The Secret Word of the Day...(Part 1)

CUPCAKES!!! *hollers and jumps around crazily in memory of the old Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse days*

I've been inventing cupcakes *jumps and shouts* again and I've gotten a lot of requests for their recipes. So since my three favorite things to do on this blog is: 1.) brag about my exercise accomplishments, 2.) whine, and 3.) talk about food, I figured I'd post a couple cupcake *screams* recipes along with my bragging and whining.

Cherry Pie Cupcakes












(AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! No, the joke doesn't get old. Yes, I am cracking myself up!)

Cherry Compote (store bought -- I was lazy)

Butter Cake
6.75 oz all purpose flour
2 oz potato starch (also called potato flour)
1 1/2 TSP baking powder
1 TSP salt
1 3/4 C sugar
10 TBS unsalted butter (room temp)
3 eggs
3/4 C almond milk
1/4 C half and half
2 TBS Jim Bean Whiskey
1 TSP vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven 350 degrees
1.) Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together. Set aside.
2.) Combine milk and half and half in a large measuring cup; stir. Set aside.
3.) Combine sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy.
4.) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated between each one.
5.) Add in flour mixture and milk mixture alternatively; beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated.
6.) Pour batter into paper lined cupcake tin (around 2/3 full) and bake for 15 minutes or until done.
(makes 24 cupcakes)

Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C water
4 large egg whites (room temp.)
1/2 TSP cream of tartar
3 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (room temp. and cut into small chunks)
brown icing dye

Directions
1.) Combine sugar and water in a small pot. Mix to get all the sugar wet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring, and cook until sugar reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2.) While sugar boils, place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and using a whip attachment, whip eggs until foamy and frothy on low speed.
3.) Add cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium-high.
4.) When soft peaks form, add 3 TBS of sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
5.) When sugar reaches 250, pour a slow and steady stream into the meringue.
6.) Continue to whip meringue on high speed until it's room temp.
7.) When meringue is cool turn the mixer to medium and slowly add butter, a couple TBS at a time. Keep beating until buttercream is smooth.
8.) Mix in a little brown icing dye to make the frosting the color of pie crust

Assembling Cherry Pie Cupcakes (AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH! *waves arms wildly*)

1.) cut a small well into the tops of the cupcakes.
2.) spoon into the well approximately 1 TBS of cherry compote and a little extra to cover the top of the cake.
3.) then frost the cupcake tops to look like pies.

Cheater method --
1.) make butter cake from a box
2.) dye some white store bought frosting with a little brown dye to make it look like crust
3.) assemble as above.

Now on to the bragging and the whining -- I walked a little over 2 miles in 30 minutes this morning after dropping 3ft off at school. And... strangely enough, I don't have anything pressing to whine about at this moment. Lucky you!

Total steps today (so far): 12,672 (as of 3:19 pm)

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow when I give you the recipe to the "Peanut Butter Cup"cakes with my bragging and whining.