Mini Cupcake Disaster

My last blog post told the story of my husband's sister and her Blue Cake Debacle and here I am again with another story of baking gone wrong.  This time, it was my cupcakes that went awry.

I had wanted to share with you all a delicious recipe on a mini chocolate cake that could be made in the microwave; it would be easy to make, yummy to eat, and fun to share.  At least, that's what I thought.

For those of you unfamiliar with the new trend of microwavable desserts, they are intended to be single-serve sweets that are a breeze to make---you throw all the ingredients into a mug, stir it around, zap it in the microwave, and it's done.

The recipe for the batter consisted of two ingredients so I mixed those together then scraped it into my microwave safe bowl lined with a baking cup.  After I cooked it in the microwave, I let my cupcake cool and went to eat my lunch.  Some thirty minutes later I returned, chocolate sauce and whipped cream in hand and decorated it to hide the uneven top.  As you can see, it looked adorable and delicious.

The challenge came when I attempted to get my cupcake out of its lining.  I had to peel the baking cup away from my treat.  Then, I tried to stick my fork in to take a bite---the operative word being tried.   

I had let my cupcake cool too long.   The result was a dry, hard mass of chocolate.  Even a Cupcake Stylist like myself can mess up a two-ingredient cupcake, it seemed.

I threw it away and decided to try again.  This time I made it with equal parts of both ingredients, hoping it would be more moist and---let's face it---edible than my last try.

Again, I baked the cupcake (foregoing the baking cup that had proved to be a bigger hassle than it was worth), let it cool---this time, I carefully watched to make sure it did not sit too long---then added the necessary chocolate syrup and whipped cream. 

This time, the cake was softer---somewhere between bread pudding and a sponge.  It was good, but not great.  In my mind, it was not worth all the hassle.  But I wanted to give you all the recipe and see if you had better luck than I did.  Here it is:

Hungry Girl's Mini Microwave Triple Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 T Devil's Food Cake Mix (but I found that it works with any flavor of mix)
2 T Cool Whip Free, thawed
1 T vanilla yogurt (though plain works just fine)
1 T Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, divided

Instructions:

1. In a small dish, stir together Cool Whip and half of the chocolate syrup.  Place chocolatey whipped topping in the freezer to firm up while you prep the rest of your dessert.
2. In a very small microwave-safe dish (like a ramekin or a mug), combine cake mix and yogurt.  Stir until smooth and blended.  Don't worry it if seems like a small amount.  Your cake will puff up as it cooks---I promise!
3. Microwave for 1 minute.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes (and ONLY 5 minutes).
4. Remove chocolatey whipped topping from the freezer and spoon it over your cake.  Drizzle the remaining chocolate syrup on top.  Enjoy!

If you tried out this recipe, let me know how it worked for you!  I gave this recipe a rating of 4 out of 10 overall, but what did you think?  Email me your thoughts.

Do you have a favorite cake, cupcake, or frosting recipe that you would like featured on our blog?  If so, please send to CupcakeStylist@aol.com. 

Easy Do-It-Yourself Marshmallow Fondant

This recipe for marshmallow fondant is from Cake Central's website where is has a rating of 9 out of 10!  It was just so good and so easy that I had to share it.

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients
15 oz. mini marshmallows
2 T water
 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp light corn syrup (helps w/ pliability)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 lbs (approx 7 C) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 C Crisco or vegetable shortening

Instructions

1. Grease microwave proof bowl w/ Crisco. Also grease wooden or heat proof spoon. Pour marshmallows and water into bowl. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes stopping and stirring at 40 second intervals. Mixture should be soupy.
2. Take out of microwave and immediately add corn syrup, lemon juice, salt and extracts. Stir well. Sift confectioner’s sugar into mixture, one cup at a time. After approximately 5 cups, grease your hands well with Crisco and knead the mixture in the bowl. Add the sixth cup and continue to knead. Now grease your work surface well and turn mixture out of bowl onto counter. Sift remaining sugar, regrease hands, and knead well. If mixture seems soft, add one additional cup of powdered sugar.
3. Shape into a mound and put a coating of crisco on outside. Double wrap in cling wrap and insert into ziplock bag. Press air out of bag and seal. Allow to rest overnight, but, can be used after sitting for a few hours.

**Quick note, Princess Cake and Cookie emulsion gives this fondant a delicious flavor – even people who reportedly hate fondant like it!

Do you have a favorite cake, cupcake, or frosting recipe that you would like to have featured on our blog?  If so, please send to CupcakeStylist@aol.com.