Experiment: Can I make a cupcake from scratch?
Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 01.08.09
Materials Needed: Please see The Farm Chicks for the full instructions. I followed the instructions exactly.
Results: I will admit it, I am a cake mix kind of girl just because it is quick and easy. I was really intrigued by this recipe though for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream because they just sounded divine.
The perfect occasion arose as we were celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday. I wanted to make a birthday dinner for her so I thought this would be a sweet ending to our dinner.
The recipe came together beautifully until I added the boiling water. As I stirred, what now looked like watery soup or a dish leftover in the sink, I did feel a little panicky. The entry assured me that it was supposed to look exactly like that though so I used my batter bowl to pour in this watery mess.
I made the frosting while the cake was baking and the frosting came together perfectly. I loved the ratios in this recipe because it was so light and fluffy. I also used the tip for just a hint of food coloring to create a more pastel look.
What was a watery looking mess turned out to be the most delicious cupcake I have ever made in my life! The cake was moist and flavorful. In fact, the cake was still good four days after our party and tasted just like the day I made it. The frosting on top was sweet, but just the right amount of sweet.
Conclusion: The entire family agreed that this is a recipe worth repeating. I think this will be my new cupcake recipe for these special occasions because it was delicious and also was made from ingredients that are always lurking in my pantry. Thanks to The Farm Chicks for a wonderful recipe that I will be using over and over again!
Here are the other recipes from the birthday party:
Classic Baked Ziti
1 pound lean ground beef (I subbed it this time with Sweet Turkey Sausage removed from its casings)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta, cooked & drained
2 (8 ounce) cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I subbed it this time with Italian Cheese Blend)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook ground beef & garlic over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes or until beef is browned; stirring frequently. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, & oregano. Reduce heat & simmer for ten minutes. Stir one cup of the sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon half of the ziti mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese & a 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with two cups sauce, then remaining ziti mixture & remaining sauce. Cover & bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella & Parmesan cheese. Return to oven & bake uncovered for ten minutes or until heated through.
Amy’s Holiday Punch
1 (2 liter) bottle cherry 7-Up soda
1 liter (half a bottle) raspberry flavored soda (I found this at Walmart)
1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (12 ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1 (1 liter) can pineapple juice
Mix all the ingredients together for the punch. This will fill one large punch bowl or two smaller ones. Rum can be added for a spiked punch, but that would be super inappropriate for a princess party! This will convert the non-punch lovers in the group, I promise!
There was also something else at the party in this…
But I will have to show it to you next week! A girl has to save some content for next week!
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I am so excited to open our Notebook Experiments up to everyone and I hope that you will be able to participate this week or in weeks to come! I will be posting this each Thursday so please mark your calendars if you plan to participate. You can post your entries at any time throughout the week and then leave your entry in the links below.
We have this handy banner that you are more than welcome to use, but it is not a requirement! It is just something you can add to add a little sparkle to your entry.
Rules for Participation:
1. Choose anything from any of our notebook entries (past or present) to do with your family. We have hundreds of bookmarked links of crafts, ways to save money, and organizing ideas.
2. Complete an experiment from the notebook and share about it on your blog or website. We would love to see pictures of what you accomplished or a detailed description of how your projects turned out. Please include a link to this entry, a link to the original posting of the entry (at the original crafster’s blog), and (to help us relocate the project) the date or link of the notebook entry where you found it. You can use the same formatting a
s our entries or you can just include that information in your post in your own unique way!
3. Post a link below. Please include your name or blog name & a fast description of your project. Example- MomAdvice (WHO bread)
I can’t wait to see what you create and what you find inspiring!