The Cupcake Thread!

[Dandi]

First bite... num nums!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Those look great DandiAndi! Wanna send me one?

 

[Dandi]

I''d love to Freke... but they''re in my tummy

I''m all cupcaked out this week... ready for the next lot!

 

[Mara]

beeeoooouuttiful red velvets andi!!!


rv is a cake i just cannot get behind. i've tried countless versions, a lot of bakery ones and some homemade. my feel is that i never quite know what it's supposed to taste like. it doesn't quite taste like chocolate and the red just gives it an odd bitter taste. i asked a few friends about this and they admitted to the same feeling but since they were southern they were like 'well we never wanted to say anything, it's like southern sacrilege'...so my feeling is that a lot more people aren't quite sure about RV's taste but just figured that's 'the way it is'.


anyway i am on a mission to make a rv that actually tastes like SOMETHING other than 'moist cake'... so that i can make them and actually *want* to eat them. though making them the way everyone else does now would be better for my waistline for sure. hahhaa!

they are beautiful for sure, i love the red look and cream cheese contrast, but the taste is just so meh on every one i have tried. oh and apparently i just found out that there is a no-taste red food coloring so i am going to hunt that down and try that in my eventual rv's.

 

[FireGoddess]

Mara, I hope you succeed on your RV quest. It is my favorite cake EVER and 7 times out of 10, it is not done right. I've only tasted a few that were really good and they were like manna from heaven. Delicious cocoa taste but not *completely chocolate* because of the tangy buttermilk. But I've seen some that were too cocoa-ey and some that were too buttermilk-y. Neither of those are good. I don't even have a good recipe as of yet. I'm totally tempted to try MrsSalvo's recipe though I'd like to swap out the frosting for something with a teensy bit less butter.

Andi, did you use MrsS's recipe or was it different? And for the frosting?

I've tried the RV Sprinkles mix from W-S and while it was fairly good, they were way too dry. Not totally impressed with Sprinkles from that experience, but I have yet to try real ones from the store. Sibby's is fantastic though, just wish they were cheaper.

Where are you guys getting the cute white paper wrappers?!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/2/2008 12:47:22 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Mara, I hope you succeed on your RV quest. It is my favorite cake EVER and 7 times out of 10, it is not done right. I've only tasted a few that were really good and they were like manna from heaven. Delicious cocoa taste but not *completely chocolate* because of the tangy buttermilk. But I've seen some that were too cocoa-ey and some that were too buttermilk-y. Neither of those are good. I don't even have a good recipe as of yet. I'm totally tempted to try MrsSalvo's recipe though I'd like to swap out the frosting for something with a teensy bit less butter.

Andi, did you use MrsS's recipe or was it different? And for the frosting?


I've tried the RV Sprinkles mix from W-S and while it was fairly good, they were way too dry. Not totally impressed with Sprinkles from that experience, but I have yet to try real ones from the store. Sibby's is fantastic though, just wish they were cheaper.


Where are you guys getting the cute white paper wrappers?!

Firegoddess: A great RV recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery in NYC. The recipe is in their cookbook, and it is the one I use all the time. Even without the red velvet color (so thus not knowing what kind of cake it is), people rave about them.

And I believe the white papers you refer to are actually "party and nut cups". At least that is what I buy!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 5/2/2008 1:19:47 PM
Author: neatfreak


Firegoddess: A great RV recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery in NYC. The recipe is in their cookbook, and it is the one I use all the time. Even without the red velvet color (so thus not knowing what kind of cake it is), people rave about them.

And I believe the white papers you refer to are actually 'party and nut cups'. At least that is what I buy!

Hey neatfreak! I just came across that recipe online about 5 minutes ago and saved it! That's good to know. What kind of frosting do you make? I'm thinking of making cupcakes for a party I'm going to on Saturday and I'm debating between a RV one or a coconut lime. mmmmmmm

Do you find the party and nut cup things better than regular cupcake papers? I'm intrigued. Many people seem to use them.

 

[Mara]

I spent some time yest researching the RV. Apparently the original cake from like early 1930's or so does not use cream cheese frosting and it uses shortening I believe too. Or maybe oil. Anyway, I found some site where some gal was saying she uses her grandma's recipe and it's the original from back then and she would never make it any other way. So I printed it and took it home, she also included the old school milk buttercream icing recipe...she said she would never make a RV with cream cheese as it's not authentic.

I have not heard fab things about Sprinkles FG...I'm not in a rush to try them when they open in PA honestly. I find a lot of cupcakeries don't live up to my expectations anyway!

And also an interesting note re: the cocoa and vinegar in the recipe for RV. People think that the cocoa is to make the cake taste more like chocolate, but in reality a bit of the red in the cake comes from some sort of chemical reaction from the cocoa powder and I think, the vinegar...making the cake a bit red. However you can't just rely on the cocoa and vinegar to give that blood red people like, it just makes it a little red. And adding more cocoa just makes it more brown. So from what I found, most of the old school recipes just use like 2 tblspsoons cocoa and red food coloring to get the red that people like.

Though I found a lot of sites that said 'if you want a strongly FLAVORED cake, this is not the one for you'...which is interesting because I like cakes to taste like something, not just be a moist vehicle for frosting. So we'll see...I am going to make the RV cake with this old recipe and use the old milk frosting recipe and see if it makes it more interesting for me.

On the nut n party cups, I love them, I get them at Michaels...they are hard to open but once you know how it's easy to do. I like using them because they hold more batter than regular liners, they don't require a muffin tin to bake (They stand alone but put them on a silpat on a cookie sheet so the bottoms won't brown), and they take on the color of the cake baked, kinda fun. Also, they are not fancy but with a good swirl on the frosting, they look fun and different.

 

[Dandi]

Hi FG, no the recipe I used was one I found online. I apologise as I didn''t save it and can''t rememeber where the fudge (mmm, fudge!

) I got it, but it''s very similar to this one.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007128red_velvet_cupcakes_with_cream_cheese_frosting.php

 

[Dandi]

OH and I forgot to add, thankyou Mara for posting the Snickerdoodle recipe! I just finished making and frosting a batch and of course, had one with a cuppa... they are to DIE for!!!!!!!!!

 

[Skippy123]

Question Ladies: I am thinking of making cupcakes for the my last day of sewing class; there are some sweetie pie people in there and wanted to make something everyone will like. What flavor do most people like????

White, chocolate, lemon, etc? TIA

Great pictures all

 

[FireGoddess]

Skippy, I think vanilla appeals to everyone, though I prefer lemon or chocolate.

I made the coconut lime cupcakes this morning and they are divine....however.....they all shrank away from the wrappers and sunk slightly so that the surfaces are flat instead of domed. What happened?!!! I tried both the regular fluted papers and the cool party-nut ones you all use and the cupcakes shrank from all of them!

I had to pop them all out of the wrappers because they looked so bad that way...gaping space between the cuppies and the sides of the wrappers. They were only stuck to the wrappers at the bottom. Help!!

 

[Mara]

frosting can cover almost anything FG!!

i had that happen to some minis i made last nite, but not to this really large one i made...and i think it was because i removed the minis too fast from the oven and did not let them cool on the pan before i moved them to a rack. i almost felt like they shrank because of the abrupt change in temp from oven to cooling rack but no in-between pan cooling....i wanted to get them all out and let the big one continue cooking and only the minis had the issue, not the big one. also i have only ever really had that happen this time and removing them immediately was the only thing i really did differently.

some recipes just seem to sink a little which is why frosting is fab, but i have also read that sinking means the oven might be too cool and not hot enough...do you have an oven thermometer? our oven is 50 degrees off what it ''says'' it is...i only found that out when using a thermo and was like NO WONDER none of my stuff ever cooks when it says it should. so now that i have a thermo, i can follow recipes correctly.

i made some amazing chocolate cupcakes last nite, i think i have finally almost perfected my recipe as i have tried 3-4 at this point and finally *I* love this one...which is cool because i have a few gals who want to order from me in May so i''d love to use a chocolate cuppie for one of them. we shall see..i''m still tinkering.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/2/2008 1:23:47 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 5/2/2008 1:19:47 PM

Author: neatfreak



Firegoddess: A great RV recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery in NYC. The recipe is in their cookbook, and it is the one I use all the time. Even without the red velvet color (so thus not knowing what kind of cake it is), people rave about them.


And I believe the white papers you refer to are actually 'party and nut cups'. At least that is what I buy!

Hey neatfreak! I just came across that recipe online about 5 minutes ago and saved it! That's good to know. What kind of frosting do you make? I'm thinking of making cupcakes for a party I'm going to on Saturday and I'm debating between a RV one or a coconut lime. mmmmmmm


Do you find the party and nut cup things better than regular cupcake papers? I'm intrigued. Many people seem to use them.

Hey FG! Magnolia recommends their Creamy Vanilla Frosting with the RV cupcakes, which actually is not a CC frosting like most places recommend, and I like it way better. It's a basic cooked vanilla frosting recipe really. It has flour, milk (I usually use skim with no consequences), butter, sugar, and vanilla. Really basic. And the sweetness is more in line with an italian/swiss buttercream. It's less sweet than the standard sugar/butter frostings, which I think compliments the RV nicely.

And I really like the party and nut cups just because they are cuter! They do work well though. My tip is that I snip through the "rolled" part on the top in one spot no batter spills out and they are WAY easier to open that way.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 3/24/2008 7:54:54 PM
Author: Mara
ummm and because i'm a fabulous sharer....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/29/FDGFBHSD901.DTL

Check that article, sure it was written in 2006 but scroll down...RECIPES from some of the most famous cupcake bakeshops in the US. and a recipe for italian vanilla merengue buttercream. Have at it ladies.

Oh and calorie counts too, isn't that awesome? Helps me to know that I can make the Banana PB one and not blow the diet, however I am NOT having the Samoas!

I made the one's in that article: the Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache & Cream Cheese Frosting
From Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco.

I still need to frost them but probably won't make the cream cheese frosting because I don't like cc. I was going to make white cake but I wanted to be able to eat them too and I am not a fan of white cake; I love banana's and chocolate though

Hopefully my sewing class will like them; if not more for the others who do.

 

[Mara]

awesome skippy...i am interested to hear how you like them. i LOVE Kara''s banana cupcake at the SF shop. i actually have bananas ripening now, should be ready on wed or thurs and i also had Kara''s recipe bookmarked to make but making the ganache as a dipping agent for the top of the cupcake. SO yummy. hope everyone loves yours!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/4/2008 8:20:54 PM
Author: Mara
awesome skippy...i am interested to hear how you like them. i LOVE Kara's banana cupcake at the SF shop. i actually have bananas ripening now, should be ready on wed or thurs and i also had Kara's recipe bookmarked to make but making the ganache as a dipping agent for the top of the cupcake. SO yummy. hope everyone loves yours!

DELICIOUS, hubby and I shared one and he LOVED them

He is hoping I have Leftovers.

Here I mashed the banana's extra well.

 

[Skippy123]

Not pretty looking but DELICIOUS. Now I want to take a cake decorating class. hehe

 

[Skippy123]

YUM

 

[marcy]

Skippy, your cupcakes look yummy. My mom always made banana cupcakes when I was growing up. They are yummy.

In fact, everyone is making delicious looking cupcakes. I''d best go back to looking at jewelry - these are too tempting for me.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/4/2008 8:34:18 PM
Author: marcyc
Skippy, your cupcakes look yummy. My mom always made banana cupcakes when I was growing up. They are yummy.

In fact, everyone is making delicious looking cupcakes. I'd best go back to looking at jewelry - these are too tempting for me.

Thanks Marcy; that was sweet of your mom!!! I am excited to share them w/my class tomorrow

Mara, I did not do the ganache but my own variation. I actually melted chocolate like they say and mixed it w/1/4 of the mixture and layered it in the middle and it came out delicious. I don't have the tools to do the ganache but next time when I do I will make it that way. I also used a frosting recipe Ellen gave me because I didn't have cocoa so I made it with sugar, chocolate chips, milk and butter which was super easy and chocolatey.

The cake recipe was perfect and oh so yummy; Kara's did a great job! Can't wait to see your cupcakes Mara when the bananas are ready; I bet they will be purdy!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/4/2008 8:20:54 PM
Author: Mara
awesome skippy...i am interested to hear how you like them. i LOVE Kara''s banana cupcake at the SF shop. i actually have bananas ripening now, should be ready on wed or thurs and i also had Kara''s recipe bookmarked to make but making the ganache as a dipping agent for the top of the cupcake. SO yummy. hope everyone loves yours!

Oh, that sounds yummy, I will let you know what my the others think.

 

[neatfreak]

Skippy those look DELISH! I want to make them now...maybe tomorrow.

We had Kara''s cupcakes at our wedding...I am drooling just thinking about them...

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/4/2008 10:21:45 PM
Author: neatfreak
Skippy those look DELISH! I want to make them now...maybe tomorrow.

We had Kara's cupcakes at our wedding...I am drooling just thinking about them...

Thanks. Oh fun; do you have a pic of your wedding cupcakes?? (eta: found them, beautiful also your you and your hubby are adorable) I bet your guests loved them

I wish we had a Kara's but it great that they give out the recipe. Yay, I can't wait to hear how you like them; they are sooo yummy!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 5/4/2008 8:26:52 PM
Author: Skippy123
Not pretty looking but DELICIOUS. Now I want to take a cake decorating class. hehe

The Specialty Shop is pretty good for that, but they try to get you to buy lots of Wilton stuff. I suppose I could always help you out if you like

.

BTW- I think they look fabulous just as they are!

(Can I have one?)

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/4/2008 10:45:20 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 5/4/2008 8:26:52 PM
Author: Skippy123
Not pretty looking but DELICIOUS. Now I want to take a cake decorating class. hehe

The Specialty Shop is pretty good for that, but they try to get you to buy lots of Wilton stuff. I suppose I could always help you out if you like

.

BTW- I think they look fabulous just as they are!

(Can I have one?)

Thank you Freke. Sure FC, come on over

My dad took a cake decorating class there and he did great. I should try it once I am done w/this sewing class; the only thing is that I wish I wasn't tempted to eat these.

Hey, if we do this GTG we should both make some so we can try each others, that would be super fun!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 5/4/2008 10:52:24 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 5/4/2008 10:45:20 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 5/4/2008 8:26:52 PM

Author: Skippy123

Not pretty looking but DELICIOUS. Now I want to take a cake decorating class. hehe

The Specialty Shop is pretty good for that, but they try to get you to buy lots of Wilton stuff. I suppose I could always help you out if you like

.

BTW- I think they look fabulous just as they are!

(Can I have one?)

Thank you Freke. Sure FC, come on over

My dad took a cake decorating class there and he did great. I should try it once I am done w/this sewing class; the only thing is that I wish I wasn''t tempted to eat these.

Hey, if we do this GTG we should both make some so we can try each others, that would be super fun!

Hey! I''m totally up for that! Where are you taking the sewing class?

 

[Skippy123]

FC, I will make them in July so you can have as many as you like then

What are you gonna make? hehe Okay, gotta go.

 

[FrekeChild]

Um, what kind would you like?

I''m down with pretty much anything...

 

[FireGoddess]

Those look delicious Skippy!

I took pics of both the coconut lime cupcakes and the tres leches ones I made last night. I will post those tomorrow! Both were scrumptious. Interestingly I didn''t have a problem with the tres leches cupcakes coming away from the liners, but I don''t know if that''s a function of the recipe or that I was paranoid and mixed by hand instead of with the mixer (was afraid I overmixed the coconut ones because the batter was so airy).

I am tempted to get a cupcake cookbook...what would be your top choice if you had to choose? I''m not going to amass a library of cupcake books...already practically have a library of cookbooks!