Cupcakes are ominous. They look so sweet and innocent and easy, oh so easy. I mean how hard could a miniature cake with some frosting be? The answer is very! No matter how simple a cupcake recipe looks you always run into a slew of potential disasters. The cake is too dry, the frosting is too wet, there's too much frosting, or not enough. The list and frustrations go on and on until you're in a battle for your life over cupcake liners that won't separate and you vow to never to try to make these infernal desserts again. Not that this has never happened to me... because I am calm as can be in the kitchen, obviously.
Every birthday, however, I seem to have a lapse in judgement because for a split second a thought pops into my head like a shining beacon, "cupcakes". But I've been down this road before, and know that cupcakes can't be trusted. Then I think, I am an adult woman, I am capable and smart, and fearless to all things confectionary, and the cycle starts again.
It was my birthday last weekend and celebrating in these times is weird isn't it? You just hope that the world doesn't manage to fall apart in the final hours before you can spend time with friends and family and seek a pinch of normalcy. That is why I made a delusion-fueled decision to get back on the cupcake train and ride that baby to victory this year. To combat the cupcake curse of Kate (it's called an alliteration, look it up), I chose a recipe from one of my most tried and tested food bloggers. Half Baked Harvest written by Tieghan Gerard. This woman is a whiz to all things delicious and has one of the sweetest kitchen set ups I've ever seen.
I made her recipe for Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Buttercream (recipe on the instagram!). Phew what a mouthful, literally and metaphorically. But don't let the fanciness of the name fool you, these are seriously easy to make and so delicious I promise they will bring a smile to even the grouchiest soul this fall, or winter, even summer, who cares make these whenever you want.
Some take-aways from the recipe: this is a tip for really any cake ever, so write this one down people. Whip. Your. Batter. There is always one step that says something about creaming together the sugar and butter (this recipe calls for coconut oil but the same principle applies, get whippy with it), this is crucial, crucial stuff. Make sure your butter is room temperature and whip that batter into next Tuesday, it should be light and airy before you even dream of adding an egg to it. Speaking of adding eggs, add them one at a time and beat together after each addition. If you've ever had a batter separate after you've added your eggs this is probably why. These steps are crucial to this recipe because it ensures your cake is light and fluffy and, some of you may hate me for saying this, it helps make sure your cake is moist. I understand the aversion to the word but let's all get on board with the fact that a moist cake is the only one that matters. My only other piece of advice for this cake is to make extra frosting, you'll understand why.
As I've grown up, my birthday has become less about the celebration and more about reflection. Taking a day to reflect on the last year, 365 days of growth marked by a happy birthday song and some gifts. This year, I looked around at the people in my life, sat in the peace of how far I've come, and anxiously anticipated how far I have left to go. I was lucky enough to spend my birthday with my favorite people on the planet, laughing and eating together. And when it's all said and done, I think that's probably the best birthday I could have asked for.
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