And the winners are…

Saturday, October 18, 2008

First for the throwdown – chocolate cupcake style. AND on National Chocolate Cupcake Day! How fitting. I made a half batch of the chocolate cake (I got 15 cupcakes) out of Confetti Cakes for Kids by Elisa Strauss. The recipe is definitely “fussier” than my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. This one has sour cream and coffee in it. Neither of which are staples in my kitchen. I paired it with the Brown Sugar frosting because I was intrigued by that idea…

The batter came together quite nicely. It does take 3 bowls and like I mentioned, has some ingredients that I had to send hubby out to grab for me… It does have some great flavor combinations going on. It’s got almond extract as well as vanilla and includes coffee. Both almond and coffee go great with chocolate. The batter was quite thick and very tasty. Hubby really enjoyed licking the beater 🙂 And this frosting is AMAZING. We both agreed, it’s one of the best I’ve ever made. Think of a caramel Swiss-meringue buttercream. It paired perfectly with the chocolate cupcake.

Now to the Throw-down results. I’m basing this on 3 categories: Overall Taste, Ease of making, Moistness

Overall Taste – hands down goes to the Confetti cupcake. It is amazing.

Ease of making – definitely goes to my go-to cupcake. So much easier and I always have everything on hand.

Moistness – this is a tie. Both of these recipes yield very moist cupcakes. It’s because of the oil in one and sour cream in the other.

So it’s a TIE!?! I’ll definitely keep my go-to chocolate cupcake for when I just want to whip something up. It’s quick and easy and the results are great. But when I want to go the extra mile, I’ll make the Confetti cupcakes. It does take more effort, but the results are worth it. I’m not going to post the recipe here, but definitely I definitely recommend checking out Confetti Cakes for Kids by Elisa Strauss.

Now on to the GIVEAWAY!! I almost forgot about it after these amazing cupcakes. Thanks to everyone who participated! Using Random.org, I chose 5 random numbers from 1-79 and the lucky winners are…

Megan – who’s email begins with mybakingadventures
Chrissy – who’s email begins with chrissyblogs
Grifam93 – who’s email begins with aseminara
Jared – who’s email begins with jared
MoonFreckle – who’s email begins with angelaj

Congratulations to the winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated. If you won, send me an email at beantownbaker[at]gmail[dot]com with your address and your book will be at your house in no time. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I already have!

Cupcakes, Dessert

3 comments »

12 Responses to “It’s good to be back in the kitchen!! Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream”

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Jigginjessica — July 10, 2009 at 12:47 pm

These look and sounds great! Also thanks for the link to the cupcake carrier! I’ve been wanting to buy one for awhile now but didn’t like that Wilton’s only held 12.
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Cate — July 10, 2009 at 12:48 pm

Those paper cupcake liners are so pretty! I keep seeing recipes from that book and I really want to get myself a copy!
Do you think you could add a few extra ounces of chocolate to the frosting without messing up the texture?
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Erin — July 10, 2009 at 12:51 pm

I just posted cupcakes from that book today too! And I also have the Wilton cupcake carrier. Not to thrilled with it either, but I got it because I needed something to carry a huge sheet cake in. I would love a double decker.

Your cupcakes look great, as always! I need to work on my frosting skills. (Hence the reason I posted a recipe that could be frosted in a “rustic” style!)
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Jen — July 10, 2009 at 12:55 pm

Jessica – Definitely check out that carrier. Not sure if you guys have a Container Store, but I think BB&B carries it now too.

Cate – I’m not sure if more chocolate would ruin the texture… Possibly. I was underwhelmed when I tasted the frosting by itself, but when it was on the cupcake, it was really good. The subtle flavor paired really well with this cupcake. I just really prefer my chocolate frosting to be really chocolatey!

Erin – Thanks! I’m always try to improve my skills. This was the first time I’ve tried the rosette. I usually pipe from the outside in.
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Ingrid — July 10, 2009 at 4:59 pm

Yay, for packages in the mail and new kitchens!

I like how you frosted the cupcakes, very pretty. I haven’t made SMBC yet but I’m gonna soon. Sounds good!

Happy Friday!
~ingrid
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Jennifer — July 11, 2009 at 7:52 pm

I need that cupcake carrier!! Thanks for the link to it!! Ive been on the out look for a great one for a while!

These are great cupcakes! Well done!!
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craftybitch — July 13, 2009 at 3:07 pm

These look awesome! What icing tip did you use, if you don’t mind me asking?
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Jen — July 13, 2009 at 3:39 pm

I used my trusty old 1M tip for the frosting.
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craftybitch — July 13, 2009 at 5:08 pm

Awesome, thank you!
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Scott W. — July 23, 2009 at 12:34 am

The frosting is so delicate looking. Just the way Martha Stewart would like it.
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Little Ewe — July 30, 2009 at 11:59 am

love the recioes and will definately try them but as i live in the uk please could you give me imperial measures rather than cupa and sticks thanks:)
Fiona
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articia — July 12, 2010 at 2:34 pm

when I make chocolate SMBC I actually use cocoa powder. I think it gives it a stronger chocolate flavor without messing with the texture. Maybe you could try adding some cocoa powder if the melted chocolate doesn’t taste bold enough.

also, I saw those snap n’ stack cupcake carriers at my local Meijer and bought 2. they weren’t cheap so as I was driving home I was deciding if I was going to regret spending nearly $50 on the 2 of them, but I couldn’t be happier with them. they’re come in *so* handy.