This weekend's cupcake plans

I'm taking on the "dried cherry soaked in kirsch" challenge this weekend. I have two designs of a "Chocolate Covered Cherry Kisses" cupcake. They each have the same cake, but have different fillings and toppings.

More on this later!

Cupcakes for a Cause

I have to say that I don't think that there could be a better cancer research fund-raiser EVER than the Cupcake for a Cause. If you are in the Los Angeles area, and are interested in participating in a bake sale this early fall to raise funds to raise money to benefit CancerCare for Kids, please post your name, what area of LA you are in and your e-mail below (use the function "renaemd (at) gmail (dot) com" if you are concerned about spam) so we can organize a meeting and planning team.

Cupcake Challenge #2

Okay y'all! We had some interesting suggestions (listed below) for the 1st Cupcake Challenge , so I'm working on these and will let you know how they turn out.

In the meantime, I need a challenge for next month, so think about your favorite cocktail(s) and post in the comments section - I'll pick three to work on and those who had a selected recipe will receive a special delivery of their own crunkycake. You can post as many times as you want, so reach back into those hazy memories and send me the best.

Last month's suggestions:

• Scotch. Hopefully Oban 14 yr.
• Absinthe
• Mojito. Yup, all the ingredients (or at least the flavors) in one nice little cupcake package
• Kahlua with crushed coffee beans
  
• Dried cherries soaked in kirsch
• Something with Ouzo but I can't think of an appropriate filling. Maybe a white chocolate ganache infused with ouzo?
• Kahlua and baileys irish creme
• Lemon drop
• Beer
• Pomegranate Martini
  

Happy posting - can't wait to see what you came up with!!!

Cupcake Frosting

What is your favorite type of cupcake frosting? Buttercream, whipped cream, ganache, etc?

When I was in Jr. High, I used Crisco exclusively for frosting the cakes I used to make my classmates on an almost weekly basis (I think my parents didn't want to spend that much money on butter), which I have a terribly hard time believing, but I was raised on more of a margarine diet for part of my life and it stuck until I discovered the real deal. Now, I'm almost a buttercream snob...but I'm working on branching out for these experiments.

So tell me, what do YOU like?

The top 3 challenges - coming to a kitchen near you!

Okay, we've got three great challenges and we're going to start working on them this weekend.

1. Mojito - there are 4 (count them, four) designs currently in the mix, although one of them is not testing well with the author. I will probably only attempt two of them this weekend.
2. Kahlua and Coffee - we have a design that is probably going to work right out of the gate, so this one will probably be the first to be attempted.
3. Cherries and Kirsch - well, there are two designs, both equally interesting, both with chocolate (which is another reason that I need you tasters to sign up below) and I think these are going to be some of the more popular

I'll post pictures, feedback and thoughts this week/weekend.

Feel like you are missing out on the fun? Sign-up to be a tester and/or taster and come get your cupcake on!