A bit of strawberry cake goodness!

Another not so recent post.
Still in the Funk.
I plan to get better after the aproaching long weekend mini-vacay to Mammoth!

I have received a few requests for the recipe I used for the 4 dozen cupcakes at Miss E’s first birthday a few months back, and I just received another!  It is time to spill it, including all my hints for you non-seasoned bakers (me included)!

First off let me say that I absolutely adore Sprinkles, I imagine that they are the most scrumptious cupcakes around– but I wouldn’t know exactly because I have not exactly eaten one before. BUT, I have been promising myself a trip to Beverly Hills for paper and cupcakes, (sigh) someday!  Taste aside, I love the simplistic, elegant, homemade look of them.  The swirl is perfect.  Every one is a bit different, and the marzipan marking system is brilliant and lovely.  SO, you can imagine my absolute elation and lasting excitement when I found THIS and THIS!  The exact recipe from Candace herself, EUREKA! (I realize this may not be the exact exact recipe that is actually used, but please, don’t tell me that, I am perfectly content thinking that it IS!)

I am not going to go into any detail about the making process, who am I to think that I can do any better job than Martha herself and Candace… but I will let you in on three things:

First, I was completely bummed, and sad, that I was not able to find brown cupcake wrappers locally or even semi-locally the week I made these.  I did not think that they were that tall of an order, but they were, and as you can see I regretfully did not use them because I am a looser and did not get my butt in gear soon enough to order them online from HERE.  They even have polka-dot ones now, UGH!  Take my advice, order them now, keep them in your pantry, they really do make all the difference when cupcake making in the future.

Second, in the directions/recipe AND on the video, nowhere do they mention that you should STRAIN your strawberry puree!  FRUSTRATING!  I did not do so, and clearly mine look dramatically different, I will go out on a limb and say that they probably tasted the same as intended just with a few strawberry seeds mixed in.  When I do them again I will strain the puree, but I will have to say that they looked a bit more like intentional homemade goodness when all the seeds mixed in.

Third, a friend of mine was going to make these and after we got to talking she said that she was going to make them with her hand mixer.  I am not sure when the last time is that she made a cake, but I could not imagine making one or these with a hand mixer.  Somehow I imagine not being able to get the fluff and loft that is required when making a cake.  But hey, if you are th adventuresome type, go for it.  Me, I will stick with my beloved wedding gift!

Oh, and the tools that made this particularly more easier were not only my mixer, but also an offset small frosting knife that I need MUCH more practice with, and a ice scream scoop-ish thing, but smaller, that is the exact size needed for a dollop of batter in a cupcake wrapper.  I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called, if you really need to know I can get it, but for now “scoop-ish” is going to have to satisfy! ha!

Happy baking, and send one over for us please!

categories cupcakes & cakes | 1 comment, YEA, be #2!