Birthday Parties and Buttercream

It was Rosie's birthday party over the weekend.  It was a fun bouncy castle party at the local recreation centre, which are the best since it does not require pre and post cleaning as an at home party needs.  The kids ran around for an hour and then snacked, caked and hit each other with balloon swords for another hour, glorious.

I wanted decided to try a different recipe for the chocolate cup cakes with yellow icing that little miss wanted and I decided to that she wanted cupcakes that I could at least make a lovely pretty, pretty princess dress out of them, a la Pinterest. I didn't really have a pan large enough to lay it and I was totally lazy in now wanting to figure something else out.  So it was little smaller and of course, I didn't get any pictures at the party but this was an earlier picture at home.  I did not get a chance to pin the belt down, although I did use double sided tape and take a piece of parchment to the underside of the ribbon so it didn't absorb the butter.  Little miss liked it, so that is good. 

I have a good chocolate cake recipe that I got from a local restaurant.  It is a sponge recipe since it uses oil but unlike all the other cake recipes I have seen this adds boiling water at the end.  The cupcake recipe also is this type of sponge, it has a lovely moist tender crumb.  It is not brownie like it in its density but is more substantial then other cupcake recipes.  I like me with some body to them :)

It has taken me years to figure out why I don't like buttercream icing  and how to fix it.  Buttercream is too sweet for me.  The only way to make it better is to make it less sweet.  With a such a simple set of ingredients the obvious solution would be to change the ratios.  It is such a simple solution I didn't even think of it until now.  So now we all know that to make buttercream less sweet add more butter.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Original recipe from addapinch.com
makes 12, easily multiplied for a larger batch

1 cup AP Flour
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Espresso Powder
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Boiling Water

~Preheat oven to 325 and place muffin liners in muffin tray

~In the bowl of a stand mixer (or it can be done by hand or with a hand mixer) add all dry ingredients.  Blend until thoroughly mixed, about 1 minute.

~Add milk, oil, egg and vanilla.  Once oven is up to temperature then add the boiling water and beat on high for another minute.

~Fill muffin liners 3/4 full and bake 12-15 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

~Allow to cool completely before icing.


Best Buttercream Evar
originally from addapinch.com 
makes 4 1/2 cup (I used a double batch to ice 36 cupcakes, with a rosette pattern and very little leftovers)

1 cup Butter, softened
3-4 cups Icing Sugar, sifted
2 tsp Vanilla (I used clear artificial this time, but I usually just use real vanilla)
Pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)
2-3 tbsp Milk, Heavy Cream or Half-and-half)


~Add soft butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (can do this by hand as well) and beat for 4-5 minutes.  This will incorporate air and lighten the colour.  

~Add icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and beat well with each addition, 10-20 seconds. 

~Add vanilla and salt (if adding) and mix well.

~Add milk as needed.  If the icing needs to be softer then add more milk, 1 tbsp at a time.  If it is to stiff, then add more sifted icing sugar.