Cupcake Army

The cover of the February edition of Martha Stewart Living featured a bunch of cupcakes with varying shades of fluffy frosting all displayed in the shape of a heart. This was probably done to get ladies (and guys) all pumped up to make cupcakes. Naturally, after seeing the cover, I was all pumped up to make cupcakes.



I had a Girl Scout meeting coming up, so I decided to make basic yellow butter cupcakes and top them off with the peanut butter frosting that was featured in the cupcake article. The original recipe called for a dollop of grape jelly on top, but I decided to use a different method. I picked out one large, pretty frosting tip and piped it onto the cupcakes. Then I added various things I found in the cabinet - basically, Reese's Pieces and giant milk chocolate chips. I even brought chopped nuts to the meeting as an option.



Overall, these were some pretty good cupcakes. The actual cake part was tender, springy, and buttery. The frosting, however, had a very unique taste. I was skeptical to begin with about the combination of cream cheese and peanut butter. The result was good, but it took a little getting used to. A lot of the girls who ate them loved it, but it took me a while to realize the depth of the flavor.



Yellow Butter Cupcakes
Makes 3 dozen regular-sized cupcakes

3 cup cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (9 ounces) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs, plus 3 large yolks, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Reduce speed to low. Mix buttermilk and vanilla with butter mixture. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients, and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl, and divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes.


Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then peanut butter, then vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form, then fold into peanut butter mixture. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Ants, Humidity, and Cupcakes

I have a couple of friends who are going to school in Berkeley, but come home to Arkansas in the summer and on holidays. Each summer, before they go back out west, we get together and eat food. This year, we had a picnic outside in 98-degree weather.



Cupcakes are a pretty good standby for picnics and potlucks and the like, so I volunteered to bring some. When I make something as simple as a cupcake, I like to try variations and new recipes. The actual cake recipe was from Martha Stewart, and the frosting was just the Quick Vanilla Buttercream that I used for the IHCC Birthday cake.



These cupcakes were very good straight out of the cooler. The cake part was quite different: it was very dense and had an interesting texture that I would guess would be enjoyed best cold. I think I piped a little too much frosting on some of them, but luckily the frosting is always my favorite part, so that aspect was perfect to me although it might have been too much for other people.



I dyed the frosting blue and yellow on a whim and secretly called them Ravenclaw cupcakes and felt clever. I spent way too much time decorating these, but I really liked how they all looked different. If anyone was impressed aside from gb, they didn't make it vocal. In fact, I think it was too hot for anyone to really do or say anything about food. I know they threw a drunken, raucous party that night and I was told that all of the cupcakes were eaten and enjoyed the following Sunday at Deadball.



Dense White Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1 stick butter and the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt, then milk. Dough will be extremely thick until milk is added in.



Spoon into cups. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool before frosting.