Tête-à-tête.

I'm really grateful I have a blog. Otherwise, I'd be blabbing to poor Andrew all day (and trust me, he's an extraordinary listener too) or, to the particles in the air. I wasn't always this chatty, but at some point, I really started love talking about lots of different things. I most likely get it after my dad, who's an amazing father that loves to converse about everything with us, especially the "deep" stuff. "Life" is one of my favourite topics. I love thinking about why we are a certain way and what we could do to make our lives more meaningful. And it's not like I live like a saint or anything. I just love to think about it, talk about it, and then hope that some day it'll become an action and a lifestyle. But anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm grateful that I have this space where I can just ramble on about things I'm experiencing and learning — whether or not someone's listening. It's really just an intimate time for me as I sit down to write. :)



I don't mind if you're coming to simply check out the recipes and pictures. And I'm surprised that there are people who even read my stories!! I don't want to burden you with my boring personal stuff! So, in light of this, today I will — without adornment or agenda – just talk to you about a new recipe! Say hello to the crème brûlée cupcake.



A few days ago, I decided to visit the studio I was working at before. My coworker jokingly threatened to "defriend" me if I didn't bring cupcakes when I visited, and I told him that I dare not. Plus, what would a visit be without treats to come along with? Anyways, I really wanted to do something different and original, since they've tried a number of treats I've baked. Also, they're aren't crazy about extremely sweet things so I had to do my brain-racking for a delicious but humble treat. I was trying to figure out something festive too, so a good place to start getting inspiration was the different holiday-themed beverages at starbucks. (haha! funny how the mind works.) And then I thought their crème brûlée latté was just the thing! A toasty, creamy, custardy cupcake. Perfect!!



I began my research by googling "crème brûlée cupcakes" and found that there weren't that many options. A lot of them were cupcakes "inspired" by the crème brûlée flavour. Caramel swirled into the cake, meringue topped, or sugar flamed frosting. None of it sounded that appealing to me, so then I thought, why not just make real crème brûlée and incorporate it with the cake? So that's what I did. And it was a trés trés good idea.



I made my crème brûlée in a larger pan, made a simple yellow buttermilk cake and then filled it. No frosting needed, just a nice adornment on top. I originally thought of buying a kitchen blow torch, sprinkling sugar on the cupcake and burning it, but it was just all too much work to get set up with a blow torch. That will be for next time. Instead, I made candied (and slightly burnt) sugar decorations to carry on the theme.



Making crème brûlée is surprisingly easy. I don't know why I was also so intimidated by those smooth, pudding-y desserts, but now I've totally overcome it. With the help of joepastry (who also happens my new baking hero: his blog is simply amazing. smart, funny, practical and super helpful), I made crème brûlée really easily and had it ready the day before I made the cupcakes. I really want to try to make it just on its' own as the real thing. I think crème brûlée is such a romantic dessert and it's got so many different layers of deliciousness.



I also used a new recipe for my vanilla cake and might I say, I think I found the one. I mean, the one. It's from smittenkitchen, and she even said that this is that special, indispensable cake for her. I'm thoroughly impressed and now will switch it with every yellow cake I've made.



As for reviews of my new found combination of french delicacy and good ol' American staple? My friends absolutely LOVED it. They even said that it was be the BEST of what I've brought in all this time and that's saying a lot!! Not too sweet, but with lots of flavour and great textures. They're both great recipes on their own, but an even greater marriage together!!

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

crème brûlée recipe from joe pastry and yellow layer cake recipe from smitten kitchen

makes about 12 cupcakes

ingredients

for cake
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

for crème brûlée
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

for sugar decoration
1 cup of granulated sugar

directions

make crème brûlée
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, set a small saucepan of water (or a teapot) over low heat.

2. Pour the cream into a small saucepan, along with the vanilla extract and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately remove the cream from the heat and allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks together in a medium bowl until they're light in color. Add the cream in a steady stream, whisking all the while. Pour the mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins, (OR in my case, in a small pan.) Place the ramekins into a roasting pan or baking dish.

4. When ready to bake, put on an oven mitt and open the oven door. Slide a middle rack half way out and gently place the baking dish containing the ramekins on it. Carefully pour in enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins. Slide the rack back into the oven and close the door.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or (40-45 minutes for a larger pan like mine) until the custard is just set (firm but slightly jiggly in the middle). Cool on a wire rack, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or up to three days.

For just the crème brûlée on its own: Half an hour before you want to serve, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator. Take off the plastic wrap and spread a healthy tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Using a salamander or a blow torch, melt and lightly brown the sugar. Let the crème brûlée sit for 5 minutes, and serve.

make cake
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with cups.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.

3. Spread batter evenly in cupcake pan. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before filling or decorating.

make sugar decoration and assemble cupcakes
1. In a small sauce pan with a heavy bottom, pour a cup of sugar on medium-high heat. Without using a spatula, simply swirl the pan itself often in order to ensure even heating. Slowly but surely, the sugar will start to caramelize. When the colour starts to darken, and it will smoke just a bit, immediately take off heat. When sugar passes its melting point, it will burn very very quickly. It's also useful to use a sugar thermometer to ensure the perfect amount of melting. (300-310°F for hard candy).

2. Quickly pour onto silpat or non-stick surface and let it spread into a thin layer. After it cools to room temperature, place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once completely harden, break into funky pieces for decoration.

3. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, make a cone-shaped hole in each cupcake about the size of a loonie (for Canadians) or a silver dollar (for Americans). Fill it up with a tablespoon of cold crème brûlée (I used my small ice-cream scoop for cookies). Place sugar decoration on top and it's ready to serve!

Love,

Love — a magical feeling between a boy and a girl. Roses, chocolates, kisses, and hugs. Is always willing to fall into, be smothered with, and often leads to excessive gazing into each others eyes.

Love — a mother and child. Protection, patience, warmth. Father and daughter and son. Provision, strength, foundation . Easily the most powerful bond between two human beings.



Love – patient and kind. Does not envy, nor does it boast. Never ever self-seeking or easily angered. Keeps no record of wrong. Doesn't delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love – an action, more than words. A choice to make. Both the cause and the effect. And love grows. No matter how small it is, it starts with one, and leads to two, which multiplies to four and who knows where it will go?



What is this girl babbling about? Well, in light of the so called "holiday" that just passed by, I want to share with you my take on love. And hopefully it doesn't sound like boasting on my part, but perhaps it inspires you and urges you to join me in multiplying "love".

SO, last year, I had a special Valentine's Day Cupcake sale to make some extra cash. It went quite well, with more than 10 individual orders, and up to $200 in profit. So this year, I thought I could do the same. I thought, "Hey, more people know about my cupcakes, so maybe it will be an even better turn out." But as it turns out, whether it's the economy to blame, or my lack of advertising, I was wrong. I barely got 5 orders, but nonetheless, I was still really happy to be doing it.



As I was collecting my final orders, I read an article about how there's this guy in the States who wants to somehow ban Valentine's Day (and is trying to take it to court) since it's just another evil money-making day for businesses. Apparently, all it does is make men feel pressured and under-appreciated because of the unreal expectations of women. It's simply about how much dough a man can dish out for his woman. But the article goes on to saying that instead of the cynical view, why not just celebrate this day of Love? Why not have a chance to stop and really appreciate love? And I thought to myself, well, what is love then? Sure, it's emotional feelings towards your mate, but I believe love is more than that. It can make an even greater impact and produce greater fruits than that. So what better way to celebrate love than to show it to those who need it most?



And who needs it more than anyone at this time? Of course, the people of Haiti. I don't really think I need to talk much about the heart-breaking disaster, as I'm sure everyone is aware. With that said, I was moved to give what I have and share my part of love. So, last minute, I decided to donate all the money from the cupcakes, which turned out to be enough to provide TWO families with emergency kits. (Through World Vision). I know it's but a small initiative on my part, however I know every bit counts. It's my first step, and I don't want to stop here.



Andrew and I also started supporting a child through World Vision. His name is Mame, from Senegal. His family barely meets their needs, so I'm really hoping with the monthly donations that we make, it will make a difference in his family's lives. Imagine we could truly change someone's life? Imagine we can help pave a way of hope?



The power of one. Hundreds and millions of people start with one. That's from a song I've recently heard. And I really believe in it. I'm starting with one, but I'm confident it can keep spreading. Just like love spreads. ♥

Late Night Gratification

Friday nights are my late nights. They are the nights where while all my loved ones are fast asleep, I am up in my cozy room with a cozy light, determined to stay awake. They are really the only nights that I can stay up late since I get to sleep in late tomorrow. No matter how long my day, how much my bed calls for me, I am committed to this special night that only comes once every week. From pointless perusing on the world wide web, to finally uploading the pics from my camera; from catching up on fashion news to checking out my friends' status' on Facebook, Friday nights are precious "ME" time that I so dearly hold on to — no matter how heavy my eyelids are (which are closing as we speak right now).



So what do I have to offer tonight? Why, of course, a cupcake! ...who is just as indulgent as my late night enterprises! A rich chocolate cake crowned with a creamy deep peanut butter frosting, showered with some dark chocolate shavin' lovin', this cupcake is anything but a sleeper. Peanutbutter-love is an acquired taste to some, but I'm sure any one will love to take a bite out of these after smelling the rich peanut-y goodness. Well, whatever your "Friday Late Night" or "Peanut Butter Cupcake" is, do one good thing for yourself every now and then. Everyone is entitled to it!! Happy baking, everyone! :)

"Peanut Butter Cup"-Cake

recipe from Hershey's Kitchens and Food Network
makes 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

ingredients

chocolate cake
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to milk to equal 1 cup)
1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

frosting
2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used organic)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pans with cupcake paper.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
3. Bake 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Frost as desired.

An occasion for celebration

Did you miss me? Please tell me that you did, 'cause I missed you hecka lot. Wow, not blogging felt like a part of me was not being filled, like a void in my life. I'd have pangs of guilt whenever I think about it, as a parent would after neglecting her child. But the matter of fact is, I've been filling that void with something else. Occupying my mind and time and physical energy. What is it, you ask? WORK, of course!



I don't know if you've been following my blog, but that is a BIG BIG deal! I graduated this past May in the heights (or depths, I should say) of an economic crisis and I was a big fretball, worrying about not being able to start my career like I should. After 5 years of preparing myself as a "designer" the few months idling was very stressful indeed. But guess what? I did it!!! With the support of family, friends, and even you, my dear blog world peers, I survived the icky period of uncertainty, and finally am voyaging through the working world.



So, I am now officially a permanent junior designer at a very well established and exceptional design agency. I say this not to boast about my position, but because I'm so proud of the firm I am working at. They're all such hard workers and innovative thinkers and my only aspiration is to grow more like them. I was an intern at the agency for over two months, and then fortunately was asked to come on board as a permanent employee! The past few months has been an exciting and scary journey altogether -- trying to not fall short of their expectations, and what's more, my own.



Confidence seems to be such a key factor in learning and progressing forward and that's something I really want to work on. Of course, I'm not talking about Pride that shadows the potential of genuine relationships and creative flow, but the kind of confidence that revels in challenge and prevails through pressure. A lot of times I think "Oh boy. Am I up for this? Do I really think I can do this?", even for the little things. But each time, I tell myself that I can do it if I really believe in myself and put in all I can. Plus, my creative directors and fellow designers are so awesome that they're always leading, guiding and supporting the team.



Anyways, so here it is! An occasion for celebration! A "Cheers!" for attaining dreams and a "Thanks!" to all those who helped me get there! And it's just the beginning! :D



By the way, these sparkly cupcakes were made for a special birthday party order and I especially love them because they are mini. Anything mini is just that much more lovable, don't you think? The vanilla recipe is here and the red velvet recipe is from Joy the Baker, which she got from Hummingbird Bakery. Enjoy!!

OH! And one more reason for celebration: I have finally perfected the Cream Cheese frosting. After much struggle to keep it from being runny, and after my generous readers who left me with their fail-proof recipes, I found out why I have been failing! From some point, I started overbeating my frostings. I think I heard in a cooking show that they beat their buttercream for tens of minutes, and I somehow thought that would be the secret to my cream cheese frosting: WRONG. Totally, utterly wrong. Overbeating results in breaking down the "waters and such" in the mix and results in an unforgiving mess of a frosting. This time, I made sure I beat it just enough to blend everything and stopped there. And the result was a perfect billowy, sturdy frosting that's easy to pipe. Here, I'll post the recipe for you!

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

for 2 dozen cupcakes
adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Recipe, as well as from lucyinaz

ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
8 oz Philly's Cream Cheese, cold

directions

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, salt and vanilla until combined. At this point, the mix is going to look really dry and crumbly, but be patient and it will come together, about 4 minutes.
2. Add cream cheese and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. DON'T OVERBEAT. Frost as desired!

Merci Danke Arigato

Hello wonderful friends! Hmm today is one of those days where I just can't think of something to write about. Other than the fact that I made some deliciously summery cupcakes for a friend's birthday party, I'm drawing a blank here. But there is one thing I wanted to say... THANK YOU!! I know all those celebrity food bloggers get 19280 comments every post, but I'm squealing with joy whenever I get one comment -- it means you guys like me and that's like a super duper feeling.



I know I've been sorta neglecting my blog lately just being busy n all, but I'm so excited to see that people are still wooed by my baked goodies. And I don't deserve it! :P So I just wanted to give y'all a BIG WARM THANKS and I'm going to try my best to make this an even better blog. Merci danke arigato!



By the way, I made these new key lime cupcakes and they were really really good. My friend only asked for two things: a summery pair of flavors and green + blue for decoration. She trusted me with the rest of the decision making. And that's all I really needed cuz I got so inspired with that request!! Hahah. As silly as it sounds, the first thing that popped up in my head was the brilliantly coloured sprinkles they sell at bulk barn and from that I decided to go with dark chocolate cake and white billowy frosting, along with a fresh lime cupcake.



Of course I used my black magic cake for the chocolate cake. And I used an impromptu cream cheese frosting (I originally was going to make simple vanilla buttercream) that I got to halve from the lime cream cheese frosting. The key lime cupcakes weren't actually key lime since I couldn't get my hands on some real Florida key limes but the Mexican limes did the job. I found the recipe from bon appetite. It's a delightful recipe for a delightful cupcake. The limes are definitely a different taste from lemons but equally lovely. Are you a lime-lover? You should give it a try!!

Key Lime Cupcakes

recipe from bon appetite
makes 12 cupcakes

ingredients

CUPCAKES

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring (optional)
3/4 cup buttermilk

FROSTING

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/8 teaspoon neon-green food coloring (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Fill pan cups 2/3.
2. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.
3. For frosting: Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.

Easy Hard Work

Hard: Making 155 cupcakes.
Easy: Using a new super duper kitchenaid mixer.

Hard: Making 155 tasty and beautiful cupcakes.
Easy: Using simple decorations like silver dragees and simple recipes.

Hard: Making 155 tasty and beautiful cupcakes and assembling all the boxes for them to go into.
Easy: Using your wonderful and hard-working boyfriend.

Hard: Making 155 tasty and beautiful cupcakes and assembling all the boxes for them to go into and delivering it at 6am for a wedding located "up north".
Easy: Using a GPS and your wonderful and hard-working boyfriend.



Yes everyone. I have done it. I have completed my first wedding order! And let me tell you.. it was a lot of hard work. But easy hard work. Because of wonderful people around me who's helped me! After all that box assembling (over 15 hours!) and ribbon cutting (and tying) and not having enough buttercream and so making it again (twice!) I have learned lots so all in all it was a good experience. But for sure, nothing beats finishing it all and delivering in the morning and seeing very excited faces and hearing "Oh, the brides is very pleased."



Ah anyways. I couldn't do all this without my sweet mommy and grandma who helped me out and of course, my wonder man. Hahaha! Cmon I know it's cheesy but I need to give him his due credit. He worked his back off for me! :D Plus, it was the birthday gift that he gave me that allowed me to do this all so easily in the first place, aka New Professional 600 6-Qt Kitchenaid Mixer. Do I hear screaming? YES!!! Does he spoil me to my bones? YES!!! But in all honesty, I told him that it was way too much of a gift and that he was indeed spoiling me sick. But what can I say, it is simply gorgeousness. ;)



Right. So these cupcakes. They were fabulous. I took leftovers to work and they loved it as well! The recipe was great because they were both so simple and tasty. That's all ya need. I used new recipes for the butter creams and they were both keepers for sure!! Not too sweet but great hold for those beautiful swirls. Enjoy everyone, happy baking. :)

VaVaVanilla! Cupcakes

adapted from a few different places
makes 30 cupcakes

CUPCAKES

ingredients

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 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 buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. 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.

FROSTING

ingredients

1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)

directions

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add half the confectioners’ sugar salt, and meringue powder; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds. Add the rest of the sugar and mix again. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

adapted from G-ma's Bakery

makes 24 cupcakes

ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder
2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

directions

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar, and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and milk, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
I sorta did this by my own instinct (as it says in the original recipe). This is the kind of recipe where I didn't really follow exactly the numbers, and I would add accordingly. If it's not chocolatey enough, I added more cocoa powder. If it was too dry and heavy, I added more sugar or milk. You should experiment too! But make sure you don't do TOO much at a time or you'll end up with 5 batches of frosting... not to say that's such a horrible thing...

What can I say, I'm a lucky gal!!

Short Order

Not exactly short order, these cupcakes were done on short notice! For a special birthday party of a one month old baby. How cute is that. These cupcakes turned out more grown-up looking than a baby party, but I figured it'd be mostly adults attending the party, no? Ah.. Maybe not. The decoration was up to me, so I just stuck with what I thought was pretty. I am a gourmet cupcake maker, after all. Ya right!



The first cupcake you see here is the Chocoholic. It's a dark chocolate cake (my indispensable black magic cake) and dark chocolate frosting (martha stewart's recipe) with milk chocolate shavings. It's very very chocolatey. The second cupcake you see below is the van ♥ choc. A soft vanilla cake (Magnolia's) embracing a huge hunk of milk chocolate ganache frosting.




By the way, I made labels for my cupcake boxes!! I was thinking of doing this a whilllle back, but never got around to it. And as I was scrounging around my room for some sticky paper, I found translucent printable label stickers. How Perfect. They looks so groovy with the brown boxes. The photo doesn't do justice, though, you gotta see em in person how pretty they look. I'm so cool. Cmon now, give it to me! Heehee just playing around with you! :P




Alrighty. This was a short one. Hope you enjoyed it! All the necessary recipes are linked up there, so please follow accordingly! :) Have a fantastic day, everyone! (Okay, I was going to end it here, but I took so many photos of my cupcakes, and I want to show them all! Hope you don't mind!)

Wordless Tuesdays

P.S. Okay. I've never done this "Wordless Tuesday" thing before and I don't think I'm going to do it again. But today, I just don't feel like talking much. Sorta really stressed about about finding a job, ya know? Hmph. It's a lot harder than I thought...

P.P.S. By the way, these cupcakes were for a bridal shower favor. I used a new cake recipe from Martha's Baking Handbook and they turned out pretty good. Amanda from slow like honey suggested it to me (when I realized I had the recipe right in my bookshelf!) The cake was light and moist -- yes, but I felt that I could taste the eggs a lot. I don't really like eggy. But other than that, it was pretty darn tasty!

P.P.P.S. I do realize that wordless tuesdays means this post should be wordless. Hehehe. Apologize for the use of words. I'm done now!

P.P.P.P.S. Oh but you need to see the recipe, don't ya? Here it is!

Yellow Butter cake

makes about two-three dozen

recipe from Martha's Baking Handbook (but cited from Slow Like Honey)

ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. dark rum (optional)
1 1/4 cups milk

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. If you are using the rum, add it in here. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.

Divide batter between the prepared pans. Bake until cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Make sure to check with a cake tester! Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

for two-three dozen cupcakes

ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter
1 8oz Philly's Cream Cheese Bar
4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (really important that you sift!!)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add vanilla extract and one cup of sifted confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. Add remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating until smooth each time. Mix in drops of food coloring, if desired.

I'm not too good at this wordless thing, eh? :P