Cupcakes!

L has joined the astronomy softball team and last week they had a post-game pool party at one of the guy's homes. Never one to pass up on the opportunity to bake for other people, I decided to make cupcakes. I don't make cupcakes all that often, so I don't have real go-to recipes as for cookies or brownies. But I figured I'd use the chance to feed other people as a chance to try not one, but two, new recipes.

For this get together I made:
- Cook's Illustrated Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake . This is a dark cupcake made with coffee, bread flour, and a dab of ganache on the inside.

-I also made the Cupcake Project's Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake. If you don't know the cupcake project, you should. She got recruited to make unique cupcakes for a friend's wedding and has really tried a million flavors and review. Her notes and recipes are both unique and helpful. This cupcake uses some interesting techniques and a wide variety of fats and liquids (oil, butter, sour cream and whole milk)

For frostings, I made 2 Sprinkle's Cupcakes recipes for chocolate and vanilla buttercream.

We'll start with the easy comments:

Frostings
Both frostings were good, not too sweet and most importantly, didn't melt off the cupcakes. I'd make both of them again, although I'd add cocoa powder to the chocolate to cut the sweet a bit more. They were good, basic, go-to recipes, but not anything all that special or out of the ordinary. And, so someone who has had Sprinkles fairly recently, despite the claim from the bakeshop that they are the real recipe... they aren't. I suspect that Sprinkles bakeshop uses a bit of pastry cream in their frostings. These recipes are good, but the "real thing" is still a guarded trade secret. (I'm late to the Sprinkles craze and thought the whole thing was overblown until actually trying them. Yeah, they live up to the hype and are hands down the best cupcakes I've ever had. And I'm picky about my sweets).

Vanilla Cupcakes
These were really fantastic and I will absolutely make again. They require a lot of ingredients, and the wrappers were a bit greasy after baking, but the cake was moist, light, airy, and really complex for a vanilla cake, just a touch on the tangy side. If you're looking for a step up from your boring vanilla, make these. I also think they'd be great with a splash of bourbon or rum in the batter... of maybe with a buttercream/rum based frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes
You won't believe me when I tell you this. You'll think your IrishRed has been kidnapped by aliens and a doppleganger stole her life... but for the first time ever I preferred the vanilla cakes to the chocolate. These were very rich, and frankly, way too much chocolate and sugar. The ganache melted into the cupcake and was, frankly, over kill. I used the suggested amount of frosting per cupcake, and if the ganache was overkill, the frosting took the deadhorse of this cupcake and beat it some more. It was just way too much of everything, like it was trying too hard. The cake was good and I might use it again, but I'd skip the ganache filling and consider using just a very thin coat of ganache on the top of the cake.

Honestly, they don't hold a candle to cupcake project's Better Than Sex Chocolate Cupcakes. More interesting chocolate flavors, better crumb, not oily, and not overly sweet (which allows the chocolate flavor to really shine). I made these a few years ago and filled them with a dab of orange blossom-water butter cream, finished with the ganache per the recipe. They were outstanding and sophisticated, while the CI cupcakes just felt like they were trying too hard.