Something I always forget, but am reminded of as soon as I realize it happened:
DO NOT OVER BEAT.
October 18, 2011
January 22, 2011
Cupprimo
Kudos to Cupprimo Cupcakery and Coffee for creating their culinary cake concoctions. How cheesy of me.
So to kick start the rebirth of my cupcake reviews, Hoan and I drove twenty minutes across town to try Cupprimo. I was a bit surprised at its location in a small, less-than-inviting concrete shopping center near a major highway and right next to a Valero. I guess I've just been so used to quaint little cafes and bakeries. But! Don't let that fool you. And if you still don't believe me, their cupcakes should change your mind.
So to kick start the rebirth of my cupcake reviews, Hoan and I drove twenty minutes across town to try Cupprimo. I was a bit surprised at its location in a small, less-than-inviting concrete shopping center near a major highway and right next to a Valero. I guess I've just been so used to quaint little cafes and bakeries. But! Don't let that fool you. And if you still don't believe me, their cupcakes should change your mind.
The one I got (pictured above) was their Black & White, a slightly rich chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and an additional dollop of chocolate buttercream on top for good measure. Although I do prefer light, airy cakes in order to offset the rich frosting (because 'light frosting' is an oxymoron), their version wasn't unbearably sweet at all. To be honest, I had been craving cake for a REALLY long time prior to this visit, and the Black & White really hit the spot.
Hoan got three mini cupcakes--Longhorn Brownie, Primo Vanilla, and Snickerdoodle. None of them are really worth mentioning except the Snickerdoodle, which is the one he's getting ready to eat in the photo. It tastes JUST LIKE THE COOKIE OMG. No lie.
They don't have a very extensive menu worthy of say, Sugar Mama's, and yeah, Cupprimo's location isn't exactly CupPRIME (heh heh), but they are most definitely worth driving twenty minutes for.
Then you can dinner eat at Asia Cafe (yes, AFTER dessert), which is located in the same shopping center. Hoan will vouch for them. Because I'm not qualified to write that review.
December 18, 2010
Minty weather
One of the only things I really enjoy about winter (other than layering) is the abundance of mint. It reminds me of the good times as a kid when I'd stuff a handful of peppermints in my mouth and, after eating them all, drink a tall glass of cold water because I liked the numbing, minty sensations in my mouth.
Then I discovered mint chocolate chip ice cream after reading that it was one of the Olsen twins' favorite flavors. And they were my idols, after all. So the first chance I got, I bought myself a cone of light-green, chocolate-speckled goodness and found that it was actually really tasty.
Fast forward to today. I don't indulge in mint-eating/water-drinking anymore. But I still like mint chocolate... anything. So I decided, in the spirit of the holidays, I'd make these mint chocolate cupcakes.
I realized I never post the recipes I use, mostly because I'm lazy. Also, I end up tweaking them a bit anyways, so I didn't think there was a point. But I'll start doing this. For the sake of archiving. And for the sake of being a better baking blogger. Or whatever.
Mint Chocolate cupcakes (adapted from Love and Olive Oil, & makes ~14)
Here are all the ingredients. Except I didn't use the nestle chocolate chunks.
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Box of Andes candies
Peppermint extract (Creme de menthe or peppermint extract is preferred. The one I got, just plain ol' MINT, was reminiscent of toothpaste. It was all I could find, so I get went with it.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line yo' pan.
In one bowl, whisk the coconut milk, sugar, oil and vanilla until it gets "foamy." That's what the original recipe says. But I stopped once I began to notice a "foamy" consistency. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, beating until no (or very few) lumps remain.
Pour into liners, filling each with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool.
Since this is my first eggless recipe (!!!) and my first time backing with coconut milk (???), I was nervous about how they'd turn out. They did deflate a bit, but since I was frosting them, that didn't bother me too much. Speaking of frosting, making it was a such a complete disaster. As I am not a fan of overly sweet, thick frosting, I tried to make a whipped-cream-esque frosting using only heavy cream, powdered sugar, and mint extract. After about three FAILED batches of those (I think I was overbeating), I looked online and found a recipe that the Pioneer Woman claimed to be the absolute "best" frosting ever. And fyi, PW is legit. So I tried it.
Not disappointed. However, mine was less thick because I used more milk and added mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring.
After piping them, I placed a halved Andes chocolate on top. Ta-da.
I'm glad to say they were a big hit at work! My co-worker, David, who isn't exactly the sweetest gentleman I've ever met, said they may be the best cupcakes he's ever had. And then asked if it was okay if he could get seconds. Psh, duh.
Reflections: The coconut milk isn't very noticeable at all in the final product. In fact, I think it enriches the chocolate flavor. And! Never using a mint extract ever again. I also want to try using a mint chocolate ganache if I don't find the mint flavor in the frosting to be strong enough. What can I say? I like mint. But I already said that.
Then I discovered mint chocolate chip ice cream after reading that it was one of the Olsen twins' favorite flavors. And they were my idols, after all. So the first chance I got, I bought myself a cone of light-green, chocolate-speckled goodness and found that it was actually really tasty.
Fast forward to today. I don't indulge in mint-eating/water-drinking anymore. But I still like mint chocolate... anything. So I decided, in the spirit of the holidays, I'd make these mint chocolate cupcakes.
I realized I never post the recipes I use, mostly because I'm lazy. Also, I end up tweaking them a bit anyways, so I didn't think there was a point. But I'll start doing this. For the sake of archiving. And for the sake of being a better baking blogger. Or whatever.
Mint Chocolate cupcakes (adapted from Love and Olive Oil, & makes ~14)
Here are all the ingredients. Except I didn't use the nestle chocolate chunks.
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Box of Andes candies
Peppermint extract (Creme de menthe or peppermint extract is preferred. The one I got, just plain ol' MINT, was reminiscent of toothpaste. It was all I could find, so I get went with it.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line yo' pan.
In one bowl, whisk the coconut milk, sugar, oil and vanilla until it gets "foamy." That's what the original recipe says. But I stopped once I began to notice a "foamy" consistency. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, beating until no (or very few) lumps remain.
Pour into liners, filling each with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool.
Since this is my first eggless recipe (!!!) and my first time backing with coconut milk (???), I was nervous about how they'd turn out. They did deflate a bit, but since I was frosting them, that didn't bother me too much. Speaking of frosting, making it was a such a complete disaster. As I am not a fan of overly sweet, thick frosting, I tried to make a whipped-cream-esque frosting using only heavy cream, powdered sugar, and mint extract. After about three FAILED batches of those (I think I was overbeating), I looked online and found a recipe that the Pioneer Woman claimed to be the absolute "best" frosting ever. And fyi, PW is legit. So I tried it.
Not disappointed. However, mine was less thick because I used more milk and added mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring.
After piping them, I placed a halved Andes chocolate on top. Ta-da.
I'm glad to say they were a big hit at work! My co-worker, David, who isn't exactly the sweetest gentleman I've ever met, said they may be the best cupcakes he's ever had. And then asked if it was okay if he could get seconds. Psh, duh.
Reflections: The coconut milk isn't very noticeable at all in the final product. In fact, I think it enriches the chocolate flavor. And! Never using a mint extract ever again. I also want to try using a mint chocolate ganache if I don't find the mint flavor in the frosting to be strong enough. What can I say? I like mint. But I already said that.
September 12, 2010
That's hawt
So, I actually took a photograph of something I baked! It's been so long. And I'm actually really happy with how these spiced chocolate cupcakes turned out.
Hoan, my foodie boyfriend, tried them and said they were really good. So I will take his word for it. Because his word agrees with mine. And I like when that happens.
They're topped with a vanilla buttercream, with some almond for good measure.
Also, I think I've discovered a baking preference of mine: minimal ingredients. There was a recipe for these same cupcakes that involved corn meal, flaxseeds, etc. and I thought it was a bit unnecessary. I feel that with so many ingredients, the whole thing becomes sort of artificial--like trying to replicate a flavor, or add characteristics to it that eventually turns it into something completely different, an impostor. Does that make sense?
Or maybe, this is just a rant of a poor college student. Baking is expensive! So cayenne and chocolate it is.
Hoan, my foodie boyfriend, tried them and said they were really good. So I will take his word for it. Because his word agrees with mine. And I like when that happens.
They're topped with a vanilla buttercream, with some almond for good measure.
Also, I think I've discovered a baking preference of mine: minimal ingredients. There was a recipe for these same cupcakes that involved corn meal, flaxseeds, etc. and I thought it was a bit unnecessary. I feel that with so many ingredients, the whole thing becomes sort of artificial--like trying to replicate a flavor, or add characteristics to it that eventually turns it into something completely different, an impostor. Does that make sense?
Or maybe, this is just a rant of a poor college student. Baking is expensive! So cayenne and chocolate it is.
August 7, 2010
So.
So I used a photo I had of Sugar Mama's Fluffernutter for my banner. I am crediting it right now. So this can't be illegal. It's just that I realized I had no straight-on photo of any of my cupcakes. Tsk. This needs to change. I've baked a few things, but I've either forgotten to take pictures, or I didn't think they were worth taking a picture of. I am so bad at this.
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