a december wedding
I recently made cupcakes for a young couple’s wedding last December 30. The cupcakes were in two flavors as bride L._ likes coffee and groom C._ prefers chocolate. The motif was a combination of bronze and olive green so I incorporated the colors in the marshmallow petals that embellished the cupcakes. I personally do not like fondant and my frosting of choice is ganache. Aside from being delicious (who doesn’t love chocolate?) it is stable enough to stay at room temperature for hours. The small cake on top of the cupcake tree is devil’s food, filled and frosted with bittersweet chocolate ganache.
The cupcake tree I used is made of sturdy corrugated cardboard that I bought here. The beauty of this cupcake tree is that you can embellish it in any way you want to match the motif of an event. This can also hold up to 300 cupcakes and the top tier can accommodate an 8-inch cake.
Embarking on this project was a delight but still it did stress me out when I thought of the delivery. Even though I have safely transported countless cakes before, I still had these thoughts of the cake sliding and collapsing and the cupcakes tumbling out of their containers while in transit. I know it was silly of me to think about any delivery disaster because it can be prevented. Drive carefully preferably with a companion, allow plenty of lead time before the reception, carry necessary tools (piping bags, frosting, decorations) in case the cakes need repair, bring more than one set of directions to the site and have the proper containers for the cakes. I have special boxes that have cardboard inserts to keep the cupcakes in place but a box can only hold a dozen cupcakes so I got these cupcake couriers. Fortunately, no mishaps whatsoever happened on our way to the reception site. And boy did I sleep soundly that night!
Having cupcakes for a wedding is a unique way of celebrating an important milestone in a couple’s life. These miniature cakes are easier to serve and they can come in different flavors and even different decorations, adding a touch of whimsy to a memorable occasion. For those who want the traditional cake cutting ceremony, a small cake on the topmost tier can still serve that purpose, just like what L._ and C._ had in their wedding.
To L._ and C._, thank you. It was a pleasure working with you. All the best to you and may you have a happy life together!
January 10th, 2010
don’t hate me because i love fruitcake!
Odd as it may seem, I am among the minority who love fruitcake. I can empathize with the fruitcake loathers because I have tasted some bad ones myself. But the recipe that my mother got from a former neighbor Mrs. L._ (who have since passed away, God bless her soul) has become a family favorite. Mrs. L._’s fruitcake is neither dry nor brick-like, it’s not overly stuffed with candied peels and nuts and the melding of spices and spirit is nicely balanced. It is heady and moist and utterly delectable. If one uses the best ingredients, there is no reason for a fruitcake to taste like cardboard.
While I was clearing our ref a few days ago for some space to store cupcakes I made for a wedding project, I chanced upon this fruitcake that I had baked a year ago. It was part of a batch I made for my friend M._ who asked me to bake one for her fruitcake-loving husband. To my delight, it was still moist! And it tasted just as it did when it was freshly baked, only better—divine!
Happy new year everyone!
January 3rd, 2010
Hazelnut Freckle Cupcake - tender cupcake speckled with bittersweet chocolate; with chopped hazelnuts and sugar at the bottom, ganache on top and decorated with a glistening caramel-dipped hazelnut spikes. Price available upon request.
freckles and candy
The idea for this cupcake started with a chocolate-speckled cake. I wanted to make something quirky but flavorful. Again, I used my go-to basic cupcake recipe and adjusted it to make a hazelnut-flavored one. Frangelico is so expensive so I used a hazelnut syrup. I also added a combo of chopped hazelnuts and sugar and dumped a heaping teaspoon of this mixture on the bottom of each cupcake liner to create a crunchy base. For the frosting, chocolate goes well with hazelnuts so ganache is the only way (my way, actually!) to go.
I’ve long wanted to make the caramel-dipped hazelnuts since I saw them in Alice Medrich’s book Bittersweet. But for some reason, I could not cook a perfect caramel; if it’s not undercooked, the syrup gets burnt. I think I’m the only one who has trouble with cooking caramel—sigh. The project I was working on before this was actually a caramel cupcake but since I always had disastrous results with the syrup, I ditched cooking the caramel from scratch. I was still able to create a luscious caramel cupcake but that’s another story.
Coming to this project, I still had no confidence making caramel so I made another topper, sort of a chocolate bark with hazelnuts. It looked good and tasted good but I was still dreaming of those shiny, nutty and spiky gems so I decided to give caramel another go. I followed Ms. Medrich’s recipe but halved it as I anticipated another failure and I do not want to waste valuable sugar especially at this time when sugar prices are skyrocketing. The syrup cooked to a beautiful amber color and following instructions, I put the pan on an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Stop the cooking indeed as I heard the caramel cracking and hardening. I think I left the pan in the ice bath for too long. What to do, what to do? I rewarmed the solid caramel on low heat and it turned syrupy again. Whew, lucky me. This time, no more ice bath. I just worked quickly.
Now how did I get those spiky tips? As per Ms. Medrich’s instructions with some of my modifications, I pierced the side of the hazelnuts with a pointy toothpick, dipped them in the caramel and stuck them on a piece of styrofoam. At that point, the caramel will begin to drip and create a long string. I did this on the kitchen sink with a newspaper directly below the skewered nuts to catch the caramel drippings. The pan with the cooked caramel can also catch the drippings so there will be no wastage.
It looks daunting to make but it is really quite easy. Just make sure to use these candied nuts at once preferably on the same day they are prepared.
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skinning hazelnuts the foolproof way
Home bakers are used to skinning hazelnuts by roasting them first in an oven and then rubbing off the skins with a dish towel. But there is another way that will ensure that the entire skin on each hazelnut will be removed. This foolproof method comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum who learned this from Carl Sontheimer (the man who brought the food processor to America from France and called it Cuisinart). Boil 1 1/2 cups water in a large saucepan and add 2 tablespoons baking soda. Add 1/2 cups nuts and boil for 3 minutes. Test a nut by running it under cold water. The skin should slip off easily. If not, boil a few minutes longer. Rinse the nuts under cold water and toast them in a 350 degrees F oven for 20 minutes or so. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
December 17th, 2009
Matcha Harmony Cupcake v. 2 - buttery cupcake made with matcha powder, iced with white chocolate truffle flavored with matcha and topped with a white chocolate disc with a handmade imprint of the Japanese calligraphy character “harmony”. Now at reduced price!
same delicious taste at reduced price
I finally managed to check out the Japanese grocery stores in Cartimar after a recent visit there. My heart skipped a beat and I think I jumped a little from excitement when I discovered in the last store I entered a pack that appeared to be matcha. Though I could not understand the writing on the pack, the pictures told the story.
So I bought some and as soon as I got home, I prepared it the traditional way. It tasted pretty good, not as flavorful as the high-grade that I buy from Japan but good enough. There is also no trace of bitterness that usually characterizes lower grade tea. I thought it would work well with cupcakes and to my delight, it did—I was impressed! The taste is comparable to my original matcha cupcakes though the color is a lighter green. This is truly heaven sent! I will be using this matcha for my baked goods from now on. And since I don’t have to buy direct from Japan (no more expensive shipping charges!) that means the price of my Matcha Harmony Cupcakes will be greatly reduced.
Another thing I like about this matcha is that it comes in 1-gram foil packets. Aside from being convenient, I only have to open the packets I need so I get fresh matcha every time. Whereas in the traditional packaging, once you open it, you have to consume the matcha within several days or else the delicate flavor will begin to diminish.
The cupcakes made with this matcha still taste like Haagen-Dazs green tea ice cream. So what’s not to love? 
October 7th, 2009
Vanilla Bean Heaven Cupcake - soft vanilla bean cupcake frosted with whipped white chocolate ganache and topped with a chocolate crescent moon. Price available upon request.
real vanilla
I am not really a fan of vanilla but when vanilla beans became readily available here, I thought it’s time I add vanilla cupcakes to my repertoire. I developed my own version—soft and light, just the way I like it. In addition to the vanilla bean, I also used vanilla sugar to further boost the vanilla flavor.
I chose to frost this with white chocolate ganache that is not cloyingly sweet (only 3 ounces of chocolate per 1 cup of cream) because white chocolate also has shades of vanilla. I whipped the ganache to match the cupcake’s delicate flavor and light texture. And I think a chocolate crescent moon is the perfect topper for this ethereal dessert.
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the real thing
Vanilla may seem like a common flavoring but do you know that it is the second most expensive spice after saffron? Real vanilla, that is. But why is it so expensive?
Growing vanilla is so labor-intensive. A member of the orchid family, it was originally cultivated in Mexico and can only be pollinated by the Melipone bee which is endemic to that country. When vanilla was brought outside Mexico, the vines grew but did not bear any fruit because no other insect would pollinate the flowers. Several attempts to transport the Melipone bees proved futile. It took a 12-year-old slave named Edmond Albius to develop a simple method of hand pollination and that led to the successful cultivation of the plant outside Mexico. That method is still being used today and it is the only way to produce fruits without the bees.
The vanilla flower also just blooms for a day so growers are always rounding out the farm for open flowers. And each flower must be hand-pollinated within 12 hours of opening. Harvesting the bean is also as labor-intensive as pollinating the flowers. Each pod must be picked by hand just as its end begins to split to ensure the finest flavor.
Vanillin, one of several hundred aromatic components of vanilla, can be produced synthetically making it a cheaper alternative to the real extract. Cooks Illustrated conducted an experiment comparing natural and artificial vanilla extracts in prepared food. The experiment concluded that if you use vanilla mainly for baking, imitation vanilla is at par with the real thing, but natural vanilla is best for custards, ice creams and savory dishes. I think in the end, it depends on one’s preference: if you want vanilla to be the standout flavor and you have the budget, then go for the real thing.
October 2nd, 2009
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