I had to attend a client's event at Botanic Gardens today and since it's Ying's birthday soon, I asked Teri what she thinks if we were to have a picnic celebration for her today. She's all for the idea and she went ahead to organise a potluck picnic! Thanks boli for organising it despite your busy schedule.. :)
I offered to buy the birthday cake, but as it got closer to the date, I suddenly decided to bake it myself! I surfed the Martha Stewart site for an easy cupcake and a cheesy icing recipe. I wanted a cheese-based icing so that I'd eat my own cupcake too! haha... I really dislike cream or whipped cream to be specific. So I figured if it's cream cheese, maybe I'd be ok with it. So, here's what I found and used...
I offered to buy the birthday cake, but as it got closer to the date, I suddenly decided to bake it myself! I surfed the Martha Stewart site for an easy cupcake and a cheesy icing recipe. I wanted a cheese-based icing so that I'd eat my own cupcake too! haha... I really dislike cream or whipped cream to be specific. So I figured if it's cream cheese, maybe I'd be ok with it. So, here's what I found and used...
Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients (Makes 12)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
- Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients (Makes enough for about 50 cupcake bites)
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowls as necessary.
- Add vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium. Blend until frosting is fluffy, about 1 minute.
The above recipe (I skipped the sour cream, cos I didn't manage to buy any :p) made me 28 mini cupcakes, out of which 12 went straight into the bin!... (~_~) I halved the quantity for the icing and I still had left over... Oh, and I added a bit of violet food colouring into the icing. Why purple? Miss birthday girl randomly picked this colour.. thank God there is purple food colouring!
So, what happened to those 12 little cupcakes? I baked them late Friday night after work and I totally forgot that I should be reading the temperature in °F and not °C! DUH!!! *faint* How stoooopid!!! So the first tray came out BLACK! I was laughing at myself!! hahaha...
As I was spreading the purple icing on the cupcakes, I found it a little difficult to smear it on smoothly. Although I think the end result didn't look that bad, I had wanted them to turn out really smooth like Yuxiang's. Well, I clearly wasn't successful. :( How did you do that, Yuxiang? Is there a technique?? Or is it pure skill? :p
All in all, I had great fun baking (even though I was a little stressed at some point..) and Calvin rated my cupcakes 8/10!! happiness!
So, what happened to those 12 little cupcakes? I baked them late Friday night after work and I totally forgot that I should be reading the temperature in °F and not °C! DUH!!! *faint* How stoooopid!!! So the first tray came out BLACK! I was laughing at myself!! hahaha...
As I was spreading the purple icing on the cupcakes, I found it a little difficult to smear it on smoothly. Although I think the end result didn't look that bad, I had wanted them to turn out really smooth like Yuxiang's. Well, I clearly wasn't successful. :( How did you do that, Yuxiang? Is there a technique?? Or is it pure skill? :p
All in all, I had great fun baking (even though I was a little stressed at some point..) and Calvin rated my cupcakes 8/10!! happiness!
Labels: Family n Friends, My Kitchen Adventures
Haha Min, seem like ur have fun baking these cupcakes ;) They look fun and colourful :D I would like to try some when u made some for us one day :p heee...