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.

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.

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.

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.

What a hoot

I am going to try to keep up with baking, and also, with this blog. I feel that my interests are so many and my attention so limited, that I tend to spread myself too thin. I'll try to fix this! Summer goals. Another one includes sprucing up this layout. It's quite plain.

So since my boyfriend bought me Hello Cupcake! almost a year ago, I've only used three of the decoration ideas. Pathetic! So for my sister's graduation party, I made her these:



Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, Oreos and Junior Mints for the eyes and ears, yellow Reese's Pieces for the nose. I don't have photos of the actual procedure itself, but let me warn you, the unfinished product looks incredibly creepy. Pupil-less creatures.. like from a misunderstood Tim Burton film.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Except I am three hours late. But don't worry, I did remember to greet my mom. The kids got her a necklace we knew she wanted and a gift card to her favorite restaurant. My dad bought her a bouquet, which I thought was really sweet, because my dad is not very good with holidays AT ALL. But overall, today wasn't too big a deal, because it's the birthdays that get the most attention around here. And hers is in August, so she doesn't have to wait too much longer.

I made her Boston Cream Pie cupcakes.



These were made without liners so that I could cut them in half and sandwich the custard between layers.

I piped the custard inside of these and just topped them off with a smooth ganache. Gosh, so shiny.

I haven't baked in so long prior to this. Well, since March. But two months is a long time! I have been really wanting to make this one pound cake in particular and I recently came across a recipe for profiteroles that looked extremely doable, even for me, a novice baker. Alas, I've no time nor have I energy. But I should get more time to make pastries once finals end. I'll be done by Thursday, so wish me luck!

By the way, I have never had a Boston Cream Pie before. BUT I have had Boston Cream donuts and eclairs.. so I figure they can't be too different, right? I mean, it's mainly just chocolate and custard.. Please tell me if I am terribly mistaken.

Classic Neopolitan

I made these for my friend, Ian, whom I hadn't seen him in months and months. He was my first college friend, isn't that cute?! Yeah, anyway.

Strawberry cake, chocolate ganache, vanilla frosting. He even said it tasted like the ice cream does.. just not cold. So that's good!

But let me just say this about our friendship. I think he's a really great guy, and even though I don't get to see him much, when we do hang out, it's always as if we're back in freshman year--kind of awkward, but we are able to morph that into something we can both laugh at. When I think of The Format and The O.C., I'm reminded of him. I hope we stay friends after I graduate.

Faja

My dad's birthday is today! I won't disclose how old he's turning just in case he'd like to keep that under wraps. But nevertheless, Happy Birthday, Dad!

The family is going out to dinner tonight, probably to some Chinese buffet or seafood place (My dad loves buffets and seafood), but as a precursor to the evening, I made some banana cupcakes with Nutella frosting.





I used sliced almonds as decoration and that's all. I believe this only exemplifies my minimalist persona. Nut cups would have made these absolutely perfect, but alas, I've yet to acquire some. Where can I get my hands on those suckers?!

Anyway, these cupcakes were pretty good. I deem them a success.

2010

Oh geez, this decade went by so quickly..

Delishous

I have definitely been slacking on these cupcake reviews. To be honest, I have no excuse. Better late than never is what I always say. Kind of.



So last month, Hoan and I went to Delish, a bakery on 3rd Street. The area itself is a bit, oh how should I put this, haughty? No, that's not it. Just a bit more polished and sophisticated than I'm used to. But what can I say, I'm less of a city girl and more of a suburbanite. Not by choice, however.

Back to the cupcakes: Hoan got the Black & White, a chocolate cupcake with a Mexican vanilla buttercream, while I tried out their Red Velvet. Not too bad. The cakes themselves were very moist and we ate that up. But once I was finished, I realized I had about half of the frosting leftover. Now maybe this is just a personal issue, but I have yet to find a cupcake with the perfect frosting-to-cake ratio. I can't eat frosting on its own, and even having paid 2.75 for a cupcake can't justify me putting all of that excess sugar in my mouth.

Aside from the cupcakes, the bakery itself was very aesthetically pleasing--tall windows, dark color scheme, clean lines. However, the seating wasn't very efficient, with few places to sit down and enjoy my dessert, save for a red lounge chair and a few feet of counterspace.

Delish definitely blends in with its downtown surroundings. If you're looking for a cupcake to quickly grab-and-go, then I'd definitely recommend them. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone hanging out and having a conversation with friends here. That is, unless they don't mind standing.

Hey Panda

I thought a panda would look more appropriate amongst fruits, bright colors, and things of that nature because I don't have any bamboo in the house and this is the best I could do. But you know how hard it is to find good bamboo these days.




He was conceived from this chocolate mess. But isn't that how a great many things come to be? The beautiful product of some timely and fortuitous chaos. Chocolate optional.




This happened at around four in the morning. Ideal time for this sort of thing, isn't it? The place was a mess afterwards. And I was really tired. From cupcake-ing.

Hey hi hello!

Hoan surprised me with this book! And I love it! Flipping through the pages made me extremely happy and anxious. I'm so excited to try out some of the recipes, tricks and techniques, but that will probably have to wait until the madness of school dies down a bit. I'm going to have a busy couple of weeks.

Dawww, boyfriend.

Polkadots

It was 7:30PM when we got to Polkadots. Thirty minutes before closing time. Maybe that's why. Maybe I should go again during the daylight hours. Maybe all the goods were long gone by then. Maybe it was just a long day for everybody. Maybe.

There was no one else in there when Hoan and I arrived, but I didn't take that as a bad sign, seeing as how it was a weekday and school hadn't started yet, meaning the clientele for this location (Rio Grande & 21st, smack dab in the middle of Longhorn-ville) was still on vacation or busy moving into apartments, dorms, etc. I preferred it that way, thinking I'd get a better feel for the place and its employees without other customers around.

Not so much.

The woman behind the counter gave us our Mint Chocolate Chip and Vanilla-Chocolate cupcakes with a timid smile and not much else, retreating back to the kitchen as soon as she got the chance. The cupcakes were also lacking, considering the ratio of frosting to cake was about 50/50. Personally, I prefer more cake. The prices were also a bit steep--I paid almost seven dollars for two cupcakes.. okay, there was a dollar tip, but I digress.

Like I said, maybe I just came on a particularly bad day. Maybe all the people who have raved about this place were right. Maybe I should give it a second chance. Maybe I will.

It's a good thing I don't put much value in first impressions because if I did, I know for a fact that I would not come back, no "maybe" necessary.

I didn't like ANY of the photos I took, so here's just one. Whoops. I'll try harder next time.

Sugar Mama's

I've begun my scavenger hunt of local Austin bakeries, starting with one closest to me on South First Street: Sugar Mama's. The name is cute enough, but seriously, once you step inside, you are bombarded with cuteness--the cute decor, the cute people, the cute cupcakes, not to mention the owner's cute cute son with cute hair and cute blue eyes. What a cutie.

But anyways. The cupcakes.



This one, the Fluffernutter, was the most aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion. It's a peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cake with marshmallow frosting. It's too cute for its own good, I tell you, because both Hoan and I thought it fell short of what its looks brought us to expect. Oh well.

We also tried the Black and Tan, a moist and heavenly Guinness-flavored cupcake with cream cheese frosting (A+++), and the Pin-Up, which was your basic chocolate buttercream over vanilla. Of these three, the Black and Tan definitely takes the cake.

Huh. There's a title name for you. Takes the cake.. "Taste the cake?" I need help titling this baking adventure of mine.

Overall, I think Sugar Mama's has this awesome, friendly, laid-back, Austin vibe going for it. It's in close proximity to a handful of cafés and local vintage stores, and they even sell aprons that are, what else, really cute. I'm definitely coming back, if only to try the Southern Belle (red velvet + cream cheese) and the Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip.



A bit off topic, but Hoan ordered a birch beer, which got him a lot of attention because apparently, everyone is really curious as to what the hell birch beer actually is. The question was left unanswered.