Monday, May 16, 2011

Cupcakes!

I am a huge believer in the theory that food should not only taste good, but be beautiful. I have been pleased with the taste of my recent culinary endeavors, but not as satisfied with the visuals. So I've set off on a mission to produce prettier food.

Cupcakes seemed to provide a dependable canvas from which to start the journey. So, on Saturday, I made lemon cupcakes, modifying this recipe slightly.

Then I made raspberry frosting, using this recipe as a foundation.




Using the basic Wilton frosting set available in the Target baking aisle, I set out to make my cupcakes at least a little prettier than former attempts. The frosting set was actually remarkably easy to use.

I'm not hugely impressed with the results, honestly. While they are a far cry from my original attempts to paste on frosting with a spatula, I still have a long way to go. The frosting looks a bit wet to me and I need to practice a bit with the frosting tips. However, I'm reasonably happy with my results as a beginning.


Lemon Cupcakes

1 box of white cake mix
1/4  up lemon juice
1 cup milk
3 whole eggs
6 tbl melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake mix, lemon juice, and water. Blend. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add melted butter. Mix on medium speed for two minutes. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners and fill liners with batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.


Raspberry Frosting
4 cups of powdered sugar
8 tbls softened butter
1 tbl shortening
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp raspberry extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Blend butter and shortening in a mixer until smooth. Add sugar slowly, blending after each addition. Add milk slowly, blending. Add food coloring. Add additional milk and powdered sugar as needed to get the right consistency. Beware, though, that the frosting should seem too stiff. Don't overdo the milk!

After the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost as desired. Enjoy!