.


but more than the risotto let me tell you what this restaurant has to offer: their HUMMUS. oh my hummus-ness, their hummus is SO delicious! (and yes... i am not supposed to eat bread since i am on a flour-less diet, I ATE IT ANYWAY cuz i could not say no to hummus!!)


afterwards i ordered some green salad and their risotto of the day (mushroom spinach with truffle oil) and enjoyed it very much. yum!!