Endless Cupcakes -

by C. Christy Concrete

Mint Julep Cupcakes

_{No more for me, thanks; I’m driving.}

May isn’t the most holiday-heavy month of the year, and because of that, most people tend to associate it with one of two days: Memorial Day, which is a real holiday, and Cinco de Mayo, which is not. For people of the Southern persuasion, however, May is all about the first Saturday of the month: the running of the first leg of the Triple Crown, the most exciting two minutes in sports, Kentucky Derby Day. Big hats, mint juleps, blue grass, Hot Browns, mint juleps, bourbon, fried green tomatoes, mint juleps, etc. Oh, and there’s a horse race or something, too.

But you needn’t celebrate horse racing for only three days of the year. (Fine, just two days – only douchebag frat boys celebrate Preakness.)

Like most legacy cocktails, the history of the mint julep is clouded in the hangover of the past. The name itself is a mutation of the Persian word for “rosewater,” and we can see how far it’s come from that simple definition. Even just a debate over the proper preparation of the drink is equivalent to fightin’ words in some circles of the Deep South. Muddle the mint or no? Simple syrup or superfine sugar? Cracked ice or seltzer water? It hardly matters, since a long drink like the mint julep is little more than a bourbon delivery system anyway. Besides, we’re making cupcakes today, albeit those of the boozy, minty, julep-y variety.

My horse lost, by the way. Stupid longshots. Off to the glue factory, you worthless flea biscuit!

by C. Christy Concrete

Cupcake Rampage: Red Velvet Cupcakes

_{Like any proper Southern belle, the red velvet cupcake never goes anywhere without a stylish hat.}

The American South’s red velvet cake is another one of those regional favorites whose fame has far outlasted its own origins. No one seems to know exactly why these traditionally local confections were tinted red in the first place, and the stories that are traded around vary wildly and don’t include much fact-checking. I’m neither from the South nor a traditionalist, so for a little more insight, I consulted the closest thing I know to a Southern belle, my friend Ruby in Florida:

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes 15 comments

by C. Christy Concrete

Cupcake Rampage: Maple Muffincakes

Maple cupcakes, er, muffins? Doesn’t matter to whoever couldn’t wait and took a bite already.

Some vegans balk at consuming honey, especially mass-produced honey, claiming it’s a product of animal labor. Not too many people would say the same thing about maple syrup, even though it arguably exploits a plant of its natural resources, keeping them hooked up to galvanized buckets all winter like intensive care patients or perennial blood donors. That’s a debate I’m not willing to engage in today. Today, we’re making cupcakes. Or maybe muffins? What’s the difference, anyway? Another conversation for the ages…

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes / Recipe 5 comments

by C. Christy Concrete

Cupcake Rampage: Meyer Lemon Gems

Editor’s Note: A food blog without cupcakes is like a birthday cake with no candles. It’s just not right. Since you know none of us around here have the whole baking thing down, C. Christy Concrete has stepped up to share some mouthwatering cupcake porn (and other culinary adventures). Please give our newest ES-er a tasty welcome.

The Meyer lemon is commonly held up as the crown jewel of the citrus world. Unlike its brassy, astringent cousins, this alleged offspring of an unholy union between a true lemon and a sweet orange flaunts a round, BBW-esque body, smooth, supple skin, and bright, fruity fragrance. When juiced, fresh Meyers are literally hemorrhagic, they are easily reamed clean of pulp and pith, and when bruised in such a manner, the skin releases copious amounts of oil that will scent your hands for hours afterwards. The skin of a Meyer is edible, although it doesn’t taste like much. The juice, while still too bitter to drink straight, tingles the tongue gently with a sweet, spicy nose.

For the most part, all this adoration is justified. The difference between Meyers and regular lemons is similar to how know-it-all chefs treat the olive oils on their shelves. The coveted extra virgin olive oil is reserved for dressings and topping-off dishes, while regular old summer-weight olive oil is fine for use as a lubricant and emulsifier, when flavor is less important. Similarly, garden-variety Eurekas and Lisbons may be functionally fine for whisking into vinaigrettes or showering over roast fish, but a Meyer is reserved for such time when you want its unique twang to stand out.

Although three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit is hot enough to be considered abusive to this twang-y flavor, we still tried using Meyers in a cupcake just to see what happens; in this case, the Lemon Gem cupcakes from Vegan With A Vengeance:

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes 6 comments

by BS

Top 10 Weirdest Food Halloween Costumes

We kicked the week off by looking at the top ten cutest food halloween costumes, but for some of you (and us) baby-less, pet-less people, Halloween is less about embarrassing your tiny loved ones, and more about letting your own freak flag fly sky-high. So today, here’s a look at the Top Ten Weirdest Food Halloween Costumes:

10. Real Life Ramen

Via: WTF Costumes

Who does this? And where is the lime-chili shrimp flavor?

9. The T-Boner

Via: BuyCostumes.com

The most amazing thing about this ad is that they got the guy to actually pose just as douchebaggy as you would expect someone who bought this costume to look. They say it’s hard to screw up steak, but…well done.

8. Giant Furry Cupcake

Via: Myspace

in Endless Cupcakes / Holiday / Lists 22 comments

by BS

Who Cooked It Better? Bacon Cupcakes

Chalk up another win for the blogs over the MSM, as Sushi Day’s steak sushi rolls over Gourmet, 58 percent to 42 percent in last week’s Who Cooked It Better.

For this week’s contest, we’re going with a hot new trend that combines a possibly tired trend with a classic taste to make everything new and creative again. Confused? You’ll understand in a second.

As you know, cupcakes have been quite the ubiquitous presence over the past few years, to the extent where some are declaring them so over already. I liked them better myself in grade school, when they weren’t trendy and didn’t cost nine dollars, but I think we can all agree, overexposed or not, these little devils are delicious.

One thing that is definitely not over is bacon, so it was only a matter of time before bacon collided with cupcakes to create something God is kicking himself for not inventing. Bacon cupcakes are here indeed, and all of a sudden they seem to have taken over the food blogosphere. I browsed through said blogosphere to find the best of the best, and there are no half-assed bacon-topped cupcakes here, each of these three contenders mix actual bacon into their batter to present three tantalizing recipes.

On the left is one of the first known versions of the mythical bacon cupcake. From the Vanilla Garlic blog, this maple bacon cupcake is for “those who eat with no fear,” and it sure lives up to that claim. Diced bacon is mixed into the brown sugar-maple syrup cupcake, which is then topped with a maple syrup-butter frosting and finished off with a sweet and salty kick from turbinado sugar and kosher salt. (Note: This does not make the cupcake kosher in any way). Full recipe here.

Appearing in the middle, No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner throws a chocolate spin on the BC, dreaming up an amazing coffee-buttermilk-dark chocolate-bacon batter. While she doesn’t give us a chocolate frosting recipe, she more than makes up for it by sprinkling bonus bacon (crispy, of course) on top of the cupcake. Full recipe here.

A Good Appetite, on the left, also goes with the dark chocolate theme, whipping up a batch of Hershey’s dark cocoa batter, topped with some dark chocolate frosting and a sprinkling of fleur de sel for that extra salty (and artsy!) touch. Extra points for some creative black and white photography. Full recipe here.

Wow I am hungry after writing all that up. I, for one, will surely be trying one of these recipes soon – so which one?

Find more cupcake commentary in Endless Cupcakes

(Photos: Vanilla Garlic, No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner, and A Good Appetite)

in Bacon / Desserts / Endless Cupcakes / Trends 17 comments

by BS

My Cupcake Runneth Over

File this post under reason number 10,493 why I’m not allowed to have an office job and communicate with real live co-workers everyday.

So I’m working this freelance gig at a very trendy, stylish Manhattan publication. For Halloween, one of the editors brought in a box of cupcakes from some fancy-shmancy 12-dollar-a-cupcake bakery. I have made plenty of fun of the upper class cupcake trend, but I have to admit, these suckers were pretty great. Buttery vanilla cake with creamy pistachio frosting. They weren’t McAdams-loves-Gosling good, but they sure beat the hell out of that jar of stale tootsie rolls.

Once I finished licking the frosting off and devouring the cupcake, I was left sitting here staring at that delicious empty cupcake wrapper on my desk. I know, I know, you’re saying “hold up – delicious wrapper?!? What the hell?”

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes / Personal / Trends 9 comments