Saturday, June 27, 2009

New York Rankings

After months of samplings, I'm ready to reveal my list of top NYC cupcakes. The cupcakes were judged by the quality of the cake, flavors and taste of icing and overall look of the cupcake as a whole. It's been a tough decision for sure as there are so many great cupcakeries in the city but I know I always appreciate recommendations from people so consider this my gift to you.

Final Rankings:
1. Baked
2. Butter Lane
3. Crumbs
4. Amy's Bread
5. Sugar Sweet Sunshine
6. Lux Sugar
7. Out of the Kitchen
8. Eleni's
9. Dessert Club ChikaLicious
10. Martha's Country Bakery
11. Kitchenette
12. Baked by Melissa
13. Tribeca Treats
14. Tonnie's Minis
15. Cupcake Cafe
16. Magnolia
17. Billy's Bakery
18. Buttercup Bake Shop
19. Two Little Red Hens
20. Sweet Revenge

Best Bets:
Best Traditional - Out of the Kitchen
Best Red Velvet - Amy's Bread
Best Selection - Crumbs
Best Cake - Baked
Best Icing - Butter Lane
Best Decor - Martha's Country Bakery
Best Price - Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Closed Cupcakeries:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Batch

Cupcakeries I missed:
Babycakes
How Sweet It Is
Make My Cake

If you haven't tried some of these, go get 'em! Thanks for taking the journey with me!
Love,
Cupcake!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Apologies!!!

I am seriously behind and I am sorry. In the past 2 weeks I sold my furniture, rented a mini-van, packed up my belongings and moved to New Orleans. And now I'm in Phoenix for 5 weeks. We'll come back to this but please know that I do intend to post my top NYC cupcakeries soon along with my reviews of Tribeca Treats and Kitchenette as I was able to sample them before leaving with a little help from a friend ;)

I will also have a special post about my first New Orleans cupcake experience.

Stay tuned...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Free Mini Cupcakes RIGHT NOW!

The fancy new cupcake truck is now open for business and giving away FREE MINI CUPCAKES to the first 500 customers. They are located at 5th Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. Get there and let me know how you like it!

A special thanks to Sara for sending in some photos!


Check out CupcakeStop's daily locations here:
Starting Wednesday June 3, 2009:

Day (10am - 5pm):
5th Avenue bet. 13th and 14th Street*

Night (6pm - 10pm):
23rd Street bet. 7th and 8th Avenue*


*these locations are subject to change

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

New Cupcake Search

My search for a new kind of cupcake is beginning soon. I am moving to New Orleans this Friday. As excited as I am, that may mean that I won't be able to finish my goal of sampling all the cupcakes in the city! I do intend to blog about my cupcake adventures in The Big Easy but I apologize if I let you down.

Official NYC rankings coming soon!

I'm posting my list below and have bolded the names of those I missed. :(

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House - RIP
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Baked by Melissa
Batch - RIP
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butter Lane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Another Wine and Cupcakes Event

Swirl Events and Cupcake Takes the Cake blog presents...

a Wine and Cupcake Tasting!

Mingle with other cupcake and wine lovers as you taste each pairing and debate the merits of red velvet with a spicy Shiraz in hand.

What: Cupcakes from Luxe Sugar paired with wines from around the world

When: June 4th, 7-9 PM

Where: Ave NYC 15 W. 28th St.

How much: $25

Just email info@swirlevents.com for more information.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Kumquat Cupcakery at the Brooklyn Flea

Over the weekend my sister and I stopped by the Brooklyn Flea. I've been wanting to go for a while now and although the weather wasn't perfect, we came across some great finds. One of which was mini cupcakes from Kumquat Cupcakery.


Located in Fort Greene, the Brooklyn Flea features a variety of vendors selling everything from vintage clothing to bracelets made from old records. Kumquat Cupcakery also had a table with 3 different mini cupcakes to choose from ($1 each). Emily and I both selected the red velvet cupcakes and while they were gone in 2 bites, we loved them!

Kumquat specializes in catering mini cupcakes and offers a variety of flavors. It seems like they rotate their selection each week at the Flea which is great news because there are so many I'd like to try. Check them out!

NYC's First Cupcake Truck!!

All I have to say is, "It's about time!!"

Introducing CupcakeStop:

It’s a well known fact that New Yorkers are always on the go.

At CupcakeStop, we believe that despite this, everyone deserves to indulge themselves with a gourmet snack. That’s why we decided to take our delectable cupcakes, baked fresh daily from the highest quality ingredients, and load them onto New York’s first mobile cupcake shoppe.

The CupcakeStop Truck offers a convenient way for even the busiest and discerning New Yorkers to enjoy a delicious cupcake.

Locations are still TBD but they have quite an impressive array of flavors (triple chocolate, oreo crumb, chocolate peanut butter swirl, mint chocolate chip, coconut cream, banana pudding and more) and will be operating from 10AM to midnight.

CupcakeStop begins June 3rd. Can't wait!!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Gingerbread Cupcakes


Use large cupcake papers and two jumbo muffin tins to bake these cupcakes. They are glazed with either a chocolate or butter glaze and then piped with meringue buttercream.

Ingredients

Makes 10

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsulphered molasses
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 recipe Butter Glaze
  • 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze
  • 1 recipe Meringue Buttercream

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 jumbo muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
  2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.
  3. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Cupcake Variety at Magnolia?

I stopped in a Magnolia Bakery the other night (my sister was in town and wanted to try a cupcake) and noticed something rather peculiar. The bakery had a variety of cupcakes available for individual purchase!!!

I've often found that the only options available were the vanilla and chocolate (and once in a while red velvet), but lo and behold, they had a caramel cupcake and a devils food cupcake. Imagine my amazement!

Has anyone ever tried these other flavors? I wasn't feeling too adventurous that night as I had my heart set on a red velvet but if I come across them again, I will definitely give it a try. All hope is not lost, Magnolia!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Butter Lane Cupcakes


Last night James and I made our way over to Butter Lane (after dinner at Moes for Cinco de Mayo, of course!) to grab some cupcakes. Since I didn't make it to their Cupcakes and Champagne event last week, they've been on my mind as a place to try. The bakery is a cute little space in the East Village with a giant chalkboard full of cupcakes and icing flavors to choose from. James decided on one much like the photo above and I selected the chocolate cupcake with raspberry frosting.

I was quite impressed by the wide array of flavors including raspberry, blueberry, french vanilla, pineapple, and more! It looks like they're constantly updating and changing their selection too. I loved the idea that you could basically create your own (first choose your cake, then choose your frosting!) rather than only have the option to choose from a case of cupcakes and flavors in front of you.

As for the cupcake, the cake itself was moist but slightly crumbly, a personal pet peeve, and the icing was delicious. Ever since my Boston trip, I've been very interested in raspberry icing so I was pleased to find this option available at Butter Lane. This was a great cupcake and I look forward to trying many more cake and icing combinations. And James seemed to really enjoy his too! :)

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House RIP
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Baked by Melissa
Batch RIP
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butter Lane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Friday, May 1, 2009

Mini Tiered Cupcakes

How great is this?!? Cupcakes that look like mini tiered cakes. I love it!

I found some for purchase on Amazon. Slightly different cake pan - they make 6 rather than 4 - and at a great price of $14.49.

Ice Cream + Cupcakes Contest

Another bake-off! This time involving two of the best desserts in town -- ice cream AND cupcakes!
Check out the official rules and prizes here. I'm including a few of my favorites from last year's entries below. Good luck!

Coconut and Lime's Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Cooking in Cleveland's Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream Cupcakes
Beantown Baker's Cookie Dough Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
1/2 c. cocoa
2 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. butter
5 eggs
1 c. Dr. Pepper
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Baking Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Add all dry ingredients together and set aside.
Beat the butter, add sugars then add eggs beating after each one, add vanilla.
Alternately add dry ingredients and Dr. Pepper to the cream mixture.
Bake for 18 minutes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (or more depending on the strength you want)

Icing Directions:
Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla together. Slowly add the powdered sugar and cinnamon.

When cupcakes have cooled, frost with icing and enjoy your Dr. Pepper cupcakes.

[Posted by The Cupcake Chair]
VOTE for this cupcake as part of the Iron Cupcake: Earth's Soda Pop Challenge.

Cupcake Baking Contest

Each month Iron Cupcake: Earth hosts a cupcake challenge across the globe and they're recently posted the following details for their May bake-off.

The IronCupcake:Earth challenge for May is SAVORY
!
Have you ever looked at your favorite food and thought, I wonder how that would work as a cupcake? Now is your chance to really test your wild side with the MAY 2009 challenge - SAVORY CUPCAKES. Whatever you make...IT MUST LOOK LIKE A CUPCAKE. This is a cupcake competition, so it should be cake-based, however...creative interpretations will be accepted.

FINAL POSTING DAY is SUNDAY, May 24 at 12 noon. All times are CENTRAL time.

Full contest details can be found at Iron Cupcake: Earth. Good luck!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Cupcakes and Champagne

This Wednesday evening Butter Lane is hosting a special FREE event. The details are below (courtesy of Cupcakes Take the Cake).

Wednesday, April 29th
7:30 - 9 PM
Learn to Frost! Meet the Owners!
Free champagne, samples, and icing demonstration


About Butter Lane

Butter Lane opened in the East Village this past November and is devoted to making you the perfect cupcake. With a focus on pure ingredients like real vanilla bean, pure cocoa, and dark chocolate — along with locally sourced dairy ingredients — we hope to give foodies something to sink their teeth into besides straight sugar (although we'll have some of that too).

Blackberries are in season

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream
From Sarah Howard of
Creative Loafing:

Cupcakes have been hip and trendy on the food scene for quite some time now, and have taken over specialty bake shops which produce them in every flavor imaginable. From simple chocolate to lemon, coconut and red velvet, these indulgences are one of the biggest crowd pleasers you can bring to celebrate special occasions, or surprise an office full of hungry co-workers. This particular variety was inspired by an especially gorgeous batch of plump blackberries that I stumbled upon, along with yet another workplace baking commitment.

When it comes to creating the perfect cupcake, simplicity is best. I like to make a basic vanilla cake that can be paired with a variety of frostings and toppings depending on your mood, and will be subtle enough in flavor to carry an extra rich buttercream. The cake featured here calls for whole eggs along with an equal ratio of egg whites to keep it light and fluffy and maintain the pure color. The use of the vanilla bean makes a big difference in the fragrance and overall taste of the cake as well, so go ahead and splurge in the spice aisle. After you’re done scraping out the tiny seeds, throw the pod into a mason jar with baker’s sugar, keep it in the cupboard and use the vanilla-infused sweetness to add an extra dimension to your recipes.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

3 cups baker’s (superfine) sugar
3 eggs
3 egg whites
3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
3 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanillla bean

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs/whites together until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture, milk, oil, and vanilla to the eggs. Split the vanilla bean from end to end and scrape the seeds out with a knife. Add to the mix and incorporate the ingredients together slowly, just until the batter is smooth. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely while preparing the frosting.

Blackberry Buttercream

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
5 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixer bowl and whip together until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. When combined, add the blackberry preserves and the vanilla and mix well. Can be held in the refrigerator overnight and re-whipped prior to frosting the cupcakes.

Makes 3 dozen frosted cupcakes.

I Take It Back!!!

Dear Amy's Bread,

I'm sorry for the things I said about you. I was wrong. I take it back. Your cupcakes, or at least the Red Velvets, are delish. Thank you for a pleasant afternoon treat.

With Love,
Ali

* * *

I decided to try a cupcake from Amy's Bread again....I don't know what they did last time but this cupcake today was delish!

I choose the Red Velvet cupcake and thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe the one that I had many months ago were special cupcakes (remember it was for a charity?) and not their regular batch? Or maybe they read my blog and changed their recipe? Ha! That MUST be it.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sugar Sweet Sunshine

The long awaited decision on Sugar Sweet Sunshine is finally here! This bakery is one of the most talked about in the city. If you were to stop a random New Yorker on the street and ask them what their favorite cupcake was, it is likely they would say one of three bakeries: Crumbs, Magnolia, or Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Although it is not as much of a heated debate as the division between Crumbs and Magnolia lovers, it is certainly on a lot of people's lists as the best bakery in the city. So now I am throwing my two cents into the mixture.

Let me first say that cupcakes for a $1.50 is a sugary sweet deal indeed. Prices that low would bring a smile to anyone's face.

For this tasting I tried the Ooey Gooey (chocolate cake with chocolate almond buttercream) and the Bob (yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream). The almond buttercream certainly makes for a new and unique flavor and it stood out to me a great deal more on the yellow cake.

Both cupcakes had traveled a great distance in paper bag before being devored and I was pleased to find that the cake itself was still fluffy and moist. But when compared to each other I have to say that I liked the Bob cupcake better. The buttercream wasn't too sweet (unlike Magnolia, Buttercup, and Billy's which are waaaaayyy too sweet) and the almond flavoring gave it a nice new ring to a traditional cake. The Ooey Gooey however seemed like any other chocolate cupcake. It really wasn't anything special. And with a name like Ooey Gooey I was expecting it to be rich in chocolately goodness but it just felt plain. The almond buttercream seemed lost among the chocolate. It stood out on the yellow cake but I could barely taste it with the chocolate.

I would never turn down a cupcake from this bakery and I would certainly stop in there again but is it my absolute number one cupcakery? Unfortunately not. Baked still reigns supreme in my heart!

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House RIP
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Baked by Melissa
Batch RIP
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Friday, April 24, 2009

Cupcakes at Cold Stone Creamery

While these may not be your traditional cupcakes, they are certainly worth talking about. I recently purchased a 6-pack of the Cake Batter Delux cupcakes from Cold Stone and let me be the first to tell you, they are fantastic!

The ice cream cupcake is comprised of a chocolate cup filled with red velvet cake, fudge and cake batter ice cream (my personal fave) and topped with a pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles! Wow! They are heavenly. James and I have had constant cravings for them ever since. We were like children with a limited vocabulary. The only thing we could say was "These are sooooo good!".

They also have a Sweet Cream cupcake and a Double Chocolate Devotion (topped with an Oreo cookie). The cupcakes are new at Cold Stone though so hopefully they'll stick around so I can try the others. For all you ice cream cake lovers, this may be the perfect treat!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

It is a cold and rainy day here in NYC but I am busy day-dreaming about the warm summer months and refreshing sweets to eat. As I stumbled across this Lemon Meringue Cupcake recipe, I thought to myself, 'What could be better?'. And I decided it was only fair to share...

This recipe is from my girl Rachael Ray.
Fun Fact: My dad likes to call me Rachael because I am so fond of her meals. :)


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup buttermilk


1 tablespoon lemon juice


2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened


1 2/3 cups sugar, plus more for decorating


2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, plus thin strips of peel for garnish


2 large eggs plus 4 egg whites, at room temperature


One 10- to 12-ounce jar lemon curd

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line mini-muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup sugar and the lemon peel and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides between additions. On low speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients, then a third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, alternating ingredients, until the batter is smooth.

3.
Spoon the batter into each liner, about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

4.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the egg whites. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl, and heat just until the sugar dissolves, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.

5.
Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over each cupcake and dollop the meringue on top. Toss the lemon peel strips in sugar to coat, and place one on each cupcake.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Black and White Cupcakes

One of my favorite signature New York eats is the black and white cookie. When made correctly, they are essentially flat pieces of cake with vanilla and chocolate icing on top. Delicious!

This recipe from Bon Appetit is black and white cookie meets cupcake and it looks like it will be a very tasty endeavor. Hello Black and White Cupcakes!


Ingredients

Chocolate icing:
* 1/4 cup whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
* 4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

White icing:
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons whipping cream
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Cupcakes:
* 3 large eggs, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1 1/2 cups cake flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/3 cup buttermilk

Preparation

For chocolate icing:

Bring cream and corn syrup just to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla; whisk until melted and smooth.

For white icing:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Let both icings stand 1 1/2 hours at room temperature to thicken.

For cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Mix cake flour, baking powder, and salt in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Gradually beat in egg mixture. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each.

Divide batter among cups. Bake until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.

Spread chocolate icing over half of each cupcake. Spread white icing on second half of each cupcake. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Amai Tea & Bake House Closing!!

Just read this on Serious Eats:

Amai Tea & Bake House is sadly saying goodbye this weekend. Stop by for a $1 cupcake (peanut butter, chocolate, green tea, and whatever else pops out of the oven) all weekend until 6 p.m. closing on Sunday. 171 Third Avenue (b/n 16 and 17th Street) 212-863-9630

Here's the announcement from the Amai:

We are sad to say that Amai will be closing. Sunday, April 19th will be our last day. Please stop by to say hello and enjoy some farewell specials. Thank you to all of our wonderful customers. We will miss you and will keep you posted on where we end up!

Gotta get there...they're on my list! This is the second bakery on my list to close (see Batch) recently. Times are tough, even for cupcakes.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Red Velvet Cake Balls

How awesome do these look? I found this recipe on Bakerella and can't wait to make them! They look so simple and so delicious. The recipe calls for a box of red velvet cake mix but I haven't been able to find this in stores. However, you can really use any type of cake or, better yet, make it from scratch!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Ingredients:
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Tip: Only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It's easier to work with when it's hot.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Baked By Melissa


A co-worker introduced me to these little cuties a few months ago. They are bite sized cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. My coworker is friends with Melissa so she sent us a box of cupcakes to try for free. At this time she was still baking all her orders in her apartment kitchen -- can you imagine the mess?! -- but nowadays she sells her treats out of a storefront on Broadway and Spring.

The idea is simple and brilliant. Everyone loves cupcakes but, women especially, hates the guilt of craving and eating more. So Melissa decided to make mini cupcakes that are about the size of a quarter so you can snack almost guilt free! Of course, this idea only went so far with me. The only thing a bite sized cupcake tells me is that I can eat all of them because they're so tiny. And so I did. I tried 6 of the 7 flavors (the peanut butter and jelly didn't sound appetizing to me) and they were all delicious. They were perfectly moist and had a great burst of flavor for such a little cake.

Baked by Melissa offers the following flavors: Cookie Dough, Red Velvet, Cookies and Cream, S'mores, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanut Butter Cup, and Tie-Dye. The minimum order quantity is 100 but I think you can buy packages of 6 if you stop by the store. I'm not sure how reasonable her prices are but even if you don't buy, they're great to window browse as well!

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Baked by Melissa
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dessert Club Chikalicious

Thanks to NY Mag's recent article on the New York cupcake scene, I decided to bump Dessert Club Chikalicious to the top of my list of places to try. The NY Mag article had these cupcakes in the number one spot and while I can say they were delicious, I don't think I can rank them above my current fave, Baked. Here's why:

I tried the caramel cupcake (left) and the s'mores cupcake (right) for $2.25 each. I enjoyed the caramel more than the s'mores which actually surprised me because I had imagined it would have been the other way around.

The caramel cupcake was moist, the icing was soft and frothy, and there was some caramel in the center. My roommate asked me if I was okay with the filling (see previous post) and I said I could make an exception for this one. I think the filling really added something to the cake because honestly without it you wouldn't know it was caramel.

On the other hand, the s'mores cupcake consisted of a moist graham cracker-like cake with a slightly charred marshmallow topping and a chocolate filling in the center. This time the filling wasn't as welcomed. It was almost as if the baker had stuffed a solid piece of chocolate into the center and left it there. It just didn't fit in well for me. I think the concept was there and you could tell what type of cake it was without the filling (unlike the caramel) but the chocolate made it less enjoyable. I had my roommate sample some and she agreed with this point too.

All in all, they made a pretty delicious caramel cupcake and a decent s'mores but is it the best? I don't think so but maybe you should be the judge for yourself. I still have Baked in the number one slot because of the two cupcakes that I've tried thus far I have LOVED both. Unfortunately I can't say the same for Dessert Club Chikalicious. Sorry S'mores! We can still be friends.

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Monday, April 13, 2009

April Fools Cakes

A few days late but better late than never, right?

Can you tell which of the following images are actually cupcakes?

Spaghetti anyone?

Mmm! Mashed potatoes and gravy.

Itza Pizza Pie?!?!

Summer corn on the cob...

If you guessed that they are all cupcakes -- you're right! Pretty good though, huh? I think some of these would certainly make my mind play tricks on me. I'd be about to bite into the corn on the cob cupcake and my brain would be thinking that I'm going to taste corn but then it's a sweet cupcake instead! I love these.

Oh, and one other new favorite. This is a unique new flavor that isn't for the faint of heart.

Who is up for the spinach flavored frosting garnished with sardines?

Ha! This prank-cake actually fooled the cupcake blogger over at Cupcakes Take the Cake. It took me a few minutes of starring myself but I just couldn't believe that anyone in their right mind would actually put these two ingredients on a sweet little cake.

Happy April. Bring on SPRING!!

Stealing My Cupcake Thunder...

A friend sent me the link to the following article over the weekend.

"Gramercy Tavern’s Nancy Olson Rates New York’s Cupcakes"

So this Nancy thinks she can steal my cupcake thunder?! Ha! When I am on the Food Network traveling the country and sampling cupcakes, we'll see who has the last laugh! :)

Although Nancy missed a few of bakeries (CRUMBS!?!) on my list she hit up the more popular joints (except CRUMBS!?!?) and seems to have some similar thoughts on the popular treats. Check out her New York Magazine feature and let me know what you think.

Here's a breakdown of her final list:
#15 Babycakes
#14 Tonnie's Minis
#13 Buttercup Bake Shop
#12 Butterlane
#11 Billy's Bakery
#10 Sugar Sweet Sunshine
#9 Cupcake Cafe
#8 Sweet Revenge
#7 Magnolia
#6 Baked
#5 Two Little Red Hens
#4 One Girl Cookies
#3 Kyotofu
#2 Batch
#1 Dessert Club, Chikalicious

I have some issues with the rankings but you will just have to wait and see how everything stacks up once I'm done with the full journey. Looks like I still have some more tasting to do!

Read the full article here.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Points for Cuteness!

As much as I dislike Magnolia, look how cute they've packaged their cupcakes for Easter!


These are available for $20 at each Magnolia location. That is, if you like that sort of thing...ha

Two Little Red Hens


My roommate spoiled me by picking up this baby the other night. I think it is (appropriately) called the "Death By Chocolate" cupcake from Two Little Red Hens. It is difficult to see the actual size of this cupcake via the photo above, but let me just say it should just be called CAKE! It was so ginormous and so heavy that if it weren't in the traditional cupcake shape, you would undoubtedly call it a piece of cake.

I read a critique of the above "cake" and one of the things this taster didn't like was the icing but that was my favorite part! The critic said that the icing was too thick but I thought it was appropriate for the size and type of cake it was. I had to eat it a day after receiving because I had already ate a few cupcakes that day (trying to behave) and the cake was still moist. My one complaint, aside from the size and $4 price tag, was that it had a chocolate pudding filling. Honestly I am getting tired of this filling nonsense. I bought a cupcake, not pudding! I want to eat the cake, not some surprise filling inside, you know? Sigh. And it only seems like this trend is picking up. I am already over it.

All in all, the "cake" was very good but I can't say it was good enough to warrant a second visit. I'll keep Baked at the top of my favorites list as they serve true, delicious cupcakes at a very reasonable $1.75 price. :)

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Baked*
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Monday, April 6, 2009

Spring Strawberries

It's strawberry season! Strawberries are by far my favorite fruit, so as you can imagine, strawberry cupcakes are always a favorite too. Here's a recipe to bring out the spring baker in you!

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes
Sprinkles is a famous LA-based bakery that features of variety of cupcake flavors. This recipe for their strawberry cupcake comes from Martha Stewart's website.


Ingredients

Makes 1 dozen

  • 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • Sprinkles' Strawberry Frosting

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
  2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
  5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
  6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Baked Goodness

James and I just made a special visit to the real Baked in Red Hook this evening -- it is quickly becoming my favorite cupcakery. I had the red hot red velvet this time and it was delicious. I really can't say anything bad about this place. The icing is so fluffy and creamy and the cupcake is perfect. James tried the oatmeal raisin cookie and said it was the best he'd ever had. :)

Red Hook is a little out of the way but if you are making the trek to Ikea it is very close by. I definitely suggest stopping in if you are in the neighborhood. You won't be disappointed.

And don't forget, Royale Cafe in the city sells Baked goodies as well.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Sweet Revenge

Another cupcake in the (work) neighborhood. Sweet Revenge is not your typical bakery. While they push their cupcakes as one of their signature treats, they offer a bunch of other foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have yet to try anything other than their cupcakes but the place is pretty cute and the food sounds appetizing.

So let's get into it. The cupcakes are somewhat unusual looking, particularly the frosting, and they remind me of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Strange, I know. I've tried a few of their "signature cupcakes" including the Pure (vanilla), Dirty (chocolate), and Crimson & Cream (red velvet). And while I enjoyed each there's just something about them that is...interesting. I'm not sure if that's the right word. But the cakes are moist and the icing is plentiful. I'm interested in trying some of their "special of the day" cakes too.

I guess it's not a bakery that I crave but I can't really complain about it either. They are good - just not great. I give them points for creativity though for sure!

Sweet Revenge also offers frosting shots and cupcake wine and beer pairings. Very unique. I like!


THE JOURNEY:

Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Trendy Fillings

Recently I've noticed a lot more bakeries are trying to add a little extra pizazz to their cupcakes. Anyone can make a cupcake but can you make one with a surprise filling inside? That is the question!

It seems to be a trend lately. I've come across a lot more cakes with fillings such as jelly, pie filling, cream, other cakes, and cookies. Seeing and tasting these gets me thinking about how I would make such a surprise. I've researched a few suggestions online, including cutting off a piece of the top after baking, scooping out a little of the middle, and filling it up, but I hate the idea of carving out cake after it's baked.

Then the other day I came across this posting. It is actually a review of a cake mix but the photos demonstrate exactly how to get chocolate chip cookie dough inside a vanilla cupcake. And while it isn't a glowing review of the mix itself, I would say I like where they were going with this...

The secret! (my ah-ha moment)

Beautifully baked.

Cupcakes and cookies. Sign me up!

Starbucks (had) Cupcakes

Since these are no longer for sale, I will make it brief.

Around Valentines' Day, Starbucks rolled out 3 new cupcakes - chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet. The idea was to inspire orders for V-Day as they were packaging and selling these little delights for your special someone. But I decided that all this really meant was that I needed to taste their cupcakes!


I didn't get to try all three - this man took 2 vanillas and there was only 1 chocolate left (long story) - but I did devour 2 of the 3. The chocolate, as extremely chocolately as it looks, tasted a little too much like a brownie. I ordered a cupcake though so I wanted a cupcake. I did not like this. But the red velvet was fantastic. The cake was spongey and moist with a nice dollop of cream cheese frosting and cake crumbs on top. I enjoyed this one and if they ever come back around for sale, I recommend it!

Hopefully they'll be back. I want to try the vanilla one!!

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Cupcake Camp: NYC

Cupcake Camp is coming to New York City! Get excited!!!!

No idea what I'm talking about? I've put together some FAQs to help....You're welcome. :)

What the heck is Cupcake Camp? Designed for the cupcake lovers in all of us, Cupcake Camp is an event that brings together bakers and tasters. Bring a batch to share, volunteer to help, or just come and eat all the cakes for FREE.

When is it happening? Friday, April 10th from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Where are these free cupcakes? Happy Ending Lounge - 302 Broome Street (b/t Forsyth and Eldridge)

How do I get tickets? RSVP your attendance, if you'll bring cupcakes and/or if you'd like to volunteer at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com

Is it only in NYC? This event is but there are other Cupcake Camps being organized worldwide! Check out the cupcakecamp.org for more details.

Where can I find out more about the NYC one?
Visit the official site at http://cupcakecampnyc.blogspot.com

Baked!

Oh. My. Gosh.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too excited but I have to share. I just tried one of the Baked cupcakes (available in Red Hook, Brooklyn and at Royale Cafe in the city) and it was wonderful!!

I stopped by Royale Cafe and Pastry to try one of these cupcakes because Red Hook is a little much for me. Royale is a cute little corner bakery filled with Baked treats and their own sandwiches and salads. They offer all the traditional goodies including cookies, brownies, cakes, and of course, cupcakes.

There were lots of flavors to choose as each of Baked's signature cakes are also crafted into smaller sized cupcakes so it was a tough decision. After hearing about the selection I decided on the Oreo cookie cake which was chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, and sprinkled with oreo cookie crumble on top. Now, if you've read some of my previous entries, you will know that I typically do not like crumbly cupcakes and I'm getting a little tired of the same old a little too sweet buttercreams this city offers BUT this was an exception. The chocolate cake basically split in two but it was so tasty that I just didn't care. And the buttercream wasn't that usual grainy sugary icing but it was smooth and creamy and delicious. Wow! I may have found a new favorite. And for $2/cake I will need to sample many more flavors. Definitely stop here! So so so great!!


THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Flavor of the Month

Recently I've been all about the lemon. Lemon zest, lemon filling, lemon girl scout cookies, lemon cupcakes...

I'm not sure what it is. Maybe the anticipation of spring? Are lemons even a spring time fruit?

Either way, I came across the following lemony cupcake recipes from Martha Stewart and thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
[Recipe]

Glazed Lemon Cakes
[Recipe]
So these are more like muffins but I'm okay with that!

Martha's Country Bakery

Ah Astoria. Such a great little neighborhood. Astoria is where I currently reside and is probably best known for its variety of good eats! And, as you can imagine, I found the perfect little bakery.

It's called Martha's Country Bakery and it is quite lovely. The bakery has a warm, homey vibe to it and is a nice break from the big city living. This bakery will impress you. The cases of desserts look gorgeous and almost too good to be true. In addition to their large bakery selection (including yummy cupcakes!), they also have a coffee/espresso bar to enjoy.

I brought my Mom there when she came up for a visit last October. We sat at one of their outside tables and ordered their croissants, coffee and cupcakes. We were both very pleased. I selected the classic red velvet cupcake and Mom went with the chocolate cupcake with fondant icing. The red velvet was the perfect size and taste to satisfy this cupcake lovers palate. I know Mom enjoyed her as well.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, definitely make it a point to stop at Martha's. You won't regret it. Promise!

Note: Remove paper wrapping before enjoying.

Mom and her pretty little cupcake. It's hard to make out but there is a lovely little fondant flower on top.


THE JOURNEY:

Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

Monday, March 23, 2009

Out of the Kitchen

Out of the Kitchen is by far one of my city favorites - at least for the traditional cupcakes. They don't have a wide variety (a la Crumbs) but they do have delicious chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cupcakes with the most wonderful frosting. The restaurant offers salads and sandwiches in addition to their sweet treats, but it is their cupcakes that keeps me coming back for more. And they are located near my office; very dangerous.

If you haven't tried one of these babies, I would say it's a MUST-HAVE. And at only $2.25 you can't go wrong!

THE JOURNEY:
Amai Tea and Bake House
Amy's Bread
Babycakes
Batch
Billy's Bakery
Buttercup Bake Shop
Butterlane Cupcakes
Crumbs
Cupcake Cafe
Dessert Club ChikaLicious
Eleni's
How Sweet It Is
Kitchenette
Lux Sugar*
Magnolia
Martha's Country Bakery*
Make My Cake
Out of the Kitchen
Royale Cafe and Pastry (sells Baked* cupcakes!)
Starbucks (limited time only)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Sweet Revenge
Tribeca Treats
Tonnie's Minis
Two Little Red Hens

*Borough bakeries

P.S. I want to steal this sign...

Car Bomb Cupcakes: Party Responsibly

This recipe was sent to me by a friend but can also be found online here.

While the Guinness in the cake gets mostly baked out, the Baileys is fresh and potent, so if you’re making this for people who don’t drink — ahem, nobody I know, but I hear such people exist — you’ll probably want to swap it with milk.

The Baileys frosting recipe makes a smallish amount of frosting — enough to just cover the cupcakes. Because they were so rich and this frosting so sweet, I felt it only needed a little. Double it if you want more of a towering effect.

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes


For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling (Updated to double it, based on many commenters suggestions — thanks!)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. [I used a star tip and made little "poofs" everywhere and sprinkled it with various colors of sanding sugar to keep it looking festive for New Years. I bet shaved dark and white chocolates would look gorgeous as well.]

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)