Cupcake Experiment

I haven't made cupcakes in a while and have been itching to make some for quite some time. I unfortunately have parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews who all happen to be born around the winter holidays, so around this time I'm desparately begging people for a celebration just so I can make the dessert.

It just so happens that a very close family friend invited us to a farewell dinner for her daughter T who would be returning to Taiwan for work. She's never had my desserts, so yeah me.




I've been wanting to find a new go to white/ vanilla cake recipe. So I searched all recipes for the highest and most rated recipe. I think I have made this one before but don't remember the end results so thought it was worth another try. It was okay, but I don't think I will stop searching since I think even boxed cake mix taste moister (is that grammatically correct? - moister, more moist...) Anyway, I still had some over riped bananas (didn't get to use all of them during the cookie recipe), so I split the cake batter in half and added a mashed banana into it. Not half bad, I actually think it tasted better as a banana cake than a vanilla cake.

Well, to make a long story short. For the vanilla cuppies, I made strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream (with too much fresh strawberry puree, that's why it's a bit splotchy - oops, but oh so tasty) and turned the banana ones into banana split cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate ganche, chopped toasted walnuts, colored jimmies, and a cherry to top things off.

T thought they were heavenly. Yeah me again! :D

Chris and Carly's Engagement Cupcakes

My good friends Chris and Carly asked me to make cupcakes for their engagement party. They gave me full range to do whatever I wanted. I was so honored and excited. This gave me the perfect opportunity to make a cupcake tower.

I've been craving to make one since I saw Sharon Wee's first cupcake tower (Sharon got her instructions from CakeJournal). It's so elegant and yet so simple to make.

They were expecting 60 guests and preferred a variety of flavors. I decided on making a combination of minis and regular size cupcakes, so everyone could have one of each flavor. I ended up making cupcakes in four flavors - vanilla, chocolate, chocolate peanut butter cup (Carly's favorite), and raspberry cheesecake.

The wedding colors are brown and blue. As it turns out Carly told me the wrapping paper I chose for the tower is the exact same print as their invitations! I also made tiny Italian flags for Chris and his family. They are proud Italians!

Everyone at the party was so impressed with the cupcakes and the tower. I was quite touched by their comments. Plus there wasn't a single cupcake left. Now that's the best compliment ever.

Cupcake Fundraiser for Haiti

Dear Family and Friends,

As you all know Haiti is in a crisis right now and needs our help. I want to do more than just donate a few bucks, so I am fundraising on my own. I am selling cupcakes and will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Fund.

Cupcakes are sold in an order of 6 for $12. You can have any combo of cake flavor and frosting (but please one combo per 6 cupcakes). I hope to send orders out once every 2 weeks for the next little while (first orders sent out the last week of January - however I did take an order for Super Bowl weekend, so drop me a line if you need a special date).

Please consider this for the next party, get together, or rainy day treat. If you and anyone you know is interested, please drop me a line ( or email me at cpwong00@hotmail.com). I am not a professional baker, just a home baker, but all my goodies are made from scratch with alot of love and care.

THANK YOU!!!

Cake flavors:

Vanilla

Chocolate

Lemon

Coffee

Sponge

Frosting Flavors:

Vanilla

Chocolate

Cream Cheese

Peanut Butter

Cayenne Dark Chocolate (my Iron Cupcake Entry)

Lemon

Orange

Strawberry

Mint

Chocolate Mint

P.S. I apologize to those living outside of Vancouver, but at this time I can only accommodate those in the Metro Van area.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hello, everyone! I'm so excited to be back. It has been a crazy few months, but I'm so happy to be able to write again. This is a little late, but I made red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day. Even though I grew up in the south, I'd never had red velvet cake before. It's an all time favorite among Southerners and is perceived as a decadent treat for special occassions. It was the flavor of Jessica Simpson/ Nick Lachey's wedding cake, and remember on Steel Megnolias, it was also the groom's armidillo cake. (lol)


I searched my cook books and the internet. Most recipes were fairly similar for the cake, so chose the one from Martha's 2002 Holiday Baking Magazine. However, it was very interesting to see the variety of frosting. According to several sites, the original red velvet frosting is cooked with butter, sugar, milk, and flour. It seemed a bit weird, so I opted for a popular topping of cream cheese frosting. And YUM-MO!! I'm in love!! Hope ya'll like it. :)

Recipe:
Red Velvet Cupcake
makes 12
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 large eggs
* large squirt red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* The recipe actually asks for 4 tablespoons red food coloring, but I couldn't bring myself to add that much. Since the only purpose was for coloring, I just eyeballed the liquid red food coloring (which I purchased at the grocery store) to my liking. The vinegar and baking soda combo is also suppose to change the brown cocoa red which is where the name comes from.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat sugar and oil on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
4. Add flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating batches, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.
5. In a small bowl whisk together baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter, and beat 10 seconds.
6. Evenly divide batter among cupcake liners. Bake in oven for 20-23 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean from the center of the cupcakes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting (from allrecipe.com)
Ingredients:
2 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy.
2. Mix in vanilla, gradually add sugar until all combined and smooth.
3. Store in refrigerator after use.

Iron Cupcake Challenge: Dreamy Basil Mango Citrus Cupcakes

This recipe literally came to me in a dream.  When I heard this month's Iron Cupcake Challenge is basil, I was estatic since I've been growing my own pot of sweet basil.  My baby's been with me for about half a year now, and it's grown from a measley 3" pot to a whopping 10" pot, which it is outgrowing!

But when I think of basil combinations, I could only think of garlic, tomatos, eggs, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese cuisines... Okay, all my favorites, but not my favorites for cupcakes...  I could go licorice, but I'm not a big fan of licorice.  I consulted my friends and family, who were all very encouraging to make basil cupcakes, but we were all stuck on how.  My cousin Tony who is a French chef suggested lavendar.  Hhhhmmm, he suggested getting lavendar tea and infuse it into the cupcakes.  

I've never eaten anything lavendar, but I was willing to give it a try.  I was so excited with this idea that I went directly to six stores/ tea shops to buy lavendar tea.  But poor me, I didn't find any.  People looked at me like I was crazy.  Oh, if only my two attempts to grow lavendar had worked, I wouldn't have this problem.  Needless to say, I was disappointed and now contemplating skipping this challenge.  

That night I went to bed thinking how was I going to tell everyone I chickened out.  I guess with the stress of letting friends and family down, in dreamed a recipe.  I know, sounds crazy.  It was as if I was watching a movie, like Chocolat or Like Water for Chocolate (a couple of my favorite movies).  I had used basil, mangos, and oranges, and the reaction from eating them made people do funny things.  (lol)

I added lime at the last minute to cut the sweetness 

I woke up and told D I have to make basil cupcakes.  He was like "For breakfast?"  I didn't care, I jumped out of bed and started on the cupcake making frenzy before I could forget.  Looking back at it now, I guess I could have written it down and made them later when I was more awake and together. But the baking madness had started.  I tried to photo journal the making process like so many talented bloggers, but I didn't get too far with that.  

Fruit Puree

By the time they were done, D had left for work, and I was the only one who could taste it.  It was interesting.  The fresh mangos and citrus flavors were awesome, but the basil was a taste that makes you go, what is that?  It's so familiar, yet I can't quite place it.  I knew it was basil, but it didn't taste like basil.  I'm still undecided on this cupcake, but D thought they were good.  I would make it again as a "special" dessert for a fancy dinner party, but I think it'll be one of those love it or hate it cupcakes.  Maybe you will give them a try and tell me what you think.

Not so pretty cupcakes

Recipe for 12 Cupcakes:

Puree

1 ripe mango

1 lime (I added lime to my dream recipe since my mango and orange were very sweet)

1 orange

Handful of Basil

1. Dice mango and place in a blender (you can reserve some for garnish later if you like).

2. Zest the lime and orange, put half of zest into blender, and  squeeze 2 teaspoon of lime juice and 2 tablespoon orange juice into blender.

3.  Blend until smooth.

Cupcakes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

fruit puree

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin tin with liners.

2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and suagr.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. 

3. Combine flour and baking powder, add to creamed mixture and mix well.

4.  Stir in milk until batter is smooth.

5.  Pour into liners 1/2 way full.  Spoon in some puree into the middle of each cupcake until 3/4 full.

6.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

7.  Cool on a wire rack.

Meringue Buttercream

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup puree

1. Whisk egg and sugar over a double boil

er until sugar has melted and the mix is warm to touch.

2. Using a whisk attachment, whisk on high speed until stiff peaks and glossy.

3.  Switching to a paddle attachment, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined before adding the next spoonful.

4.  The mix will look soupy, this is normal.  Continue beating on medium-medium/ high speed until mixture thickens about 15 minutes.

5.  Fold in the puree to buttercream. 

Frost cupcakes with buttercream and garnish with basil, citrus zest, and mango pieces (if there are any left - I ate all mine before the cupcakes finished - so I sprinkled on some sparkly sugar).

So vote for me at No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner starting Sunday, September 28 at 9am pst until Thursday, October 1 at 9am pst.  

The fabulous prizes include:

* a featured prize from ETSY artist Metal Sugar

* the best-selling book, Hello, Cupcake, by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

* the adorable complete line of Head Chefs from Fiesta Products

* a luxury hostess apron from Jessie Steele

* a cookbook from Taste of Home

* a much coveted cupcake courier from Cupcake Courier

Thanks for visiting!

Bailey's Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

I made these last week for a friend's birthday, and they were the Bomb!!!  Well, they are actually Lots of Sprinkles' Bailey's Bombshell.  I've been eyeing Sharon's recipe ever since I discovered her blog a couple of months ago, so when Chris invited us to his birthday BBQ, I knew I would be making these cupcakes (I also made a batch of eclairs which turned out great!).  

I made mine with Bailey's Hint of Mint Chocolate Irish Cream and topped each with mint swiss meringue buttercream.  YUM!  I even tried a new chocolate cake recipe which turned out to be a keeper.  YEAH!  

On the way to the BBQ, D kept telling me how good the cupcakes looked and smelled.  He kept hinting, but I wouldn't allow him to have one until we got to Chris'.  We had a wonderful time chatting and eating and eating and eating.  I wish I had stopped to take a few pictures.  (lol)  There was so much food!  For dessert (Chris also had tiramisu, a birthday cake, and fresh fruits) he served coffee with Bailey's which complimented the cupcakes so well.  Everyone kept saying how decadent and good with a grunt they were.  I guess great minds think alike.  

Unfortunately, neither D nor I had any dessert since we were so stuffed from dinner.  Boy, am I glad I licked all the bowls and spoons clean at home.  Poor D will have to wait until next time to try one.  

Bailey's Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

(for illustrations, check out Sharon's blog)

Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 24 - half recipe to make the 12 needed)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup warm water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cupcake tins.

2.  In a large bowl, sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  

3.  Add the all wet ingredients, and mix until combined (about 3 minutes).

4.  Divide batter among cupcake tins filling about each cup half full.

5.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway.

6.  Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Ingredients:

12 chocolate cupcakes

1/4 cup Bailey's or your favorite Irish Cream

1/2 cup white chocolate

Milk

Cocoa Powder

1.  Cut out a hole in the middle of the cupcakes.  Keep the carved bits in a bowl.  (I cut my holes too large, so I shaved off the bottom part of cake and put the top back on).

2.  Melt the white chocolate on a double boiler and cool slightly before adding half of the Bailey's.  Stir thoroughly and add milk a little bit at a time until you get a thick creamy texture.  If it gets too runny, refrigerate until it thickens.

3.  Spoon cream into the cupcake holes (place tops back on if desire) and put aside.  

4.  To make the cake balls, add the remaining Bailey's into the cake crumbs.  Stir.  The mixture will be sticky.  Roll the mixture into 12 balls.  Refrigerate until firm and then roll in cocoa powder.

5.  Frost the cupcakes with frosting of choice (I used swiss meringue buttercream flavored with mint extract.  Sharon makes a caramel whipped cream to compliment her Bailey's with Caramel).  

6.  Top with a cake ball.

7.  Serve and enjoy!

Ivy's Cupcakes

Yeah,  I made my first cupcake sales!!  I have only been making goodies for friends and family, so I am very estatic that someone outside of people I know want my cupcakes.  When Acme asked for the SPCA cupcakes, she told me to provide my info, so anyone interested could order my cupcakes.  She made me signs and little flyers for people to pick up.  I was very nervous yet excited with the fact that someone might want my cupcakes.  I worried that no one would like my cupcakes, and that my friends and family have just been nice by saying they taste good.  

So when I received an email from Ivy asking about ordering cupcakes, I was jumping for joy.  She said she had my cupcakes at the SPCA and wanted some to take to a farewell party.  YEAH!!  Then she asked how much I charged,  oh no, I hadn't figured that out yet...  Oh well, I knew what all the designer cupcakeries were selling them for and I knew how much they were being sold for at the grocery stores.  I didn't want to scare her, so I went for the just a little more than grocery store prices.  (Now I know why bakeries charge more, making from scratch and the packaging costs alot.)  

Right away she told me she wanted two dozen.  YEAH again!!  And she would like a variety...  hhhmmm, my recipes can be halved to make a dozen at a time, so I suggested her to order two types of cakes with two types of frosting and I could interchange them.  She requested chocolate/ chocolate, vanilla/ chocolate, vanilla/ vanilla, and chocolate/ vanilla cupcakes.  She wanted them elegant and not too cutesy.  I asked and she said flowers and colored sugars were okay.  I went through some of my flickr contacts' pictures for inspiration.  So many beautiful cupcakes, if any of you have the time and like looking at cupcakes, search through flickr.  There was one with a purple flower on top of vanilla buttercream.  I thought it was very elegant, so I went with that.  

I tried piping flowers out of royal icing, but they wouldn't dry in time, so I cut out purple and pink fondant flowers before heading to bed.  Once in bed, I couldn't sleep.  I felt the pinks and purples were too cutesy, so I got out of bed at 2am and made a new batch of fondant and cut out 30 large and 60 small white flowers instead (I always make extra since I'm a total clutz).  After that I fell asleep soundly.  A few hours later I got up early to make the cupcakes and buttercream.  I tested the packaging (which I purchased at Michael's the day before) to make sure the cupcakes wouldn't bang into each other (tissue paper helps).  I still had to decide what to do with the flowers...  I went through my boxes of stuff, and pulled out two bottles of pearly dust I had purchased a while ago.  

I dusted some of the gold onto a flower and WOW so elegant.  I went with it.  I dusted half the flowers with gold and then found some light pink royal icing and painted the other half of flowers with the pink icing.  I topped the flowers on the frosted cupcakes, and if I may toot my own horn, they were so pretty.  I felt they still needed something, so I added silver dragees to the chocolate frostings and pink flowers and sprinkled clear crystal sugar on the vanilla and gold ones.  Now they were complete.  

I boxed them one more time and walked around to make sure they were secure in their bed of tissue paper.  When I was satisfied, we (the cupcakes and I) waited patiently for Ivy to pick them up.  When she called, I felt my heart jump out of my chest.  I was so nervous.  But she really liked them, and thanked me for them.  Later that night she wrote back and said they were a big hit at the party.  I'm so happy!  Even now I can't stop smiling.  Thank you, Ivy for the opportunity!! 

Richmond, BC's SPCA Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Local Blueberries

My cousin Acme works at the local SPCA.  Her love for animals is limitless, so when she asked me to bake a few cupcakes to raise funds for the furry creatures, I couldn't say no.  

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Well, I got a little overboard and ended up baking about 120 cupcakes.  I know just a little overboard.  :P  It was a labor of love, but I'm not complaining.  I loved every minute of it.  It was my opportunity to try different recipes and different piping techniques.  

Vanilla Kitty Cupcakes

I really had bigger plans, but my skills are still quite limited, and since these were for people outside of family, they might not be as forgiving.  So I kept it simple, and I think they came out pretty cute (for the most part).

Vanilla Doggie Cupcakes featuring "Foaming" Mouth Dog

Jess came over and helped me make the chocolate doggie and kitty theme candies.  I certainly wouldn't have been as patient as she was, I prefer cakes, cookies, and cupcakes.  She painstakingly colored in each layer of chocolate for the details.  She was a bit upset with the "foaming" mouth dog, but I thought it was cute.

SPCA Cupcakes

In the end, I don't know how much my cupcakes raised (I'm afraid to find out I spent more than the SPCA got).  But I had tons of fun and can't wait to do more cupcakes!  

SPCA Cupcakes

To help out an animal in need, please donate to your local SPCA or BC's SPCA.  Thanks!!

Dark Chocolate Cayenne Truffle Cupcakes

Lately I've been obsessed with cupcakes.  What's not to like.  They are the only cakes you can eat on the go; they are the only cakes you can eat all by yourself without feeling guilty (I usually will eat three at a time); they are some of the most artistic desserts in the most fun flavors and with the cutest decorations; they work for all occasions from birthdays, weddings, showers, or just because I feel like having one today day (which getting an entire cake would seem like a huge indulgence), and the biggest reason I make them is because they are the only kind of sweets my husband will eat willingly.  

As I went searching for cupcakes on the world wide web, I discovered there are many like me!  There are so many sites and blogs about cupcakes.  I would spend hours each day devouring the contents on these sites.  Everyone out there is so creative and inspirational.  

   

Cupcakes on their way to be tested.

That's how I discovered Iron Cupcake: Earth.  Yes, like Iron Chef but with cupcakes, and everyone on Earth can participate.  Each month there will be a secret ingredient and each participant will have to come up with a recipe, post it on their page with photos and descriptions, and have everyone else can vote on their creations.  How fun is that?  

This month's challenge is the CHILI PEPPER CHALLENGE.  The prizes this month are a cupcake courier from Cupcake Courier, a luxury hostess apron from Jessie Steele,  a cookbook from Taste of Home, an original artwork from Esty artist, Cakespy, a set of cute kitchen utensils from Fiesta Head Chefs, and the best-selling book Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.  How awesome is that!

 

As a newbie baker, I found this to be a bit intimidating.  I've had a peek at other challengers' sites and WOW, there's some unique and gorgeous cupcakes out there.  But D thought this would be a great opportunity for me to expand on my usual cupcake recipes.  

So this month I'm starting small and simple.  My inspiration is a box of chocolates D had given my for Valentine's Day last year.  They were a box of spicy dark chocolate truffles from Daniel's Chocolates.  At first bite, you just taste the smooth, bitter dark chocolate, but then afterwards the back of your throat will feel a slight heat from the peppers.  It's quite an aphrodisiac.  I wanted to recreate that feeling.  

The saved one

I think I came pretty close with this recipe.  I made a batch for my personal taste testers, my family (all 16 of them).  Everyone raved how yummy they were, and everyone loved that kick from the peppers.  I ended up having to fight my nephew for the last one since I didn't take any good pictures beforehand.  He took a tiny bite off the top of the frosting.  Oh well, at least I got it back and took these pics.  

So try my recipe, it's very simple (it's a variation from Martha Stewart's One bowl chocolate cake), and don't forget to vote for me at 

No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner from Sunday, August 31, at 9 a.m. pst until Thursday, September 4, at 9 a.m. pst.

Dark Chocolate Cayenne Truffle Cupcakes

To make cupcakes:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups warm water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line two standard 12 cup muffin pans with paper liners.  

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Whisk ingredients together gently.

3. Add the eggs and yolk, milk, oil, vanilla, and warm water to the dry ingredients.

4. Whisk mixture until the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated.

5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.

6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

7. Insert toothpick through the center of one cake, if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are cooked.  If it comes out with crumbs attach, put back into the oven for another 2 minutes.  Repeat as needed until toothpick comes out clean.

8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make dark chocolate frosting:

1 pound best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 tablespoons boiling water

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup powder sugar

Pinch of salt

1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Turn off the heat, and stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely (about 15 minutes).

2. Once melted, place chocolate on counter to cool.

3. In a small bowl combine cocoa powder, baking soda, cayenne pepper, and boiling water.  Stir until well blended.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes) scraping down sides as needed.  

5. Add melted chocolate, beat on low speed until combined (about 1-2 minutes) scraping down sides as needed.

6. Beat in cocoa mixture until combined (about 1-2 minutes).

Spread or pipe onto cupcakes and enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Honey!!!

Today is my husbee's birthday.  It is also my uncle's birthday.  They are both poker fanatics, and I was going to make them a poker theme cake to share.  I have been planning it for a while and was super excited to give it a try.  But you ask where is the poker theme cake?  Well, it's been delayed since my uncle is out of town for today.  :-(  I wanted to make one anyway for D, but he's not much of a cake man, but doesn't mind cupcakes.

I wanted to make really special ones since he's not getting a cake on his birthday, but he insisted on something simple with little to no decorations.  He wants something more manly.  I can still make manly decorated cupcakes, but he said NO.  hhhhhhmmmmm..... He also doesn't care much for chocolate or anything too sweet.  hhhhhhhmmmmmm.....  It's much easier cooking him dinner.  Well, I know he likes strawberries and mangos, they are pretty much the only fruits he really likes.    

I made a strawberry and mango puree, and I made a batch of cupcakes from the sponge cake recipe from my sisters' cake and a batch of meringue buttercream.  I also made a batch of Martha's one bowl chocolate cupcakes (this is a similar recipe, the one I made is from Martha's Stewart's Baking Handbook, so if anyone needs it, let me know) since I love chocolate (and these cupcakes don't disappoint).

I folded 1/2 cup of the puree into the buttercream to give it that something extra.  I then layered the cupcakes with the puree before piping a swirl of buttercream and topping them with fresh strawberries.  

I tried one of each, they are not bad.  The chocolate cupcake is really moist and yummy, and the sponge one is really spongy, not too sweet, and de-lish.  I didn't really taste the mango which is disappointing, but I think D will love them anyway.  

Happy birthday, baby.  I hope all your wishes come true.  I LOVE YOU!!

PETiTS by Deschamps in Hong Kong

While shopping at one of Hong Kong's newest malls Elements, I discovered PETiTS by Deschamps.  It was packed with customers inside and congregating all around the store front were people with forks digging into plastic cups and little boxes filled with cupcakes.  

Store Front Display

I really wanted one, and my sister Jess wasn't one to pass on sweets.  We ventured in and browsed through the cupcakes, cakes, cookies, and chocolates on display. 

 Green Tea Cupcake on Stand

The store itself was quite dark and very modern.  The sales associates were very friendly and allowed me to take photos.  I don't think they baked the treats onsite since the store didn't smell of baked goods.  The cupcakes on the cupcake stands which are the ones featured on their signage were just for show.  

PETiTS' Display Case

But we were definitely more interested in the cupcakes for sale.  There were three fridges filled with cupcakes and cakes.  The flavors included tiramisu, coffee, mango, lychee, Bailey's, white peach, s'mores, cinnamon apple, cookies and cream, caramel, eggy, and many more. 

PETiTS' Display Case

They all looked delicious, and it was so hard to decide.  Then we saw a chalkboard that listed mini cupcakes 3 for $48 HKD, regular cupcakes 1 for $25 HKD.  Well, even though the choices for the minis were less, but they looked just as good, plus this way we could share 3 instead of 2.  How could we go wrong with that?

PETiTS' Display Case

Jess immediately decided on the Bailey's, and the Eggy was too cute to pass up.  Our final choice was Shaddock.  We didn't know what it was, but it had on a chocolate hat and that sealed the deal.

Back at the Hotel

The sales associate boxed our treats in a fancy box and placed it in a fancy bag with a fancy sticker, but all we wanted to do was rip the whole thing open and dig into the cupcakes.  We rushed back to the hotel and immediately dug in.

Eggy, Shaddock, and Bailey's Mini Cupcakes

Well, once out of the box, they definitely looked better than they tasted.  The cakes of all three were quite dry and the flavors were bland but sweet.  Now I'm sure they didn't bake onsite.

Eggy Mini Cupcake

The Eggy Mini Cupcake, though extremely cute with the sunny side up egg frosting on top, didn't have much flavor.  I assume it's suppose to taste like eggs, but it just tasted like a sweet white cake (not even vanilla) with a marshmallow topping.  There was a custard filling, but it wasn't very creamy.  

Shaddock Mini Cupcake

The Shaddock Mini Cupcake was the best out of all three.  We weren't sure what the flavor was suppose to be.  We just assumed it would be a chocolate cupcake, so we were surprised to find it filled with lemon custard with lemon peels.  It also had the non-flavored cake base as the eggy.  The frosting was marshmallowy (not as sticky as the eggy), which was lighter than buttercream but heavier than meringue, but it complimented the tart custard fairly well.  

Bailey's Mini Cupcake

The Bailey's Mini Cupcake was our least favorite.  It might have something to do with the fact that we thought it was topped with crunchy sugar crystals instead it was gelatin cubes.  We didn't taste any Bailey's and once again it was the plain white cake, but with no custard to cut down the dryness.

All in all we were disappointed with the cupcakes, but then we also didn't let any of it go to waste.  And if I ever get to visit them again, I think I will try their regular size ones and give them one more chance to change my mind.  All those customers couldn't be wrong!

PETiTS by Deschamps

Shop 2004, Level 2, Elements, Union Square,

1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2882 7477