Monthly Archives: April 2012

Creme Egg Cupcakes

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Julie • 3 Comments

Cadbury egg recipes have been flying around the blogosphere this spring, and each time I see one, I have a little mantra I recite to myself as I frantically click the back button: “I will not make this. I will not make this.” Every day it’s gotten more and more difficult to click away, and today I cracked. I blame these creme egg brownies for pushing me over the edge. I was able to resist all of the recipes that called for scraping out creme egg middles, because it just looked like such a pain, but Lindsay’s super-easy homemade filling took away both the annoying prep work and the suspect ingredients. How could I turn away? I went straight to the kitchen before I even had time to feel ashamed of my fleeting willpower (or lack thereof).

These cupcakes are extremely rich and very sweet. Stuffed with homemade creme filling and topped with chocolate frosting and a Cadbury mini egg, one is definitely enough. I had actually wanted to top these with a thin layer of ganache rather than a buttercream, since the centers are so decadent, but I had no heavy cream on hand and no car – and frankly, rich isn’t always a downside.

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Desserts

Springtime and Fresh Starts (Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes)

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

I complained a lot this winter about its appalling lack of wintry-ness. For every 70-degree January day, I probably spent several more whining about how seasonally inappropriate the beautiful weather was. It was probably annoying, so my apologies for that. I do like spring. I like the way winter creates a blank canvas for spring to doodle on, and how the first smatterings of green become lush landscapes over the course of just a few weeks. I like the metaphorical alignment with new life.

Most of all, I like lemons. And asparagus. And artichokes. But most of all, lemons. Bright yellow lemons seem like little tiny suns emerging after long dark winters – they’re so freaking cheerful, they chase the winter cynic right out of me. You may be seeing a lot of lemons here for the next few weeks, until I find something else to be cynical about (don’t worry, there will be something).

One other thing I like about lemons? They never met a berry they didn’t like. I am 100% down with any lemon/berry combination, and these lemon-blueberry cupcakes are no exception. The lemon cake is fluffy and light as air, and the blueberry Swiss meringue buttercream? You’ll know from past posts that I’m a sucker for SMBC, but the berry variations just take the cake (har har). It literally melts in your mouth like blueberry ice cream – sure, it’s a little more high maintenance to make, but I promise that powdered sugar icing will seem like a fading and insignificant memory. Kind of like winter.

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Desserts