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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Martha Stewart Cupcake Club Entry #1


Hi Sweet Readers!

Well, here I am just back from seeing the movie "Julie and Julia" and it has inspired me to begin my blog entry on the challenge I have decided to take on. The movie was fun and entertaining and Meryl Streep is fantastic, by the way. So why am I inspired? Well, as Julie cooked her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", I have committed with other fellow bloggers to bake through Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes". Now, I realize that it is not quite the undertaking that Julie took on, but it's fun for me and I am looking forward to it. I hope you will enjoy following in the sweet journey.
[mscupcakes.jpg]
We are going to bake our way through this delicious cupcake book one cupcake at a time...and once a month! There are 175 cupcake recipes, so it will take some time to get through it. Stick with me, please. At some point, I will get to choose the cupcake we make, as will each of the other bloggers. There are currently 34 fellow blogger bakers working our way through it. For the whole list of other fellow bloggers who are taking on this challenge, go to http://bettyheartcupcakes.blogspot.com/ and check them out! I know I will!

Today is our first due date. We baked the CHOCOLATE SALTED-CARAMEL CUPCAKES. Here are some photos to document this delicious endeavor:
Here are the chocolate cupcakes cooling. They were beautifully dark and rich in color.

Here is the salted caramel. Yes. It is delicious as it looks. It was perfectly sweet with a wonderful salty hint..more than a hint, but fabulous.Here is the salt I used. The recipe called for fleur de sel or Maldon. At the gourmet food store I went to, the sales person recommended this. It had flakey large crystals. I like salt and this stuff is great. It doesn't melt too quickly and will stay whole when not exposed to heat. I think it is essential that this salt or the fleur de sel be used in this recipe. Otherwise, you won't taste the salt and it will melt right into the top of the cupcake.

Here is the beautiful dark cupcake filled with the luscious caramel.

Here is the chocolate I melted for the frosting. A pound and a half of chocolate, dear readers! What could be wrong with this recipe now?

Nothing! The recipe turned out fantastic! I loved the moist and tender crumb of the cupcake. The caramel was creamy and delectable, with just the right hint of salt. The frosting, well, incredible. It was a chocolate lover's delight.
Here is my completed Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake. MSC Challenge #1 done!
And here is an inside shot. Look at the caramel oozing out! This was freshly made so the caramel was still in a liquid form. After the cupcake sits a bit, it does solidify. Still tastes great, though!

By the way, I had made these before about a month ago. I didn't make the chocolate cupcake recipe that it called for, so I thought I should remake them for this posting. You can see them here: http://smileyssweetsandcreations.blogspot.com/2009/07/decadent-chocolate-and-salted-caramel.html. I must say, the caramel came out much better this time. I think I made sure to really wait until the sugar syrup became clear before it came to a full boil. Last time, however, the frosting came out more glossy and much prettier. Go figure!

I hope you enjoyed the entry. I can't wait to see what cupcake comes next!

15 comments:

Professor Gal said...

Perfection! And your cupcake photos with they hydrangeas are so lovely!

Soy*Baby said...

Your cupcakes look fabulous. I love all the pictures. These were really delicious.

Mary Ann said...

I love your pictures! These cupcakes were so delicious. Great job!

Hindy said...

Yum. That flaky salt looks so interesting. Your photos are beautiful! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.

Kayte said...

OMW, your blog photos are so wonderful...all those steps photographed so nicely and precisely. Thanks, that was fun having the little tour. Your cupcakes are beautiful!

marae said...

Looks fabulous!! These were complicated to make (so many steps) but the end result was lovely.

Nina said...

Wow, these look so pretty!

mike said...

Love the large salt fakes - I think I have Maldon in my cupboard too - I'll have to get it out now! They look fantastic! Caramel included - I love making caramel now (that I know the easy way): put the sugar/water in the saucepan, bring it to med-high, and COVER it. It will steam through the edges of the pot lid - that's fine, that means it's boiling. When it stops steaming - it's done - usually about 10 minutes. Then you can cover/look/cover for a few minutes until it turns golden amber or even dark amber (if you like dark caramel). No need to brush down the sides or even get the pastry brush out... since the steam from the lid washes down the sides. Anyway - thought I'd share that tip (that took me awhile to figure out)! Got it from Julia Child! LOVED the movie - saw it last week!

The Fancy Lady said...

i love martha i wanna join along!

Caroline said...

Love your cupcakes with very generous frosting and the Maldon salt sure do have large flakes. I'm gonna have to get those, but maybe after I use up my fleur de sel. :) Nice job!

Christine said...

Hey, these look fantastic! I so loved the movie too! It just speaks to a blogger's heart, doesn't it! Looking forward to making some of these cupcakes with you.

A Cupcake Life said...

I may have to try this recipe!

~Dusti

Unknown said...

Your cupcakes are beautiful! I loved the combination of the salt, caramel and chocolate. Such delicious flavors, though quite rich with all the chocolate this week!

betty geek said...

Absolutely gorgeous cupcakes! I love your caramel photos! Seems like someone is already the caramel master! :)

Thanks again for joining the group and baking along with me!

I can't wait to follow you on your monthly cupcake adventures!

Marthe said...

Love the inside shot of your cupcake! These were delish!!

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