
Saddened by the cupcake not looking that pretty…but they tasted wonderful!
I’ve been dreaming about that Swiss meringue buttercream since I made the Andes Mint Cupcakes! The texture was so silky and light, like a cloud. I knew I had to do another cupcake with it, so I did.
In my CSA produce delivery box I received both strawberries and lemons this week. So, that became the theme for today. I usually use all of my CSA delivery to inspire my dinners, and I rarely use it in baking. But this just made sense. I mean, spring is starting, today was Easter Sunday, and a strawberry and lemon cupcake will be absolutely perfect.
Also, my parents recently purchased a stand mixer. Having never even played with one before, and as I was making cupcakes at their house today, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out a Swiss meringue buttercream the “easy” way.

So pretty and shiny!
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Posted in Berries, Citrus, Ingredients, Produce, Recipes | Tagged Berries, Experiment, fresh fruit, Fruit, lemon, Strawberries, Swiss Meringue Buttercream | Leave a Comment »
February 24, 2013 by Mels
These cupcakes have been in my brain for quite some time now, and I thought they would be a perfect opportunity to try out a new frosting that I’ve been wanting to try: Swiss meringue buttercream! I’ve heard horror stories about how you can break the emulsion and that to make this frosting correctly, you need a stand mixer. I do not have a stand mixer, and I was sure I could do it without one. I mean, the Swiss didn’t wait around for the invention of the stand mixer – or even electricity – to develop the frosting, I bet. In the end, the frosting was successful, and is now one of my new favorites :)
I, once again, used a past recipe for the cupcake batter. If you’d like to see step-by-step pictures of the batter-making process, see the original post (linked below):
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Posted in Chocolate, Experiment, Ingredients, Recipes | Tagged Candy, Chocolate, Coffee, Peppermint, Swiss Meringue Buttercream | Leave a Comment »
February 17, 2013 by Mels
There’s not much of a back story to these cupcakes. Blackberries were on sale at my local market, and I wanted to use them to top a cupcake. I utilized an almond cupcake recipe I’ve used before, and tried out a new way to do buttercream (inspired by my foray into vegan baking) that uses shortening as well as butter. I’m really pleased with it and I think I’ll be using that combo for all of my buttercreams from now on! I did a simple 1-1 ratio, and it turned out well. I will say that with just using cocoa powder, the frosting tasted very much like milk chocolate. Next time, I’ll try using some melted bitter-sweet chocolate to give it more depth of flavor. All in all, a very good cupcake!
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Posted in Berries, Chocolate, Ingredients, Produce, Recipes | Tagged almond, Berries, Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate, fresh fruit, Step-by-step Pictures | Leave a Comment »
It has finally happened – the San Francisco 49ers have prevailed and will be playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday! My father has claimed that his children have always brought the 49ers luck. A month after my brother was born, our boys won their first national championship. Just 15 days after I was born, they won their second. They have been undefeated since then in their five Super Bowl games. I am just hoping with all hope that this Sunday they can make it six!
To celebrate, I have developed a deep, rich, and tangy cupcake to show my love for my team. I am borrowing my all-time favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (developed for a Super Bowl party three years ago), filling it with tangy and boozey cherries, with a topping of red and gold pride in the form of a rich cream cheese frosting. Start the cherry filling a few days ahead so the cherries can reach full re-hydration and flavor.
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Posted in Alcohol, Chocolate, Citrus, Experiment, Ingredients, Produce, Recipes | Tagged Alcohol, Cherries, Chocolate, Coffee, Cream Cheese Frosting, Dye, Experiment, Filling, Fruit, lemon, Piping, Step-by-step Pictures | Leave a Comment »
November 22, 2012 by Mels
Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I’d treat our loyal readers to a taste of the season. I hope that you and yours enjoy your holidays and have many happy returns. We are grateful for your dedication to our cupcake experiments, and I wish to you a happy culinary adventure :)
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Posted in Experiment, Ingredients, Nuts, Recipes | Tagged Cinnamon, Cream Cheese Frosting, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pecans, Pumpkin, Step-by-step Pictures | Leave a Comment »
November 14, 2012 by Mels
Hello again! I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve posted, though it’s only been a few weeks. This recipe has been brewing in my head for a while. A friend suggested root beer cupcakes, and I wanted to step them up a notch. I kept thinking of sarsaparilla, which I used to get in Old Town Sacramento growing up. It has a spicier taste with a hint of ginger. With that thought, I decided to use a gingered cupcake and top it with root beer frosting. Thankfully, I had a bottle of Root Beer Float Dessert Topping that I bought this summer from Cooking Up Ideas, one of my favorite stores in Fort Bragg, CA. I am using the dessert topping as the root beer flavoring in my frosting, but if you don’t have it, check below for alternative ideas!
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Posted in Recipes | Tagged Buttercream Frosting, Ginger, Root Beer | Leave a Comment »
My brother and sister-in-law held a Halloween party this weekend. They are ones to appreciate a good cocktail, so I thought I’d bring them yet ANOTHER cocktail-themed cupcake.
I have finally learned from my previous (and numerous) disappointments with alcoholic cupcakes, and created a wonderfully successful rendition of a Manhattan! The trick? I will never use alcohol in the batter (other than beer) ever again. It has always yielded a dense cake with little of the original alcohol’s flavor. You must put your alcohol in the FROSTING. The treat? A fluffy cake with the full-flavor of the alcohol and the bouquet of it as you take a bite :)
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Posted in Alcohol, Experiment, Ingredients, Recipes | Tagged Alcohol, Buttercream Frosting, whiskey | Leave a Comment »
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