A Gingery-Molasses Letdown

I'm the first to admit that this particular cupcake attempt did not yield the most excellent results. There are a few reasons for this. For one thing, I over-filled the liners and I went without a cupcake tin. I mean, that's just leaving way too much in Fate's hands. I acknowledge that.

Thus, there was much spillage and the cupcakes came out all wide and wonky-looking. Like so:

Also, while the outer sides of the cupcakes were chewy and tasted exactly like the best gingerbread cookie you can possibly imagine (I think the use of fresh ginger is an awesome idea), the middles were so moist they were borderline soggy. I love me some butter, but I don't like to think about how much butter I'm chewing on. So while the taste was really good, there was a greasiness factor that I can't quite chase from my memory.

Finally, there was the whipped cream topping which was, literally, just whipped cream and a dash of ground ginger. I'm not a huge fan of whipped cream topping on cupcakes in general (unless it's like a version of strawberry shortcake or some such thing), and in this case I was so not digging it. It's just so bland and icky.

(This is the best-looking one, so at least there was one that looked okay.)

It's okay. This is how we learn. And the nice, spicy ginger-molasses flavor was festive and seasonal a few weeks ago when I made these little guys. So. Happy holidays! (?)

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes, Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Whenever the season shifts from autumn to winter, so many of the delightful flavors of fall (apple, pumpkin, etc.) seem to vanish, replaced by holiday flavors (gingerbread, peppermint). Now, I loooove the holiday stuff, and I'm excited to get going on Christmas treats, but I wanted to squeeze in one more autumnal recipe before the holiday insanity sets in. Hence: Applesauce Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting.

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's hefty tome (which I am loving, btw). The cupcakes came out light and airy, with a subtle apple flavor and a bit of spice. On their own, they'd make for good breakfast cake. But here they're made even better by cream cheese frosting that includes brown sugar in place of confectioner's sugar. I was worried at first because the texture seemed to be grittier than "normal" cream cheese frosting, but the taste is awesome. The brown sugar lends a sort of maple-y caramel-y flavor to the rich cream cheese. Stupendous!

My friends enjoyed them. Here's Alana on the verge of a taste-test, which ultimately got a thumbs-up:

Salivation Snapshot: Mission Minis

It's been a long time since I've posted, I know, I know. And now that I'm back I'm just posting one measly photo? Yes. It's true. But there's more to come. And this picture is so cute! A friend sent me this photo from the San Francisco bakery Mission Minis. Adorable.