So first of all, today was a really sad day. We put down little Lucy Pants, a very very loved doggie and even though you can say you know it's coming, it hurts nonetheless. I spent a good portion of my morning crying. But truthfully, she was very sick and her life was very lacking in anything nice, so it really is for the better I guess.
My plans this evening fell through which resulted in me having a lot of time on my hands. I did the usual. Played piano for a while, tried to write but wasn't feeling it. Played some Scramble with Friends (so damn addictive). And then I got to wanting some dessert. This recipe is ruining my life (waistline): http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/one-bowl-vanilla-cupcakes-for-two/ because it gave me the information I needed to know how to make just two cupcakes and only dirtying one dish and a few measuring utensils. I feel like I can make cupcakes all the damn time now at no expense completely neglecting the fact that they are making me fat.
But anyway, her recipe is for basic vanilla, but there are so many places to go from there! So I thought about the leftover strawberry puree I have in the freezer from when I made the banana split cupcakes and decided I wanted to make strawberry cupcakes. I debated between vanilla and chocolate frosting but aren't chocolate covered strawberries a given?
OK the result was seriously probably the best cupcake I've ever made. It was so moist and creamy and even though I don't measure much of anything, I'm going to do my best to share it. The consistency was sort of like the middle of a perfect pancake. Fluffy and light and buttery. This chocolate frosting was so good I almost don't want to tell people! It reminds me a lot of the filling in the Orland Park Bakery's Chocolate Fudge Paczki that I only get to enjoy during Lent. (So good that my brother has my mom ship them out to NYC every year).
OK without further ado, I bring you: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
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| Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes Wouldn't they be cute for Valentine's Day with a strawberry on top or something? |
1 egg white
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs melted butter
3 tbs strawberry puree (I used frozen strawberries and threw them in the food processor and then for this, I already had that in the freezer and just defrosted... I'm sure blending a bunch of fresh strawberries would be exquisite).
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 tbs milk
Preheat oven to 350. Line three muffin tin slots with cupcake wrappers.
Whisk egg white and sugar in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the melted butter and mix again. Do the same with the puree. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and carefully whisk into the same bowl. Stir in the milk and beat with the whisk until all is completely combined and the mixture is slightly solid, but still runny. Disperse the batter evenly among the three cupcake wrappers in the muffin tin. I like to use an ice cream scoop for perfect measurement, but they should be about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.
Frosting:
about 3 tbs butter
a cup or so of confectioner's sugar
about two tbs cocoa powder
splash of whipping cream
Measurements in my frosting, as I have stated before, are really just to taste. I keep adding things to get the flavor and consistency I am going for. With this, it eventually came to a perfectly light, whipped buttery chocolatey flavor and consistency. I whipped it just using the whisk and I think the heavy whipping cream is what gave it the edge.
I wish I had some fresh strawberries to cut up and use as garnish. In other news, like I said yesterday, one of the flies died. Well, I don't know if these things just reproduce automatically or what is going on in my life, but another one was buzzing around. So I don't know if this is a new one or if there were three all along. So nasty. But then I start to feel bad for them. You know, their friend is sitting there dead and all. And don't judge me. I haven't done anything with the body yet. OK, you can judge me. That's disgusting.
Anyway, they annoy the crap out of me. They really do. But really, they are just little creatures trying to survive and not doing a very good job of it. So when one of the ugly little things came upon the cupcake wrapper I left on the coffee table after eating the delectable cake, I did not swat it away from the crumbs. It has been feasting for an hour straight. Can a fly die of overfeasting on cupcake remains? We shall find out. Mess to be cleaned in the morning (and I promise I'll vacuum).
Is it wrong to talk about flies right after sharing a cupcake recipe? Are there rules of etiquette that I'm breaking here?
Is it wrong to talk about flies right after sharing a cupcake recipe? Are there rules of etiquette that I'm breaking here?
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