Boy! What a hectic weekend that was now that I look back on it! I have not been around my computer ever since summer vacation started (gee, I wonder why) and I'm trying to update as much as possible. I have just crossed off three recipes! Yes...THREE recipes! I am so excited and happy! Yippee! I guess this mission is going better than I thought it would. Sadly, I was in such a rush that I didn't have time to take lots of pictures (cry cry).
On Friday, June 4th, I made Butter Almond Teacakes. Teacakes are for fancy party clothes, so that you didn't happen to drop a small, bite-sized cake, slathered in frosting and ending up having a big gloppy mess on your expensive dress. This starting glazes and such. And somehow they ending up going to a party. These were for my neighbors farewell party. She is in college, but she had to come home because she had cancer. So after a long year away from college and a year filled with Chemotherapy she is going back to see her friends and graduate somehow. And since I was very busy I had to find the most "Grab the stuff and Throw it in the Bowl" kind of cupcakes. Who would have known that I would have had ALMOND PASTE in my cupboard? Almond paste. Out of EVERYTHING to have in your cupboard, do you think you would have ALMOND PASTE? I hope almond paste doesn't expire easily. OH crap.
Anyway. Expired almond paste or not, they were DELICIOUS! They came out perfectly puffy! They smelled so good! It made me think of rainbows, sunshine, and WAIT A MINUTE! I'm getting off subject. It made me think of a good book and a hug (random) When I got to the party, I tried hiding them for after potluck dinner, but everyone had already spotted them. And then they just started to "disappear".
And the other two recipes were for a Birthday Party! My friend asked if I would make them. I of course said YES! So a scrounged around the cookbook if I could find something fun and that screamed, "EAT ME FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY!!" So the two Birthday girls agreed on the one that I liked the best. It was Chocolate-covered Brownie Ice-cream cone Cupcakes and Raspberry Ice-cream cone Cupcakes. Yes...in this recipe it uses ICE-CREAM CONES!
So now I know to ALWAYS have a few people around to make these cupcakes. Because in order to have the cones stand up without falling down you have to wrap tin foil around them and have the foil clinging to edges. It was incredibly hard. So since I was in a big time rush (it was 8 pm by now) I grabbed the cupcake pan stuff and scooted out of the kitchen so fast you couldn't believe it. I found a good couple of people doing absolutely NOTHING and I threw it at them and said, "Here, look at the cone example and DO THE REST!" Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but who cares? So everything went on from there. I melted the chocolate. And I cracked the eggs and I sifted the flour, baking powder, and salt. And finally I came out with a beautiful batter, rich with chocolate and loaded with chocolate chips. I felt invincible!
So feeling better that I had completed one recipe I dove straight into the next one. Which was HARD! The kitchen was a disaster! I have never been that dirty all my life! Egg shells covered the bottom of my sink and batter had been sprayed all over the kitchen wall. My mixing bowls drowned in various liquids and whatnot. The raspberry ones were more complex than the chocolate. For this, you had to make a sort-of meringue, that you folded into the the second batter and then folded in the raspberries. It looked so fluffy and perfect. But strangely it was a LOT more batter than that of the chocolate batter. By now I reached into the oven for my Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes. They. Had. Not. Risen. They were thoroughly baked, but not puffed up, like the picture had shown. Disaster! Disaster! Think! Wait a second! I got it! PUT ICE CREAM ON THE TOP WHEN I SERVE THEM! Pure genius!
Alright! Throw the raspberry cupcakes into the oven and time for...Cleanup! A Janitors Mission...um no. Not exactly. But I did have a mound of dishes awaiting to be cleaned. So I quickly did as many dishes as possible, so I could make the raspberry and chocolate topping. Finally, after a never-ending session of cleaning a pile of dishes, not to mention the ones that had been used for dinner I managed to make the raspberry topping. Pulled the cupcakes out of the oven and WOW! They were perfect! They had risen! I poured the toppings on both and put sprinkles on! And wallah! Perfecto! Or so I thought.
IN the raspberry cupcakes, the raspberries were sour almost. As if the sugar from the cupcakes had not sunk into them while baking. And the cones were kinda soggy unlike the chocolate ones. Sigh. Oh well.
On the day of the party for my very amazing friends I was hovering over the cupcakes and the people eating them. I hoped that all my hard work would pay off, by seeing the satisfactory smiles suddenly appear on their faces. Mouthfuls of cupcakes later, I asked, "How were they?" And everybody loved them! I hope. And then the party went on from there. SO a pretty successful weekend that was!
