MSC: S'mores Cupcakes

I was excited to make these cupcakes from the start! I LOVE S'mores, so I thought they would be terrific in cupcake form.

Mary Ann of Meet Me In The Kitchen chose this month's Martha Stewart Cupcake challenge recipe.

Now, I know I said I was excited to make these cupcakes, but that doesn't mean I wasn't slightly intimidated by it. Chocolate ganache? I'd never made that. Marshmallow frosting? I'd never made that! Heck, unflavored gelatin...I'd never even BOUGHT that before! And graham flour, what the HECK is that?! But that is the point of this challenge: trying something new and different, and challenging oneself. :)

So I made my way to my favorite health food store in Denton, Cupboard Natural Foods, and bought me a package of graham flour. By the way, if you love dried papaya spears, this is THE place to buy them, they are the best!

Anyway, I'd been feeling a little under the weather, but decided that it wasn't going to keep me from making these cupcakes. I found the cupcakes very simple to make, and they smelled absolutely amazing while baking. I halved the recipe.

I also thought that the chocolate ganache glaze was fairly simple to make. It turned out smooth and glossy, just as I had imagined it would.

As for the frosting, well, I have decided that any frosting that requires preparation on the stove tends to be a little bit of a challenge for me. I think I just need more practice. After heating the water and sugar to the soft ball stage, I whisked it with the gelatin/water combo as instructed. I then put it in my stand mixer for the required amount of time. After five minutes on speed setting '6', nothing had happened. So I upped the speed to '10' and started to see some progress. But, I think I let it go for too long, because the frosting was difficult to pipe onto my cupcakes in the end. But that's okay, now I know to up the speed.

Here they are:




I haven't actually tried these yet. I'm a little nervous that they won't be good! And, I was too stuffed from last night's Valentine's Day dinner to even consider eating one of these! My co-workers will be arriving soon, and they are my usual guinea pigs. I'll update when I have some opinions from them.

On a completely random note, look at what my awesome mother-in-law got for me:

It's a t-shirt! She got it from cafepress.com. So cute!

Be sure to check out everyone else's baking experiences! Our blog roll can be found at our MSC Cupcake Challenge website. Have a great day everyone!

UPDATE: I tried one and enjoyed the flavor of the cake very much, just like graham crackers. Since I made my frosting last night, it had turned into an actual marshmallow overnight! I thought it was pretty cool!!! And the ganache had a great flavor. I would definitely make these again, and apply the things I have learned.

To the recent anonymous commenter on this blog

I recently wrote this post about my experience making Martha Stewart's Coconut Cupcakes.

To the recent anonymous commenter on this post: you are very harsh! Here is what they said:

"They cupcakes look divine, and if you have a Kitchenaid (or other stand mixer), there is no excuse not to make 7 minute frosting. I read that the next time you make the cupcakes you'll use imitation vanilla flavouring rather than vanilla extract! I suggest if you're going to use artificial vanilla, just buy a cake mix.Also, you pointed out that you didn't like the 7 minute frosting because it actually takes 15 minutes. Well, it takes 7 minutes to cook and of course prep time is more. But if you don't like it, then go with the frosting in a can, because if you're using fake vanilla, why bother with the real frosting! I just think if you're going to make Martha Stewart's cupcakes, you may want to use the real stuff. It's not Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines - it's Martha Stewart for heaven's sake!"

I'm not really sure why you would post anonymously anyway, unless you just wanted to be rude and not be held accountable.

Using artificial is a taste preference to me, and using it is not the same as using a cake mix (at least not to me anyway).

And I'm sorry that you didn't like my opinion of the frosting, but, to each his own!

The purpose of my blog (and the Martha Stewart cupcake challenge itself) is to share one's experiences with each recipe. Not to criticize someone for using artificial vanilla and telling them that they may as well use frosting out of a can!

I guess when I openly blog about my baking experiences, I open myself up to comments like these, and I chose to approve the comment, despite it's rudeness. Who knows, maybe I shouldn't be so sensitive. Thoughts?

Champagne Cupcakes for New Years Eve

It has become a tradition for Alex and I to stay in on New Years Eve. We have a few reasons for this.

1. It's cheaper than going out and drinking at a bar.
2. It's safer.
3. We are homebodies.

Number 3 being the biggest one. We are not big party, dancing all night kind of folks. I guess we are old souls. :)

I found this recipe in Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.


This book has been my "go-to" book for quite some time now. I think it may have even been my first cupcake cook book! Ah, memories!

These cupcakes were fairly simple to make, and both the cupcake and the frosting had actual champagne in them, not a flavoring. The only thing I didn't like about this frosting was the fact that it had shortening in it. I don't really enjoy working with shortening, it is so greasy and gross! But despite the shortening, the frosting still tasted great.

Everyone enjoyed these cupcakes after our lasagna dinner. We celebrated New Years Eve with friends, and it was a great evening.

The next day, however, the cupcakes were NOT good. The cake tasted like stale beer! I guess these cupcakes should really be eaten within a few hours of being made. Oops! :)

MSC: Coconut Cupcakes

I was so excited to select this month's cupcake challenge, the Coconut Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I am having such a great time doing this challenge, and there are so many bakers participating!

I love, love, love coconut. So these were an obvious choice for me. I didn't experience any trouble baking these cupcakes, and I thought they were relatively simply to bake. The recipe called for pure vanilla extract, and although I don't usually like to use pure vanilla extract (I prefer the fake kind!), I used it anyway. I could tell a difference in the cake. I want to make these again, but use imitation vanilla to see if the cake taste would change dramatically.



But then, I got to the recommended frosting, which was the coconut version of the 7 Minute Frosting. I almost skipped the recommended recipe and went with a MUCH simpler Coconut Buttercream, but I decided to be true to the book and went with it.



Well, the 7 minute frosting turned into 15 minutes. It took SO long to set up, even though it was being made in my stand mixer. And making the syrup, ugh, I didn't really enjoy that, either. But, the end result did product a pretty, shiny, rich frosting.

I took the cupcakes to work the next morning for my co-workers to enjoy. They went over well, except for with our video editor, who is allergic to coconut! Needless to say, he didn't partake in the cupcakes. :)

I would probably make these cupcakes again. But without the 7 Minute Frosting. And I would use imitation vanilla instead of pure vanilla extract. So I give this one a 6 out of 10 in terms of overall goodness.

Next month we are making Smores Cupcakes! I am so excited about this one. Thanks to Mary Anne from Meet Me in the Kitchen for selecting this one. And of course, head on over to our Challenge Website to see all of my baking buddies work as well. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Merry Christmas?

A digression from cupcake talk:

So this is what my husband and I got for Christmas....





Whether we wanted it or not. This Christmas Eve, North Texas got some unseasonable weather. I think the region was very unprepared for the weather that occurred that day.

My husband Alex and I closed our store, Reef Remedies, early that day, and picked up Alex's grandparents. We began our journey to Fort Worth, where Alex's Mom and Stepdad live. About halfway there, the roads had gotten terrible. We almost made it to their house, when this happened. Thankfully no one was hurt, including the family in the other truck. Needless to say, I am currently on the hunt for a new car. I loved this little car, but it is JUST a car. And I am so thankful that we still managed to have a Merry Christmas despite our achy necks and backs. :)

And by the way, the cupcakes in the car somehow escaped unscathed. But I was so frazzled by the entire experience, I completely forgot to take pictures. :(

Banana Nut Bars

My Mom recently got me this amazing cookbook, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Bridal Edition. I loved reading it from the beginning, because there is so much information. Even though this book is geared for the new bride, one that has never cooked before or even lived with her significant other, I still enjoyed it. My husband Alex and I lived together before we got married, so we had a well established kitchen long before we got married.

So I had a bunch of bananas that needed to be used up, and I thought the recipe for the Banana Nut Bars would be a perfect way to go.




I thought this recipe was very simple and easy to make. The icing glaze on top really made these bars great. Since my co-workers are usually my baking guinea pigs, they got to enjoy these the next day. I would certainly make these again.

Pumpkin Pie cupcakes for Thanksgiving

Okay, so I'm a few months behind on this post. Not having internet service at home is kind of a bummer! We are waiting on Clear to become available in our neighborhood....hopefully it will be soon.

This year for Thanksgiving, I made the Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pie cupcakes. Aside from Wilton's Red Velvet cupcakes, this is the recipe that I have probably made the most times.





Alex and I spent Thanksgiving at his Mom and Stepdad's house in Fort Worth. My Mom had to work that day, it was kind of a bummer not spending Thanksgiving with the entire family. But, there is always next year!

Here is a cute shot of my husband Alex with his sweet grandmother, Carol.