Coffee Addict

I am such a coffee addict! The first thing I think about after I wake up is coffee. I am picky about my coffee, it can't be super bold, and has to have at least 1-2 tablespoon of soymilk in it. I know. I rely on it so much to wake me up every morning, including the weekend.
Anyhow, I not only enjoy cup of joe, I also enjoy coffee anything! So when it comes to cupcakes, mocha is my next choice next to Red Velvet. I'd been wanting to make mocha cupcakes like forever, and finally, I made some! Yay!

I used Peet's Arabian Mocha Java, which is a bold and full bodied coffee, in the cupcake and the frosting. Oh, I used an aeropress to brew the coffee, so it's super smooth and silky! I also used a lot of unsweetened cocoa, so it overpowered the coffee a bit but I could taste a hint of it. I wonder if it's because the coffee already has a hint of chocolate in it, so it just adds to the chocolate flavor more than the coffee. Anyhow, I just used regular Toll House cocoa. I think I should upgrade and use an expensive one to pair with the higher end and delightful Peet's Arabian Mocha Java next time and see how that will turn out. But neverthless, the cupcake still turns out rich and fluffy. It's not too dense and too cakey, just exactly the way I like my cupcake! The buttercream is amazing! It's smooth, not bitter, and has great coffee flavor! I will definitely make that buttercream again. I think I can eat this buttercream shot by shot!

Hau'oli Lā Hānau Alison!

First off, I finally found the piping tip that I'd been looking for forever. It's amazing, and I love it! I tried using it the first time for the batch of cupcakes I am about to blog about below, and ah, the swirls are amazing! Of course, I need more practice as always.

Anyhow! Two or three weeks ago, my cousin Karen ordered a batch of cupcakes from me for her friend, Alison's birthday. Karen requested red velvet cupcakes with a Hawaiian theme. She and Alison went to Hawaii not long ago, and they had a blast.

So I got off work late yesterday. I didn't get a chance to work on the cupcakes until 9, after I was done with dinner and chores. I baked the cupcakes, and while they were cooling, I made the frosting. After that I went onto making the decorations. I never been to Hawaii before, but whenever I think of Hawaii, I think of their flowers and sea turtles! So immediately I started making them. I also made some white chocolate strawberry seashells with a pearl that I used edible pearl dust on. I also used chocolate to make mocha starfish with graham cracker "sand". I realized if it wasn't for the flowers, it would be more like a sea or ocean theme.

I packed everything, and decorated a hour before I handed the cupcakes over to Karen. She loved it, and I hope her friend, Alison does too!

*Update*
Karen told me that Alison loved it very much! When I asked her what she means by loved it. Karen said loved everything of it, look and taste. Yay!!

"Bloody Embryo" + Red Velvet

I hope my title didn't scare you away from reading this. I wasn't referring to a real embryo. See picture below! "Bloody" huh? Get it? Oh yeah, there's blue one too if you refer back to my "Blueberry Velvet" post from December 16. Okay...anyways...

So yesterday, I'd decided to make my favorite cupcakes of all time, Red Velvet. It was for my friend, Lily. It was her birthday yesterday!

The cream cheese frosting turned out really well, it was light, very fluffy and not overly sweet. In fact it was better than usual for some reasons. I have no idea why, I always make it the way I usually make it. My boyfriend said he could easily do a frosting shot with it. Yay!

I was glad my friends enjoyed it. Janny complimented that it wasn't super sweet, and it tasted better than some of the cupcake shops she'd been to. I couldn't been happier!

The cake also turned out very moist and fluffy, and not undercooked-dense at all. I will be making this again in a couple days for my cousin's friend since it's her birthday and it's her favorite cupcake as well. This is the same cousin who told me to make the Winnie the Pooh & Bunny cake for her mom. So this upcoming cupcake batch is going to be my first paid order! (I only charged for materials since I'm still practicing and experimenting my recipes and techniques.) But yes, my first real order! Maybe one day, I'll make my dream come true by opening a cafe/bakery. In the meantime, I'll patiently wait, do my biotech job, earn money and bake more goodies.

Blueberry Velvet

I was inspired by the Blue Velvet cake I had from Milk Cafe & Ice Creamery the last time I was in LA. With blueberries in seasons, I whipped up a batch of cupcakes almost like it.

Cupcake batter can be like a work of art, especially when food coloring is involved! I tried to use as minimal amount as possible because what goes in must come out, and it won't be as pretty as before.

I love blueberries. They are great snacks filled with anti-oxidants and vitamin C. I kind of over added blueberries in the cupcakes though. The texture of the cupcakes differ depends on how much you add. If you want mushy blueberries in every bite, then add more! If you want more cake, then add less.

Whipped up enough for my relatives who came over to visit.

Bluish green inside since I didn't add too much food coloring. It is still a blue velvet though!

Moist and sweet, but not overly sweet.

Honey Lemon Cupcakes

I was inspired to make this cupcake when I saw a photo of cupcakes with some candy bees in Women's Day magazines. I was really excited to make the bees more than the cupcakes actually, haha.

I used yellow peanut M&M's for the bees. In the magazines, they use toosie roll for the stripes, but I am not a big toosie rolls fan, so I used chocolate.  I melted some chocolate and with a fork, I put eyes and stripes on the bees. For the wings, the magazine used clear spice drop candy, which I had no idea what it is, so I used sliced almond instead.

The frosting for my first batch was  super duper sour. So I tasted the frosting as I mix the second one. Working with lemon is tricky since they are so sour.

Buzzzzzz....

Gimme Gimme S'more!

Oh! What's one goodie goodness that's crunchy on the outside and gooey and chewy in the inside? S'more!

S'more makes a great holiday treat! It's a delightful treat that's simple and perfect for a comfort dessert!
Hmmm, warm gooey center and a crunchy outter layer! It makes a great little gift to bring to work as well as a party!
Although I must say, it's super hard to wrap this baby up without the bag being sticky! Sooo, I have turned it into a cupcake!
A s'more is not a s'more without it's components! A crunchy graham cracker outter layer!
Gooey chocolate center!
Still chocolatey and moist!
Last but not least, top it off with sticky gooey marshmallow meringue frosting!
Can serve it the way it is.
Or semi-burnt if you like!

This is how it looks like in the inside!
Stay Warm & Happy Holidays!