The first cupcake recipe I tried was the “One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes”. This recipe has received a lot of fanfare on the Internet.  It has been listed by many cooking bloggers as their favorite chocolate cupcake.  Needless to say, that was enough for me to try it out.

I am a huge fan of Martha Stewart… but not a huge fan of these cupcakes.  I would go so far as to say that I have made many cakes from a box that I liked better (gasp!).

Now, in Martha’s defense, I should note that I have read that there are many variations of this recipe floating around.  The recipe in the magazine is supposed to be different from the one in her baking book…which is not the same as the one she has in another cookbook.

Typically, I would not make these again.  However, sooooo many bloggers have remarked that these cupcakes are outstanding.  Did I make a mistake in the production of these dark little treats?  Maybe I should try the one in her baking cookbook. I owe that to Martha .

If you want to see what you think, here’s a link to the recipe:  Martha Stewart Living One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

As you know, wedding cupcakes are all the rage right now.  They are easy to make, easy to serve, and look great at the Big Party.

And if you’re thinking of making your own wedding cake or cupcakes, this is an idea that has some great appeal.  They can be made a batch at a time and frozen.  And nothing could be easier to transport.

So. inspired by the cover on “Living” this month, I decided to make some cupcakes. If you haven’t picked up this month’s issue of Living, do so the next time you’re out.  There are some very creative ideas for cupcakes and decorating in that issue.  I will be posting more variations on those ideas (frosting and decorating too) for wedding cupcakes coming soon.

I used the wedding cake recipe featured below.  Don’t be thrown off by my choice of sprinkles.  I was not making these cupcakes for a wedding!

I decided to line my cupcake pans with the standard blue liners. Again, these weren’t for a wedding.  If I were making these for a formal celebration I would use plain white cupcake liners, probably Wilton’s white liners as they are heavier.  Don’t you just love the blue and the steel gray together though?

I made the recipe below and it made almost 36 cupcakes.  I filled the cups with a cookie scoop (such a great tool for this) and filled them about half way.  As you can see. they did not dome like standard cupcake mixes do.  I like that.  It made them very easy to frost.

Here is a cupcake cut in half so you can see what great texture it has.  The cupcake itself is a very moist cake with a bit of weight to it.  It is perfect for a wedding cake or cupcake.

Whether you’re looking for a wedding cake recipe or just making something special for your sweetie, this recipe is one that you must try.

White Almond Sour Cream Wedding Cake Recipe

1 box white cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cups water

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk.  Add remaining ingredients and beat on medium for 2 minutes.  Pour into greased and floured cake pans or cupcake tins.  Fill about half way full.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven until tests done.

]]> http://www.weddingcake101.com/wedding-cake-recipes/wedding-cake-and-cupcake-recipe/feed 0 http://www.weddingcake101.com/featured/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-part-2-with-lots-of-pics http://www.weddingcake101.com/featured/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-part-2-with-lots-of-pics#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:00:59 +0000 admin http://www.weddingcake101.com/bundt-cake/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-part-2-with-lots-of-pics Over the weekend I decided to make the Almond Sour Cream Bundt cake I last posted about (find the recipe at Almond Wedding Cake Recipe).  Here are some great tips and some pics of the finished product.

I made the recipe just as listed with the exception of using 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extracts (no orange as called for).  The batter was rather thick going into the pan.  It REALLY filled up my 12 cup Bundt pan.  Here’s how it looked after baking (the timing within the recipe was exactly how long it took to bake for me by the way).  You can see that the pan is very full.

When it was done baking and I took it out of the pan, I immediately declared this to be the prettiest cake I have ever made.  The recipe called for buttering the pan but I sprayed the pan with Baker’s Joy (a spray which contains both oil and flour) which worked just fine.  The cake popped right out, and as you can see it did not stick in one single spot.  Gorgeous!

I did not see any reason to slather this with icing and decided to make a chocolate glaze instead.

I found the cutest vintage cake plate at an antique mall.  Here’s a pic which really shows off my new plate.

And I have saved the best for last… this cake is unbelievably good!  The outside has a slight crunch to it, almost a very thin sugary crust.  It is really thick, dense, and soooo good.  The glaze was a great alternative to icing the cake and I am glad I did that.  The chocolate was a great pairing.  If you used the orange extract, an orange or lemon glaze would also be fabulous.

If you’re looking for some extra special ways to decorate a bundt cake, look no further than “Nothing Bundt Cake“. They are a bundt cake bakery, so to speak, and are very creative with their decorations.  The almond bundt cake above is really strong and would hold up to anything you would want to fill the center with.

]]> http://www.weddingcake101.com/featured/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-part-2-with-lots-of-pics/feed 0 http://www.weddingcake101.com/wedding-cake-recipes/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-with-tips http://www.weddingcake101.com/wedding-cake-recipes/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-with-tips#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:00:59 +0000 admin http://www.weddingcake101.com/wedding-cake-recipes/almond-wedding-cake-recipe-with-tips Here’s a great cake that would look (and taste) marvelous topped with whipped cream and strawberries (instead of the called for frosting). Or make a small layer cake like the one below.  Think about how easy this one would be to make – buttercream frosting, a red ribbon at the base of each layer, some dots made with a pastry bags (at the seams and on the sides) and then strawberries.

Although this is not a true pound cake (not enough butter – and from Paula Deen at that!), it is a fabulous cake.  It bakes up very well, has great texture and tastes amazing.  Note that it calls for a tube pan.  That is the only thing I have used for this but I am sure you could very easily make this in a layer cake pan (just watch the time – it won’t take as long due to the thinner layers).

Although I have yet to experiment with the extract, I think you could successfully omit the orange and substitute in vanilla if you’re so inclined.  You could actually do 1 tsp. vanilla if you wanted to cut back on the almond to 1/2 tsp.

Tips: if your eggs at at room temperature they will incorporate into the batter much better; and I have read that using extra large eggs is a baker’s secret – haven’t tried it yet but will soon

Almond Pound Cake Recipe

adapted from Paula Deen

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Almond Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows

Cook’s Note: This is the basic recipe for a sour cream pound cake with almond buttercream frosting. This recipe would have to be modified to make into a wedding cake.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a tube pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together and then add sour cream. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add extracts and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes and then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost cake when completely cooled.

Almond Buttercream Frosting:
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

With an electric mixer, cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy and sweetened to your liking (about 2 minutes). Add almond extract and stir to blend. Frost cake when fully cooled. If you are not using the frosting immediately, store it, covered, in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature just prior to using.
Yield: 3 cups

Elegant White Wedding Cake Recipe

5 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups white sugar
8 egg whites
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

adapted from recipe by Carol at All Recipe

If you’re looking for some great tips and information on the how to make your own wedding cake, this is a fabulous video.  These ladies show it all – from the wedding cake recipe, to the frosting of the cake, to the decorating. 

The wedding cake recipe and frosting recipe they use are included in the video so get your pen and paper ready! 

One of my favorite baking blogs is the King Arthur Flour’s “Baker’s Banter”.  If you’re looking to make your own chocolate wedding cake, take a look at this chocolate cake recipe:

Chocolate Wedding Cake Recipe

This cake looks absolutely delicious!  And if you’re looking for a chocolate cake that LOOKS impressive, this one is it.

The King Arthur recipes have great pictures to detail their methods and it really helps to see what your recipe SHOULD look like as it progresses.  I learn a lot of valuable tips from their site.  It’s definitely worth a few minutes of your time to see what you can find.

Here are just a few items to check out.  You may even find a great Wedding Cake Recipe lurking in there somewhere!

Monogram cupcake toppers

White Anemone Cake Topper

“Couture Cake Toppers”

One of your first steps in choosing a wedding cake to make involves choosing and testing out your wedding cake recipe.  Making a few cupcakes to try things out is a breeze!  And who doesn’t love to eat a cupcake sample?!

The wedding cupcake is one of the recent trends in wedding cakes.  Instead of a very formal (and expensive) wedding cake, brides are opting for budget friendly cupcakes instead.  Pictured below is a lovely tiered stand with iced cupcakes (picture complements of Martha Stewart).

Making wedding cupcakes has so many things going for it.  Cupcakes can easily allow you to offer your guests a variety of cake and icing flavors.  Transporting these babies is soooo much easier.  Is the decoration of a large cake scaring you off?  Cupcakes can be decorated with a simple icing topped with a few purchased decorations (a monogram would be very cute!).

And talk about budget friendly!  If you are using a private caterer for your wedding reception,keep in mind that they often charge to cut your cake.  Cupcakes do not need to be cut – yet another cost saver!  And if you REALLY want to get creative – your cupcakes could serve as your centerpieces.  Purchase a  cupcake stand for the center of each table and allow your cupcakes to take center stage at each table!

It may be easy to choose which cake pan shape you like but

what if you want to make a wedding cake recipe that does not specifically call for the pans you want to use?

Remember that baking time and temperature is determined, in large part, by the size and volume of your baking pans.  Making your recipe and your cake pan compatible is crucial to your success.

If you find a recipe you love but need to change the pan size, be sure to adjust your recipe.  That may mean making more batter, changing the baking temperature, or lengthening/shortening the baking time.   Don’t be alarmed though – iit just takes a bit of thought and planning. Trial and error is crucial so plan on making a test cake to see how it all turns out.

Here is a link to a great table of conversions for changing up your cake pan size:

Wedding Cake Pan conversion