Baking.cakes.idonot

Defying my mantra (and the title of this blog) -- no desserts -- I decided to try making some cupcakes. A dear friend was visiting from Australia and I'd invited her over for tea. Decided to try dear Martha's cupcakes ... they look so visually stunning  I was tempted. hmmph. There's da devil at work, people.

[caption id="attachment_199" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The mothership and her shuttles"][/caption]

Anyways, I tried the one bowl chocolate cupcakes as I had some buttermilk left in my fridge that I had to use up. The cakes turned out great -- all dark and chocolaty and, as most things dark (me excluded) quite sinful. Making Martha's (that's Martha Stewart, btw) cupcakes required very little skill of my own as the recipe is pretty foolproof.

Next step: Making the buttercream icing.  I don't own an electric mixer so it was after due consideration that i embarked on this task. Thinking of the muscles I might develop whisking the butter and the creeam cheese and the sugar together, I decided to go ahead.

It was a good workout and after 30 mins or so, I had some really nice butter cream icing and, I swear, pretty well-toned arms.

Next came the challenge: Icing the cakes. I absolutely suck at delicate decorations. Cakes, craft, needlework. I suck at them all. But I decided to give it a go. I made my own icing bag from a ziploc sandwich bag, divided the icing into three and coloured them -- pretty pastels make me smile -- and began.

[caption id="attachment_167" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="How it's supposed to look."][/caption]

The result? Well, the cupcakes  looked like they'd been iced by a five-year-old. Arrrgggh. Blobs of pretty buttercream icing just won't do. Egad. With just 30 mins before her ETA at my doorsteo, I decided toditch the piping bag and  just slather on the icing on the cupcakes as best I could.

Those badly-iced cakes were on my mind Monday morning at work and I shared my sob story with my friend Blessed  Glutz. She diagnosed the problem immediately, embarassing me in the process.

[caption id="attachment_200" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Not so pretty. But I swear they tasted nice. Really."][/caption]

"You made the piping bags yourself? So you put the nozzle in the bag?"

The nozzle! That's what i forgot. That's why the icing didn't flow out decently. Aha!

Here's some TV reference. Always a TV reference -- didn't I mention I was a TV addict? Well, in one of my favourite shows Gilmore Girls, Sookie (the shef, Lorelai's good friend and business partner) brought Lorelai a basket of muffin tops. Muffin Tops?

Apparently there are those who strongly believe that the top part of a muffin is the best (slightly crusty, and crispy I presume). While Sookie merely cut of the tops of her muffins (as I did before I iced them), some people bake just muffin tops in muffin top pans! And there are muffin top cake mixes on sale too!

[caption id="attachment_173" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Would you believe it?"][/caption]

Don't think I'd be trying that. But you could. And tell me the results. cheers folks