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The question of how to celebrate a 21st birthday when you don't drink can be a little bit tricky, and a whole lot-a-bit anticlimactic. Around me, everyone is excited for their turn to legally hit the bars and otherwise keep doing what they've been doing for years. The hype surrounding turning 21, therefore, seems a little silly to me; but nonetheless, I wanted something at my family gathering that would acknowledge that I can now be turned loose on the alcohol scene, if I so chose. Immediately, I thought of these little gems - well, okay, not these exactly. I actually had my heart set on strawberry daquiri cupcakes but couldn't find a recipe that I was satisfied with. So, immediately after that realization, I thought of these little gems. These margarita cupcakes are from Annie's Eats, which I must have stumbled upon as a result of Food Buzz or some other happenstance search. I don't actually follow her blog, but judging by the beauty and flavor of these cupcakes, I should probably start!

I chose to miniaturize the cupcakes, simply because it was only a luncheon and we were already having fruit and cookies. As attached as I am to the idyllic, giant layer cake for my birthday, I found the individual cupcakes and cookies to be much more of a hit. Think about it: no one wants that big slab of cake, really. I mean, everyone wants it, but no one will take it in public. Everyone says to the cake cutter, "just give me a small piece. No, not even that big. A little smaller, a little smaller, a little...there! Thanks!" and they walk away with this little tiny sliver. At least, that's been my experience. So, baby cupcakes it was.

The other modification I made was in keeping with Annie's suggestion that the tequila flavor didn't come through too well. Now, ordinarily, this wouldn't faze me, since the more something tastes like alcohol, the less I like it, anyway. However, she makes the very good point that without that hint of tequila, there's nothing to make the cupcake special; it's just a lime cupcake - delicious, but certainly not margarita-inspired. So, I brushed the tops of the cupcakes liberally with tequila, and think that I could have been a little more generous in the icing, even.

I found these margarita cupcakes to be intensely flavorful, yet far from heavy. The lime came bursting through, the tequila shyly let you know it was there, and the cupcake remained moist even after refrigeration. I actually just finished up the last one last night (I know, almost two weeks old, gross), and I really wasn't disappointed. I certainly wouldn't serve anyone else two week old cupcakes, and the safety of consuming the meringue frosting may have been a little questionable - and I may not advise you to let these little suckers hang on for so long before they're devoured (mine only did because my family really doesn't eat homemade baked goods when they're sitting in the kitchen) - but the point is, they were not stale.

Margarita Cupcakes complete with Swiss Meringue Lime Buttercream, courtesy of Annie's Eats
Yield: 24 regular cupcakes (I halved the recipe to get 48 minis)
The Ingredients - The Cupcakes
3 C all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I use salted butter, so I omitted this)
1 C / 2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 C sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C buttermilk (alternatively, 1 C milk & 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, allowed to sit on the counter for a bit)

The Ingredients - The Icing
*I halved this and still wound up with an extraordinary amount. I think I could have eighth-ed this and been fine.
2 C sugar
8 egg whites
pinch of fleur de sel (coarse salt)
1 1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used salted, but didn't omit the salt mentioned above because I was worried it would have an effect on the chemical processes going on)
2 1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2-4 Tbsp. tequila, plus extra for brushing the tops of the cupcakes

The Method - The Cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line or grease muffin tins.
2. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl and blend with a fork.
3. Separately, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, roughly 3-5 minutes.
4. One at a time, add the eggs, making sure to pause between each time for adequate blending.
5. Add the vanilla and lime zest and juice, then lower the mixer speed to low.
6. Working in additions, incorporate the flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure to allow everything to mix thoroughly before pouring the next addition.
7. Spoon or ladle the batter into the muffin tins, filling each one approximately 3/4 of the way full. I was hesitant with mine and don't think I filled them enough, resulting in some pretty small/short cupcakes - so don't be afraid! Fill 'em on up!
8. Bake regular cupcakes for 20-24 minutes or smaller ones for roughly 10-12 minutes, testing centers with a toothpick for doneness (it should come out pretty clean). Let the pan cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to wire rack to complete cooling.
9. Optionally, brush the cooled cupcakes with a little tequila.

The Method - The Icing
1. Set a pot of water to simmering, being sure to keep the water level relatively low. While the water is heating, add the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof bowl, and place over the water once it's ready. Whisk the mixture frequently until it reaches 160 degrees and the sugar has dissolved.
2. Pour this mixture into a stand mixer (due to the length of time and power needed for this recipe, I would not recommend a hand mixer at all) and, with the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high until it forms stiff peaks and the mixture has cooled down, roughly 8 minutes.
3. Reduce the speed to medium, then add the butter - 2 tbsp. at a time - waiting, again, to add the next "block" until the previous one has had a chance to incorporate itself. At this point, the frosting may thin out and look a little soupy or curdled, which is normal. Continue to beat on medium-high until it thickens up again - a process that could take anywhere from five minutes all the way up to thirty. Patience is key.
4. Once the desired consistency has been reached again, stir in and fully incorporate the lime juice and tequila. I used the lower end of tequila, but might add an extra tablespoon next time.
5. If using the same day, the icing can be left at room temperature. Otherwise, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month. Note that if not using that same day, you might have to re-beat the icing after refrigeration/freezing just to smooth it out again (this is quick, not the up-to-30-minute time frame of before).
6. Frost the cupcakes and garnish with lime slices and/or zest, if desired. I tried this, but the zest dried out overnight and honestly looked more like a certain illegal substance than lime zest, so I left them plain and simply scattered some mint leaves around the arrangement.

I have but one complaint with this recipe. That swiss meringue frosting that looks so stunning and pristine in Annie's pictures, was the absolute bane of my existence that night in the kitchen. I heated the eggs and I added them to the mixture and beat them into beautiful stiff peaks, and then I added the butter and journeyed on and I beat, and I beat, and I beat, and I beat that frosting for forty minutes, to no avail. Now, my birthday is in the dead of August, that part where humidity around here just comes in for the kill, and it has for two years now been merciless with my cakes. Excessive heat and humidity are not conducive to baking, and I blame the weather entirely for my failure.

So there I was, the night before my party, the day I got home from vacation and driving for hours on end, staring into the bottomless pit of deceivingly angelic-white, liquidy meringue. I stuck it in a bowl in the fridge overnight and prayed that it would all work out in the morning. Of course, the morning brought little more than a slightly-firmed-but-liable-to-melt-back-again frosting that could in no way be piped. So, I piped it anyway. Naturally. And it came out in a little blob in the center of the cupcake.

And you know what? They looked absolutely adorable! I love how they turned out, and although they look less impressive than they would have had I been able to pipe them with an actual tip, I'm very happy with the end result.

So, in the end, I urge you to try these cupcakes. They are perfect little morsels of citrus and summer contained in little cupcake wrappers. The frosting is a pain, and I firmly believe that no frosting is worth the time and aggravation that went into this recipe. That being said, it can take less time than what I experienced, so if you're ambitious and curious, or just downright stubborn, give it a shot. But next time I personally plan to modify a less tempestuous butter cream recipe to embody the margarita flavors instead of repeating this one, and see no shame in it.

I told you last time that dessert for my sister's graduation party didn't end with the epic cake, although in some people's opinions, it might as well have. This is because that raspberry and chocolate ganache cake stole the spotlight away from these subtle little gems. The dense richness of a black forest dessert can't compete with the layered perfection of that cake, and putting them up against each other wasn't fair. Over the course of the week, I gave them second, third, and fourth chances, ignoring the cake and just trying them on their own. And I have to say, these "Black Bottom" Black Forest Cupcakes are solid desserts.

That being said, I fudged up the recipe. You see, when checking my ingredients before going food shopping, I looked in my cabinet and saw a container of cocoa powder, and said, "Oh, good, I won't need to pick any up." Lesson learned: before deciding that you have an ingredient, open it up and check how much of it is left. While the recipe called for 1/2 C, I had a meager 1/4, something I did not realize until spooning it out into my measuring cup to use. Oops.

There were a few areas of these recipe in which I took chances. First, before even getting to the cocoa powder mishap, this recipe is for a cake. A big, whole cake. And as much as I would love for it to be as easy as pouring the cake batter into a muffin pan instead of a cake tin and cooking it for a shorter period of time, I'm developing the sneaking suspicion that some recipes just don't work like that. I took a chance, assuming that this would be fine. For all I know, it would have been if that were the only chance I took.

Then, there was the cocoa powder. It calls for Dutch Process, I didn't have it and neither did the store. I remember reading an article a little while back about the differences between them, but heck if I can recall exactly what it said. So I used my Hershey's powder. All 1/4 C of it. And then, I let out a groan, and had to figure out what to do with the empty space in my 1/2 C measuring cup.

I shaved chocolate down as fine as I could. So, in addition to my cocoa powder, I added 1/4 C of the best shaved 100% dark chocolate I could manage, and added it to the sifter to be double sifted. Clearly, many of my chocolate shavings did not go through. So I dumped them in after. Why not?

Finally, there is no leavening agent in this recipe. Rewind: there is no baking soda or powder (or yeast for that matter, of course). There are eggs, whipped up to be 3x their original volume. This should be enough. It should be enough, but not if you sit there and over fold them, which I presumably - though not definitely - did.

Needless to say, the combination of potentially overzealous egg mixture folding and adding denser chocolate than is called for resulted in a, well, dense little "cupcake." And by cupcake, I mean it was more of a brownie masquerading in cupcake attire. The cupcakes not only failed to rise, but fell in the center a little bit, leaving a little divet in the middle; additionally, you could see a clear division between the top 2/3 of the cupcake and the bottom 1/3, which was much darker. Three guesses as to where my 100% chocolate shavings wound up.

The original recipe is not called a Black Bottom Black Forest Cupcake. However, that is a much more accurate description of what I produced. As it turns out, I could play the layered effect off as intentional, and the well in the center of the cupcakes turned out to be a perfect holder for the poached cherry component. And, once you add a big (artistically piped) blog of homemade whipped cream on top, the fact that they're much more like brownies than light and fluffy cupcakes becomes significantly less of an issue. The verdict? I kind of liked my mess up this time. Because of this, I'm going to give you both versions of the recipe - I have the sneaking suspicion that the original is much more appetizing, in a soft, fluffy, moist, traditional-Black-Forest-flavors kind of way, but my changes didn't belly flop, either.

Black Forest Cake / Black Bottom Black Forest Cupcakes, courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Yield: 8-10 servings or roughly 15 cupcakes Ingredients - The Cake
1/2 C (2oz./60g) cake (soft wheat) flour (change: I used 1/2 C all-purpose, simply because I forgot I was supposed to use cake flour until it was too late)
1/2 C (2oz./60g) Dutch-process cocoa powder (change: 1/4 C non-Dutch process cocoa powder + 1/4 C finely shaved 100% chocolate)
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 C (5 1/2oz./155g) granulated sugar
1/2 C (4oz/110g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
Ingredients - The Filling
2 1/2 C (20fl.oz./560mL) heavy cream
2 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. Kirsch (change: Kirsch is expensive and, as I found out, pretty hard to come by around these parts - I used 2 tsp. liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries instead.)
Sugar Syrup (recipe below)
Poached Cherries (recipe below) or approx. 1 C maraschino cherries, drained (I used the maraschinos since, come on, who can find cherries at this time of the year?)
Semi-sweet (plain) chocolate curls (change: I used 100% chocolate)

The Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a 9x3 in. round cake pan with parchment paper, or - if making cupcakes - grease and flour or line muffin tins with paper liners (I managed to get 18 cupcakes out of the recipe, however due to its lack of rising, I should have filled each one higher, resulting in fewer cupcakes total).
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside. Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar with the whisk on high speed until tripled in volume, about five minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
3. Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture in 2 additions and carefully fold in with a large rubber spatula.
4. Fold a large dollop into the melted butter, then fold back into the egg mixture.
5. Pour onto the prepared pan or muffin tins and smooth the top(s). Bake until the cake is puffed (or, in my case, a toothpick comes out clean), 30-35 min. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Meanwhile, make the filling and frosting: Whip the cream and confectioners' sugar to medium-stiff peaks. In a small bowl, combine the kirsch and sugar syrup.
7a. For a cake, run a table knife around the edge of the pan and unmold the cake onto a work surface. Turn right side up, leaving the parchment paper in place. Cut the cake into 2 equal layers. Put the the top layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Brush with some of the syrup, then spread with about 1/4 of the whipped cream. Strew the cherries over the cream (reserve one for garnish), leaving a 1/2-in. border of cream around the edge. Position the middle layer on the cream. Brush with some of the syrup and spread with another fourth of the cream. Position the third layer, cut side down, on the cream and peel off the paper. Brush with the remaining syrup. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. Press the chocolate curls onto the top of the cake. Put the reserved cherry in the middle. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7b. For cupcakes, brush a generous amount of syrup over the tops of the cupcakes. Top with poached or maraschino cherries, leaving a small border on the outside. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream frosting on top, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sugar Syrup
Ingredients
1/2 C (2oz./60g) granulated sugar
1/4 C (2fl.oz./60ml) water

The Method
1. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If a flavoring is indicated, stir it into the cooled syrup.

Poached Cherries
Ingredients
1 3/4 C (14fl.oz./390ml) water
1/3 C (2 1/2oz./70g) granulated sugar
1 C (6oz./170g) fresh pitted Bing or other dark sweet cherries

The Method
1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the cherries and reduce the heat to low. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and let the cherries cool, then drain; discard the syrup (reserving approx. 2tsp. if substituting for Kirsch).
Note: frozen or jarred cherries may also be used. Cook the frozen cherries as directed; jarred cherries have already been poached.

So, there you have it! The "opening act" to the star of graduation desserts, but nonetheless deserving of its own post. I will have to try these Black Bottom Black Forest Cupcakes as they were originally intended sometime - in cake form and everything - and then see if I can turn my mistakes into a fine-tuned new way of looking at this German classic.

Tonight commenced the first part of my preparation for tomorrow's Puppy Birthday Extravaganza, what's really an excuse for me to bake and cook for the same event and get more people to show up to eat it. But, as it's past midnight, my puppy, Yogi, is officially a one-year-old, a bona-fide big boy. So, I decided today I would get together with one of my friends to bake and decorate the cake - because juggling cooking responsibilities is still chaotic enough for me without adding another course the day of.


Of course, as soon as I got my camera out to document our progress, the Birthday Boy himself came running over for his own close up.

In all my relief of having finished baking, decorating, and escorting my friend back home after such a long day, I left the cookbook with the recipe in it downstairs. I will have to edit this in the morning with the full recipe. Overall, I'm disappointed in the cake's texture and flavor. It is a vanilla buttercream, and came out dry. I had to make a few adjustments based on what I had on hand, so maybe that's what did it, but it's a good thing there's a layer of chocolate buttercream followed by a layer of fondant. It would be a deliciously flavored cake if only it had turned out moister.

In terms of decorating, though, I have to say - I impressed even myself. I searched the internet for ideas for the cake (the cake itself I was hoping to be edible for humans and dogs, but upon running out of confectioner's sugar without enough icing to complete the cake, the only way I could think of increasing the volume was adding chocolate chips - so the cupcakes are done with a simple glaze so the pooch can have his share). I finally settled upon a Blue's Clue's cake, which I thought looked the most like Yogi. It called for one round cake along with several cupcakes for the ears, and my friend and I both agreed that before carving the head a little and adding the frosting, Yogi the Cake was looking a lot like a bunny rabbit. After adding everything, though - wow! Ace of Cakes, eat your heart out!


Not too shabby, eh? The fondant was a little patchy, the icing was a gamble, and the addition of chocolate makes the majority of the baked goods inedible for the guest of honor, but I really am pleased with the result. We even had a bunch of extra cupcakes lying around, so we heated up some Apricot preserves, strained them, brushed them on as a glaze, and decorated with fondant paw prints.



We started baking at 3:00 and, including an extended dinner break, did not finish until 10pm. Needless to say, it was a long day of baking, and everyone - even the pup - was tired by the end of it.

But then, tomorrow is only a few hours of sleep away, and I have a whole dinner ahead of me waiting to be cooked. I have a feeling you will be hearing from me again shortly.


edit: The Recipe - Vanilla Buttercream Cake from "Cupcakes" the cookbook, and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from "Perfect Cupcakes" the cookbook.

Ingredients
Yield: 1 9-in. cake + 10 cupcakes (this recipe is 2.5x the original one; the original did not make enough for this cake design)
for the cake:
15 T. butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 C sugar
5 eggs
2 1/2 cup self-rising flour (substitution: 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour + 5 T. baking powder)
7 1/2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 6-hole oversize (Texas) or 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper baking cups (Note: if you're making the puppy cake, you will have to fill a greased 9-in. cake pan halfway with icing, and then make at least 6 additional cupcakes).

Beat the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in a small bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler color.

Divide mixture among baking cups; smooth surface.

Bake large cakes about 25 min., small cakes about 20 min. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

for the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (substitution: 1/2 cup salted butter)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 T. heavy cream
*addition: a guestimated amount of melted chocolate chips to increase volume when I ran out of confectioners' sugar without enough icing to frost the whole cake

Instructions
In a medium bowl, use a hand-held mixer on medium speed to beat together the confectioners' sugar and butter until blended. Beat in the vanilla; then, beat in enough of the cream to achieve a soft consistency suitable for spreading or piping.

Assembly, courtesty of familyfun.go.com
To shape the dog's face, cut out two half circles on both sides of the "top" of the cake round. For the tongue, cut out a triangle shape in the middle of the "bottom" of the cake.

For each ear, line up three cupcakes at the top of both sides of her head. Cut one cupcake in half and, on the last cupcake, use a toothpick to connect one half on each side.

Ice the entire cake and cupcakes (wrappers removed), and lay prepared fondant in desired colors and patterns. Use extra frosting to add the marshmallow eyes (take 1 marshmallow and cut in half lengthwise, and trim corners to make a rounder shape) and fondant pupils, nose, and eyebrows.


Also, after trying the cake again, I have no complaints. No, it is certainly no moist angel food cake, but the flavors blend well and it has a nice homemade taste/feel to it. I definitely enjoyed my piece tonight during my Thursday night t.v. show!