Did you know that Dena the Explorer is quite the baker? If you're my Facebook friend you should know it. I started baking, because I have an extreme sweet tooth, and the cupcake/cake decorating craze had just taken off, and I wanted a piece of the action. Not to be confused with the movie "A Piece of the Action"(wink at Tamille Caylor) and PUN INTENDED. Plus, I've always been the type to taste something at a restaurant, and then go home to try to recreate it. I tried cake decorating, and let's just say, though I'm an artist, I'm a bit rustic in my technique. Cake decorating is for the more meticulous of people. I'm more of a free flowing artist. Besides, I think that I'm more concerned with flavor, as my blog http://sweetlifeblvd.blogspot.com/ "Cupcakes and the City" will tell you.
So for awhile, I've been on a mission to find the perfect vanilla cupcake, as told in http://sweetlifeblvd.blogspot.com/ "Cupcakes and the City." One that has the perfect texture, the right taste, and loads of moisture. Simple? EH EH! I could go on for days about this topic, but that's not why I'm writing you today. I'm writing you because, cupcakes is a gift from God to me, and as it is 2011, I must use my gifts to get to where I want to in life.
Nay Sayer: GIFT HOW IN THE HELL IS BAKING A CUPCAKE A GIFT?
Dena the Explorer: Cupcakes bring joy to those who enjoy them. It makes the 35 year old single black woman feel like she isn't a statistic. The other day, my friends had a game night, and I was recruited to bring cupcakes. So I made my now infamous Moscato Bubbly Vanilla Cupcakes. The reaction to these cupcakes was like that of Tyrone Biggums showing up for "The Free Crack Give-a-Way." It kind of made me uncomfortable, when this girl kept coming up to me asking me what I put in the cupcakes. Again, I'm finally warming up to compliments at this late age of 29 (;O). As silly as I am, I had to throw it in the host's face, because prior to the party, I told him that the cake was the most important thing to any party. We debated on the subject for a bit, and decided to disagree. He not clairvoyant and in love, couldn't understand, that I was speaking the truth. But whatever.
My six year old niece asked me via video chat the other day, "Um, Dena, what's your most favorite thing in the whole world?" The first thing that came to mind was cake. She said, "Why is cake your most favorite in the whole world?" I had no answer for her. My sister even said out of the blue one day, she asked, "Um, Mama, why does Dena love cake so much." After sitting with my thoughts, the best explanation that I could come up with is, all of my best childhood memories (i.e. birthdays, Christmas, graduations etc.) had a cake somewhere in the mix. Or maybe I'm just a sugar addict. NOPE not claiming that
I said all of that to say, I made a batch of Moscato Bubbly Vanilla Cupcakes for a friend's boyfriend, and have since picked up additional orders. Below is the recipe that I lifted from another website. Mind you I can't give you my secrets, but this one should give you some tasty bragging rights. ENJOY! Like Mr. T (circa mid 80's) on Magic 102 in Houston used to say Bon Appetit UHHH
Ingredients:
Champagne Cupcake Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup champagne (the sweeter the better – even strawberry would be great!!)
- 6 egg whites
- 1 cup love ;D
Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons champagne, at room temperature
Method:
To Make The Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a cupcake pan with liners. (This recipe yielded about 20 for me.)
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.
In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
To Make The Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes. Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.
No comments:
Post a Comment