MSC: Strawberry Cupcakes

I'm writing this post in some pain. I just got my wisdom teeth out yesterday. OUCH. It was extremely painful. It astonishes me how many people have this procedure done, yet I feel like I've complained more than anyone. No dry sockets yet, and let's pray never. So far I haven't eaten anything, which sucks because I love love to eat. I was smart and prepped some food for me ahead of time, which I'll post soon (once I've actually had a chance to eat it). Ahhhh, my mouth is so sore right now. Okay, let's focus on what today is really about.

It is the 15th. That means a Martha Stewart Cupcake is in order! And, oh wait, IT WAS MY PICK! Aww yeahhh. Okay, well with it being June and all, I thought this seemed seasonally appropriate, and as I've mentioned before, strawberry is Mummy-Dearest's favorite. I made these a while ago for my Honors Chorus bake sale. You see, we've been given an opportunity of a lifetime.

We will be going on a 6-day trip to New York City. (I cried when I found out) I have never been there, so of course I'm ecstatic. We're going to see West Side Story and Marry Poppins on Broadway, as well as the opera Carmen.

Plus some lovely sites like the Statue of Liberty:
Why are we doing this? The lovely American composer Tim Janis has asked us to come and sing at CARNEGIE HALL. Yes, THE Carnegie Hall. Here in Pittsburgh we did a special with him known as Celebrate America!, but now he wants us for his Christmas special!



This trip means a LOT of fund raising will need done, but we are all so determined! One of the first things we had was a bake sale, and for it, I made these cupcakes.


They were amazing! I thought the strawberry buttercream on top was so buttery and yet sweet and and just a perfect match for the cupcake.

The cupcake base was super moist but it held together nicely. The strawberries were finely chopped in mine so there weren't any big pieces making it hard to eat through.

I got so many compliments on them. The recipe made a ton so I was able to have plenty to sell. I would say these are my favorite cupcakes so far, but I feel like I say that every time!


Check out the club blog for the blog roll and updates on the upcoming cupcakes! Thank you to everyone who baked along with me this month-) I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!!

When disaster strikes

So to reveal what I was going to make with my lemon I'll first provide you with a picture.
Lovely isn't it? Yeah that was what was supposed to be a lemon meringue roulade. So as you can see it didn't exactly turn out the way I would have hoped.

The recipe from baking bites said to use parchment paper, and sadly I didn't own any. By using a silpat sheet to prevent sticking the baking surface was uneven, so I had lots of trouble with trying to have it bake level.


OVER FLOW!




Yeah so with the whole over flow thing I had to keep opening the oven and checking on it and allowing it to shrink back a bit. In the end i really think that screwed up my baking time and then I was left with this...>

And after an excruciatingly painful process of pulling the meringue off of the silpat, I was left with this...
Yeah, I threw it away. That was sad. It was burning on the ends and the middle was completely uncooked, I probably would have poisoned my family if I'd have served them it. Well here is the recipe anyway for those of you who are probably not so cursed in the kitchen as I am.



Lemon meringue roulade
fromBaking Bites
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 15×17-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lightly grease, making sure to lightly grease the sides of the pan, too.

In a large bowl, prepare the meringue. Beat the egg whites until frothy, then increase mixer speed to high and gradually beat in the salt and sugar, beating until the mixture reaches soft peaks.Stir in lemon zest.

Spread meringue into prepared pan in a thin, even layer.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until meringue is light gold.
Turn meringue out onto a wire rack lined with a clean dish towel. Peel off parchment paper and let cool completely.