Posts filed under 'Cakes'
Monogrammed Cupcakes - cupcakes glazed with shiny ganache with lettering on top. Cake base include devil’s food, banana, mocha, chocolate chip. Price available upon request.
Someone recently inquired if I make cupcakes with letters on top. They would be for her wedding, she said. I have never decorated cupcakes like that before so I though I might as well try.
Doing calligraphy on top of a perfectly glazed cake or cupcake is trickier than it seems — what if I ruin the cake with my awful writing? I am always in awe of the commercial cakes with beautiful writing on them—Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Merry Christmas. Are the staff assigned to this task hired for their penmanship skills or are they trained in the art of fancy lettering? I wonder. As for me, I need to have a cheat sheet of the letters. And I have to practice, practice, practice.
The darkness of the ganache sets off each letter very well. The decorated cupcake looks simple, clean and elegant which is perfect for a wedding favor. For less formal occasions, the lettering can also be whimsical. The icing I used for the letters is buttercream. I initially thought of using fondant and writing the letter on top but as I have said, I am not a fan of fondant. I think chocolate molded letters will also work well.
March 12th, 2010
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
Mini Chocolate Firecrackers - melt-in-the-mouth mini chocolate cakes laced with cayenne pepper. Price available upon request.
eat a chili (or chocolate), be happy!
Want to banish pain and experience a feel-good moment? Chew on a chili pepper! Chili peppers contain capsaicin, (cap-SAY-sin) a compound that gives these fruits their heat. When ingested, our body releases endorphins, which are chemicals produced in the brain that reduce pain and induce euphoria, giving us that feel-good moment. That burning sensation you feel while eating a spicy Kimchi or a fiery Bicol Express is actually your body’s protective response, a sign that endorphins—the body’s natural painkillers—are at work. When the capsaicin comes in contact with nerve endings in the mouth, pain signals are sent to the brain which then releases endorphins to desensitize the pain and in turn create a feeling of well-being. The spicier the pepper, the more endorphins are secreted. Who knows, those tears streaming from the eyes after chewing on a jalapeno might actually be tears of joy! And I can hear the chili lovers say “bring on those jalapenos, habanero and siling labuyo!”
For those who want to feel euphoric but can’t stand the heat of these edible firecrackers like I do, there is a sweeter alternative—chocolate! To most people, chocolate is the ultimate comfort food, and justifiably so. As a piece of chocolate gloriously melts in the mouth, we get an endorphin rush which explains why our moods turn brighter after indulging in this sweet treat.
So what better way to trigger our body’s pleasure-inducing chemicals than having chili and chocolate in one go? To borrow from Doublemint’s tagline, “Double the pleasure, double the fun.” Mixing chocolate and chili might seem exotic—the Mayans have been indulging in this potent brew as far back as 2,600 years ago—but adventurous chefs and imaginative cooks all over the world have rediscovered this wonderful concoction and are incorporating it in their repertoire.
I myself am not a fan of chili peppers alone but chocolate and chili sounds mighty good to me. I had been surfing for cupcake recipes featuring this hot combination when I chanced upon Chocolate and Zucchini’s Chocolate Chili Bites—thanks, C._, for the wonderful recipe! I scaled down the recipe and modified it a bit— decreased the number of eggs and used cayenne pepper because that is all I had on hand. I also put them in heart-shaped mini muffin tins for a touch of whimsy.
They came out perfect. I especially like their wrinkly, crusty tops that yield so softly as you pop them in your mouth. And as they dissolve in your mouth, you get this wonderful chocolate rush followed by a mini heat wave that subsides moments after. And you can’t help but smile and feel good. Euphoria in a bite-size morsel!
Chocolate Chili Bites - about 24 mini bites using regular mini muffin tin; adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini
100 g bittersweet chocolate (I used chocolate with 72% cocoa solids)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c + 2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp flour
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or any variety you prefer; adjust to taste)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan or microwave.
3. Transfer in a bowl, add the sugar and mix. Let cool a little bit then add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and cayenne pepper and mix well.
4. Put in lined mini muffin tins and bake for 10-12 minutes. The top should look set but the inside should still be soft.
5. Let cool and enjoy!
February 8th, 2009
While browsing through an old issue of Bon Appetit, I found this recipe and seeing that it has cayenne pepper in it, I just had to try it. This was originally a bundt cake complete with a caramel-chile glaze and cayenne-spiced nuts as topping. I thought it might lend itself to a cupcake. Well, the mini cakes came out muffinish along with the familiar hump so I’m going to call them muffins. Because they turned out not the way I expected, I did not make the glaze and the spiced nuts anymore. Thus the “firecracker” in my apple cake fizzled.
We ate the muffins plain and I must say that they are good as they are, moist and flavorful. The flavors balance each other so well, with just a slight tingle and sweetness. My nephew F._ who is such an apple lover and a picky cake eater gave them his two-tumbs up.
Slightly Spicy Apple Muffins - yield, about 15
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/4 c sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c 1/3 inch-cubes cored peeled baking apple, from about one 8-ounce apple (I used Fiji)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, ginger, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl.
3. Whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend.
4. Add dry ingredients; fold together just until blended. Fold in apple cubes.
5. Scoop batter into cupcake-lined pan.
6. Bake until toothpick inserted near center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Savor while warm!
Enjoy!
January 22nd, 2009
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