Mulled Wine - Not To Be Confused with Mold Wine

Mulled wine is a perfect drink for the holidays, but be careful how you say "mulled wine." When I told my friends about the mulled wine I was making, invariably they would hear "mold wine" and get grossed out.

Mulled Wine vs. Mold Wine

Mulled wine should never be confused with mold wine.

Mulled wine is wine simmered with spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, served hot. Mulled wine is delicious and nice to drink while settling in by the fire.

Mold wine is wine made in prison. I know this because I read an excerpt from the book "You are Going to Prison" on the blog The Sneeze (this must be some book - it costs $60 for a used copy on Amazon):

One of the problems you have right away with making wine in prison is the difficulty getting yeast. It's a strictly forbidden item and you might not be able to get any. In this case you can improvise the by using slices of bread, preferably moldy (but not dry) and preferably inside a sock for easier straining.

The steps to making prison wine (mold wine) and the success of that endeavor are detailed - with photos - on The Sneeze. If you want something good to drink, the steps to making mulled wine are below.

Mulled Wine Recipe

I got the mulled wine recipe from Steph at A Year of Crockpotting. I've reprinted it below with a few changes from the original.

Serves 6-8 (or 4ish if you are going to use some it in mulled wine cupcakes)

• 2 bottles dry red wine (Go for the cheap stuff)
• 1 C orange juice
  
• 2 clementines (You could use any orange, but I happened to have a box of clementines on hand)
  
• 3/4 C white sugar (I forgot to add the sugar the first time and it was nasty. Don't make this mistake!)
  
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves

1. Open the wine and dump it in the crockpot (use a 6 quart or larger crockpot).
2. Pour in the orange juice.
3. Stir in the sugar, and add the ground spices.
4. Float the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on top.
   
5. Slice the clementines into rings, and float the rings on top.
6. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4. You can continue to cook on low for much longer than that and it keeps getting better. We had some in the evening and then left it on low overnight and had some more the next day.
   
7. Ladle into mugs.

Mulled Wine Cupcakes

This mulled wine was used in some tasty mulled wine cupcakes.

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German Chocolate Cupcakes

German chocolate cupcakes were the cupcake adaptation of For the Love of Food's German chocolate cake. The first thing that struck me when I was making the German chocolate cupcakes were the 2 1/2 cups of sugar. This is a sweet chocolate cake! I feared that it would be too sweet. However, it actually wasn't. It was perfect. It was also the lightest, fluffiest chocolate cake I've made to date - almost (if I dare say it) cake-mix light.

German Chocolate Cake is Not German

Photo from Kitchen Project

Before talking more about the German chocolate cupcakes, it's time for a little food history lesson, compliments of Kitchen Project (Kitchen Project had no connection to Cupcake Project, but I've got to love the name!).

"A recipe for 'German's Chocolate Cake' first appeared in a Dallas, Texas newspaper in 1957. That it was sent in by a Dallas homemaker is all we know. According to Patricia Riso, a spokeswomen for Kraft foods . It used a brand of chocolate bar called 'German's' which had been developed in 1852, by an Englishman named Sam German, for Baker's Chocolate Company."

Read the rest of the Kitchen Project article for more on the history of the non-German German chocolate cake.

German Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Here is the For the Love of Food's German Chocolate cake recipe, converted to cupcakes.

Makes 30 cupcakes

• 1/2 C hot water
• 4 oz unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate (I used 70% dark chocolate instead)
  
• 1 C butter, room temperature
  
• 2 1/2 C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate in the water and then remove from heat immediately and set aside.
2. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
   
3. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well in between each addition.
   
4. Add the remaining ingredients and blend at low speed until combined.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top bounces back when touched.
   

Coconut Pecan Frosting Recipe

Photo from HomeMadeS (Doesn't she take awesome photos!)

The coconut pecan frosting recipe was fantastic - especially if you use homemade Baker's coconut. My only issue with it is that it's ugly (see the photo at the top of this post for confirmation). Arfi from HomeMadeS made the cake above for Taste & Create in June. It looks beautiful because she topped the frosting with shaved chocolate and shaved coconut. You might think about doing that on your cupcakes if you want to make them look a bit snazzier.

• 1 C sugar
• 1 C evaporated milk
• 1/2 C butter
• 3 eggs, thoroughly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups baker’s coconut ( I used homemade baker's coconut)
  
• 1 C chopped Pecans
• 1 t vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and eggs.
2. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to lightly bubble. Stir CONSTANTLY!! or you will end up with scrambled eggs in your frosting!!
3. Remove from heat immediately.
   
4. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cool until spreadable consistency (over night on counter - do not refrigerate prior to frosting or it will be too thick).

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Baker's Coconut Doesn't Have to Come From a Bag

Winking coconut

There is a reason that you've never made shredded baker's coconut from scratch. It's a lot of work. However, as it turns out, homemade baker's coconut is well worth the effort. Even people who typically hate coconut loved the homemade variety!

Bellow is the step-by-step break down of how to make baker's coconut. But first, credit where credit is due: I got the idea and the instructions on how to make baker's coconut from this month's Taste & Create partner (and the host of the event) Nicole from For the Love of Food. Nicole had fantastic instructions! I'm also going to be making her recipe for German chocolate cake into German chocolate cupcakes using this coconut, so stay tuned.

Step One: Poke a hole into one of three eyes of the coconut. I tried many methods for poking the hole, but I found that the best one was using a hammer and a meticulously cleaned screwdriver as shown above.

Step 2: Drain the coconut water out of the coconut. The coconut water does not come rushing out. You may need to give the coconut a good shake. You may also need to poke open one or two of the other eyes (somehow writing about poking open eyes makes me cringe). My coconut only had about 1/4 cup of coconut water in it. Nicole's had 1 1/4 cup of coconut water. She clearly had a bigger coconut. It doesn't matter how much yours has. The recipe will still work.

Step 3: Break open the coconut. This was the most fun of the entire process. You take the coconut outside and throw it on some concrete. You may want to try screaming while you do it. It's quite the stress reliever and far better than tossing around your fine china. The coconut should break open and you can collect any pieces that may have flown.

Step 4: Separate the coconut's inner shell from the hard outer shell. Use a dinner knife to do this. It would be best if you had an old crappy one so you don't risk bending and damaging your nice knife. We did not have an old crappy one, but our knife survived. This was one of the tougher parts of the process and when I started questioning why I bothered to make the baker's coconut at all.

Step 5: Peel the soft inner shell off the of the coconut meat. Nicole said the she eats the part she peels off. I was really skeptical, but I tried it. The texture was a bit weird, yet it was yummy! I think I ate almost all of it.


Step 6: Chop or shred the coconut. You typically see baker's coconut shredded. However I didn't have a shredder and after all that work I wasn't about to start shredding by hand. I decided that the coconut would be just as good chopped up in my food processor. If you have a shredder, by all means, shred away. My coconut produced about two cups of chopped coconut. Again, Nicole's produced four cups.

Step 7: Cook the coconut with some sugar. Put your shredded/chopped coconut in a saucepan on medium heat with the coconut water (however much you had), and 1/3 the amount of sugar as coconut: I had two cups of coconut so I used 2/3 C of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil (takes 10-15 minutes) and then turn the temperature to low. Let it simmer uncovered for about an hour. The liquid should turn into a syrup. Why is there no picture of this step? A watched pot never boils.

Step 8: Drain any syrup out. I had hardly any syrup. This is probably because I had so little coconut water in my coconut. It's a shame because the syrup was sensational. It would be great over ice cream or brownies or in a shake or just by the spoonful.

Step 9: Lay the coconut out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight. I put parchment paper down first for easy cleanup. You'll notice that the coconut is no longer white. Nicole says in her post that a whitening agent is used in store-bought baker's coconut. I had no idea! In the morning, the coconut will be dry and ready to go. Use it right away or refrigerate it.

Baker's Coconut Outtakes

Here are a couple of things that did not work.


Scissors did NOT work to poke a hole in the eye. I definitely needed to use a hammer.

It is probably not the best idea to try to hack at the coconut with a cleaver on your counter. I gave up pretty quickly after realizing that I was destined to break something. The throw-the-coconut-on-the-ground method worked much better.

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Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Thanksgiving cupcakes are scattered throughout Cupcake Project. But, I decided a Thanksgiving cupcake roundup was in order after Jonathan was asked by Lucky You whether I had any Thanksgiving cupcakes on my blog.

Here are the cupcakes that I think would be perfect for Thanksgiving:

Pumpkin pie cupcakes

Pumpkin pie cupcakes: The Thanksgiving table always needs some pumpkin pie. Why not make yours in cupcake format?

Pumpkin cupcakes with apple butter frosting

Pumpkin cupcakes with apple butter frosting: Really anything with apple butter frosting would be perfect for Thanksgiving. It is just about my favorite frosting ever!

Sweet potato casserole cupcakes

Sweet potato casserole cupcakes: These are the Thanksgiving cupcakes that I made last year. There is also a sweet potato casserole recipe at the bottom of the post that is amazing if you want your sweet potatoes in non-cupcake form.

Thanksgiving Cupcake Ideas from Other Blogs

• For cupcakes that look super cute, check out the turkey cupcakes from Jaki's Bento. They are totally adorable!
  
• Simply Recipes has a gluten-free pumpkin cupcake that is well worth checking out.
  
• For ideas and inspiration (but no recipes) check out Iron Cupcake Milwaukee. There are some tasty looking creative creations there!
  

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Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcakes - The Cupcake Love Connection Continues

Groom 2.5 undresses the Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake

"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"

All of the above were quotes said by Groom 2.5 after tasting Minko's Do The Hokey Pokey cupcake, except one. Which quote was not said by Groom 2.5 and who said it will be revealed at the end of this post, along with the next step in the Cupcake Love Connection.

But first, more about this amazing cupcake!

What is a Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake?

Let's start with a flashback to the Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire. Groom 2.5 said that his ideal woman would be "sweet, delicious and complex ... with a hint of nuts."

Minko met his needs - and then some! What a lady! This was one of the most complex cupcakes that I have ever made, but it wasn't just complex for the sake of being complex. Each element added something that led to a perfect mix of flavors.

This cupcake consisted of:

• A white cupcake made with caramel and orange zest.
• Hokey pokey candy folded into the cupcake.
• Cinnamon mascarpone frosting with a bit of orange zest. When asked what kind of cupcake he liked best, Groom 2.5 answered, "There is no one answer, but chocolate and cinnamon are always popular, as is a hint of orange." Minko totally hit the cinnamon with hint of orange in this frosting - not to mention the orange in the cake. I'm glad she didn't go for the chocolate too. You can't give a guy everything he likes on the first date.
• Coffee syrup drizzled on top. Minko did not know that Groom 2.5 is a coffee lover. She got very lucky there. Much of love is luck, isn't it?
  
• Pistachios sprinkled above the coffee syrup (the hint of nuts). Minko gave me the choice of using macadamia nuts or pistachios on the cupcakes. I opted for the pistachios. Upon seeing them on the cupcakes, Groom 2.5 called them the Kyrptonite of this cupcake. You might say I cheated by picking a nut I knew he would love, but it wasn't like she gave me 10 choices. What good is Cupid if she doesn't do a good job aiming the arrow?
  

Groom 2.5 said nothing about enjoying caramel or hokey pokey. I love that Minko added those elements in, too. You should never lose yourself completely in a relationship. It should be a good meld of two people.

The Recipes

This section is going to be long. I won't hold it against you if you skip to the bottom for the answer to who said what and the future of the Cupcake Love Connection. All recipes are compliments of master baker and Cupcake Love Connection participant Minko! As always, I added my own baking notes.

Hokey Pokey Recipe

Before you get started, you will need to make or buy (if you can find it near you) some hokey pokey. See my hokey pokey recipe post for more on how to make it yourself.

Coffee Syrup Recipe


The coffee syrup is used at the end of the recipe to drizzle on the cupcake. It makes much more that you need, but you'll surely enjoy licking the extra syrup right off the spoon like Groom 2.5 did.

• 1 C white sugar
• ¼ C water
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 t ground Vietnamese Coffee (If you don't have any, any strong coffee will do.)
  

1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, cinnamon stick and water; bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a deep, caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cream; return saucepan to high heat and boil the mixture until it is the consistency of a thick syrup (about 2 minutes).
4. Stir in the coffee; cool syrup.
5. Strain the coffee syrup through a fine strainer into a heatproof jug. (I completely skipped this step. I didn't have a fine enough strainer and it tasted amazing without straining.)
   
6. The syrup should be refrigerated until ready to use (allow it to reach room temperature before drizzling over the cupcakes).

Caramel Recipe

The caramel that you will be making here is used in the cupcake recipe. I expected the caramel to be more of a candy consistency, but it was more of a syrup. This recipe also made more than was needed. I've been using the extra syrup to sweeten drinks. It's perfect for that!

• 1/2 C plus 1/4 C water
• 1-1/2 C sugar
• ½ t salt

1. Leave 1/2 cup water near the stove as you will need it at Step 4.
2. Heat sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar starts to dissolve, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Constantly swirl the saucepan while the mixture continues to cook. When the mixture starts to turn amber (in 10 to 12 minutes), remove from the heat.
4. Very carefully add 1/2 cup water in 3 additions to saucepan.
5. Add salt and stir with a metal spoon until caramel is dissolved, about a minute, returning to heat if needed.
6. Pour into 2-cup glass measuring cup. You might need to add more water, if needed, to equal 1 1/3 cups of caramel.
7. Let stand until cooled to room temperature.

Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake Recipe

Here's where it all comes together. Once you've got all of the pieces and parts prepared, the actual cupcake making is quite simple.

makes about 20 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
  
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
  
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 C sugar
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 C caramel mixture from above
  
• 1 cup crushed hokey pokey

1. A few hours before you are ready to bake, combine the orange zest and the sugar in bowl. This will let the orange flavor infuse into the sugar.
2. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
3. Beat butter, grated orange zest and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs and sour cream until blended.
5. Alternately fold in flour mixture and 2/3 cup of the cooled caramel mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Fold the crushed hokey pokey into the batter. Depending on how much you crush the hokey pokey, your cupcakes will look more or less spotted when they are done baking. I used pretty big pieces, which was more sloppy looking but quite tasty (see the photo below). If you want a smoother look, chop your hokey pokey very finely.
   
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
8. Bake at 350 F for 21 to 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out of cupcake clean.
9. Cool cupcakes in cupcake tins for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes directly onto cooling rack and allow cupcakes to cool completely.

The Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting


The cinnamon mascarpone frosting was a winner! You can bet that I'll be making this again. I may even have to do a separate post devoted to it at some point since it's buried down in this one and I want to give it the glory it deserves. Minko's recipe used 6 oz of mascarpone cheese. I adjusted it to use 8 oz since that was what my package held and I didn't want to bother measuring. You may want to double the frosting amount if you are going to use large swirls. I didn't quite have enough frosting for all of the cupcakes. Perhaps Minko likes some of them naked?

• 1/4 C (half a stick) butter, softened
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t finely grated orange zest
• 2 2/3 C sifted powdered sugar

1. Using electric mixer, beat butter, grated orange zest, mascarpone, and cinnamon in a large bowl, about 1 minute.
2. Add powdered sugar; beat until smooth.
3. Pipe onto cupcakes.
4. Drizzle with coffee syrup.
5. Top with choppped nuts.
   

Who Said What

"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"

All of the quotes above were said by Groom 2.5 except "I want to marry Minko". "I want to marry Minko" was said by Bride 1.0. She adored these cupcakes. Groom 1.0 said he had never seen her eat a cupcake so quickly.

It's probably good that Groom 2.5 isn't ready to marry Minko just yet - especially since he seems to think that I am playing some kind of joke on him and that Minko is actually an old man.

Let's take a moment to examine exactly what they do know about each other.

What Minko Knows About Groom 2.5

Minko now knows that Groom 2.5 loves her cupcakes. She has also now seen his hands. I'm not sure if she's ever been to a wedding where the poem about hands has been read, but if not, I'll share:

These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.
These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

OK, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

What Groom 2.5 Knows About Minko

He knows that she bakes great cupcakes. He also knows lots of assorted facts about her if he has checked out her blog. However, since he hasn't seen her hands, I'm going to share one fact about her that she told me.

Groom 2.5 said in his Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire that he is "drawn to very smart, neurotic, Caucasian women." Minko wrote me and said, "Hmmm... He said he likes Caucasians ... I am Caucasian minus the Cauc." I don't think this will be a problem for Groom 2.5, but we shall see.

What's Next?

Photo from I Love Cuppacakes

In the same email where Minko told me that she's Asian, she said, "I never back down from a challenge." Let's see if that's true!

Groom 2.5 is planning a trip with some friends to Hawaii in January (the 6th - 13th). Hawaii is sorta in between the continental U.S. and Australia. Groom 2.5 would like to invite her and her friends to join on this trip. If Minko says no, he'll of course understand and alternate arrangements would need to be made. But, how cool would it be if she said yes?! Basically, that would mean that Jonathan and I would need to go as well - the meeting would need to be documented. We would also be on the lookout for any Hawaii bloggers out there to join in the festivities!

Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. :)

Minko, are you up for a trip to Hawaii?

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Hokey Pokey - Nigella Lawson

Hokey pokey, as far as I knew, was just a song. However, I have learned that hokey pokey is also a candy, with a recipe popularized by Nigella Lawson.

Hokey Pokey is also a key ingredient of Minko's cupcake for Groom 2.5 (read Cupcake Love Connection to see what this is all about). If she wanted to put Groom 2.5 in the mood, it worked! When he heard the name "hokey pokey," he got a giant grin on his face. "You put it in, you put it out." That's what it's all about!

Did Groom 2.5 Like the Hokey Pokey?

Sadly, it turned out that Groom 2.5 did not like the hokey pokey. It had the consistency of brittle, which he does not like. But do not fear, love will conquer all. When the hokey pokey was put in the "Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake," the texture was completely different and he didn't mind it at all.

Hokey Pokey by Nigella Lawson

Below you'll find Nigella Lawson's hokey pokey recipe as sent to me by Minko. Be sure to keep reading after the recipe for some very important tips.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tbs golden [dark corn] syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp bi carb [baking] soda

1. Put the sugar and syrup into a saucepan and stir together to mix. You can't stir once the pan's on the heat.
2. Place the pan on the heat and let the mixture first melt and then turn to goo and then a bubbling mass the color of maple syrup - this will take 3 minutes or so.
3. Off the heat, whisk in the baking soda and watch the syrup turn into a whooshing cloud of aerated pale gold. Turn this immediately onto a piece of baking parchment or greased foil.
4. Leave until set and then bash at it, so that it splinters into many glinting pieces.

When I followed the recipe the first time, I ended up with this:

No bashing at it would make it shatter. It was a dentist's nightmare - super sticky, stretchy candy.

I did a bit of research and came across Pennypincher's Pantry. Pennypincher had made Nigella's hokey pokey recipe and had about 50 comments from people, many of whom had made the recipe multiple times before getting it to work. I read all the comments and tried again. It worked perfectly!


What makes it work:

1. The recipe works better if you use 3 T of corn syrup rather than 4.
2. You need to wait. Do not touch the mixture in the pot for even longer than the 3 minutes the recipe recommends. I waited about 6 minutes the second time. It will look like it is starting to burn.
3. Don't spread the mixture after you pour it on the parchment - just pour it and leave it.
   

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Cupcake Project's G, PG, and PG-13 Rated News

I have news - lots of news. The first is rated G. It's very kid friendly. The second is PG due to difficult topics. The third is rated PG-13 for language. If you want something R rated, check out my post on How to Make Nut Butter.

Let's start with the G-rated news!


Cupcake Project is going to be featured in a kids' book! The book is called Meagan Hearts Baking and it's the story of a little girl who learns how to bake cupcakes! At the end of the book, there are several real life cupcake bakers that are featured, and I am one of them. The banana cupcake recipe from my grandma is also featured in the book. I love that Grandma is a part of it! The book should be out some time this month - I'll keep you posted.

The PG News

I've been awarded an E for Excellence Award twice this month. That's double E (like electrical engineering, but not at all).

The first award was from a much-loved cupcake blogger, How to Eat a Cupcake. You should go check out the Halloween cupcake roundup that she just did with I Heart Cuppycakes. Great stuff!

The second was from someone I have never mentioned here before, Katie at Not Just Your Average City Girl. Katie has a series of posts that talks about her battle with bulimia. I often find myself skimming quickly through food blogs just looking for recipes, but I read her story from virtual cover-to-cover.

From Katie's blog:

A big reason I decided to start this blog was to help me continue my recovery with bulimia. I thought that if I could learn to cook food, enjoy it, and share it with others, it would help me get over my fear of becoming fat. In some ways, this blog has really helped me get over a lot of the anxieties I have associated with food. But in other ways, it has made my recovery even harder, especially since I joined Tuesdays with Dorie and am now baking scrumptious treats once a week!

Head on over there and cheer her on.

I'm going to pass the E for Excellence award on to:

• Patric Chocolate Blog - Alan of Patric Chocolate makes some of the best chocolate ever! If you want to truly understand chocolate (not simply eat it), you will be riveted by his blog. BTW - If you just want to eat his chocolate, there's a great coupon on Food Interviews that's good through Wednesday. You can also read about my tour of the Patric Chocolate factory.
• Cakespy - Jesse of Cakespy is known for her adorable cupcake art. I love the art, but what I love even more is her creativity. Her post experimenting with various vegetables in cupcakes was sensational.
• Bakerella -Every time I head over to Bakerella's blog, I find myself pulling Jonathan over to the computer to say, "Look at this!" Her baked goods are true works of art.
  

PG-13 Rated News

The other day, the following email went out to a few of my friends:

Stef may be too modest to toot her own horn, but she is getting a "Kickass Award" in a week, and it's really cool.

http://www.kickassawards.blogspot.com/

-byron

It turns out that I'm not too modest. I'm quite excited to Kick Ass. I also love that one of the other winners is the International Institute. That's right - I won and an entire institute won. Anyway, if anyone is in St. Louis and wants to come to the awards event on Thursday, it promises to be a fun and free evening. If I don't know you, come and introduce yourself!

Does the word "Ass" actually make something PG-13? I have no idea.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Rum and Maple

Pumpkin cupcakes are good on their own, but this pumpkin cupcake with rum and maple kicks it up a notch. The cupcakes smell distinctly of rum, but when you bite into them, you can taste the pumpkin and just a tiny hint of the maple. They are moist and lighter than you might expect from a pumpkin dessert and they're filled with Fall spices.


The best part is that I didn't have to throw the pumpkin cupcakes in the trash. I actually made two batches of pumpkin cupcakes before this one that were so bad that I threw them out. They weren't even good enough to bring into to an office full of people who eat anything. I would have completely given up on pumpkin were it not for the fact that my cupcake class (that I am teaching this weekend) includes pumpkin cupcakes. I needed to get a recipe that I loved. Found it!


Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

makes 12 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3/4 C pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/4 C dark rum
• 1/4 C maple syrup

1. Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
3. Mix in the oil, rum, and maple syrup.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
6. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Cupcake Frosting

I frosted my pumpkin cupcakes with apple butter frosting. These cupcakes would also be good with my cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Fall Into Winter Roundup

I am entering these cupcakes into Ivy's Fall Into Winter Roundup.

I was so excited about the roundup . Not only did I have to ask if it was OK to get my entry in late, but then I completely forgot to enter. I had to go back and add to this to the post. Sorry, Ivy! You're the best!

Cupcake Love Connection Update

I have been talking to Minko and her cupcake for Groom 2.5 will be done soon! I can't wait for the recipe! She said she should have it next week. Read the original Cupcake Love Connection post if you don't know what I am talking about.

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Apple Butter Frosting Recipe

While you may be tempted to skip this apple butter frosting recipe and just slather plain apple butter on your cupcakes (and I couldn't blame you), I highly recommend giving the apple butter frosting a try. It's got brown sugar, apple butter, and cinnamon and is perfect for any Fall cupcake or for eating with a spoon! It's sweet, but not too sweet, and if you love apple butter (like me), you may have found your new favorite frosting.

I put the frosting on pumpkin cupcakes with rum and maple.

Apple Butter Frosting Recipe

This is one of those recipes that came out of my head and worked perfectly the very first time I tried it. It's a good day when that happens!

• 1/4 C apple butter
• 1/4 C butter
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 2 T milk
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 C sifted powdered sugar

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter.
2. Add the apple butter and brown sugar.
3. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium low.
4. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the milk and the cinnamon and bring to a boil, still stirring constantly.
6. Cool to lukewarm.
7. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until thick enough to spread.

Apple Butter Recipe

I went the lazy route and bought my apple butter at the store. However, if you would like to make your own apple butter, check out these sites for apple butter recipes:

• Simply Recipes
• Andrea's Recipes
• 101 Cookbooks
• Iron Stef
  

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