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.

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.

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.