I grew up in the country in an old farm house on 12+ acres of land. And while I have become a city girl, much of that country has stayed with me. One of the things I miss is the fresh vegetables from my mom’s garden. Fortunately, I have that enormous farmer’s market just down the street every Saturday. But … Read More
Boozey St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
A few years ago I was walking down the hall at work on St. Patrick’s Day, and I ran into my boss. He said “You are in so much trouble.” Then he paused. In that split second pause, I ran through a list of things in my head that he might be talking about. What had I done that I … Read More
How do you eat a cupcake?
Cupcakes are the perfect dessert. Just the right size with just the right frosting-to-cake ratio. Easy to serve with no need for cutting a cake into messy pieces that fall apart.
How best to eat them becomes the question. Peel off the entire wrapper, or only one side? Fingers or fork or spoon? Frosting first or all at once? How do you deal with the frosting all over your fingers or face?
Check out the foodbeast.com video after the jump for instructions on how to eat a cupcake like a gentleman.
Happy National Cupcake Day!
That’s right, December 15 is National Cupcake Day. Not to be confused with National Chocolate Cupcake Day on October 18, or National Vanilla Cupcake Day on November 10. I’m not sure who invents these holidays, but I will take any excuse to celebrate those wonderful little cakes we have all loved since childhood. And while their popularity may wax and … Read More
Painkiller Cupcakes
I’ve never been a fan of beach vacations. My pale Irish skin hates the sun, I don’t like swimsuits, and I hate sweating. We have always taken ski vacations in the winter, and even our honeymoon was to Maine in the fall. But when we got the chance to take a sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands, I knew … Read More
Seriously Coconut Cake
There is a great restaurant in Columbus called Cap City Diner where my best friend and I like to have happy hour. They are known for several fabulous dishes, not least of which is the Seriously Big Chocolate Cake. It’s big. Seriously big. I’ve shared this cake with five other people and still not finished it.
After happy hour there, my friend also likes to order a piece to go so she can have chocolate cake for her hangover breakfast. Genius.
My good friend Stefanie turned the big 30 22-years old again last week, and her husband asked me to make a cake and some cupcakes for her pseudo-surprise party. She loves coconut, so I set out to make a seriously coconut cake.
Sweet Clementine Cupcakes with Candied Orange Slices
I promise this story is actually related to the cupcakes.
For as long as we have known each other, my husband and I have talked about someday retiring to Maine and having a sailboat. Despite having never actually been on a sailboat. So last year I signed us both up for sailing lessons for his birthday. Next thing I know we own a small boat, and belong to a sailing club. In inland Ohio – strange, I know.
Our instructor offered to show us how to rig up our new boat, so we scheduled a time to meet him at the club. He helped us set her up, and introduced us to Peter, another member (and officer) of the club who happened to be there. Once the boat was ready to go, we figured we should go sailing.
Dark Chocolate and Red Wine Cupcakes
This is my new favorite chocolate cake. It has a pleasantly dense texture that just melts in your mouth, with a rich chocolate flavor and wine that you can taste. Combined with the smooth sweetness of Italian meringue buttercream, plus a drizzle of red wine chocolate syrup, it’s divine. I wasn’t in the mood for a cupcake when I put these together, but after the first bite I couldn’t stop.
Deb Pearlman from Smitten Kitchen is probably my favorite food blogger of all time. You can never go wrong with one of her recipes. So when I was looking for a wine and chocolate cake recipe, and found that she had one, I knew it was a winner. It’s also in her cookbook, which we should all buy right now. And you should read the story on her blog that accompanies the recipe, because it’s rather great.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
I have a confession to make. I am a wasteful cutter and peeler. I have no patience for carefully peeling away just enough skin on potatoes and carrots. And I don’t properly remove the hulls from strawberries. I just chop the tops off, wasting what I’m sure is perfectly good fruit. I’m going to order a strawberry huller right now … Read More