A year in cupcakes

The last year or so has brought a lot of change, but one thing remains the same: I bake. I bake to forget when times are hard and I bake to celebrate when life is good. I love to document my experiments but haven't had the equipment or dedication to share them as of late. But recently I found some motivation (and a new computer) to start investing more time into this blog- my coworker asked me to make cupcakes for her wedding this summer! I've been doing more baking for special events, like the three pumpkin bourbon cheesecakes I made for Thanksgiving (which nearly killed me), and this would be my most important and "high-profile," if you will. So in the coming months I will be documenting all of the recipes and decorations I test out for the big day. But to start things off, I want to share a collection of cupcakes I've made the past year. My favorite recipe involves my most unhealthy addiction: Oreos.

Chocolate raspberry ganache cupcakes.

Cookies and cream cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing.

Pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Deja vu: cookies and cream with CoHo chocolate buttercream frosting.

I love the different colored Oreo fillings they come out with throughout the year.  Springtime cupcakes.

Cookies and cream cupcakes with vanilla buttercream for my coworker's wedding-day lunch.

Now, you must be curious about this cupcake recipe. I found it on food.com, formerly known as Receipe Zaar. You can find it here. As for the icing, it comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The UC Davis Coffee House cookbook. Here it is, in all it's simplicity:

CoHo buttercream frosting

*1/2 cup butter, softened

*2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

*1 egg yolk

*2-3 tablespoons milk or light cream

*1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream butter. Add 1/3 of powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Repeat with another 1/3 of sugar.

2. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Beat in remaining sugar.

3. Add more milk or powdered sugar to obtain desired consistency.

I have a huge amount of pictures I haven't shared, so my next post is going to be a trip down memory lane. Next up: from-scratch peach pie.