Tag Archives: cupcakes

Pinterest Projects: Salted Caramel Cupcakes

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Pinterest Projects is an ongoing series wherein I attempt to justify hours wasted spent on Pinterest by making projects from some of the inspiration I find there.

A couple years ago, I visited my sister in New York and we had dinner at Butter. The only thing that I remember about that meal was the dessert: we shared a gigantic piece of cake with salted caramel frosting. It was amazing.

Ever since then, whenever I see salted caramel anything, I’m intrigued. Enter: these cupcakes, which I found via Pinterest (original recipe from Sugar Cooking) while I was searching for a cupcake recipe to make for a potluck. The verdict? I found the cupcake itself good but unremarkable, but the frosting…whoa. This frosting recipe is a culinary game changer, people. Just so, so delicious. The next time I make these, I’d probably experiment with a different cupcake but keep the frosting exactly the same. It needs no alterations.

(Pin here; original recipe via Sugar Cooking)

Chicago Red Velvet Cupcake Challenge

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Before I went to Chicago this summer, I heard from several sources about a few cupcake places I should try (namely, Southport Grocery and Molly’s Cupcakes). I thought it might be fun to do a cupcake comparison, and so I decided to try a red velvet cupcake at each bakery I visited. I tried a new bakery about every two weeks; I would usually walk to a spot after work for a little treat. Here’s a roundup of Chicago’s red velvet cupcake options, starting with Southport Grocery, the undisputed champion of this race.

Southport Grocery:

  • Taste Test: Southport’s red velvet was my favorite – very dense, but not dry; very rich, but not overly so. I loved the frosting; something about it seemed unique compared to the others. This cupcake was unadorned, with a simple presentation – but it’s so good, it doesn’t need to be fancy.
  • Rating: 5 sprinkles (on a 1-5 scale; 5 sprinkles being maximum red velvet deliciousness)
  • The Details: Southport Grocery | 3552 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657 | 773.665.0100

Molly’s Cupcakes:

  • Taste Test: Very moist – I love that, particularly because some of the cupcakes on this list are lacking in that department. Also very tasty, but in a more subtle (though no less enjoyable) way than other cupcakes on this list; it’s not overly sweet, which I like. You can get it with cute heart sprinkles on top – a fun extra.
  • Rating: 4.5 sprinkles
  • The Details: Molly’s Cupcakes | 2536 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614 | 773.883.7220

Sprinkles Cupcakes:

  • Taste Test: Moist (I hate that word, but there’s no way around it) with crazy sweet frosting. The frosting is perhaps too sweet. I also love the presentation – both of the cupcake and of the store itself. Modern, fun details.
  • Rating: 4.5 sprinkles
  • The Details: Sprinkles Cupcakes | 50 East Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60611 | 312.573.1600

Sweet Mandy B’s:

  • Taste Test: Flavorful but not incredibly special – though it was hard for me to figure out what was missing. Simple presentation, with cupcake and frosting and nothing more. The shop itself is very cute – super floral and girly.
  • Rating: 4 sprinkles
  • The Details: Sweet Mandy B’s | 1208 West Webster Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614 | 773.244.1174

Magnolia Bakery:

  • Taste Test: I love Magnolia’s cream cheese frosting – darn near unbeatable. The red velvet cake itself is less special, which is sad; it felt a bit dry. But, oh man, the frosting.
  • Rating: 3.5 sprinkles
  • The Details: Magnolia Bakery | 108 N State St #128, Chicago, IL 60602 | 312.346.7777

Swirlz Cupcakes:

  • Taste Test: Not related to taste, but I love Swirlz’s slogan – “cupcakes make people happy.” Indeed. The cupcake was also beautifully decorated, with a nice little flower atop it. However, as far as taste goes…not so much. The red velvet cake was a bit bland.
  • Rating: 2.5 sprinkles
  • The Details: Swirlz Cupcakes | 705 West Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614 | 773.404.2253

What’s your favorite spot to snag the perfect cupcake, in Chicago or elsewhere?

Magnolia Bakery (Chicago)

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I know people always says Magnolia Bakery is overrated, too touristy, etc. And all of that is probably true, but I still enjoy it. First, I think their cupcakes are pretty solid. Second, I love the decor – all the pastels and charming little details.

While walking down State Street I discovered that – surprise! – there is now a Magnolia in Chicago. So, my parents were here last weekend, and we stopped by for an afternoon snack. I got my traditional red velvet, my mom got the peanut butter and jelly, and my dad got carrot cake (I think?). Mine was delicious.

And, in closing: I can never think of Magnolia without thinking of this. I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Gosling. For real.

The Details: Magnolia Bakery | 108 N State St #128, Chicago, IL 60602 | 312.346.7777

A2 Bucket List: The Cupcake Station

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I love cupcakes. And, it seems, everyone loves cupcakes. And I’m not just taking the word of this sign; on Pinterest, my “Let Them Eat Cupcakes” pinboard is – by far – my most followed/liked/repinned board.

So, when I see a cupcake shop, I am always game. This summer, I checked out the Cupcake Station in Ferndale and loved it. Then, I learned that there was also a branch in Ann Arbor. Obviously, it became a must-do.

And so, number 59 on my Ann Arbor Bucket List was to have a cupcake at the Cupcake Station. Last week, I walked to the corner of State and Liberty and did just that.

The first thing to say is that it was hard to select my cupcake. There are so many delicious-sounding options to choose from. And they’re all so pretty!

In the end, I wound up with this loot (to share). Doesn’t it look mouth-watering?

Clockwise from top left, we have Samoa,  Cream Francais, Red Velvet, and Campfire, which is their special cupcake for September. Let me just hit you with their description of this cupcake:

“Our signature Dark Chocolate Cake filled and frosted with Marshmallow Buttercream, rolled in Graham Cracker Crumbs, finished with Chocolate Chips and a Graham Cracker.”

Ummmm, wow. In the immortal words of Rachel Zoe: I die.

Here’s a closer look at that bad boy. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. It was SO. DELICIOUS. Why don’t they have this every month?

One last thing to note – on the side of the Cupcake Station’s shop, they have painted the following words. After my visit, I can assure you this – they ain’t lying.

5 down, 55 to go!

Summer Cooking Roundup

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I will be honest: I did not do much real work this summer. I quit my job in May, traveled around Europe for 5 weeks, and then pretty much chilled in Michigan for almost 2 months until I moved to Ann Arbor for law school.

Knowing this would be a low-key summer, I set a goal in advance to tackle some projects and to avoid just sitting around on the couch all the time. One of those projects? Cook, and cook a lot.

In this regard, I think I succeeded. Now, this is not to say all my cooking endeavors themselves were successful – I did a fair amount of messing up recipes and making silly mistakes. I’m still new at this cooking game, and I have a TON to learn.

I’ve been blogging lots of my cooking attempts, but there were a few that didn’t quite make the cut, for whatever reason. So, here’s a look at what else I cooked this summer:

Greek Salad with Chicken and Feta Croquettes

Spaghetti Carbonara

  • Source: Weight Watchers
  • Notes: This was probably my least favorite meal of the summer. I think it was the turkey bacon – not a fan. Also, I’m not sure if I didn’t cook it properly, but the top was pretty flavorful, while the bottom was basically a lump of flavorless noodles.

Greek Chicken with Orzo

  • Source: Weight Watchers cookbook (I couldn’t find a link online)
  • Notes: This was pretty tasty, but my orzo was way overdone. Which leads me to the question – how exactly do you know when orzo is done? It’s beyond me.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

  • Source: Weight Watchers Best-Ever Desserts
  • Notes: I thought these were really tasty, but the recipes for the frosting leaves you with a very chunky, very hard to spread concoction. We had to add some skim milk.

Chicken in Ginger Broth

  • Source: Also from a WW cookbook – I can’t find a link to it online.
  • Notes: This was good, but rather bland. Definitely needed more salt/pepper/seasoning than the recipe originally called for.

Italian Beef Pasta Bake

  • Source: Weight Watchers
  • Notes: This turned out a lot like Hamburger Helper. Probably good, if you like Hamburger Helper. But, I don’t, so that should tell you all you need to know regarding how I felt about this recipe.

And, here’s a recap of the ones I already posted about:

All in all, I’m sort of amazed by how much I actually cooked this summer. For someone who didn’t really cook anything, ever, until I graduated 3 years ago, and who has only cooked sporadically since, I think I covered a lot of ground. I’m a little sad that I don’t have my own kitchen this school year – but I’m certain I’ll be revisiting this whole cooking thing in the future as soon as I can.

I Don’t Know How to Cook (aka Margarita Cupcakes)

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Sometimes, I start to think I’m getting pretty good at this whole cooking thing. Hey, I can follow instructions and combine ingredients together and make a meal out of those ingredients! But, other times, I come up against problems that remind me that I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. I’m making a gallant effort, no question, but I don’t think being a chef or a baker is really in the cards for me (good thing I’m going to law school).

Case in point: margarita cupcakes. I found this recipe, and they just looked so fun and summery. I started out with the cupcakes themselves – smooth sailing there, plus I thought that brushing the warm, just-out-of-the-oven cupcakes with an alcohol glaze was kind of fun. Tequila and triple sec in my cupcakes? I’m so there.

Where it all really started to go wrong was the buttercream frosting. And by wrong, I mean that I didn’t so much wind up with frosting as I did with soup. There was nothing to be done except spoon a bit of it on each cupcake, watch it drip down the sides, and feel overwhelmed with despair.

Here’s what they looked like:

I still think they look somewhat pretty, but when you know what they are supposed to look like, it’s kind of depressing. A mound of thick, fluffy buttercream atop each? No such luck. My dad thinks I might have overbeat the frosting (it was definitely starting to form semi-stiff peaks at some point before something went terribly wrong). In any case, something was way off.

I sent the cupcakes with my mom, who was going up north to Traverse City for a mini-vacation with some of her girlfriends. She reported back that they loved the cupcakes:

And the moral of this story is that, even when you think you’ve made a grievous culinary blunder, your friends and family will probably still think your food is pretty damn good.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

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If I were to walk into a bakery and choose a flavor of cupcake, 9 times out of 10, I would probably choose red velvet. I just love it.

Now, the thing with cupcakes is…they are not really healthy for you at all (yes, duh, I know). And the recipe I used for these isn’t exactly chock full of nutrients either. But it is a Weight Watchers recipe, so at least when you enjoy your red velvet cupcake, you can feel a little less guilty about it. You can find the recipe here.

Are these cupcakes like the red velvet ones you would find in a bakery? No, they are not. You can definitely tell they’re a lower fat version – particularly when it comes to the frosting, which you don’t get an awful lot of, and which is nothing like the super rich cream cheesy goodness that usually comes atop a red velvet cupcake. But, despite that, I REALLY like these and have made this recipe several times over the past few years.

Now doesn’t that look tasty?

Saturday Morning in Ferndale

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On Saturday morning, my mom, sister, and I headed out to Ferndale for some shopping. The first thing I have to say is: Ferndale. Who knew? It has a cute little downtown, lots of interesting shops, and just a nice overall atmosphere. Definitely a worthwhile place to spend a lovely Michigan summer day (and by “lovely,” I clearly mean, so damn humid I wanted to die. What’s up with the weather this summer?)

Anyway. We spent most of our time exploring the Rust Belt Market, an indoor arts market. There was an interesting mix of vendors selling all kinds of things – from jewelry to soap to clothes to photographs. One thing I really loved was that many of the booths were distinctly Detroit-orientated, with photographs and pieces of art celebrating the city. For a place that many people are down on, that was awesome to see.

I snapped a bunch of photos of cool things that caught my eye:

After the market, we headed to lunch at Rosie O’Grady’s, and then grabbed miniature cupcakes from the Cupcake Station.

That’s a chocolate cheesecake for mom, a samoa for Janelle, and a red velvet for me. And as a sidenote, the cupcake had the best frosting I’ve ever tasted. So if you want art and incredible cupcake frosting, go to Ferndale, folks. You heard it here.

Oreo cupcakes

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For the family reunion at Hamilton Lake, I was tasked with making a dessert. Since I have several little cousins, I wanted to make a fun, kid-friendly cupcake. And, since one of my little cousins is allergic to peanuts, I steered clear of my initial dream of making Snickers cupcakes. I ended up settling on Oreo cupcakes, which seemed equally fun (and delicious).

I used the recipe from Annie’s Eats and was overall super pleased with the results – and, most importantly, I think all the little kids (and adults) were too.

If (er, more likely when) I make these cupcakes again, I would do a few things differently. My lessons learned:

  • When crushing the oreo crumbs for the frosting, making sure to really crush them into small bits. I had a couple larger chunks in there, and they kept clogging the tube when I went to pipe the frosting on. Super frustrating.
  • This might be self evident to some, but it’s a good idea not to put the oreo cookie halves on top of the cupcakes until just before serving. I did this the day before, and they were pretty mushy by the time we got around to eating them. It kind of reminded me of how Oreos get after you dunk them in milk – which isn’t actually unpleasant at all, but probably is not the consistency you’re going for on a cupcake.

Enjoy!