Posts filed under 'Wedding Cupcakes'
Good Golly Miss Holly Cupcake - fudgy brownie cupcake frosted with shiny chocolate glaze and decorated with chocolate candy gift box and silver and gold dragees. Price available upon request.
inspired by Tiffany; necklace not included!
I was making some chocolate truffle gift box candies when I noticed the similarity of the candy box to the famed Tiffany jewelry box. I thought it would make a great cupcake topper. I call this cupcake “Good Golly Miss Holly” after the character Holly Golightly from the book and film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. I haven’t read the book nor seen the movie but I know that the opening scene of the film shows Holly (as played by Audrey Hepburn) alighting from a cab in front of Tiffany and Co. jewelry store in Manhattan’s 5th Ave. Holly eats a pastry and drinks coffee while looking through the window display. Is this the title’s explanation?
My cake base is actually a brownie in cupcake form, crusty on the sides and soft and very fudgy in the middle. More chocolate, less flour. I am very partial to ganache and chocolate on chocolate is always a winning combination so I frosted the cupcake with ganache. I also sprinkled some silver and gold dragees to represent the “jewels.”
This cupcake is perfect for bridal showers, debuts, or for girls who adore jewelry. For men out there who want to impress, a box of these cupcakes and a box of Tiffany jewelry will surely endear you to your lady love.
As for the Loving Heart Tiffany necklace in the above photo, it is one of my cherished possessions and therefore does not come with the cupcake! 
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bring on the (cupcake) war!
Who knew that the term “cupcake wars” will be taken so seriously by two Utah cupcakeries? The cupcake in dispute is a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-inspired cupcake. One baker accused another of trade dress infringement (translation: copycatting). You can read the details here. Reminds me of the lawsuit filed years ago by San Miguel Corp. against Asia Brewery regarding the “suspicious” similarities between one established beer and a market newcomer.
So much for the idea that cupcakes bring happiness!
July 5th, 2010
Fortune Cookie Cupcake - soft, caramel cupcake iced with ganache and topped with white chocolate coated fortune cookie. Price available upon request.
what’s your fortune today?
I had been thinking about making this cupcake for so long but I could not find the right recipe. For this project, I figured caramel flavor goes with fortune cookies. I know I could be wrong but I like caramel so caramel it is. I tried lots of recipes but they did not yield the flavor I was looking for.
Just as I finished one test, I thought of just using a basic recipe that I had successfully adapted to create different cupcake flavors. I was glad that once again, that recipe did not fail me. The resulting cupcake was heavenly—soft and caramel-y.
Initially, I planned this to be a fortune cupcake, literally. Instead of the cookie, the fortune will be buried in the cupcake with one end tied to a ribbon to facilitate its pulling out. But I was wary of the ribbon as it is not food grade. Besides, I will be breaking my cupcake cardinal rule—everything on the cupcake I bake must be edible.
Caramel and chocolate is a tried and tested combination so a ganache icing is the best thing. The ganache is not overpowering and one can still taste the caramel flavor of the cupcake. I’m glad I was able to find fortune cookies to use as toppers—what’s a fortune cookie cupcake without real fortune cookies? To make them special, I dipped the cookies in white chocolate to create a protective albeit delicious shell.
I first dipped a cookie in dark chocolate but when this is put atop a cupcake, it “disappears” in the darkness of the ganache. The white chocolate coated ones look better and the vanilla notes of the chocolate complements the vanilla-almond flavor of the cookies.
These cupcakes are fun treats to serve at weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Guests will love cracking open a cookie to find out what their “fortune” is. My fortune cookie supplier can also customize the messages to fit the occasion. Who knows, the lucky numbers at the back of the fortune might pave the way for a future lotto jackpot winner!
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un-made in China
Nowadays when you acquire a gadget, apparel or toy, chances are they are made in China. Astonishingly, the one item we believe to be of Chinese origin—the fortune cookie—did not have its roots in China and is in fact almost—gasp!— unknown in that country. It is said to be of Japanese origin which eventually found its way to the US. Check out this amusing video made by Jennifer 8. Lee as part of her research for her book “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles”.
May 23rd, 2010
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
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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