So, when it's late at night and I'm trying to wind down, I have been known to stumble through a fair number of cupcake (and other) websites. (It's no worse than playing spider solitaire, right?)
In the process, I've accumulated a few cupcake recipes that I've wanted to try out. And so, with no cupcake/cake orders this week, I decided to do some R&D (that's research and development) with a rare quiet day at home.
It also happens to be my BFF's Birthday. Margie is my good buddy who often gets roped into my insanity (she even helped me jack-hammer the tile out of my kitchen so I could lay down a wood floor). We often get mistaken for one another, and for being sisters which is a compliment to me -- she tolerates it with her usual graciousness. She's been involved in more than one of my frosting fiascos -- usually on the end of cleaning up after me and my mess. I call her my side-kick, and she takes that in her usual good-natured stride.
While "stumbling" through random websites, I had picked out a few recipes, (two in particular) that had caught my eye: Spiced Chocolate cupcakes with Clementine Cream Cheese Frosting, and Lime Cupcakes (see also below), and had planned to make them for Margie for her birthday. But I also happen to know that Margie has a thing for "Heath" bars, so instead of being totally self-indulgent, I thought I ought to at least make cupcakes in a flavor she actually likes.
I came across the recipe at and modified it just a little. I substituted hot water for the coffee. I don't drink coffee, and spent a summer working in a greasy truckstop coffee shop so I also don't care for the smell of it either. Other than that, and perhaps a little less frosting than the original, I stuck to the recipe on this one).
Look at how these bad boys are assembled.
In the beginning... just a chocolate cupcake...
a layer of caramel frosting
dipped in dark chocolate ganache and rolled in crumbled toffee bits...
and topped with MORE caramel frosting.
They were yummy - and the birthday girl approved, so it's a keeper.
You can find the recipe at:
Here's cupcake #2: Spiced cupcake with clementine cream cheese frosting.
This one tasted like gingerbread. Very spicy, almost bitter, but the orange frosting was a nice foil.
You can find the recipe here:
And finally,
Lime cupcakes with Lime whipped cream frosting. I never did find "lime extract" - I'm sure my mom has some - but since she's 1200 miles away, I opted for some sugarfree Lime gelatin for flavor. You can find it at:
All in all, a pretty good cupcake day. Stop by anytime for what we call "factory seconds" -- lots and lots of cupcakes hanging around = WAAAAY too much sugar calling my name.
