Another weekend, another batch of cupcakes...

After a hectic past few weeks, it looks like it is time for life to return to normal just as summer draws to a close. It is only mid-September, but after an unusually cool summer, you can already feel the crisp chill of fall creeping in. If I did not find the cold weather in the north east so intolerable fall would be my favorite season. Fall means beautiful oranges, golds and reds under a cloudless sky, best enjoyed in a snuggly sweater with a cup of warm soup. It also means warm, hearty comfort food, as root vegetables, apples and pears come into season. Naturally food is my top of mind association when I think of fall. I think it is my first thought when you mention almost anything. Not the case for A… fall means football.

This past weekend we were invited to watch NFL opening day with friends. I could have cared less about the game, but A. is a die-hard fan. Somehow I managed to grow up in Texas without developing an appreciation for the sport. The host requested cupcakes and I was more than happy to oblige. I ended up cancelling due to a last minute work conflict, but A. headed to Tribeca on his own toting the promised dessert under protest (he dislikes carrying the 'emasculating' cupcake carrier).

I had a can of opened almond paste nearing expiration in the refrigerator, which the cupcakes would be almond cupcakes. I also had several pounds of frozen raspberries that I picked a few weeks ago with my mother which I thought would make a nice raspberry frosting – a last taste of summer berries to bid the season farewell. I modified the Vanilla Cardamom cupcake recipe that I posted a few weeks ago, incorporating the almond paste and omitting the cardamom. For the icing, I pureed and strained some raspberries and mixed them into a pretty standard recipe for cream cheese frosting.

The almond flavor blended deliciously with the vanilla bean, producing a sweet, yet still subtle flavor in the cake. The cupcakes will still a little bit dense, but improving since the first time I played with this recipe. I had mixed feelings about the raspberry frosting. The flavor was nice, but the texture was not ideal. Not surprisingly, the added berry puree made the icing a bit fragile due to the added liquid. I like the idea of mixing fresh fruit into the frosting, but think that a dried powder might produce a richer flavor with a better texture in the future.



Almond Cupcakes

yield - about 14 cupcakes


9 oz flour 1 tsp cornstarch

1 & 1/8 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

4 oz almond paste

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, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.In another bowl, mix the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.


Cream butter, almond paste 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.

Macaron almost success!

I think life is finally returning to normal after an unusually hectic August. A and I were travelling for weddings and family commitments every weekend, culminating in our annual Labor Day tradition – a visit from our West Coast friends.

What a waste today was. Friday… the end of a four day work week, turned into a three day work week for me due to busted internet, which forced me to stay home and wait for the cable guy. I know… I probably should not complain. But the weather was foul and I have no internet, which means I can’t work… can’t do much of anything and I am stuck inside, waiting. Also, I know I will pay for this unexpected day off when I arrive back at work on Monday to the pile of untouched papers and unread email.

What does one do when stuck at home with nothing to do? For me the answer, of course, is bake. I decided that I might as well make a third attempt at macarons. Veronica over at Kitchen Musings was kind enough to respond to my calls for help. After taking a look at the photos of my past efforts, she suggested that I was probably under-baking them. My third attempt indicates she was right.

I made the standard recipe for almond macarons listed at Kitchen Musings. I decided that until I get these things right, I better not waste ingredients by trying to make fancy flavors. Third time is a charm. Though the macarons were still not perfect, I did not have the same problems with deflating cookies sticking to the sheet and falling apart. They didn’t exactly glide off the sheet like the recipe says they should, but I was able to remove them without completely destroying them. Though they did hold together, I noticed that the top of the cookie did seem to sink into the “foot”, while the skins were still a bit fragile. I suspect that this could have resulted from slight over-mixing – something I will need to focus on for the next time around.

In the meantime, A should be delighted to see that this batch is not going straight from the oven into the garbage. His dollars and cents mindset causes him some anguish each time he sees me throw out ingredients. “Stop wasting money” he says, to which I remind him that trial and error at home is cheaper that tuition for pastry school!

I think that a dark chocolate ganache would be a nice complement for my first almost macaron success!