Pineapple Cake

This past Sunday I did one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday, I had dinner at my parent's house. Of course I offered to bring the dessert. I wanted to bake something sweet, scrumptious, and summery (alliteration much?). I found this Pineapple Cake recipe from Cookie Madness. The topping looks too good to pass up, doesn't it? Well, it did not dissappoint. For the cake, I tried the Amazing Vanilla Buttermilk White Cake from My Sister's Kitchen. The cake was great, I will definitely use it again for layer cakes, very moist, dense and firm. The topping was very sweet and tasty, but the pineapple taste did not come through as much as I would have liked. Is there such a thing as Pineapple Extract? A quick google search confirms, yes there is. Maybe I should add some next time. Wait! I just had a great idea! Caramelized Pineapple slices on the top! I am not done with this cake yet. I WILL try again. Until then, here's round one...

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

from My Sister's Kitchen

4 whole large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 & 1/2 cup of buttermilk

1/2 cup pineapple juice from drained crushed pineapple

3 cups of cake flour

2 cups of sugar

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (8 oz) butter at room temperature

Pineapple Topping

from Cookie Maddness

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple

1 stick (4 oz) salted butter

5 oz can evaporated milk

1 ½ cups sugar

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 cake pan.

Drain crushed pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of juice. Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredients well. Set Aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk, pineapple juice and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy; 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Pour batter into 9x13 pan. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the topping:

Set a large (3 quart) saucepan over medium heat and add butter. When butter is about halfway melted, add evaporated milk and sugar. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often, until butter is completely melted mixture is hot and just beginning to simmer around the edges. Add egg yolks and continue cooking over medium, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Cook and whisk for a little over a minute, then remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and drained pineapple. Leave pineapple mixture at room temperature (still in pan) while cake continues to bake and cools. When cake is cool, pour room-temperature pineapple mixture over cake. Place in refrigerator and chill until pineapple topping sets. This will take a few hours.

Sweet Cherry Pie

And the wait is finally over...

I give you Sweet Cherry Pie.

Whoever said that cherry pies should always be made with tart cherries just isn't being adventurous enough. I have no clue where to find fresh tart cherries. In the past, I've just used canned. But with all the fresh berries around this time of year, I would feel SUPER LAME if I neglected all their ripe deliciousness. Early on Saturday morning, I once again headed down to my local Farmer's Market to pick up some fresh sweet cherries.

Baking a cherry pie is such a wholesome experience. You have to pit every single one of those little guys. This can be a daunting task without the proper tools. I bought myself a 4-Cherry Pitter! Best $15 I've ever spent. It keeps all the splashing and pits contained for a stress-free, easy going pitting experience.

Lately a lot of people have been asking me how all this baking started. I've always loved to bake, been helping my mom in the kitchen since I was old enough to pour sugar, but I really started getting serious about it this past Valentine's Day. Since money is a bit tight, I decided to bake my boyfriend his favorite dessert, Cherry Pie. I did a lot of research on the best ingredients to use, tricks for a perfect pie crust, and watched videos on how to make a lattice top. The result was all I'd ever hoped for. Not only did the pie turn out great, but I learned that little old me could make a professional-looking dessert. With a little patience and research, I could attempt anything. So you see, cherry pie represents something very special to me. It gave me the will and confidence to pursue this new hobby that is making me so happy.

Sweet Cherry Pie

from Smitten Kitchen

Dough for a double-crust pie [I used Paula's Perfect Pie Crust]

4 cups pitted fresh cherries

4 tbs cornstarch

2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your cherries, I used 1/3 cup)

1/8 tsp salt

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits

1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Coarse sugar, for decoration

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pie will bake on a center rack but put a baking sheet lined with foil down on the lowest rack to catch any juice that might spill over.

Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Pour over bowl of pitted cherries and gently mix with a large spoon. Add in the lemon juice and almond extract and continue to gently mix. Roll out half of chilled dough and place into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Spoon filling into pie crust, discarding the majority of the liquid that has pooled in the bowl. Dot the filling with the bits of cold butter.

For my top crust, I did a lattice top. Click here for a video on how to do it. If you don't use the lattice method, and just drape the top crust over the filling, be sure to cut a few slits in the dough on top for ventilation.

Brush the egg wash over over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack. Make sure pie is completely cool before digging in so it can firm up a bit. I waited about 7 hours and it was perfect. Serve with ice cream!

I brought this pie to a friend's house on Saturday. It was 106 degrees that day! We celebrated the beginning of hot summer weather with some tasty barbecued tacos, homemade margaritas, and my pie topped with vanilla ice cream. Thanks to Brian, for braving the heat to cook up that yummy dinner...

Birthday Cupcakes for Jessica!

I know, I know. I know I said "I'm kinda cupcaked-out," but I just can't seem to tear myself away from these adorable little treats! How could I? They're just so cute, I could eat 'um all up. And I do! I have the growing waistline to prove it!

Tuesday was my good friend and softball teammate's birthday. Since last night was our first game of the summer season, I wanted to bring a sweet snack to share with the team. I asked Jessica (that's the birthday girl) what her favorite dessert was and she replied with "cupcakes or eclairs." Since it was way too last minute to attempt something new and challenging, I went with the former (Jess - I'm hinting that, when I have some more spare time, I'll take a stab at eclairs for you). I decided to go with a couple recipes I found on Coconut & Lime. This is a fabulous food blog by Rachel Rappaport. I've had great success with her cupcake recipes in the past, so I knew she would be a safe bet. I did some browsing and was very intrigued by her Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, since I've never actually baked with a whole vanilla bean before. I decided to compliment the cupcakes with her Caramel Frosting. Here are the recipes:

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

by Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

1 vanilla bean, cut length-wise

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean together until the milk just boils. Remove from heat and let cool for about 1 hour. Then remove the vanilla bean. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the milk. Discard the remaining bean pod. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Alternately add the flour and milk mixture until well combined. Divide batter into about 20 lined or greased cupcake wells. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the middle cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then ice.

Caramel Frosting

by Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbs butter

3 tbs milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then add the milk and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and whisk in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Cool slightly, then very vigorously* whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost cakes while the frosting is still slightly warm.

*if you have problems doing this by hand, use an electric mixer, it is very important to whisk very quickly or it will not be smooth.

I ended up doubling the frosting recipe so I would have enough to pipe a large amount on the cupcakes. Once the frosting was all mixed and smooth, I kept adding in more confectioners' sugar to get the thick consistency for piping. I probably added about 3 more cups. The frosting turned out SO amazingly yummy and check out the cake and all of its vanilla-beany-goodness...

We won our game 25-5 last night and ate these scrumptious treats at the bar afterwards. Pretty sweet birthday, if you ask me!

A word on Jessica the birthday girl. She's a blogger too! Actually, her blog Pandering Words was one of the first blogs I started reading, before I even considered starting a blog of my own. She's been an inspiration to me as a writer and as a person. Working hard to balance starting a family with a demanding career, she speaks honestly about the frustrations and happy moments we all face every day. Happy Birthday, Jessica. You Rock!

Iron Cupcake SF - June 2009

Raspberry Lemon Drop? Strawberry Rhubarb? Peach Pie? Yes please!! Those were just some of the creative cupcake flavors from last night's Iron Cupcake: San Francisco. The special ingredient? Seasonal Fruit. The Location? Leland Tea Company. The competition? See for yourself...

I was so impressed with all the competition. As you can see, they were all so beautiful and unique. Of course, I had my favorites. Chelsea of Kingdom Cake, and founder of the Iron Cupcake San Francisco chapter, baked some wonderful blueberry cupcakes with a basil frosting. (See green frosted cupcakes in the top photo) Now, I'm not the biggest fan of blueberries, but that frosting was to die for! And my mouth is still watering over Brandon's Blackberry Cupcakes (upper right corner of my plate). My favorite (although it's a close call) had to be the Peach Melba cupcake by Jennifer of San Francisco's Cups and Cakes Bakery. See the one in the center of my plate? With the raspberry sauce drizzled on top? That's the one! So yummy. I've been browsing her website today and she has so many delicious flavor combinations. Check it out!

Below is a pic of my entry. As explained in yesterday's post, I chose to bake Peach Cobbler Cupcakes. The cake is a traditional peach cobbler recipe, topped with a cinnamon glaze and stabilized whipped cream frosting drizzled with fresh peach puree. I was very proud of my little cupcakes and felt confident sharing the table with the rest of those beauties.

All in all, a great event. I am very thankful to Eric and Monica who came to support me. I can't wait till next month. I learned a few things yesterday to help me step up my game. For now, I'm kinda cupcaked-out.

Maybe I'll get to work on that Cherry Pie I mentioned last week...

Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches

Back when I was brainstorming for Diane's birthday dessert, I came across a Peach Cobbler recipe by Paula Dean. I LOVE Paula's recipes! Her pie crust is my go-to. I always enjoy watching her show on the Food Network, with her Southern accent and how she insists on adding way too much butter to everything. I watched the video for the peach cobbler and was salivating. I couldn't get it off my mind for weeks. This weekend, I decided to give it a try. I went to the Pleasant Hill farmer's market on Saturday morning to pick out my peaches. The recipe was super easy, and came out so yummy. Here it is:

Peach Cobbler

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

8 tbs butter

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt. Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

Let the cobbler cool for a bit to let the peaches firm up, but still serve when warm. So mouthwateringly delicious.

So I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you about Iron Cupcake: San Francisco. Iron Cupcake is a cupcake baking contest. Much like the popular television show, Iron Chef, there is a specific ingredient selected for each month's challenge and that ingredient must be incorporated in some way into each participant's recipe. I attended last month's event in San Francisco, just to find out what it's all about. I had such a great time! I got to meet and sit with the founder of the entire Iron Cupcake franchise, Sandy Ploy, the Cupcake Queen. Here's a summary of last month's event on Sandy's blog No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner. This month's challenge is "seasonal fruit." Since my peach cobbler turned out so great, I decided to attempt Peach Cobbler Cupcakes. Here's a photo of my experiments:

I had to try all sorts of different measurement combinations of the butter, batter, and peaches to get the correct consistency for the mini cupcakes. I found the perfect combo and decided to add a cinnamon glaze and top them with homemade whipped cream frosting. Iron Cupcake SF is tonight. I'll get a photo of my finished entry as well as some of the competition and will post about it tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Fresh Mango Bread

I'm new to the baking blogging world. To get myself inspired and educated, I subscribe to over 100 baking blogs out there and try my darnedest to keep up with all of them. Every Tuesday, I can expect an extra special treat in the form of the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie. A recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours is selected every week and many of these blogs are members. So every Tuesday, they post about that week's selected recipe. I love reading about all their different variations on the recipe and looking through all the delicious photos of their creations. Hopefully, some day soon, I too will be a member of this group. Stay tuned...

So last week, my mom randomly said "Deanna, would you like some Mangos?" Well, yes, I would love some mangos! They are one of my favorite fruits which makes this time of year super-awesome because they are in season. I guess she had a bunch delivered to her as part of a food delivery program she received as a Christmas gift from her boss. When she handed them over, I immediately thought of the Fresh Mango Bread recipe I had seen posted about over and over a few weeks ago on the Tuesdays with Dorie group. I had to try it. My plan was simple, bake the bread on Saturday and bring it to brunch on Sunday to share with my parents as a "thank you" for the yummy mangos. The bread is DEE-Licious! So moist with big, fat chunks of soft mango. Every once in a while, you'll taste the subtle lime flavor and it's just heaven!

This recipe was posted by Kelly of Baking with the Boys. I've made my changes to the ingredients but copied the instructions word for word. She got the recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking (mentioned above):

Fresh Mango Bread

3 large eggs

3/4 flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 cup diced mango (took me 3 mangos to get this much)

3/4 c moist, plump golden raisins

Grated zest of 1 lime

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over-baking).

Whisk the eggs and oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended — the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together. Stir in the mango and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1.5 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted in to the center comes out clean. (If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent). I did this at 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack. Once almost cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and leave out on the counter overnight. The plastic will lock in the moisture.

Wouldn't you know it? After we devoured this delicious bread that I can't say enough good things about, my mom handed me a bowl full of cherries. Look for my next post to be of the Fresh Cherry Pie variety...

Lemon Bar tribute to Liz Lemon

We have a new addition our family. Eric and I adopted a dog from California Underdogs on June 6. We named her Liz Lemon, after our favorite fictional female character in a comedic role. (For those of you who don't watch 30 Rock, you are missing out!)

It's amazing how attached one can get to a pet in such a short period of time. Liz Lemon is super-sweet, loves to cuddle and give kisses, and hardly ever barks. We are in love!

After she'd been staying with us a few days, we started to get very worried about her eating habits. She would go completely nuts for dogie treats, but would refuse to eat dog food. We'd have to hand-feed her the kibble. Then, on her fourth day with us, should wouldn't eat anything, not hand-fed kibble, not even treats. She was very lethargic and sad-looking. We decided to take her to a local vet since the shelter would not return our concerned phone calls. Turns out, Liz Lemon was an active little stray dog, and went and got herself knocked up! Yes, we were dealing with a pregnant pooch. Not to worry, we had already scheduled her spay appointment for the following Monday and the vet said "the spay will just 'take care' of the puppies." At first I was shocked at the calm conclusion that we would just "abort the mission," but the vet eventually explained that, since we had no idea what breed little Liz had mated with, the abortion would be the safest option for her. Oh well, every little girl's dream of mothering little newborn puppies (think 101 Dalmatians) would not be coming true for me.

The worst part about this surgery was the fact that Liz would now have to stay overnight, all alone, at the scary vet's office. We took her in early Monday morning and turned her over. She was so scared and we were so sad. I couldn't stop thinking about that abandoned look in her eyes all day. That night, to take my mind off things, I decided to bake something Lemon-themed. Something yummy to celebrate our new addition, but something also that would keep me busy so I wouldn't focus on the fact that our apartment seemed so empty without her.

I used this recipe I found on My Baking Adventures, where Megan cited Cookies Unlimited.

Cookie Crust

16 tbs unsalted butter, room temp

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

Lemon Topping

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

6 tbs. strained lemon juice (took 2 ripe lemons for me)

1 tbs lemon zest

One 9×13x2 inch pan, buttered and lined with buttered foil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the base, in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating a minute or two, until light. Lower the speed and beat in the flour. Spread the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan, using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth it. Bake the base for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and baked through.

While the base is baking, prepare the topping. Be careful not to over mix the topping, or it will have a coarse textured foam on the top when baked. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up. Whisk in the sugar, then the lemon juice and zest. As soon as the base is baked, remove it from the oven and pour on the topping. Immediately return the pan to the oven and continue baking the squares another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is set and firm. Cool on a rack until completely cooled. To cut the cakes, use the foil to transfer it to a cutting board and slide a long knife or spatula under it to loosen the paper or foil, then pull it away. Trim the edges, use a ruler to mark, then cut the cake into 2 inch squares. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving. For up to several days, store the squares in a tin or plastic container with a tight fitting cover.

I really wanted to eat these, FAST. I cut the first few squares before they were completely cooled and they were way too soft. They need to cool completely to firm up. Oh well, I stuck the rest in the fridge and they were fine the next day. And the next day, we got Liz Lemon back, cone collar and all, and we are happy again :)

Here are some pics I've taken of her with my iPhone (not the best quality, I know, but they are all I have so far):

Fresh Berry Pie

It was Eric's mother's birthday a couple weeks ago and the family requested that we bring the dessert. Oh boy!! I was so excited. I started looking in all my new baking cookbooks for some recipes and decorating ideas. I wanted to bake her the most beautiful and delicious birthday cake. I wanted to experiment with fondant for the first time. I wanted to try all these tips I've been reading about regarding moist layers and crumb coating. I couldn't wait for this exciting project. Then I got an update that she wanted something with berries, not a cake, maybe a pie or a cobbler. Oh well, guess I was going to have to put the cake recipes and the decorating ambitions aside.

I was now challenged with the task of how to make a berry pie fun and unique. How could I make my pie stand out from just any old pie one could purchase from Safeway? I finally came up with a plan to bake a double crust pie with a crumb topping, and buy all the berries at the local Danville Farmer's Market.

I decided on a combination of raspberries and blackberries, but when I was shopping at the market, I came across a whole new berry I'd never heard of before. The Olallieberry! They look like blackberries but their flavor is on the tart side. What a great addition to my pie that was already full of super-sweet raspberries and blackberries. Here are some tips for baking with fresh berries from the Farmer's Market:

• Ask the salesperson when the berries were picked. You want yours picked either that morning or the day prior.
• As soon as you can, remove berries from their containers, they don't want to be stacked on top of each other, getting all smushed.
• Rinse berries with cold water. Be gentle, they are very fragile.
• Stand berries, with the stem crevice down, so they will air dry and water doesn't get locked into that hole. This excess water would totally effect the chemistry of your pie filling, in a bad way. Here's a pic of my little berries drying out, or my "berry army" as I referred to it:

So here's the recipe, mine turned out delicious, yours will too:

Pie Crust

I always use Paula's Perfect Pie Crust. It's very important that all your "wet" ingredients (butter, shortening, and water) are cold. And I highly recommend that you get yourself a pastry blender!

Filling

4-5 cups mixed fresh berries

(I measured mine out in farmer’s market containers – 2 containers of raspberries, 1 blackberries, 1 olallieberries, this came out to just under 5 cups altogether)

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 TBS cornstarch

Almond Crumble Topping, from Jill Novatt

(I especially liked this recipe because it allowed me to use cardamom, a spice I love but rarely get to use)

1 cup flour

3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

4 oz melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one rolled-out pie crust in at 9-inch pie dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. While the crust is cooling, increase oven heat to 400 and prepare the filling.

In a medium sized bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix berries, being very careful not to break them. Gently pour dry ingredients over berries and mix together. Pour filling over cooled pie crust. Roll out remaining pie dough and cut some ventilation holes in the center. Lay crust on top of filling and pinch edges together. Bake for 15 minutes.

While that bakes, prepare the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter and mix. Pull pie out after 15 minutes and "crumble" the topping over the top crust. Reduce oven temp to 350. Return pie to the oven and bake for 30-40 more minutes, until crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove pie from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. This will probably take about 3 hours.

I'm Growin' Older But Not Up

You will know when he's coming to town. The fans will start to "flock" to a nearby outdoor arena parking lot. They are mostly middle-aged, wearing brightly colored Hawaiian print shirts, flower leis, pirate eye patches, grass skirts, coconut bras, their heads adorned with stuffed parrots and sharks, beers and margarittas in hand. They will congregate outside of their decorated vehicles, BBQing Cheeseburgers in Paradise and taking group shots of Tequila, blasting that tropical music and reminiscing about their youth when they used to do this very same thing every year in homage to one of the greatest fun-loving and sun-loving musicians of all time. I am of course describing the yearly Jimmy Buffet concert and his devoted fans.

We call ourselves Parrotheads and there's nothing better for us than leaving our stressful, corporate lives behind to drink some beer and fantasize about a different life on a Carribean shore.

Jimmy came to town on May 19th to one of my favorite venues, The Concord Pavillion (technically the Sleep Train Pavillion but I don't believe in that stuff). In addition to my usual tailgate contribution of Surfers on Acid, I decided some Parrothead-appropriate cupcakes were in order. I decided on the following recipe from the Sweet Treats Cupcake of the Month Club and they were just delicious! Everyone loved them. I was a little skeptical that the batter did not include any eggs (it's a vegan recipe), it was more runny than most cake batter that I've used for cupcakes, but the result was a delicious, exceptionally moist cake, and the Tequila Lime Frosting was so yummy!

Here's the recipe, I'm not Vegan so I made some changes:

Margarita Cupcakes

1/4 cup lime juice

zest of 1 lime

1 cup soy milk, plain or vanilla (I used whole milk)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp tequila (omit it for non-alcoholic cupcakes)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, milk, oil, tequila, vanilla and sugar. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to lime mixture and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Tequila Lime Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tbsp soy milk (again, I used whole milk)

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp tequila (omit it for non-alcoholic cupcakes)

2+ cups confectioners’ sugar

coarse sugar and salt for “rims” (I skipped the salt)

Cream together non-hydrogenated shortening, soy milk, lime juice, tequila, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add in more sugar as needed to make frosting stiff, but spreadable (I probably ended up adding about 3 ½ cups). Spread on cupcakes and roll the edges in a small amount of coarse sugar and salt (poured into a small bowl, so it’s easy to direct it).

Please share with all your brightly decorated friends and family...