MS September Cucpake Challenge: Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sorry my entry is late folks, but I just got over a nasty viral infection. I felt terrible for about a week...yuck. But, I'm all better now and I was able to complete the challenge this weekend.

For those of you who don't know, I am participating in a Martha Stewart Cupcake challenge. Myself and quite a few other bloggers are baking our way through the cupcake book one recipe at a time. I am thoroughly enjoying being a part of this challenge and seeing what everyone else comes with.

I have to admit, I went into this challenge a little skeptical. I had read my fellow bloggers posts about this cupcake and wasn't expecting much from it. I thought this was a fairly simple cupcake to make, but it was so weird not to have any BUTTER in a cupcake recipe!

The cake I thought was a little overly "spicey" if that makes any sense. The cloves and lemon zest were a little overwhelming. Maybe I added too much? I omitted the walnuts, mostly because I don't really care for them in baked goods. I also halved the recipe in anticipation of not liking them very much...here is the final result:




I took a half dozen to my best friend Jordan and her boyfriend Lance. Sunday Jordan and I went to see "Julie & Julia" and it was fabulous. We laughed and had a great time...I never knew Julia Child was so animated. I guess I've never seen any of her cooking shows! It was a great movie and I recommend it to everyone.

So, would I make these again? Probably not. Were they absolutely terrible? No. They were just OK. Good experience, though!

Dimples Cupcakes - A Review

Last week I finally caught up with the Dimples Cupcake truck here in the DFW area. They made a stop at the Target in Frisco, close to my house. I made a special trip to try their cupcakes, I kept missing them in the previous weeks.

When I drove up to Target, I immediately spotted their cupcake truck.


I met the owners, two very nice guys. They said their retail location in Willow Bend Mall in Plano is scheduled to open at the end of this month. I decided to try the Red Velvet, Chocolate with Chocolate frosting, and the Vanilla cake with coconut frosting.



Their packaging was great, very easy to transport without the mess.


They even provide a fork and a napkin, and you're going to need it. These things are giant! They were $4 each, but worth it. I couldn't finish one in one sitting. Definitely good for sharing.

First up, Red Velvet:


This was a fabulous cupcake. The chocolate taste was more pronounced than I am used to in a Red Velvet, and I loved it. The cake was moist with just the right amount of food coloring. I mean, look at this...it is perfect.

I would definitely order this one again.

Next up, the Vanilla cake with coconut frosting.

This one was also amazing. The cake on this one was also incredibly moist.

Last but not least, is the Chocolate cake with Chocolate frosting.

Okay, so all the cake that I tried was wonderfully moist. The frosting on this one tasted a lot like the chocolate buttercream that I make at home.

The verdict: I would definitely visit the Dimples Cupcake truck again. They are friendly folks with wonderful cupcakes. Some may think the $4 price tag may be a little high, but these cupcakes are better than what you would get at Sprinkles, and a lot bigger, too. Check out their website, dimplescupcakes.com for more information!

A Challenge Revisited

Last month, for the Martha Stewart Challenge I am participating in, hosted by Sugar B at Eat My Cupcake, I made Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcakes with Dark Chocolate frosting....see them here. They were such a success that I got another request for them.

This time I made standard size cupcakes instead of the mini cupcakes. I liked these much better. Mostly because I didn't have to cut the centers out of 50+ mini cupcakes!




Like the last time I made these cupcakes, I had WAY too much frosting left over. I froze some of it in case I need to use it in the future. I've never frozen frosting and then re-used it at a later date, so we'll see how that turns out. Overall, I was very pleased at the way these turned out.

Margarita Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting for my Sister-in-Law Shannon!

This week, my brother Jeff, his wife Shannon, and their son Ryan, came to visit Texas. They live far, far away in a land called Virginia. :)

Shannon's family and our family all met up for dinner at a Anamia's Mexican Restaurant. I thought Margarita cupcakes would be fitting for the cuisine.

No embellishments, I kept it simple this time.


Here is a great shot of my nephew chowing down on his cupcake. It is also a great shot of my sister-in-law, Shannon.


Unfortunately, the whole clan was feeling a bit under the weather on their visit, but we still had a good time taking it easy around my parent's house.

Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Here is a shot of the Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting. The frosting was so incredibly thick, I could barely spread it on the cupcake, hence the not so pretty presentation. I made these for a friend in Plano, so I didn't get to try them, but they smelled heavenly while baking!

Cupcakes for Charity

I made 165 cupcakes for my friend Giuseppe, who owns Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant in Denton, Texas. He and a local bank were sponsoring a fund raiser for the United Way. My Mom made all 150 of these tiny little flags! WOW! They read "Point Bank Supports United Way"



We made half Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and half Vanilla cake with Chocolate Buttercream. This is only one pan of the five pans it took to transport these to Denton. Many thanks to my Mom for delivering them, and for all of her help.

Red Velvet Cupcakes and Mini Golden Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

My friend and stylist Julie asked me to make these for her Phyto event at her salon. This was the first event I did for her.

Here is a shot of me setting up the cupcakes. It was about 7:45am when I delivered these. Mom met me at the salon and helped me set up.


Mini Golden Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (gotta love the morning sunrise for the best pictures!)


Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (I think I make this type of cupcake most frequently!)


And the end result....very pretty.


If you look in the background of the last picture, you can see a picture frame sitting on the table. My wonderful husband Alex designed a graphic with my website on it for others to view my work. Then my fabulous Mom put them in a double frame. I couldn't do this without either one of them!