May Monthly Competition

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  10 months – done!  I can’t believe it!  Only 2 more months before the year is done.  After today, only 2 more Monthly Champs remain.  Let’s see which May Cupcake will join the ranks.  Our competitors are:

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Grasshopper Cupcakes

Peachy Bourbon Crumble Cupcakes

Insanely Moist & Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

Time to see which cupcake wins:

Thanks to my Cupcake Panel – Carly, Aida, Rob & Maggie.  And, of course, thanks to my hubby and cameraman, Ken, for all filming and original music!  Check back tomorrow when I start June’s cupcakes.

 

Day 304 – Gluten-free Lemon Cupcakes

It’s the last day of the month again.  You know what that means.  A “different” cupcake.  (And, of course, a Monthly Competition later today.  Don’t forget!)  And what better way to do a different cupcake this month than…Lemon!  Gluten-free Lemon Cupcakes (recipe below from Lemon Drop).

    

The cupcakes are dense and a little mealy. I can really feel the granules in the flours. But they melt away pretty quickly. The have a nice, light lemon flavor. Almost an afterthought. Not very sweet though.

The frosting is fluffy and creamy. It has a light cream cheese sugary flavor with just the slightest hint of lemon.

    

The sugary frosting more than makes up for the lack of sugar in the cupcake. Together they offer a nice, light lemon flavor. Not aggressive at all. The texture of the cupcake still throws me a little bit, but with the frosting it all just kinda melts in my mouth.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4.5
• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Gluten-free Lemon Cupcakes (recipe from Lemon Drop)

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil
zest from one large lemon

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon pure lemon oil

For directions visit Lemon Drop.

*Tomorrow: Angel Food Cupcakes*

 

Weekly Winner #40

To say that this week has been variety packed would be…well…putting it lightly.  Looking back, this week was down right nuts!

Fried Ice Cream Cupcakes

Darth Velvet Cupcakes

Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Kumquat Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes

Fresh Lime Cupcakes

Insanely Moist & Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

And, with 20 points, the winner is….

The Insanely Moist & Decadent Cupcakes from Dishing the Divine.  Check out that yummy day here.  And check back tomorrow to see how it does in our Monthly Competition against these cupcakes:

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Grasshopper Cupcakes

Peachy Bourbon Crumble Cupcakes

Day 303 – Insanely Moist and Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

Today is my dad’s birthday!!

That’s my parents.  Aren’t they cute?!  And, just because I’ve tortured other family members with oldies-but-goodies…

(In order, that’s my dad, me and my sister…yup….I’m the chubby one…)

This one’s just because I love it soooo much!

Now, I must confess, I get my sweet tooth from my dad.  Hands down.  My love of chocolate.  Also from my dad.  No doubt about it. My mom is a lemon dessert fan, my dad is a chocolate dessert fan.  (Yes.  That means that every time I bake for them, there must be 2 kinds of dessert.)  So, when I was picking out his birthday cupcake this year, I knew it had to be something chocolatey. But chocolate without complications.  And these Insanely Moist and Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes (recipe below from Dishing the Divine) were calling my name!  Or…well…his name, more accurately.

    

The cupcakes are indeed moist and very delicate. They have a light, sweet chocolate taste. Not dark at all. Almost milk chocolate. But so delicate and smooth, you almost forget it’s cake.

The frosting is thick and smooth. It’s almost like a really thick pudding or mousse in consistency. It has a nice chocolate flavor as well. Definitely darker than the cupcake, but not super dark or bitter.

    

The frosting definitely takes a front seat to the cake, so there’s no need to overfrost. But this is a smooth, creamy and surprisingly delicate chocolatey cupcake. I like the 2 different types of chocolate. They work nicely together. It’s not overstated or complicated. Just a simple, good chocolate cupcake.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4.5
• Frosting Taste: 4
• Overall Taste: 4
• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4
• TOTAL: 20

RECIPE

Insanely Moist and Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes (recipe from Dishing the Divine)

Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup boiling water
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 12 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For directions visit Dishing the Divine.

*Tomorrow: Gluten-free Lemon Cupcakes*

 

Day 302 – Fresh Lime Cupcakes

I have just been in a fruity mood lately!  Lots of citrus.  Lemons, limes, even kumquat.  So these Fresh Lime Cupcakes (recipe below from Southern Girl, City Swirl) should come as no surprise.  I guess my taste buds are ready for summer!

    

The cupcakes are moist and dense, but squishy. They’re really chewy. They have a strong lime flavor. A little sweet, a little tart.

Note: It took about 6 limes to get the right amount of zest and juice.

The frosting is smooth and creamy, with pretty flecks of lime zest. It has a sweet cream cheese flavor with a nice hint of lime.

    

These are sweet, tart cupcakes. The flavors and textures go really well together. The creamy frosting counters the chewy cupcake really nicely. It’s a very refreshing cupcake overall.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4 (super easy, just lots of zesting and juicing)
• TOTAL: 19

RECIPE

Fresh Lime Cupcakes (recipe from Southern Girl, City Swirl)

Lime Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2large eggs
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

For directions visit Southern Girl, City Swirl.

*Tomorrow: Insanely Moist & Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes*

Day 301 – Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes

Yesterday’s Kumquat Cupcakes were so different, I decided to stick with that theme.  These Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes (recipe below from My Edible Memories) looked equally unique.  Vanilla…okay.  A pretty normal cupcake.  Kiwi…not so much.

    

The cupcakes are dense and a little moist. They have a sweet vanilla flavor. I don’t get a lot of kiwi flavor, unless I get a chunk of kiwi in the bite.

The frosting is soft and smooth. It has a much stronger kiwi taste than the cupcake. No doubt about the flavor! It’s sweet and tart.

    

The frosting brings out the kiwi flavor in the cupcake a little. And the cupcake balances a lot of the tartness in the frosting. Together it’s smooth and sweet, with just a little tart. It still has a strong vanilla flavor, with a kiwi accent. Very bright. Very summery. Almost like a citrus cupcake.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 3

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 4
• Ease of Making: 4
• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes (recipe from My Edible Memories)

Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes:

• 1-2 whole fresh kiwis (enough to make 1/3 cup of mashed kiwi)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• slightly over 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites

Kiwi Frosting:

• 1 whole fresh kiwi, mashed
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• slightly over 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• a pinch or two of sea salt

For directions visit My Edible Memories.

*Tomorrow: Fresh Lime Cupcakes*

Day 300 – Kumquat Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

Today is my 300th cupcake!  I can’t believe it!  Only 65 more days in this year.  That’s.  Crazy.  So, I knew that today’s cupcakes needed to be something big.  Something different.  Something interesting.  These Kumquat Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below from One Kings Lane) really caught my eye.  Kumquats?!  That’s unusual!

    

The cupcakes are moderately dense. Sort of a muffin feel. The minis taste like vanilla cupcakes, you don’t get a lot of the fruit. The full-sized have a little stronger fruit flavor, but nothing too strong. It’s like a vanilla cupcake with a hint of tartness from the kumquat.

The frosting is soft and smooth. It has a sugary vanilla flavor with just a hint of the kumquat. It’s very subtle. Not aggressively tart, which is what I expected from a kumquat.

    

The cupcake flows really well together. It’s sweet and sugary. The textures blend really nicely too – with the creamy frosting and the muffin-like cake. The kumquat aftertaste is definitely stronger when it’s all together! Still not aggressively tart, but you can tell it’s in there.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 4

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4 (juicing kumquats is kind of time-consuming, but nothing hard)
• TOTAL: 19.5

RECIPE

Kumquat Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from One Kings Lane)

Kumquat Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped kumquat peel
• 2 tablespoons fresh kumquat or orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 dozen kumquats (optional garnish)

Citrus Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 2 and 2/3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon kumquat or orange juice

For directions visit One Kings Lane.

*Tomorrow: Kiwi Vanilla Cupcakes*