Earth Day Cupcakes

Here is the idea: Anyone can grow mint! Seriously, it's practically impossible to kill, and it thrives easily. It also can grom from cuttings. SO, I thought, make a cupcake that provides pretty much everything needed to start an herb garden. It has the pot and the mint - just eat the cupcake and throw in some dirt and water.

I did get to make the Earth Day cupcakes, and I'm quite happy with the way they turned out! I used a Chocylit recipe for the rich chocolate cupcakes and for mint buttercream icing, and it was delicious. The cupcake itself was almost more like a brownie. I used the mint extract for the flavoring of the icing, and it was good, but I think I might use creme de minthe next time, just because. The recipe below reflects my minor charges, such as the addition of food coloring, the use of locally available ingredients, changes in cooking time for the flower pots, etc.

Chocolate Cupcakes

24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

2-100 gram bars of Hershey 60% cocao

3 sticks butter

2-1/4 cups sugar

8 eggs

1-1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

(24 mini flowerpots)

1. line flowerpots with parchment and place on a baking sheet.

2. break up chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.

3. add butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. stir until chocolate melts and butter is combined.

4. remove from heat and stir in sugar. let mixture cool for 10 minutes.

5. beat in an electric mixer for 3 minutes.

6. add one egg at a time, mixing for 30 seconds between each

7. sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix until blended.

8. scoop into lined flowerpots and bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon all natural peppermint extract

1 tube of green gel food coloring

1. beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl.

2. add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring, beat until combined.

3. add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency.

4. pipe on icing.
4. top with a sprig of mint

Charleston Recap

I made a special point of making the girls swing by the Cupcake bakery in Charleston so that I could try them out and return with yummy pictures. Unfortunately, they had signs asking that no pictures be taken in the store, so I had to settle for a picture from their website.

I chose a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. There was no way I could even sample more than one after all the sweets we had already eaten. Hot pralines are irresistible! The cupcake was good, but not amazing. The icing looked lovely piled high on the cupcake, but I think presentation has to come after taste. The icing was wonderful (better than the fairly plain cake), but there was way too much of it. The cupcake was smaller even than normal (not filling the liner), so there really was more icing than cake. Boo! Still, I loved the peanut butter icing; with 1/4 as much, it would have been better.

My absense

I realize that I've been incredibly silent, but I did have to put off procrastinating for a bit and start working on my paper that is due entirely too soon. I'm also off to Charleston for the weekend, so I've really been trying to get as much done as possible before I take off tomorrow at noon.

I'm headed to Charleston with a few girls for a bachelorette party/3L escape from Lex, and I'm incredibly excited! I plan on spending too much (loan) money, having too good of a time, and coming away from it with outlet-priced clothing, a few extra pounds, and embarrassing pictures. It seems like a recipe for a great weekend. We have foam tiaras!!!

I promise to return to baking (that's not from a box) when I'm back from Charleston and have turned in this paper.