Actually, these weren't a failure per se. However, there are better things out there. I, too, fell to the siren song of the rainbow cupcake. What can I say. I like color. Funfetti? Mightyfine. Rainbow? Hell yeah!
I basically aspired to make a cupcake so psychedelic it would send epileptics into color-and-sugar induced seizures.
These went wrong on several different levels. Not in terms of ingredients or the cakes themselves, per se, but in terms of execution. Alton Brown oh-so-eloquently put it, "Organization will set you free." These cupcakes suffered from my lack of organization, and more specifically, measuring skills.
I used Amy Sedaris's cupcake recipe again, after the results of the ice-cream-cone cupcakes. I whipped together the batter and then put drops of Wilton food coloring in the bottom of four different bowls.
I figured eh, why not. I can eyeball it. So I divided my batter into my four different bowls with my four different colors and then beat everything together to evenly incorporate the color.
Unfortunately, I had a lot more yellow and green and a lot less pink and purple than I imagined. I got about 16 perfectly blended cupcakes, and then a lot of green and yellow cupcakes. I also figured I could eyeball the proportions for the cupcakes, and ended up with cupcakes that attempted to creep over the sides of the cupcake tins.
I basically aspired to make a cupcake so psychedelic it would send epileptics into color-and-sugar induced seizures.
These went wrong on several different levels. Not in terms of ingredients or the cakes themselves, per se, but in terms of execution. Alton Brown oh-so-eloquently put it, "Organization will set you free." These cupcakes suffered from my lack of organization, and more specifically, measuring skills.
I used Amy Sedaris's cupcake recipe again, after the results of the ice-cream-cone cupcakes. I whipped together the batter and then put drops of Wilton food coloring in the bottom of four different bowls.
I figured eh, why not. I can eyeball it. So I divided my batter into my four different bowls with my four different colors and then beat everything together to evenly incorporate the color.
Unfortunately, I had a lot more yellow and green and a lot less pink and purple than I imagined. I got about 16 perfectly blended cupcakes, and then a lot of green and yellow cupcakes. I also figured I could eyeball the proportions for the cupcakes, and ended up with cupcakes that attempted to creep over the sides of the cupcake tins.
There's nothing worse than cupcake-on-cupcake violence.So, yes, I learned the measuring lesson the hard way. However, it was nonetheless delicious.
I was also on my never-ending quest for the perfect frosting. I decided to try Cooking for Engineer's American Butter Cream, which looks a lot like Swiss Meringue buttercream. This was another first and another disappointment.
American/Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1 pound unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
Hardware:
Glass or metal bowl fit over a pot to make a double boiler.
Instant-read thermometer
A hand or stand mixer.
Crack the four eggs at the bottom of the bowl and whisk in vanilla and sugar. Place over boiling water and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
Take the egg-sugar mix off of the heat and slowly add butter, one cube at a time, until the mixture comes together and is light yellow and fluffy. It will be lumpy but will eventually incorporate into a smooth, silky frosting.
I was also on my never-ending quest for the perfect frosting. I decided to try Cooking for Engineer's American Butter Cream, which looks a lot like Swiss Meringue buttercream. This was another first and another disappointment.
American/Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1 pound unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
Hardware:
Glass or metal bowl fit over a pot to make a double boiler.
Instant-read thermometer
A hand or stand mixer.
Crack the four eggs at the bottom of the bowl and whisk in vanilla and sugar. Place over boiling water and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
Take the egg-sugar mix off of the heat and slowly add butter, one cube at a time, until the mixture comes together and is light yellow and fluffy. It will be lumpy but will eventually incorporate into a smooth, silky frosting.
OK, it wasn't a complete failure. The frosting itself was *delicious*--it had a wonderful butter flavor and was so smooth and awesome. However, it was so soft it wasn't pipeable and kind of felt like an oil slick. I ended up making "homestyle" cupcakes, using a spatula to spread icing instead of piping it. It looked a little too rustic for me. However, all is not lost. I think if I were to make it again, I would beat in extra confectioner's sugar to make it lighter and fluffier, and most importantly, pipeable.
For all the stress I put on myself, people liked them. They were, in fact, delicious. However, they definitely weren't what I imagined and that affected my perception. This is a work in progress.
For all the stress I put on myself, people liked them. They were, in fact, delicious. However, they definitely weren't what I imagined and that affected my perception. This is a work in progress.
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