You know, for all the hours I spend in my kitchen, there are just some times when my baking mojo is MIA. This was one of those times.
First of all, the recipe as written is for a triple-layer cake, and I wanted to scale it down and make cupcakes. This actually went alright – I halved the cake recipe – but I overfilled my cupcake liners, and ended up with the flat tops you see above. And here’s where things started to go wrong. The overflow on the cupcakes stuck to the the pan and made it very tricky to remove them. I guess I was trying to fit everything into one cupcake pan and 12 liners; if I filled them correctly, I probably would have got 15 or 16.
I was most interested in the icing part of this recipe, as I’ve actually made the chocolate cake before as part of the Sweet & Salty cake. I picked up coffee extract on my trip to Golda’s at Christmastime, so I had everything I needed. Not really sure what went wrong here, and the icing was smooth in texture, but in appearance it looked like it was grainy or starting to separate. It was also super soft, so the Baked boys recommended putting it in the fridge to firm up before using it.
At this point I was kind of over the whole thing, so I skipped the dark chocolate ganache and just put a few chocolate chips on top. Now let’s be real, these still tasted amazing, but they just didn’t look as cute as I envisioned.
You can find the recipe here!
Maya Malixi Alberga
March 30, 2012 8:29 amI didn’t care if it wasn’t as pretty as you wanted it to be… it tasted great! The icing was so rich in flavor and the cupcake was extremely moist! LOVED it!!!
Kris Barlow
March 26, 2012 10:49 amMaybe that was my problem: MIA. Cupcakes are a good idea. This cake is huge. We used it for a large family party and everybody liked it but I can’t imagine baking it without a purpose. Sometimes I want flat topped cupcakes so I”ll remember your experience…but I hope to remember not to fill the liners too full…I think we’ve all had that experience. I think you and I are brave to post our experiences this week!
Littlebakerbunny
March 25, 2012 10:39 pmAs long as they taste good, that’s all that matters! I like the idea of using chocolate chips on top!
Susan
March 25, 2012 10:36 pmWell, Byn, the good news is these things happen to all of us! I have made the Baked cooked buttercream icing 3 times & this is the only time it turned out – makes me feel like an idiot! I read the recipe carefully several times, but it just didn’t turn out.
Anyway, I love these tulip papers from King Arthur Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/tulip-papers-white-set-of-24
They make clean-up a so much easier.
Natalie
March 25, 2012 10:31 pmGreat idea with the cupcakes, my cake only ended up with two layers. I think your cupcakes are cute, my buttercream was a bit grainy to but it still tasted yummy!
dulcetdevotion
March 25, 2012 9:55 pmIsn’t that so frustrating when everything seems to fall apart in the kitchen? Well they still look amazing. And sometimes that’s just the way it goes. I’m glad they still tasted great. You can still enjoy the effort you put in:)
Elaine
March 25, 2012 9:47 pmI think they turned out so cute! Great idea to make this recipe into cupcakes. I love the ‘flat’ top and the graininess of the icing makes them sparkling. Nice touch with the bits of chocolate on top.
Byn
March 26, 2012 2:33 pmthank you! i was convinced they were ugly!
Danielle
March 25, 2012 8:07 pmIs that cupcake posed on a homemade wood table? Did you spend all weekend crafting that?
Byn
March 26, 2012 2:32 pmHA! you know it! in reality, it’s a debbie travers placemat from canadian tire! big baller over here!
bourbonnatrix
March 25, 2012 7:20 pmas least you got them finished and posted, unlike me! i made cupcakes too, same flat top problem… got 3 doz with the full recipe. by then i was too lazy to make the frosting and glaze, so i just stashed the cupcakes in the freezer until i feel like making the rest of the recipe! how was golda’s? i was just thinking about going there sometime soon, but it’s 5+ hours away from where i am… worth it? ( I thought i’d go to mccalls too while i’m in that area… u ever been?)
Byn
March 26, 2012 2:32 pmgolda’s is AMAZING. they have everything a baker could ever want. but! they have an online store too, so there’s no need to drive 5 hours! i haven’t heard of mccalls – i’ll have to check it out!
bourbonnatrix
March 28, 2012 10:08 ami love the availability of products on their website (and super fast shipping) but i also love shopping in a brick and mortar store… if they have the same selection 🙂 i’ve ordered from mccalls too a few times… i find they have different products than golda’s… between the two of them, i can usually find what i’m looking for!
Kristine
March 25, 2012 9:00 amYou might not have loved them, but they were amazing. One of those babies got us a table at your not so fave restaurant last night. (it was rammed full of post hunger games diners.)
Byn
March 25, 2012 9:23 amhilarious, i guess the moral of the story is not to judge a cupcake by it’s cover … or ugly icing!
Kristine
March 29, 2012 2:11 pmi had the one that wasn’t frosted yesterday. the cake was so good on it’s own!