And as too the aforementioned truffles, I also hope you might consider revisiting my truffle post and , and cast a vote for me in Culinate's Death by Chocolate Contest where you can also enter to win daily prizes and a trip for two to Napa Valley!
Obviously, in addition to celebrating my mom's birthday, I am also jumping on this desperately needed opportunity to cash out my cupcake backlog. So scroll with me through the past couple sugar high months, loaded with experimental new cupcakes as well as many old favorites. Hopefully this will not just be gratuitous cupcake porn post, but will also offer some inspiration for playing around with different kinds of ingredients: fair trade chocolates and sugars, spices, liqueurs, flowers, fruits, and whatever else might cross your path to elevate and add excitement to the humble cupcake. Or whatever, let's just roll with the cupcakery!
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) Inspired by Mexico the cupcakes above make use of chocolates and vanilla from Mexico and take note of the great rustic texture of Mexican chocolate, a pleasantly gritty and enjoyably unrefined textural element that comes from stone grinding the cocoa beans. Two of these cupcakes also pick up on the Mexican tradition of using spices in chocolate. Cinnamon, nutmeg and chilies with chocolate can't be beat in my book and fresh ground spices are best right on top of the cupcake, though authentically prepared Mexican chocolate may also have spice right in it, like the rounds of Taza infused with grainy cane sugar and cinnamon.
At Left: Dia de los Deliciosas, Taza stone-ground Mexican chocolate cupcake with nutmeg-infused caramel buttercream, topped with chocolate, warm caramel drizzle and fresh grated cinnamon and nutmeg. Top to Bottom, Right: Mayan Moonlight, stone ground 70% Taza chocolate cupcake with a light vanilla whipped cream topping and dark chocolate drizzle. Cross Cultural, the unbeatable spicy Dagoba Xocolatl cupcake with a Vietnamese cinnamon chocolate mousse. Vanilla Bean, two different homemade Mexican vanilla bean infusions: on the left and right vanilla in vodka and in the center, a dark bourbon.
A quick note on vanilla: both of the vanillas I used were made by steeping scraped vanilla beans in alcohol for about three months and shaking the mixture (ideally) daily. This is a great way to extend the life of your beans. Additionally, just continue to add more alcohol as you use the vanilla. The beans are flavorful enough to continue to impart flavor to an alcohol base many times over.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
A quick note on vanilla: both of the vanillas I used were made by steeping scraped vanilla beans in alcohol for about three months and shaking the mixture (ideally) daily. This is a great way to extend the life of your beans. Additionally, just continue to add more alcohol as you use the vanilla. The beans are flavorful enough to continue to impart flavor to an alcohol base many times over.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) And speaking of alcohol, here is a group of cupcakes that will all have you tipping the bottle back. I'm not a big drinker, but I love the flavors and scents of many different alcohols and use them in baking and cooking more often than for straight-up drinking. When alcohol is used in the batter, the potency of it as an alcohol will dissipate, but flavor will still remain. If you want to get the alcoholic bite of a liqueur, brushing the baked cake with it or whipping it into the frosting is best.
Top Left: Brother Cadfael, this is a cupcake for medieval murder mystery monk nerds that owes its name to my inability to disassociate Frangelico, a hazelnut liqueur, from the Brother Cadfael chronicles. The Frangelico bottle is shaped like a monk in dour Benedictinesque brown robes, a style that references its origins with isolated hill-dwelling monks in Northern Italy who distilled alcohols from many of the native fruits and nuts. Its name is a play on the legend of a 17th century hermit monk, Fra. Angelico, so though neither the time period or locale match up, I think Brother Cadael of Shrewsbury would enjoy this cupcake made with fresh hazelnut flour and cocoa, brushed with a Frangelico syrup, slathered with hazelnut praline and crowned with a light hazelnut buttercream. Top Right: Amaretto Butterfly, another cupcake featuring a nut liqueur. This cake is also made with a fresh ground nut flour, using blanched almonds and a food processor to create a light and nutritious flour that creates a light and nutty cupcake with half as much wheat flour as normal. The cake is brushed with an amaretto syrup (boiled down amaretto), frosted with an amaretto buttercream, and finished with a little dark chocolate (can't help myself) and a marzipan butterfly.
Bottom left: Creme de Cassis, a sweet and sour fruity cupcake made with the blackcurrant liqueur in the batter, brushed liqhtly with the already syrupy stuff to impart a soft creamy purple-brown color, frosted with a bright and light vanilla whipped cream and doused with a blackberry coulis. Served with a little sweet little glass of creme de cassis. Bottom right: Whiskey Walnut, these were actually inspired by a dessert I made a few years ago for a Mardi Gras party, whiskey balls. They were a potent little confection of cookie crumbs, cocoa, ground walnuts and whiskey. These cupcakes were much the same. The cake was made with toasted walnuts ground into a flour, a little cocoa powder and some spelt flour. They were brushed liberally with whiskey and iced with a thin walnut and whiskey frosting before being finished with a crazy swirl of chocolate which represents the way these little guys will make your mind go a little twisty turny.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
Top Left: Brother Cadfael, this is a cupcake for medieval murder mystery monk nerds that owes its name to my inability to disassociate Frangelico, a hazelnut liqueur, from the Brother Cadfael chronicles. The Frangelico bottle is shaped like a monk in dour Benedictinesque brown robes, a style that references its origins with isolated hill-dwelling monks in Northern Italy who distilled alcohols from many of the native fruits and nuts. Its name is a play on the legend of a 17th century hermit monk, Fra. Angelico, so though neither the time period or locale match up, I think Brother Cadael of Shrewsbury would enjoy this cupcake made with fresh hazelnut flour and cocoa, brushed with a Frangelico syrup, slathered with hazelnut praline and crowned with a light hazelnut buttercream. Top Right: Amaretto Butterfly, another cupcake featuring a nut liqueur. This cake is also made with a fresh ground nut flour, using blanched almonds and a food processor to create a light and nutritious flour that creates a light and nutty cupcake with half as much wheat flour as normal. The cake is brushed with an amaretto syrup (boiled down amaretto), frosted with an amaretto buttercream, and finished with a little dark chocolate (can't help myself) and a marzipan butterfly.
Bottom left: Creme de Cassis, a sweet and sour fruity cupcake made with the blackcurrant liqueur in the batter, brushed liqhtly with the already syrupy stuff to impart a soft creamy purple-brown color, frosted with a bright and light vanilla whipped cream and doused with a blackberry coulis. Served with a little sweet little glass of creme de cassis. Bottom right: Whiskey Walnut, these were actually inspired by a dessert I made a few years ago for a Mardi Gras party, whiskey balls. They were a potent little confection of cookie crumbs, cocoa, ground walnuts and whiskey. These cupcakes were much the same. The cake was made with toasted walnuts ground into a flour, a little cocoa powder and some spelt flour. They were brushed liberally with whiskey and iced with a thin walnut and whiskey frosting before being finished with a crazy swirl of chocolate which represents the way these little guys will make your mind go a little twisty turny.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) Another set of drink inspired cupcakes, but this time the inspiration comes from flavorful hot drinks, making them great cold weather cupcakes.
Top Left, Top to Bottom: Espresso and Nibs, replacing the majority of a cupcake recipe's usual liquid with freshly brewed Ethiopian espresso makes for a seriously caffeinated cupcake. Top it with a similarly charged espresso buttercream, chopped cocoa nibs and a chocolate covered coffee bean and you might be up all night...just thinking about how good it was. Mocha, a little lighter on the caffeine, this cupcake is chocolately with just a little bit of French pressed coffee and iced with either a coffee buttercream or a coffee and cocoa buttercream. Peppermint Hot Cocoa, one of my favorite holiday treats is Vitasoy's chocolate peppermint soy milk which is used in this cupcake along with some very dark double Dutch cocoa powder to create a sweet, minty and still darkly complex chocolate cake. Minty frosting can be way too much and turn an otherwise delicious cupcake into toothpaste territory, so I go light on this one, pipping little snowflakes of peppermint frosting on top to make a great wintery treat. At Right: Vanilla Latte, a vanilla bean cupcake with freshly brewed espresso butter cream piled on top.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
Sometimes though, winter gets you down and even a warming cup o' something and a cupcake that echoes those toasting feelings won't transport you from the cold as much a bright fruity treat would.
Top, left to right: Mangosteen, Dried Pineapple and Red Bean, dehydrated mangosteen ground into a powder and mixed with minced candied pineapple in a light cake batter baked with a spoonful of red bean paste in the middle. A cream cheese frosting with the tangy sweet addition of more mangosteen and pressed into toasted sesame seeds finishes it. It's good anytime, but is specifically one of the best things about our celebration of Chinese New Year, which is happening this Thursday. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Welcome to the year of the Earth Rat! Raspberry Mousse, a classic flavor combination. The tart raspberries are a great complement to dark chocolate. Fresh raspberries mixed into chocolate cake batter and topped with a rich and creamy chocolate mousse. Bottom, left to right: Quince and Hazelnut, vanilla bean and hazelnut cream cake with quince preserves and a hazelnut buttercream. I've been making this cake with these elements for months now in slightly different ways and I just can't get enough of it. Chocolate Orange, thanks "whack and unwrap" chocolate oranges that were a staple of my childhood Christmas stocking, chocolate and orange is a combination that seems notably Christmasy to me, so it was a natural holiday cupcake. Chocolate cake with orange zest, a high swirl of chocolate buttercream, and a nice big chunk of candied orange rind.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
I think of this as the "fun with frostings" set. Rolled fondant, a smooth and pliable sugar paste, can look very pretty, but it tastes as appealing to me as sweet plastic. I have, however, still wanted to play with it, so I've been trying little applications of it like this with the purple and yellow butterfly, star, and flower. Marzipan, a thick almond and sugar paste, is similar in terms of it's ability to be dyed and worked into interesting shapes, but it seems to dry out or get sticky in ways that fondant doesn't. It does taste better though. And when all else fails, a interesting little decorating tip can make a cupcake look dynamic and fun.
At Right: Very Vanilla Bean with rolled fondant cut outs. At Left, Top to Bottom: Lavender and Blueberry Chocolate, Dagoba Lavendar and Blueberries chocolate bar is used in the cake and as a thick layer of ganache on top of the cupcake which is further decorated with a lavender scented frosting, chocolate shavings and a marzipan flower. Lightly Lemon, tart and sweet lemon zest cake with a thin layer of homemade lemon curd and a lemony buttercream. Very Vanilla Bean with rolled fondant cut outs.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
This is a collection of varied chocolate cupcakes, all drawing on single origin chocolates from different places in the world, emphasizing how distinct chocolates can be. I'm completely sold on using a mixture of cocoa powder and solid chocolate in my chocolate cakes and in addition to, I think, improving the quality of my cakes, it's also opened me up to all sorts of inspiration from chocolate bars. As much as I enjoy a little bit of dark chocolate here and there, I can't help thinking about how every new chocolate bar I find will taste in cake.
Top, Left to Right: Chocolate Tasting Trio, bright and fruity Malagasy chocolate, roasted and toasted Dominican chocolate, and rustic gritty and sweet Mexican chocolate all with a light whipped vanilla cream topping (silken tofu, vanilla bean, powdered sugar and a little Earth Balance). Venezuelan Ganache, a dark and earthy chocolate that's just a little bit naturally spiced and toasted in its finish makes for great dark cake and a smooth, glossy and rich ganache to top. A little white chocolate drizzle cuts the dark chocolate flavors just a little bit.
Bottom, Left to Right: Santander 70% Columbian, Three Ways, my friend brought me a tiny bar of chocolate from his favorite local wine shop and I thought I was going to have to spend an eternity tromping myself over there for micro bars of chocolate, but then I found them in bigger bars elsewhere, so I'm going to be ok. Something about this chocolate strikes just the right balance for me. It's dark and creamy, super smooth and had light coffee tones that make my day. In this cupcake it's in the cake, the buttercream and the chocolate swirls. Amantani Midnight and Amantani Moonlight, these are made with a lovely single origin Peruvian chocolate, the darkness of which reminded me of the night sky on Amantani, an island near Boliva where we did a homestay on during our trip to Peru. It was strikingly beautiful and hauntingly dark--the kind of dark urbanites can hardly even imagine. The midnight is topped with a whipped ganache and the moonlight with a vanilla buttercream.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
This is a little bit of an odd ball set, held together loosely by their interesting applications of chocolate.
At Left, Top to Bottom: Zebras, vanilla bean cupcakes with whipped white chocolate ganache and dark chocolate drizzle. Chocolate Brownie Chunk, super fudgy brownie crumbles and chocolate chunks in the cake batter, topped with a chocolate mousse and brownie crumbs. Toasted Almond, cake made with toasted fresh almond flour and creme de cacao liqueur and topped with a cream cheese and creme de cacao frosting. It's like a re-done red velvet cake in flavor, but a little more substantial in texture and detailed and deep in its flavoring.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
This might be my sort of secret favorite set in some ways because though, as you must know, my heart does belong to chocolate, I don't know if I ever have more fun in the kitchen than when I am playing with herbs and spices, especially in desserts. It's always risky. People tend to get freaked out by spices that travel outside their normal range of dishes and everyone's palette is different--how much is enough, how much is too much, what's good, what's not? It's all subject to the particular tongue that a treat falls on to answer those questions and the strongest answers all seem to be drawn out by spiced desserts, but when something works for someone and it's a flavor and presentation of tastes that they've never had before, you can really capture something, speak to something in them that just can't be communicated with in many other ways.
Top, Left to Right: Poached Pear and Star Anise, pureed poached pear with star anise and vanilla takes the place of oil in this cupcake, yielding a flavorful low-fat cake, the effect of which is then somewhat destroyed by a buttercream that is whipped with more spiced pear puree. What can you do? It's too delicious to leave well enough alone. Coconut Curry High-Top, I've experimented with coconut curry cupcakes before and always loved the sweet, rich and fiery results. This time, the coconut oil in the cake infused it with a light and indescribably perfect coconut flavor that was laced lightly with curry powder. The coconut cream and curry frosting was encased in a dark chocolate coating and sprinkled with shaved walnut and curry powder for a little extra texture and spicy blast.
Bottom, Left to Right: Spiced Cookie, my favorite cookie of this holiday season was a tiny light chocolate dipped cocoa cookie that was liberally doctored with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and a pinch of black pepper. A shaky hand ruined a few of these cookies during the decorating process and so the rejected ones found their way in a cupcake batter. It's chocolate you can just barely taste and a nice light spice with a sweet finish. Spanish Saffron, I got a good deal on a jar of saffron in Barcelona and have had the pleasure of needing to use it while it's freshest, which means decadent pinches of saffron in lots of things, including these light vanilla and orange cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream topping.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)
Ever since I started experimenting with making my own caramel a few months ago, I have always had some on hand in the fridge, which makes it too tempting to come up with gooey treats like these.
Top, Left to Right: Caramel Sundaes, vanilla cupcakes with golden syrup caramel buttercream, chocolate drizzle and chopped walnuts. Chocolate Caramel Trio, dark chocolate cake with a variety of caramel frostings--rice syrup caramel, golden syrup caramel, and salted caramel buttercreams paired with ganache or warm caramel drizzle. Bottom, Left to Right: More of the Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutmeg Caramel. Spiced Vanilla with Cinnamon Caramel, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla bean cake with a Vietnamese cinnamon infused caramel buttercream.
And thus concludes our cupcake tour for today. I hope this has done its work in wishing my mom a very happy birthday and also in illustrating to all of you that I am working away in the kitchen, even if it doesn't always get to the blog as I'm doing so, as this admittedly embarrassingly huge cupcake backlog demonstrates. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of regular posting though soon and I promise my next post will include something green and leafy or else I will change the name of this blog to the Vegan Glutton's House of Sugar.
Top Left, Top to Bottom: Espresso and Nibs, replacing the majority of a cupcake recipe's usual liquid with freshly brewed Ethiopian espresso makes for a seriously caffeinated cupcake. Top it with a similarly charged espresso buttercream, chopped cocoa nibs and a chocolate covered coffee bean and you might be up all night...just thinking about how good it was. Mocha, a little lighter on the caffeine, this cupcake is chocolately with just a little bit of French pressed coffee and iced with either a coffee buttercream or a coffee and cocoa buttercream. Peppermint Hot Cocoa, one of my favorite holiday treats is Vitasoy's chocolate peppermint soy milk which is used in this cupcake along with some very dark double Dutch cocoa powder to create a sweet, minty and still darkly complex chocolate cake. Minty frosting can be way too much and turn an otherwise delicious cupcake into toothpaste territory, so I go light on this one, pipping little snowflakes of peppermint frosting on top to make a great wintery treat. At Right: Vanilla Latte, a vanilla bean cupcake with freshly brewed espresso butter cream piled on top.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) Sometimes though, winter gets you down and even a warming cup o' something and a cupcake that echoes those toasting feelings won't transport you from the cold as much a bright fruity treat would.
Top, left to right: Mangosteen, Dried Pineapple and Red Bean, dehydrated mangosteen ground into a powder and mixed with minced candied pineapple in a light cake batter baked with a spoonful of red bean paste in the middle. A cream cheese frosting with the tangy sweet addition of more mangosteen and pressed into toasted sesame seeds finishes it. It's good anytime, but is specifically one of the best things about our celebration of Chinese New Year, which is happening this Thursday. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Welcome to the year of the Earth Rat! Raspberry Mousse, a classic flavor combination. The tart raspberries are a great complement to dark chocolate. Fresh raspberries mixed into chocolate cake batter and topped with a rich and creamy chocolate mousse. Bottom, left to right: Quince and Hazelnut, vanilla bean and hazelnut cream cake with quince preserves and a hazelnut buttercream. I've been making this cake with these elements for months now in slightly different ways and I just can't get enough of it. Chocolate Orange, thanks "whack and unwrap" chocolate oranges that were a staple of my childhood Christmas stocking, chocolate and orange is a combination that seems notably Christmasy to me, so it was a natural holiday cupcake. Chocolate cake with orange zest, a high swirl of chocolate buttercream, and a nice big chunk of candied orange rind.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) I think of this as the "fun with frostings" set. Rolled fondant, a smooth and pliable sugar paste, can look very pretty, but it tastes as appealing to me as sweet plastic. I have, however, still wanted to play with it, so I've been trying little applications of it like this with the purple and yellow butterfly, star, and flower. Marzipan, a thick almond and sugar paste, is similar in terms of it's ability to be dyed and worked into interesting shapes, but it seems to dry out or get sticky in ways that fondant doesn't. It does taste better though. And when all else fails, a interesting little decorating tip can make a cupcake look dynamic and fun.
At Right: Very Vanilla Bean with rolled fondant cut outs. At Left, Top to Bottom: Lavender and Blueberry Chocolate, Dagoba Lavendar and Blueberries chocolate bar is used in the cake and as a thick layer of ganache on top of the cupcake which is further decorated with a lavender scented frosting, chocolate shavings and a marzipan flower. Lightly Lemon, tart and sweet lemon zest cake with a thin layer of homemade lemon curd and a lemony buttercream. Very Vanilla Bean with rolled fondant cut outs.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) This is a collection of varied chocolate cupcakes, all drawing on single origin chocolates from different places in the world, emphasizing how distinct chocolates can be. I'm completely sold on using a mixture of cocoa powder and solid chocolate in my chocolate cakes and in addition to, I think, improving the quality of my cakes, it's also opened me up to all sorts of inspiration from chocolate bars. As much as I enjoy a little bit of dark chocolate here and there, I can't help thinking about how every new chocolate bar I find will taste in cake.
Top, Left to Right: Chocolate Tasting Trio, bright and fruity Malagasy chocolate, roasted and toasted Dominican chocolate, and rustic gritty and sweet Mexican chocolate all with a light whipped vanilla cream topping (silken tofu, vanilla bean, powdered sugar and a little Earth Balance). Venezuelan Ganache, a dark and earthy chocolate that's just a little bit naturally spiced and toasted in its finish makes for great dark cake and a smooth, glossy and rich ganache to top. A little white chocolate drizzle cuts the dark chocolate flavors just a little bit.
Bottom, Left to Right: Santander 70% Columbian, Three Ways, my friend brought me a tiny bar of chocolate from his favorite local wine shop and I thought I was going to have to spend an eternity tromping myself over there for micro bars of chocolate, but then I found them in bigger bars elsewhere, so I'm going to be ok. Something about this chocolate strikes just the right balance for me. It's dark and creamy, super smooth and had light coffee tones that make my day. In this cupcake it's in the cake, the buttercream and the chocolate swirls. Amantani Midnight and Amantani Moonlight, these are made with a lovely single origin Peruvian chocolate, the darkness of which reminded me of the night sky on Amantani, an island near Boliva where we did a homestay on during our trip to Peru. It was strikingly beautiful and hauntingly dark--the kind of dark urbanites can hardly even imagine. The midnight is topped with a whipped ganache and the moonlight with a vanilla buttercream.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full)This is a little bit of an odd ball set, held together loosely by their interesting applications of chocolate.
At Left, Top to Bottom: Zebras, vanilla bean cupcakes with whipped white chocolate ganache and dark chocolate drizzle. Chocolate Brownie Chunk, super fudgy brownie crumbles and chocolate chunks in the cake batter, topped with a chocolate mousse and brownie crumbs. Toasted Almond, cake made with toasted fresh almond flour and creme de cacao liqueur and topped with a cream cheese and creme de cacao frosting. It's like a re-done red velvet cake in flavor, but a little more substantial in texture and detailed and deep in its flavoring.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) Top, Left to Right: Poached Pear and Star Anise, pureed poached pear with star anise and vanilla takes the place of oil in this cupcake, yielding a flavorful low-fat cake, the effect of which is then somewhat destroyed by a buttercream that is whipped with more spiced pear puree. What can you do? It's too delicious to leave well enough alone. Coconut Curry High-Top, I've experimented with coconut curry cupcakes before and always loved the sweet, rich and fiery results. This time, the coconut oil in the cake infused it with a light and indescribably perfect coconut flavor that was laced lightly with curry powder. The coconut cream and curry frosting was encased in a dark chocolate coating and sprinkled with shaved walnut and curry powder for a little extra texture and spicy blast.
Bottom, Left to Right: Spiced Cookie, my favorite cookie of this holiday season was a tiny light chocolate dipped cocoa cookie that was liberally doctored with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and a pinch of black pepper. A shaky hand ruined a few of these cookies during the decorating process and so the rejected ones found their way in a cupcake batter. It's chocolate you can just barely taste and a nice light spice with a sweet finish. Spanish Saffron, I got a good deal on a jar of saffron in Barcelona and have had the pleasure of needing to use it while it's freshest, which means decadent pinches of saffron in lots of things, including these light vanilla and orange cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream topping.
(Click on links below to view the photographs in full) Ever since I started experimenting with making my own caramel a few months ago, I have always had some on hand in the fridge, which makes it too tempting to come up with gooey treats like these.
Top, Left to Right: Caramel Sundaes, vanilla cupcakes with golden syrup caramel buttercream, chocolate drizzle and chopped walnuts. Chocolate Caramel Trio, dark chocolate cake with a variety of caramel frostings--rice syrup caramel, golden syrup caramel, and salted caramel buttercreams paired with ganache or warm caramel drizzle. Bottom, Left to Right: More of the Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutmeg Caramel. Spiced Vanilla with Cinnamon Caramel, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla bean cake with a Vietnamese cinnamon infused caramel buttercream.
And thus concludes our cupcake tour for today. I hope this has done its work in wishing my mom a very happy birthday and also in illustrating to all of you that I am working away in the kitchen, even if it doesn't always get to the blog as I'm doing so, as this admittedly embarrassingly huge cupcake backlog demonstrates. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of regular posting though soon and I promise my next post will include something green and leafy or else I will change the name of this blog to the Vegan Glutton's House of Sugar.
51 comments:
Okay, okay, you're hired. Vermont, here we come!
And I'll take one of everything.
Wow! I thought I would pop in and see if you had any new posts and man did I get more then I expected! You certainly have been busy. Beautiful work, such original flavor combinations. The Coconut Curry would be my first choice to try!
I *love* the very first picture of the Mexican-inspired cupcakes. Excellent!
*drooools*
God, I love cupcakes, and that's why I love this blog. It's like porn for women.
What kind of alcohol do you steep your vanilla beans in?
Also, the link "cast your vote" gave me an error message and then I registered and don't see your site??
Your cupcakes look super yummy BTW!
Never mind, the link off your main page worked and I cast my vote after all :) Good luck in the contest!
Wow! I'm impressed. They all look beautiful! What a lovely post!
Those cupcakes look amazing, you are very creative :)
I really liked your post about natural dyes too.
Thanks so much everyone! I'm glad you liked the cupcakes!
Thanks for pointing out the broken link, Bananahead. I think I've fixed it...I guess their generated link just didn't want to work for me. Also, for the alcohol in the vanilla--I use Triple 8 vodka mostly (brewers.com/distillery/index.htm). I really like how mellow it is. I also use whatever bourbon is on hand for some vanilla, but I like it best in a clear base usually.
Wow wow wow. I miss caramel like I miss the sea. Those cupcakes look so fantastic. I may well be in love.
oh.my.god. these are amazing. I just discovered your blog, and it is great. wonderful stuff :-)
Wow. I'm drooling again. Your blogs always seem to have that effect on me!
You truly are the cupcake master. There's no debate about it now. And I was lucky enough to get to try two of them at the Veg Fest this past year!
I had no idea there were so many fun things to do with flavouring/deocrating cupcakes. I'm going to have to go back over this and carefully read over all of the combinations.
Yes, this is pure TORTURE! but in a good way.
JEEZ that's a lot of cupcakes! And they're all so beautifully decorated. I'm overwhelmed!
This is a post for the record books!! What a great way to celebrate your mom's birthday! Your unique flavor combinations and decorating techniques are so inspiring.
And I will certainly be casting my vote for you!!
Checked the death by chocolate contest...what name is your entry listed under? Can't seem to find it...
Sweet. Merciful. Jesus.
For your mom's birthday AND on Fat Tuesday? Well-played, Hardman. Well-played.
Em,
I think I'm in some sort of overwhelming, teeth-hurting, vegan cupcake porn euphoria right now. This is unreal. It looks... so... delicious. (That's such a poor descriptive.) Tell yer mom I said happy birthday--in fact, I might just send her a note right now.
Unbelievable.
<3
Ted-
PS. Speaking of cupcakes inspired by Mexico, here is the blog of my housemates who are currently traveling south in Mexico to Oaxaca and Chiapas. Enjoy! :)
http://talesfrommexico.blogspot.com/
Ted-
Vegan Glutton's House of Sugar here I come. Yummy. What an intense journey! I still haven't cleaned the drool from my computer screen after your truffle post!
I haven't noticed, but have you ever posted any of your caramel recipes? That is something I have sincerely been missing.
I will forgive you if you send me a cupcake ;o).
Seriously, though, those cupcakes are AMAZING! Each one is decorated to perfection! You are truly an artist.
Happy birthday to your mom; with all those cupcakes and such a sweet daughter who made them, I'm sure she had a great day!
Crap! Now I am craving cupcakes! Darn you are good! Happy Birthday to your mom!
Em,
It's the best birthday card ever. The cupcakes look and sound wonderful. (Dad is interested in an eventual delivery of said cupcakes and that with the assumption that I would need help eating them.) Where do you get all your ideas and how do you find the time to write them out and how do you contain Josh while taking the photos? These are all mysteries to be considered while eating chocolate.
Love you 59 times (and more),
Mom
Thanks so much guys!!
With the help of Mark from Culinate (yay, thanks!!) I think everything is now in working order for the Death by Chocolate business! If the link in this post still doesn't work though, the little icon on the truffles post should do the trick.
Amiee, I'm not even sure if I've posted any of my caramel recipes...I think I have not...I'll have to do a post *makes a note.* My friend Holly yelled at me for not posting recipes lately, so I'll get on that. (Happy B to you too Holly love if yer reading).
Ky, all my Tuesdays are going to be fat if I can't reign in this cupcake making habit....oh man, what is it about you that makes me unable to resist the pun? Must be that flower pot on your head.
Sorry to make your teeth hurt Tedz!
xo mom! I told Dad I'll make cupcakes for you for real when you guys come up with the baker's rack. Let me know what you want and it's yours.
This is an amazing collection of beautiful cupcakes! Dia de los Deliciosas, Peppermint Hot Cocoa, Lightly Lemon, anything from the Chocolate Tasting Trio & every single caramel concoction (!!!) are right up my alley!
I 110% agree on the use of cocoa AND solid chocolate in cakes! I cannot live with a merely cocoa cake!
Soooo.. when can I come visit & try these out?
!!! Coconut Curry Hightop, Mangosteen & Red Bean, any of the Mexican ones (okay, any of these at all), I would die just for a sniff of them! You seriously have a gift for this, which you definitely know, but wow... it's stuff like this that makes the world seem like a better place. a tastier, more inspired place!
happy birthday to your mom!
as for the cupcakes... I'm speechless. Just... wow. So much goodness to take in. I'm so jealous of your creativity, constantly coming up with newer and better flavor combinations. I'm taking notes!
Oh, my goodness! My friend (who is also your friend) Patrick taunts me by telling about the times he has dinner at your house, and posts like these make me so envious I can hardly stand it! You are really talented, and Patrick is very lucky to have the opportunity to break bread with you.
Where are the recipes?!
totally totally with you on the need the solid chocolate, melisser. come to boston anytime and we can rock out some chocolate cake!
thanks so much, liz. my cupcakes blush and are humbled by your praise.
VT--that's not cool of patrick at all! i may withhold cupcakes from him tomorrow....nah, i couldn't hold out on him, especially since his b-day is 'round the corner. but still, virtual taunting...oh patrick.
hey anon--recipes schmecipes. i have a few core recipes in my notebook with a million little notes and stars and highlights and post its about variations and different experiments. it's hard to write it all up and i'm too wordy as is;) 20 some recipes with this post would have been insane! really though, it is a goal for me to get recipes with every post and to focus on one or two things in a post that go along with a recipe. but for the moment i'm working the inspiration side of operations and leaving the alchemical stuff to ya'll.
What's wrong with Vegan Glutton's House of Sugar? I'm sold!
Emilie, you have seriously outdone yourself. Vegan cupcakes take over the world, indeed!
sold on the vegan glutton's house of sugar? so you're not embarrassed for me, monika? that's kind of you! the world, who knows, but certainly vegan cupcakes are going to take over my pants if i don't limit the baking experiments.
Emilie,
Every time it seems I've settled on a favorite cupcake, my mind flits to something else though there's always chocolate in the batter.
As for birthdays, here's a note on getting older: Winston Churchill became prime minister of Great Britain when he was 64. If he had lived only to be 63, he would have been an unknown.
Emilie, It's not vicious taunting, at all ;-) (For Pete's sake, don't hold out on the man, or I'll be in big trouble!!!) Have a wonderful dinner! - Jen
bazu--thanks so much! you're pretty crazy creative yourself, so i think the jealousy is completely misplaced though!
mom, have you become the prime minister? way to rock it! anyway, something chocolate is surely in your future...
glad to hear it's not vicious, jen! i must have been projecting about the way he taunts me during settler's of catan;)
Yo, I'm in awe. There's no one better. For reals, Em.
I'll be in the remedial part of class next week; just kick me some love - don't forget that you know me. HA.
Speaking of which -- NEXT WEEEKKKKKK!!!!! Can't wait!
Emilie, Emilie, Emilie... NEVER, EVER apologize for the vegan decadence and tantalizing descriptions that you feature in every single one of your posts - it is these elements that make your blog truly one of the best ones out there, in the blogging world (and I'm not just saying that!).
those cupcakes are perhaps the most delicious way possible, to say "happy birthday to your mom"; and they demonstrate that you have indeed been working away in your kitchen!! yay!! :0)
Gosh, I don't even know where to start here. The Espresso nibs? Or the adorable raspberry topped ones? What a beautiful roundup--it is feeding my obsession!
There's so much beautiful chocolatey goodness! You are truly amazing Emilie!
oy. i can't even read this right now because i'm chocolated-out... but i'll be back for the details when i need a fix. your mom is lucky to have such a birthday feast for the eyes!
Oh dear god, those look absolutely incredible!!! Where are your recipes from?
Oh my God, those look soooooo good! Yum!
you're my hero.
Is it nerdy that I got really excited to see our Brother Cafael cupcakes?
How did you get to be so amazing? I don't understand. I wish I was you, so I could make copious amounts of beautiful baked goods.
Truly awe-inspiring cupcakes! I love reading about the careful thought and preparation that went into each of these. They are like edible traveling historic poems.
Oh, man, thank you all so much. I really appreciate it and love sharing these pictures and ideas with you all.
I especially appreciate the nerd love from Vegetalion--thanks for joining me on that one!
A couple people have asked about recipes and I've been making notes toward a longer post about the issue, but briefly I just wanted to say that while I think recipes are important, useful and valuable and that the people who develop, test and retest them are rockstars, I tend to get inspired by ingredients and flavors and places and history and emotions more than anything and that's what really helps me create things in the kitchen. I *love* cookbooks for reference and I even do follow recipes, especially when I'm going into new territories, but these cupcakes are the result of lots and lots of baking and the accumulation of knowledge about what I know I like and what inspires me and intrigues me. And I'm excited more by experimentation and exploration than by recipes. That said, I know that recipes are really valuable and I'm trying to be better about keeping notes and testing and retesting what I do. That's the real work part of all of this though and right now the fun is what I need more than anything. So, know that I hear you and will work on bringing more recipes to the blog, but I hope posts like these are inspirational, even if they're not, strictly speaking, instructional. I'm not trying to hold out on you, I just don't want to tell you that I have fail proof recipes for all of these things. I hope you feel free to experiment and make some stuff that is delicious and some stuff that fails utterly...it's worth it to go off track.
i have yet to make vegan cupcakes, but your photos definately convince me! they look so cute and so good. live the blog too! check out my blog sometime
Are you single?
I'm not serious, or I know that I shouldn't be serious, but my heart is definitely beating fast after looking at these, and I'm tempted to propose to you. All of which I am serious about.
(I had one of your spiced vanilla with cinnamon caramel cupcakes at the Cultural Survival Bazaar in Boston... It was incredible.)
Sorry if I just creeped you out!
you make the most beautiful food ever! edible art is my favorite
Hi Dan! Thanks so much, somehow I feel like it's a major mark of a blog's success to have recieved at least one proposal ;)
I'm really glad you liked the cupcake you had and hope you will try some more in the future--I'm planning to do some more Cultural Survivals--it was really a great experience.
Thanks, Happy Herbivore! I really appreciate it.
Oh my, your cupcakes look delicious!!!! I think this is my first time to your blog so I will have to see if you have a cookbook!
Post a Comment