Call for Bakers, Donors, and Eaters - Share Our Strength Food Blogger Bake Sale on May 14

Update (4/10) - We have a time and location set.  See the Facebook event page for all of the details!

Kimberly of Rhubarb and Honey, Andrew of Andrew Mark Veety, and I are excited to be Missouri's hosts for this year's Food Blogger Bake Sale for Share Our Strength!

Here's the description of the national effort from the Food Blogger Bake Sale home page:

Organized by Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking, food bloggers from across the country will unite to end childhood hunger by holding bake sales in their states. Readers will have the opportunity to taste the baked goods from their favorite food blogs at each state’s bake sale location.

Funds raised through the Food Blogger Bake Sale support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America.  Nearly one in four—children in America face hunger, that’s more than 17 million kids!! Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives. More information on Share Our Strength can be found at http://strength.org/ Last year we raised over $16,000 and this year we are shooting to raise even more!!

If you live near St. Louis, we are looking for your help! 

Here's how you can participate:

1. Are you a home baker who can bake something from scratch (cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, fudge, cupcakes, anything)?  We are looking for baked goods to sell.  You don't need to be a food blogger, and your baked goods don't have to be gourmet.  If you can help by donating (even if it's just a small amount), we'd really appreciate it!   Drop me an email at stef@cupcakeproject.com if you are interested in baking for the sale, and we can talk about the details. 
2. Are you a local bakery that would like to donate a gift card to be given away at our bake sale raffle?  We'd love your help and will be happy to pimp your business in future posts, Tweets, and at the Bake Sale itself.   Drop me an email at stef@cupcakeproject.com if you are able to donate to the sale. 
3. Are you someone who likes to eat baked goods? Of course you are!  Mark May 14 on your calendars now.  I'll post more details about the location and time once we have everything locked down.

If you don't live near St. Louis, remember that this is a nationwide effort.  Check out the list of Food Blogger bake sales by state and see if you can get involved in one near you.  If there isn't one in your area, perhaps you'd like to host!

Thanks for your support!  My tummy is rumbling right now and it's only been a couple of hours since I last ate.  It's hard and saddening to picture true hunger.  I hope that we can help in some small way.

Wedding Cupcakes - 160 Cupcakes Made From Scratch in My Home Kitchen

Bride and Groom 4.0 have traded wedding cupcakes for gelato.  They departed for Venice (in what I can only imagine was a dazed stupor) at 7:30 on the morning after their wedding - what a whirlwind!  As for me, I'm looking through photos from the big day (in addition to the photos here, Jonathan has posted a few sneak peaks on his Facebook page), reliving the joy, taking a few deep breaths, patting myself on the back for a job well done (it's important to do that periodically), and debating what cupcake I'm going to make next.

Did it Snow in Our Kitchen?

I want to say how easy it has been to bake for Wedding 4.0.  However, it's not over yet and Jonathan keeps reminding me that something could still go wrong.  Thus far, things have gone quite smoothly (knock on a mixer)!

Don't let the snowstorm in our kitchen make you think otherwise.

My red fingers from putting the red coconut flakes on the Piña Colada cupcakes

I'm just a messy, messy baker.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes with Cola Frosting

"Tastes like soda," commented Groom 4.0 when I had him try these cherry Coke cupcakes without knowing what they were.  Score!  Goal achieved.  He went on to say that if Bride 4.0 didn't pick these as her choice for their wedding cupcakes, he would replace his selection, Piña Colada cupcakes, with these.  He didn't need to worry - after two bites of these moist maraschino-filled cherry Coke cupcakes, Bride 4.0 was already picturing 80 of them on her wedding cupcake stand.

Cherry Coke cupcakes require an ingredient that you don't have and probably aren't going to be able to find at any store near you.  Sorry!  The good news is that it's cheap (just $5.95) and I'll tell you where to get it online (no, I'm not being paid to write this, and I get no kickback).   The secret ingredient that is no longer a secret is Kool Kola extract from The Homemade Soda Company.  While there are quite a few recipes online for cola-flavored cupcakes, what makes mine really pop (soda-pop that is) is the cola extract.  I use it in the cake (in addition to actual cola) and to make frosting that tastes just like Coke without being watery.  You could certainly try making cherry Coke cupcakes without the extract, but they just won't be the same.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Two Ways

Let me begin with a warning:  These cherry chocolate cupcakes are cupcakes to eat not after a meal but as a meal.  Many of my cupcakes are dense, but these cherry chocolate cupcakes are chocolate boulders.  The batter is so chocolate-laden that eating one of these cupcakes equates to consuming a solid chocolate bar and a cupcake simultaneously.  Stop reading now if you want a dainty, frilly cupcake for a bridal or baby shower.

I made two different kinds of frosting for these chocolate cherry cupcakes: maraschino cherry buttercream and chocolate black cherry cream cheese.  Both were huge hits with my tasters (they said the frostings were their favorite part of the cupcakes).  My personal preference, however, was to eat the cupcakes sans frosting with a tall glass of milk. 

How to Use Your Favorite Coffee Beans to Flavor Your Baked Goods

Most recipes for coffee-flavored cakes and cupcakes call for instant coffee, espresso powder, or (more recently) Starbucks Via.  None of these are acceptable options for coffee aficionados.  If you fall into this category, you likely have a stash of whole roasted coffee beans that you grind to create your perfect cup of joe.  Those same beans can flavor your cakes and cupcakes and a offer huge coffee punch.  After baking cupcakes using my method, I was still awake on a caffeine high at 2am.

If you read the recipe for my Irish coffee brownie cupcakes, you already know how to use coffee beans to flavor your cupcakes.  In case you missed it, I wanted to call out the method in a separate post.  Use this technique in any recipe that calls for milk.

Irish Coffee Brownie Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day

Irish coffee cupcakes are coffee-flavored cupcakes spiked with whiskey and topped with chocolate whiskey cream cheese frosting.  Irish coffee brownie cupcakes are the same thing, but with a surprise inside...

...a hidden brownie center!

I probably don't need to tell you how sensational these Irish coffee brownie cupcakes are, or how you need to make these cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day, or how these are a coffee-lover's dream.  Just go get the recipe on PaulaDeen.com* and get baking!

*For those of you who don't know, I regularly develop cupcake recipes for Paula Deen's website.  These St. Patrick's Day cupcakes are my March recipe.

Quince, Manchego, and Ritz Cheesecake Cupcakes

It's difficult for me to write this post.  I keep trying to come up with something to say about these cheesecake cupcakes - which are coated in baked manchego, topped with quince paste, and resting on a homemade Ritz cracker crust - but I am distracted by the photo above. The quince paste dripping down the side calls to me.  I imagine picking up the paste with my pinky finger and slowly savoring it. I would inevitably end up squishing the entire soft cheesecake in my mouth.  I'd sweep any escaping buttery crust crumbs off the table and into my open palm, and then shove them in my mouth cavewoman-style.  Sadly, we have no cheesecake left, so this is just a cheesy dream. 

These quince, manchego, and Ritz cheesecakes were inspired by the snack with the same ingredients (see my post on the trio for more information).  While I encourage you to try the cheesecakes as I made them (you won't regret it), they are also ripe for substitutions:

• Try any hard cheese instead of manchego or simply leave the manchego off.  I like the extra tang from the manchego, but this recipe would still be stellar without it.  
• Use your favorite jam (like strawberry, cherry, or apricot) in place of the quince paste to create your own favorite mini cheesecake.
• Pre-bake the Ritz cracker crust as directed in the post, and then top with your favorite cheesecake recipe. The buttery/sweet flavor of the Ritz is a welcome variation on any cheesecake with a traditional graham cracker crust. 

Q is For Quince

I was reading Myles one of his A, B, C books the other day when I got to "Q is for Quince."  I paused dramatically (Myles didn't seem to notice).  "Now there's a fruit that I've never put into a cupcake!" I reflected; and the wheels (on the bus) in my head started going 'round and 'round.

Photo of quince from Flickr by Amy Sept

Quince is in season in the Fall, but quince paste is available year round.  Even if quince were in season, I would not likely use the raw fruit in a cupcake (although I might have poached it).  While quince resembles a pear, quince is too hard and sour to eat raw and is more often than not served as a jam, paste, or jelly.  I learned from Wikipedia that the term "marmalade" originally meant quince jam and is derived from "marmelo," the Portuguese word for Quince.

In Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela, quince paste (dulce de membrillo) is traditionally served with manchego cheese (sheep's milk cheese from Spain).  I'm often one to question tradition (with the exception of a maid of honor, my wedding party was all men), but this is not a tradition to be trampled on.  The sugary paste (imagine a thick apple butter crossed with a touch of pear) is the soul mate to the salty/buttery cheese.  Although the duo doesn't need a chaperone, a homemade Ritz cracker makes the perfect delivery mechanism for popping the paste and cheese into your mouth - again, and again, and again. 

Try Quince and Manchego Now, But Be Sure to Buy Extra

If you think that quince and manchego on a cracker sounds dreamy, wait until you try it in cupcake form.

Better Homes and Gardens!!! (I'm Just a Bit Excited)

I opened my mailbox today to find a nondescript large white envelope.  Inside, I found a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication with Cupcake Project not only featured but even highlighted in the table of contents.  I did what I always do when I get news like this: jump around for a minute, then calm down and read, then jump, then read again, then think about the order in which I would share the news.

I've known that I would be in Better Homes and Gardens (I like saying the name of the magazine) for a while - they interviewed me and asked for photos.  But, I didn't realize how big the spread would be.  They used several of Jonathan's photos (including one of me that is cut off in the photo above), answers to seven interview questions (but who's counting?), and the recipe for my beer cheese cupcakes with bacon cheddar cream cheese frosting.  The photo of the cupcake on the right page was taken by one of their staff photographers after they made my cupcakes in the Better Homes and Gardens test kitchen.  So cool!

 

The magazine should be on newsstands soon and it will stay there through June.  It's a worthwhile read (not just the part about me).  While some magazines are all fluff and ads, this one is filled with tons of unique and appealing recipes, baking tips, and mouth-watering photos.  There's also a profile on fellow cupcake bloggers Cupcakes Take the Cake!  Get thee a copy!

Homemade Ritz Crackers Recipe

Homemade Ritz crackers were a challenge.  Take a look:

Each column on this cutting board resulted from a slightly different recipe for homemade Ritz crackers (and the board doesn't show all of my trials).  Some homemade Ritz cracker attempts used only butter, some used only vegetable oil, and some used a combination.  Some were brushed with melted butter before baking, some after baking, and some partially through baking.  Some homemade Ritz crackers had salt sprinkled on top and some had salt mixed into the butter (some used kosher salt and some used regular table salt).  There were varieties with more baking powder and some with less.  You get the idea.

I came pretty close to getting the Ritz cracker right.  The real Ritz cracker is slightly more fluffy, but the taste of mine is spot on (though most tasters thought that it was slightly better).  Now you can enjoy Ritz crackers without high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.  I say "you" because I don't want to see another Ritz cracker ever again - too much taste testing!!

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

This is my second time making Shirley Temple cupcakes.  I first made Shirley Temple cupcakes in 2008.  Bride 4.0 recalled them as one of her favorites so she requested that I make them again for consideration as a wedding cupcake.  There was just one problem with that plan - I didn't like them.  Most of you know my rule: I refuse to make cupcakes that I don't like.

The key problem with the original Shirley Temple cupcakes was that they were a sloppy mess. They derived their Shirley Temple flavor from being drenched in a grenadine syrup - you almost needed a spoon to eat them.  I had scary visions of Bride 4.0's white dress covered in red sticky syrup:

Photo from UtaArashi

No, no.  This would not do.  But, since Bride 4.0 liked the idea of a Shirley Temple cupcake, I decided to create an alternate version.