Cupcake Confession

This entry was posted on July 29, 2012, in Cakes, Caramel, Chocolate, Fruit, Muffins & Cupcakes, Non-Chocolate, Party/Birthday Baking and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 155 Comments

Psychologist: These sessions seem to be getting tedious. I am afraid I will have to advance you to a higher level of help if you cannot tell me.

Patient:How will I tell you without you judging me? How can I tell anyone?

Psych: You must not bottle those feelings, they will crush you later in life and you will wonder why…

Patient: It is not that easy…

Psych: Once you let it out, it will be. Tell me.

Patient: *breathes in deep* Ok… I think… I think I am… a cup-, a cupcake… snob…

Psych: Oh… wait, so you came here for ten sessions because you wanted to tell me you. are. a. cupcake. snob…?

Patient: *sobs* y-yes…

Psych: You really do need higher help…

*****************************************************************************

True Story. (not the going to the pysch bit :P )

I think I am a cupcake snob. Self-confession, ready to face the blows, it is true. If anyone is like this psychologist and does not believe this to be a serious self-assessment, then please. Do not judge me ;)

I have found that ever since I started obsessing with baking (and yes, it is an obsession, there are no other words for it :D ), I have started judging commercial bakes. I am not saying I compare mine with them but I have just started noticing how false some bakery cafes are. This is especially true with cupcake ‘specialists’.

I am not going to give names in case of cupcake-pitchfork brandishing companies but after making and eating lots of homemade cupcakes, it is a wonder people buy from them at all.

I used to love them. Oh they are soo cute. The frosting looks so good. Look how pretty they are. Superficial, superficial, superficial.
I think that is all they are using to market themselves. It is rare to find a cupcake these days that looks good BUT has the taste of a soft moist cake and not some dried up crumbs mashed together into cupcake form. The frosting is usually nice. But the cupcake itself is… questionable…

Bring up your cupcake A game Sydney!

*This is why I am a cupcake snob* :P

*****************************************************************************

Anyhow, I know how popular cupcakes are at parties. Are they not super popular at parties? :D
So for a house party yesterday night, I decided to make up a delicious cupcake combination.

It was supposed to not have any chocolate and be topped by caramel sauce, but we brought home a caramel sauce which makes cough medicine taste like liquid gold. Not. even. kidding. you.

I would have my homemade caramel sauce which actually is liquid gold but biology beckoned and I did not get time :(

Luckily thought I had Hershey’s hot fudge sauce to come to my rescue :D

The cupcakes themselves were actually meant to be swirled with caramel saucy goodness as well but I had another ingredient come to my recipe, a new but to-stay ingredient. Finally, Australia has introduced Nestlé’s Caramel Baking Chips!! God, these are sooo addictive, I could eat them by the packet :)

So now, without further ado, I give you a cupcake which is more than edible  by a cupcake snob’s standards :P
These were dense and crumby, and actually quite rich with the frosting but that is why life is sweet no? :D

Caramel Banana Raisin Cupcakes w/ Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from: The Kitchn

Makes: 24

Ingredients:

  • 170g butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups full cream milk
  • 2 cups mashed bananas

    Hands up…

  • 1 1/2 cups caramel sauce/caramel chips
  • 1 cup raisins, lightly dusted in flour

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160 degrees C. Line 24 muffin tins (yes, my cupcakes are muffin size :P )
  2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in eggs, one at a time
  4. Beat in vanilla essence
  5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
  6. In another bowl, stir together milk and mashed banana
  7. Stir the flour mixture and milk mixture into the egg batter, alternating between the two
  8. Mix until combined
  9. Stir through the raisins and caramel chips
  10. Pour batter into each cupcake tin – around 4/5 full is fine since there is no raising agent
  11. Bake for 20-25  minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean
  12. Let cool completely before decorating and serving :D

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting + Decoration
Choc Chip Uru original

Makes: Enough for 24 cupcakes (I made half for 12 cupcakes and I had a little leftover)

Ingredients:

  • 240g butter, room temperature
  • 460g cream cheese mixture, room temperature
  • 4 tbs  vanilla essence
  • 9 cups icing mixture/icing sugar, sifted
  • Violet Crumble or Crunchie Bar (a chocolate coated honeycomb), refrigerated then crushed
  • Hershey’s Hot Fudge Sauce or homemade one :)

Method

  1. Cream butter and cream cheese together till light and fluffy
  2. Beat in the essence
  3. Beat in the icing mixture one cup at a time till the frosting gets a smooth consistency
  4. Place into a piping bag with a thick star nozzle
  5. Pipe away! :D
  6. Decorate by drizzling with hot fudge sauce and crushed honeycomb chunks

*****************************************************************************

Before I forget, here is my new FB page :D

http://www.facebook.com/GoBakeYourself

Also my commenting may go down a bit because the workload is pressing. Just a heads up! :)
Have a wonderful weekend to all!

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155 thoughts on “Cupcake Confession”

  1. Oh, you are so right! I am a cupcake snob too, but of the egg-free sort (being as my kiddos have egg allergies)…I loath all of those cutesy frosted monstrosities built up by “specialty” bakeries and then taste like nothing and have a crummy (‘scuse the pun ;) ) texture. Yours look AH-MAY-ZING. Lovely lovely post.

    Reply

  6. Love the new look of your blog!! Sorry its been awhile since I visited!
    I am a total snob about most baked goods too, commercial bakeries are not my cup of tea. I wrote a post about being Foodzilla awhile back because someone dared to suggest bringing a store bought to a party where I was preparing the food. GASP! These cupcakes of yours are simply amazing, you go on being a cupcake snob and be proud of it!! :-)

    Reply

  7. I totally get what you mean about commercial cupcakes. I used to stop by our local gourmet chain store for cupcakes. They’re rather crappy cupcakes, but the shop is a 10minute walk from my home and I always think “oh maybe this time, they’ll make better ones”. Wrong! Haha.

    Anyway, these look soooo yummy! Thanks for sharing! :)

    Reply

  10. HAHAHAHA I’m a cupcake snob, too! To the extent that, when particularly disappointed by two cupcakes I bought at Joy Cupcakes (one of those boutique-but-mass-produced-at-a-shopping-centre affairs), I actually emailed them and told them how bad they were and how they could be improved. I never heard back from them :)

    Reply

  13. Pingback: Caramel Banana Raisin Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting « The Best Cupcake Recipes

  15. Your new blog design is wonderful, CCU. It’s obvious you put a lot of thought and work into appealing to us, your readers. Yummy, yummy cupcakes. Like the idea of adding raisins and bananas. Without them, the cupcake batter sounds strangely similar to chocolate chip cookie dough.

    Keep writing…

    Reply

  17. Pingback: Helping Snow White « Go Bake Yourself

  18. I’m totally with you. The cupcake can’t just look amazing, it actually has to TASTE GOOD! It’s so hard explaining that to people who believe in commercial cupcakes…. Sighs.

    Gawd, I’m a snob too. We should make a club.

    Your cupcakes look amazing though (and I bet they taste as good as they look), so you’re entitled to feel that way.

    Reply

  25. You’ve changed looks! Cupcakes and I are just friends, I am however, a cheesecake snob! I do love to bake with bananas though, it’s one of my favourite tastes in cakes! The hot fudge sauce on the icing looks really great! Will hunt you down on FB now. x

    Reply

  29. There is a little bit of everything in your cupcakes. They sound fabulous and look marvelously decadent. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary.

    Reply

  32. I am a BIG TIME cake and cup cake snob. And I don’t even bake them that well, leave alone make fairy tale creations like yours!!

    Bookmarking, bookmarking, bookmarking. THESE are getting baked today. I have a bunch of sweetipies coming over this weekend, and I need the arsenal.

    Uru, a BIG hug for posting this recipe just when I need it.

    Reply

  33. The only thing distracting me from how awesome these ‘cakes look is how rockin’ your new blog design is!!! I absolutely LOVE it. You must be thrilled… definitely deserving of a cupcake. :)

    Reply

  35. Way to go! I think if you are a cupcake snob then so am I, looks aren’t everything are they. And I had to giggle at the thought of “cupcake-pitchfork brandishing companies ” !
    And now I nee dto make some of that caramel sauce……

    Reply

  45. Your cupcakes look wonderful. And I’m with you, whenever I have bought designer cupcakes in the past they’ve always been so dry and the icing overly sweet I just can’t eat them. Making your own is always much better and so much more fun :D

    Reply

  53. I live for cupcakes..and cake..and cookies. I too am a snob. It must be top notch or I am not a happy camper! I love your new blog look btw! Much brighter!

    Reply

  62. Why, oh why must I live all the way on the other end of the globe? I’m drooling. Seriously drooling over these cupcakes. They’re studded with chips and raisins, topped with freshly whipped frosting, drizzled with chocolate, and if that isn’t enough, they’re topped with a crumbled candy bar. OMG! Yum! If this isn’t heaven, than I don’t know what is.

    BTW, is that a liter bottle of chocolate syrup? I totally applaud you, my friend! I’m loving your new look!

    Reply

  69. These looks amazing! I have to say anything from the Kitchn is always good but you made these look fantastic! I’m with you on homemade, I mean why waste your time buying ready-made when you can make it perfect right at home. I suppose though when you’re in a pinch the store bought stuff can come in handy.

    Beautiful cupcakes!

    Reply

  70. Nothing wrong with being a food snob in my book. When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. And this looks to me like you have serious cupcake talent! :)

    Reply

  77. These cupcakes look amazing!
    Yes I’m exactly the same. I hate it when you go out for a meal for a treat and you get disgusting food and bad service. I often prefer my own cooking to anything I pay for made by someone else. They also have no idea how to cook for vegans in the UK in most places so I may get a plate of vegetables and that’s it, no seasoning, no carbs nothing filling at all. All they’ve done is chopped the veg. Also when I had a baby I realised I couldn’t go to the same standard of place to eat out anymore as babies make a mess and a noise so I had to eat out in messy noisy places and no get service with a snarl! I only eat out now so I don’t have to cook and wash up but very rarely.

    Reply

  78. Lol! You’re just too funny :-D I am not a cupcake snob but I have to agree that commercial cupcakes lack flavor imagination. After entering in the blogger world I realized it is really not worth it spending money on stuff like that, there should be a food blogger bake sale to show the world what they are missing!

    Reply

  80. Those cupcakes look moist and delicious. I can just imagine the total package with the frosting, sauce and candybar was simply out of this world. I think most of us bakers have become snobs, so don’t feel alone. Good luck with your school work…we are all cheering for you.

    Reply

  82. Banana and caramel, I’m sold!! And I agree with you about commercial cupcakes. Since I have started baking more at home, I feel it is kind of ridiculous to buy them from outside- many are, like you said, just dry crumbs with a great buttercream frosting. And the other ‘gourmet’ ones are so expensive, and as small as petit fours. Don’t get me wrong- I am no master baker and have not created any of the masterpieces you have, but home bakes with simple ingredients can taste pretty darn good too!!

    Reply

  86. These look yummy. I hate raisins, so I would leave those out, but these look like a must try. I am so excited to post about my award this week. Be sure to check it out, not sure which day yet, but can’t wait to post it:-)

    Reply

  87. I never thought of myself as a cupcake snob but alas, after reading this post, I suspect I am. I refuse to buy those cardboard tasting cupcakes — that must make me a snob too.

    Your cupcakes look delicious and I could probably eat two of them — at the same time.

    Reply

  88. How do you come up with these unbelievable flavor combos? I wonder if I can get those caramel chips in the US? I can see why you are a cupcake snob—you make some very valid points. Homemade is always best, my friend! :)

    Reply

  89. Hi Uru! You know, I always prefer crunchy texture sweets than soft – that being said, I prefer scone more than let’s say cupcakes. However, when you put those crunchy bars on top of frosting… :D :D :D You made me smile. I’ll bite onto that big frosting with excitement! They look yum!

    Reply

  92. Oh my these cupcakes look like HEAVEN! I can’t wait to try this recipe. You should get Freshly Pressed for this post. Amazing recipe , Awesome photos, and Well written. Brilliant Choc Chip Uru and your blog ROCKS! :)

    Reply

  93. The cupcakes look so delicious, I have never seen the caramel chips before. I wonder if they have them in the US. Making gorgeous cupcakes like these gives you the right to declare yourself a “cupcake snob” Beautiful work.

    Reply

  98. Girl, I totally understand less commenting–I really do not understand how you’ve been able to keep up with all the blogs you follow and manage your own and your schooling. Don’t feel bad, you gotta do what you gotta do. And you know what? I’m a total cupcake snob too and I make no apologies! Commercial cupcakes are so terrible. And commercial cakes. Once you start baking and realize how amazing cake can taste, it totally ruins you for store bought. Yours look so pretty–good thing you had the chocolate on hand as it really made them pop!

    Reply

    • Thank you for understanding my friend :D
      And I am glad you are in the same boat as me! Haha the kinda bad side of baking is that I cannot eat outside without judging ;)

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

      Reply

  103. You’ve nailed it about commercial cupcakes. Most are all about the icing (which usually is delicious) and the decorating (which often is spectacular). The cake itself? Meh. There are exceptions – we live close to Jilly’s, which won some sort of cupcake war or something on a Food show, and theirs are quite good – but most are just not worth eating. And their cupcakes are so huge! I have an appetite, but I can’t finish one. Yours looks delish – good job.

    Reply

  106. Nah, that’s not snobbery, that’s an educated palate speaking! Nothing wrong with being a bit discerning and not just eating whatever trendy trash is being talked up at the moment. Your cupcakes are proof that we can all do better!

    Reply

  107. I really need to get myself a cupcake stand, the cupcakes look absolutely gorgeous and delicious! I think I can finish all on the cupcake stand by myself… haha! Have a great week ahead my friend!

    Reply

  108. I agree with you … once you’ve had homemade goodies, it’s really hard to go back to purchased stuff :-)

    Reply

  111. I’m a cupcakaholic. I think we need to get together because sometimes, I shove my face with subpar cupcakes from those so-called expert cupcakeries. They are nowhere NEAR as delicious as these beauties sound! YUM

    Reply

  113. Hahaha I’m totally an “any kind of food” snob now- When you learn to make good food at home, it’s just angering when you pay a high price for something at a restaurant and it’s not great!

    These look sinful. Whoever got to eat them is super lucky :)

    Reply

  115. When you are right, you are right – snobbery or not. Most bakery cupcakes (and other baked goods, including in vegan bakeries) are dreadful. Too much sweet with no actual flavor! And sometimes with an aftertaste of…artificial. So – snob away, my dear. And give me homemade!

    Reply

  116. I am with you on the commercial cupcake caper – there are a few exceptions, but often the taste is disappointing in comparison to the appearance. Your cupcakes look devine, and I am sure they have a taste to match. Also they are healthy – they contain fruit ;)

    Reply

  118. Ha ha. I have no problem with you being a cupcake snob! Your cupcakes look amazing and I would love a few of those. And I have never tried Hershey syrup – something new for my supermarket trolley! xx

    Reply

  119. I have only bought cupcakes from a grocery store a few times and they have always been a dry, crumbly disappointment. I would much rather make a box of cupcakes with my crazy variations any day before I pay for them again. These look like they are chock full of yumminess! Well done. :) PS… love the cupcake tower too. :)

    Reply

  120. Wowsers! These are immense!!! I love Violet Crumbles too. I stock up whenever I’m in Australia/eat my body weight in them and Cherry Ripes! (unfortunately they’re not available in the UK). I totally agree, most supermarket bought cake is so full of preservatives that it’s a dry as dust. Looks appetising but is mostly disappointing. I’ve noticed a huge difference since I started baking myself. I often pick up cake in the shop and then put it back ‘as I know I have the ingredients at home and it will taste better and fresher. :)

    Reply

  124. Whatever made at home is 100% better than any store bought. The cakes sold in bakeries definitely are attractive and gorgeous to look at, also may taste good but we don’t know what was added inside. I love the way you have presented the cupcakes and these look so attractive.

    Reply

    • Glad I am not alone :D
      And if you type Go Bake Yourself into the search bar it should be there or at the side of my page, there is a like me section :)
      Thanks!

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

      Reply

  128. Nothing wrong with being a cupcake snob. I think what you make is like 100x better than most commercial places. They mass produce, and you actually specialize, so I think I would rather eat your cupcakes any day. Great pictures.

    Reply

  129. Love cupcakes … they are cute and beautiful pieces of art – but I wouldn’t eat one – too sweet for me, because of the frosting. Adore looking and admire them … yours are stunning. You should start a cafe .. you’re so talent.

    Reply

  131. An amazing cupcake recipe and the stand makes it look like something you would be served in a tea shop cum bakery. The picture under step #6 really took it over the top for me. :)

    Reply

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