My sweet little CUPCAKE

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This article was published 11/05/2011 (5581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON, Ont. — Cupcakes are the current darlings of the sweet-tooth brigade.

They are the focus of at least two specialty-channel television programs and umpteen online blogs; there are cupcake conventions, of a sort; one California wine district stages a cupcake- and wine-tasting tour featuring cupcakes with wine as an ingredient; they are even replacing traditional wedding cakes for many brides.

Bakeries devoted exclusively to cupcakes are springing up in cities across Canada to satisfy public taste for the tasty treats. In Winnipeg, there’s Cupcake Corner at 439 Stradbrook Ave.

Connie Hartley opened Razzle Dazzle Cupcakes in London two years ago, the city’s first cupcake specialty shop. She and her son Steven, her baker, list 80 flavours on the menu and about 18 of those are available to walk-in customers daily. That’s about 300 cupcakes, all made and decorated on site, and most days they’re sold out.

Among her most popular concoctions are red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cake with raspberry frosting, blueberry cake with blueberry frosting, cherry cake with cream cheese frosting and vanilla cake with Skor candy bar pieces and either a vanilla or toffee frosting. Her personal favourite is vanilla cake with amaretto frosting.

In addition, the shop fills orders for bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, corporate events (sometimes up to 1,000 cupcakes) and has a standing order for every London Knights home-stand hockey game. She recently filled an 11-dozen order for each of two residences at the University of Western Ontario.

Running the shop is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Hartley is usually there by 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m. and her workday often doesn’t end until 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. But owning a bakery was a longtime dream for Hartley, a self-taught baker who says she was making cherry pies when she was 10. She used to own a soup-and-sandwich shop but finds the bakery “allows the artistic side of me to come out,” more so with cupcakes than even with cakes.

She thinks the popularity of cupcakes can be attributed to their convenience — no plates or utensils required — and endless combinations of cake, frosting and other decorations. Many brides choose cupcakes over traditional cakes because they offer guests a choice of flavours. These may include fruit-based cakes, carrot-, coconut- or pumpkin-based cakes or what she calls “flavours for big kids,” alcohol-enhanced cupcakes or frosting.

Wedding cupcakes, usually in a small size, are often displayed on a tiered stand to simulate the shape of a wedding cake and many brides get a small, 15-centimetre slab cake for the top of the tier so they have something to cut.

 

— The Canadian Press

Something red, something brown; either one will help lose the frown

 

HERE are two cupcake recipes from baker Connie Hartley owner of Razzle Dazzle Cupcakes in London, Ont.

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Red velvet, an import from the U.S., is one of the most in-demand flavours among customers of baker Connie Hartley, who says it’s the cream cheese frosting that really makes them special.

 

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) sugar

625 ml (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda

15 ml (3 tsp) cocoa powder

250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) vegetable oil

5 ml (1 tsp) white vinegar

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla flavouring

5 ml (1 tsp) almond flavouring

2 eggs (medium or large)

1 bottle red food colouring (30-ml/1-oz size)

Cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line cupcake or muffin tins with paper liners.

Into a large bowl that you’ll use to mix the cake, sift sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder.

Using a hand or table mixer, add buttermilk and mix. Add oil and mix. Add vinegar, vanilla and almond flavouring and mix.

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Mix into batter.

Add food colouring and mix until batter is even in colour.

Scoop into prepared pan, filling cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes about two dozen regular-size cupcakes.

Source: Connie Hartley

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

 

125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

250 g (8 oz) cream cheese

2 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla flavouring

1 box of icing sugar (500 g/1 lb)

250 ml (1 cup) pecans, plus extra for garnish (optional; see note)

 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Add vanilla and icing sugar and beat well. Hand stir in pecans, if using.

Spread icing over cupcakes.

If you have lots of pecans, sprinkle some on top of cupcakes when frosted.

Note: The pecans are especially good if you toast them a bit in the oven before using.

Source: Connie Hartley

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

 

Chocolate- and vanilla-flavoured cupcakes lend themselves to an endless number of frosting and decorating options. These moist cupcakes are paired with classic peanut butter frosting.

 

500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour

500 ml (2 cups) white sugar

175 ml (3/4 cup) cocoa powder

10 ml (2 tsp) baking soda

2 eggs

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk

250 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil

7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) vanilla extract

250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

Peanut butter frosting (recipe follows)

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line cupcake or muffin tins with paper liners.

Into a large bowl, place all ingredients. Mix with electric mixer until mixture is smooth.

Scoop into prepared pan, filling cups 3/4 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool, then frost with peanut butter frosting.

Makes about two dozen regular-sized cupcakes.

 

Peanut Butter Frosting

 

250 ml (1 cup) creamy peanut butter

125 ml (1/2 cup) softened butter

500 ml (2 cups) sifted icing sugar

50 ml (1/4 cup) milk

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and butter on low speed until blended.

Gradually add icing sugar alternately with milk, mixing until thoroughly blended.

Add vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute or until light and creamy.

Source: Connie Hartley