Cupcakes and Cheesecakes

It was an exhausting weekend, and while I usually try to savor every second of every weekend, I must say that I am happy this one has drawn to a close. Social commitments, a death in the family, and my husband's immediate re-departure for Mexico made everything feel a little frantic. When the last morsel of flour was scrubbed off the kitchen counter on Sunday night, I was ready to bid good riddance to August 2nd, with the hope that August 3rd would deliver an opportunity to slow down.

For those that know me, I consider a social engagement or a family gathering as more than just an opportunity to see friends and loved ones. For me, this is a chance to try new recipes and unload trays of sweets on unsuspecting victims. This weekend was no different. 48 cupcakes and a tray of cheesecakes later, here are the results.

I know I said earlier that I would give credit where credit is due for recipes, but in the case of the cheesecakes, I think the recipe writer should remain anonymous. While our friends seemed to enjoy them (as determined by how quickly they were inhaled), I was not pleased with the quality of the product that the recipe produced. The crust was way too buttery and the filling did not hold together as well as the fillings from other recipes I have used. Overall, it tasted pretty good, but I don't think I will make it again.

This was also the first time I used the Chicago Metallic mini-cheesecake pan that my husband got me for Christmas. I found the pan more challenging than the standard springforms used for larger cheesecakes. I had trouble determining how much crust and filling to put in each cup, leading to too much crust and too little filling. I will know better next time. Also important to consider, my husband claims that washing the mini-cheesecake pan is equal to washing 37 dishes. He was very precise.

To cover up blemishes resulting from clumsy removal from the pan, I garnished each cheesecake with fresh strawberry "sticks", which would also complement the strawberry filling inside of the cakes.

For the cupcakes, I decided to try inventing a recipe. I wanted to do something with cardamom. I love preparing dessert with cardamom because I feel like it is a spice that is always delicious, but difficult to identify and somewhat surprising for those who do not often eat it. The cake turned out moist and pleasantly spicy... but spicy enough that the strawberry buttercream frosting actually detracted from the overall flavor. With hindsight, such a light, delicate frosting probably was not the best pairing for such a strong cake. If I make this cake again, I think I would choose citrus (orange or lemon) over strawberry, with a more densely flavored toping - either creamcheese or a glaze.

In order to compensate for the over-powered buttercream, I garnished the cupcakes with diced strawberries. Though it didn't completely solve the problem, it did help strengthen the strawberry flavor in the cupcakes.


Vanilla Cardamom Cupcakes
yield - about 14 cupcakes

9 oz flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 & 1/8 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 tsp cardamom
5 oz butter
10 oz sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
vanilla bean seeds from one vanilla bean


Mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl; set aside.
In another bowl, mix the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Mix in egg and egg white, one at a time.
Mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter/egg/sugar mixture. Stir in completely, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add half of the milk mixture, incorporating completely. Add the rest of the flour and milk mixtures in 3 additions, alternating between wet and dry ingredients. Take care not to over-mix.
Divide batter into cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes.