Obsessed with Martha Stewart

Raspberry Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Hearts

 

 

Rating (1-10): 6

These cupcakes were kind of a pain to make. I got the recipe from the February 2010 edition of Martha Stewart Living. They involved a lot of steps, I had to use my mixer and double boiler twice, and puree raspberries in the blender. They made a complete mess that took two loads of dishes in the dishwasher to clean. On top of that, the buttercream frosting was pretty disgusting. It tasted like a slab of butter which isn’t too surprising since I used 4 sticks of butter to make it. The cake of the cupcakes was pretty good – not close to the best I’ve ever tasted and the chocolate hearts were simple and adorable. I wouldn’t make the cupcakes or frosting again, but I’d definitely use the chocolate heart idea to adorn other cupcakes.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

 
Rating (1-10): 9.5

Difficulty (1-5): 4.5

I Looooooove sweet potato cupcakes. I usually eat 1 to 2 cupcakes from each batch that I make. I really try to eat them in moderation, so I don't gain the Martha 15* and there haven't been too many batches where I've had more. I send them with my husband to work, give some to my mother-in-law and anybody else who wants a sweet treat. This time I ate 1 to 2 cupcakes per day for four days in a row. I want to make these again for Christmas but I don't want to eat that many cupcakes over the Christmas holiday.

And they weren't so simple to make. You have to cook the sweet potatos in the oven for an hour, let them cool and scrape out the insides before you can make the batter. The hardest part was trying to get the mound of mini marshmallows to stay together long enough to put them in the broiler to get them nice and toasted. If I didn't have the help of my husband on this one, I would have been frustrated to say the least.

*The Martha 15 is the pounds you gain when you try to cook all of her fabulous desserts!

Iced Pistachio Cupcakes

Rating (1-10): 8

Difficulty (1-5): 3

I was really unsure how these cupcakes were going to turn out. The thought of pistachio cupcakes, even though I love pistachios, didn't sit well with me. I always sample the batter when it's finished before I bake them, and this batter was sooooo good. In fact, my actual words were, "This batter is so good I want to bath in it." And my husband's response was, "That wasn't melodramatic." I would have rated these cupakes higher, but I accidentally over baked them. The timer on our oven isn't very loud and I was occupied with sweeping the kitchen floor and doing dishes. Even though they were baked a little longer than they were supposed to be, they still tasted really yummy.

The hard part was having to make a paste out of the pistachios and chopping up an additional cup of pistachios. The easy part was the icing - it took less than a minute.

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

Rating (1-10): 7

Difficulty (1-5): 2

These cupcakes were super easy to make (especially since I got a Martha Stewart blue KitchenAid mixer from one of our wedding guests) and they were pretty good. I didn't give them a higher rating, because they just weren't as good as some of the others. If you like spice cake and want an easy spice cupcake, try this one. I couldn't find the recipe on the Martha Stewart website, so you've got to buy the cupcake book to get the recipe. I made fall cupcake toppers to jazz them up a little.

You might be wondering where I've been lately. Life basically got in the way. I got married a week ago, was hospitalized for five days the week before my wedding, and our adopted dog had seven puppies (we didn't know she was pregnant when we adopted her). I'm back and ready to become more like Martha, so stay tuned for regular posts.
 

Streusel Cupcakes

Rating (1-10): 8

Difficulty (1-5): 2.8

These are the perfect cupcakes for breakfast...if you were to eat cupcakes in the morning. I loved how the sour cream made the cupcakes incredibly moist and the crumbly, and the streusel topping made them extra delicious. The reason I gave the cupcakes a 2.8 in difficulty (they really weren't that difficult) was due to the fact that you have to make the streusel topping and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before you can use it.

Most of you know that I recently moved to Blacksburg and had been living with my fiance and my parents in Richmond. My stepfather got used to having cupcakes on a weekly basis and has been going through cupcake withdrawal since we've been away. This past weekend my fiance and I ventured back to Richmond for my second dress fitting, and I made this weeks cupcakes there. My stepfather was extremely appreciative. It made my day to make him so happy. This is another recipe that I couldn't find on the Martha Stewart website - you need the book for it.

Brown Sugar Pound Cakes

Rating (1-10): 8

Difficult (1-5): 2

These delightful, thick cupcakes are just the treat to have in the morning with your cup of coffee. I've definitely liked other cupcakes from the Martha Stewart book more than these, but I would make these again. They're not too sweet and the butter in the icing makes all the difference. These cupcakes are more like pound cake consistency than the light consistency people usually equate with cupcakes.

Last night, we (my fiance and I) started making the cupcakes at 9:00 p.m as my future sister-in-law cut strings of pearl beads for our pearl wreaths that will hang on the chapel pews. I read over the directions and realized we could make them and be in bed by 10:00 p.m. if we really wanted to - but that dream slowly dissolved when I realized we were ill prepared to make the cupcakes. As you might remember, we just moved from Richmond to Blacksburg and at least 3/4 of our belongings are in storage. Well, my spatulas, ice cream scoop, cupcake liners, and some ingredients did not make it into the non-storage pile. So, my fiance ended up making, not one, but two trips to the grocery store to buy missing items {love you!}. He must really love me. We didn't end up icing them last night. We waited until this morning and it was quite a treat to have one with breakfast.

I don't think this recipe is listed on the website - I couldn't find it. So, you'll have to purchase the book if you want to make them.

Triple Citrus Cupcakes

 Rating (1-10): 9.5

Difficulty (1-5): 2.2

Okay....YUM! These cupcakes are easy to make - the hardest part is zesting the 3 limes, 3 lemons, and 2 oranges for the batter. They are delicious and everyone who has tried them absolutely loves them (including me, and I'm hard to please). You're going to want to make these cupcakes in the Spring or Summer, because of the satisfying citrus flavor. The consistency of the cupcake is a little lighter than pound cake, so if you like your cupcakes really light and fluffy - these will not be your favorite. You have to add 9 eggs to the batter - but they make 36 cupcakes (instead of the usual 24). If you're a baker, you know that this many eggs equals thicker batter and denser cupcakes.

I would have to say that these are my FAVORITE so far in the cupcake challenge. I couldn't get a good picture for some reason, so don't judge this cupcake by it's above picture. If you want to make them, here's the recipe on the Martha Stewart website.

Banana Pecan Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing

Rating (1-10): 8.5

Difficulty (1-5): 3.8

In Martha Stewart's Cupcake book, she says that the banana pecan cupcakes are "ultra-moist" and she's not lying. These cupcakes are fluffy and moist - and the cake itself was delicious and easy to make. I had extra batter so I filled two mini loaf pans, and they came out perfectly after 20 minutes of baking. If I had left the caramel buttercream icing off of the cupcakes, they would have been perfect for me.

The icing was labor intensive and had A LOT of steps. This is where making the cupcakes became more difficult and tedious. I thought the caramel icing tasted like caramel/coffee....and I'm not a big fan of coffee. I drink it maybe once a month when I really want Iced Coffee with lots of milk and sugar. So, I didn't love the icing. However, my fiance who drinks at least 2 cups of coffee every morning loved the icing and these cupcakes quickly became one of his favorites. He also agreed that the icing tasted like a combination of coffee and caramel. If you like that combination, you'll love these cupcakes.

Honeymoon and Cupcake Break

My fiance and I are leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. and we'll be gone for almost 3 weeks. Yes, I said fiance (we're not married yet). We're taking our honeymoon before our October wedding, because my fiance just took the bar exam and will begin work on September 7th. Until then, we both don't have A LOT of responsibilities, so we decided to take our honeymoon now instead of him asking for three weeks off less than two months after he begins working at his new fancy law firm.

Therefore, I'll be posting less often for the next three weeks. I'm going to do my best to post a tip of the day every day as well as a few more posts here and there. I will NOT be baking cupcakes each week (in fact I'm two weeks behind and I'm going to try to bake both batches tonight....I know....probably not a good idea) but I already allowed for that when I came up with this brilliant plan. So, you won't read too much from me about new recipes until the last week of August. I'm going to try to make some Martha dishes while we're on vacation, but I don't know what kind of kitchen/utensils I'll have while I'm gone.

Anyway, thanks for being patient and understanding during the next three weeks :-)

Monthly Goals Update

Here is how I stand with my monthly goals, and even though I have a couple more days, I'm not going to be able to complete anymore. I'm out of town with my fiance while he takes the bar and then to wrap up some wedding details. Overall I give myself a B+.

Cupcakes (YAY for me for baking all of my July cupcakes!)

 

4^thof July Cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

 

Cookies (I don’t know how I didn’t gain weight in July)

 

Amoretti Crisps (not happening, because I really need my food processor for these)

Chocolate Meringues

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Buttery Pecan Rounds

Coconut Macaroons

CashewCaramel Cookies

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

 

OtherFood and Drink (Not bad)

 

Shrimp with Scallions and Crispy Potatoes

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Spice-Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Spicy Cucumber Salsa

PulledPork Sandwiches

Pasta Salad with Feta and Snow Peas

Turkey Burgers

EasiestSpaghetti and Meatballs

Blackberry Mint Julep

BlackberryYogurt Smoothies

Blueberry Crisp

Strawberry Milkshakes

Brown Sugar Walnut Pound Cake

 

Crafts

 

Gift Purse

Crepe Paper Carnations (whoops)

Heat Embossing (I did this for my wedding invitations, but didn’t post it because I haven’t mailed them yet.)

 

Whole Living (I really suck at this category)

 

Protective HairTreatment

DIY Skin Brightening Mask