Oh Baby! Cupcakes!

My mom left earlier this week, but while she was here, we hung out in the bookstore for a while. She looked for books to read on her flight while I flipped through ?. cookbooks, of course! I really enjoyed Planet Cakes, not because of the ?how to?, but for the ideas!

As I mentioned the other day, I see baking in my future. Too bad my front office ladies or friends are nearby for me to bring the goodies too. I need to find a Ronald McDonald House to donate to, here.

I made vanilla cupcakes and, admittedly, didn?t feel like making 24 baby faces during my ?practice?. So, I filled some and made make-believe hostess cakes.

Then, I used some of that ganache for this birthday cake.

The idea came from another cake book I flipped through while at the bookstore, but can?t remember which one! It is new and has an amazing chocolate torte of some sort on the cover. Ooooh! My memory is going so quickly. It is a simple yellow cake a with buttercream and ganache. The "candles" are Pirouette cookies.

This weekend? My house mates are away, so I may go hog-wild! Who knows what I will bust out. Time will tell! ;) But, first I will be supporting Christy at the Annual Holiday Art show at the Flynn Artipelago.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted ever-so- slightly from Planet Cakes

2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cup whole milk
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcakes. In a small bowl, whisk the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth for about 3-5 minutes, or until mixed and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk. Mix until incorporated but do not overbeat! Be sure to scrape down the batter in the bowl occasionally to ensure the ingredients are well blended.

Using an ice cream scoop, add the batter into the cupcake liners. One scoop should fill a liner about three-quarters full. Bake for 20?25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 10 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.