For my birthday last summer, my husband's Aunt Cristi got me the book Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman.
I'm embarrassed to admit that the book sat on a shelf for nearly a year before I got the nerve to even leaf through it much. The recipes contain so many ingredients and techniques that I'm unfamiliar with that I had let it intimidate me to the point of not even TRYING.
Then two of my best friends took me to see the film "Julie & Julia," and I read the book that inspired the movie. Both the movie and the book encouraged me to overcome my fears by tackling projects that seemed to be just out of reach. Cupcakes Galore was the most logical place to start.
There are 113 recipes in the entire book. Even the author admits some of the recipes do not fit the classic definition of a 'cupcake' (i.e. the gelatin/fruit cups that use cupcake tins as a mold), but nevertheless my goal is to complete each and every recipe in the book. Rather than give myself a time limit, I am setting my sights on 1 to 2 batches a week. At that rate, it will take me about a year or two to get through everything.
As I work my way through the book, I will be posting my creations here on the blog. I will also be tweeting on my baking days, looking for people to take my creations off my hands (I do NOT want to eat 113 batches of cupcakes and end up weighing 400 pounds!) :) To help offset expenses and buy ingredients for the next recipe, I will be charging a small fee for the cupcakes and dividing them based on need (you want 4? 8? 10?), rather than on 'typical bakery' numbers.
Below is a list of all the recipes I will conquer during this adventure. You can refer back to this post as we make our way through the year. Once I've baked a certain type, I will gray out the name. After the post for a particular recipe has been featured on the blog, the name will change from gray to a hyperlink, so you can check out posts you may have missed.
GRANDMA’S FAVORITES 1. Zucchini Pine Nut Cupcakes 2. Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes 3. Black & White Cupcakes 4. Blue Blueberry ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes 5. Brownie Cupcakes 6. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes 7. Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes 8. Apple-Cranberry Crumble Cupcakes 9. Maple Walnut Delights 10. Three-Gingerbread Cupcakes 11. Strawberry-Filled Oatmeal Cupcakes 12. Persimmon Nut Harvest Treats 13. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Cupcakes 14. Yogurt Cupcakes 15. Poppyseed & Lavender Honey Cupcakes 16. Sunshine & Vitamin C Cupcakes
KIDS’ CUPCAKES 17. Yeti Cupcakes 18. Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 19. Root Beer Floats 20. Birthday Beauties 21. Chocolate Sundae Cupcakes 22. Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes 23. Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Cupcakes 24. Jelly-Filled Cupcakes 25. Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirls 26. Rocky Road Cupcakes 27. Banana Split Cupcakes 28. S’Mores Cupcakes 29. Chocolate Malted Milk Shake Cupcakes
AFTER DINNER CUPCAKES 30. Burgundy Blues Cupcakes 31. Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Butter Rum Frosting 32. Beer & Peanuts Cupcakes 33. Kir Cupcakes 34. Cappuccino Cupcakes 35. Cuba Libre Cupcakes 36. Irish Coffee Cupcakes 37. Mint Julep Cupcakes 38. Mezzo-Mezzo Cupcakes 39. Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Glaze 40. Midnight Madness Cupcakes 41. Piña Colada Cupcakes 42. Pastis Cupcakes with Anise Frosting 43. After Eight Cupcakes
GOURMET CUPCAKES 44. Tarte Tatin Cupcakes with Caramelized Apples 45. Bourdaloue Cupcakes with Caramelized Almonds 46. Cevenol Cupcakes with Crème de Marron Icing 47. Crèpe Suzette Cupcakes 48. Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes 49. Earl Grey Cupcakes 50. Crème Brulée Cupcakes 51. The Arlésienne 52. Peche Melba Cupcakes 53. The Languedocienne 54. Ricotta Lime Cupcakes with Lime Glaze 55. Tiramisu Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream 56. Linzertorte Cupcakes 57. Mendiant Cupcakes with Fig Topping 58. Marrakech Moments 59. Pineapple Surprises 60. Macadamia & White Chocolate Cupcakes 61. Orient Express Cupcakes with Ying Yang Frosting 62. Mini-Financier Cupcakes 63. Poire Belle Helene 64. White Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes 65. Gateau de Savoie (Savoy Cake) 66. Saffron & Orange Cupcakes 67. Strawberry Cheesecakes
HOLIDAY CUPCAKES 68. Valentine’s Day Cupcakes 69. Epiphany Cupcakes 70. St. Patrick’s Day Pistachio Yogurt Cupcakes 71. St. Patrick’s Day Irish Soda Bread Cupcakes 72. Mother’s Day Filled Rose Cupcakes 73. Easter Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes 74. Easter Lavender Butterfly Cupcakes 75. July 4th Red Velvet Cupcakes 76. July 4th Blueberry & Raspberry Cupcakes 77. Thanksgiving Carrot & Cranberry Cupcakes 78. Thanksgiving Apple Cider Cupcakes 79. Halloween Orange Juice Cupcakes 80. Halloween Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes 81. Day of the Dead Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes 82. Chanukah Honey Hazelnut Cupcakes 83. Christmas Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes 84. Christmas Fruit Cupcakes with White Fondant 85. New Year’s Eve Pink Champagne Cupcakes 86. New Year’s Eve Confetti Cupcakes
CUPCAKES PLUS 87. Dessert Rose Cupcakes 88. Almond & Hazelnut Mini-Meringues 89. Deep-Dish Apple Pie Cupcakes 90. Chocolate Cupcake Pies 91. Cherry Almond Pie Cupcakes 92. Baklava Cups 93. White Chocolate Panna Cotta Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Sauce 94. Baba Au Rhum Cupcakes 95. Blueberry Tart Cupcakes 96. Strudel Cups 97. Boston Cream Cupcakes 98. Caramel Vermicelli Cupcake Flans 99. Clafoutis with Crème Anglaise 100. Charlotte a la Fraise Cupcakes 101. Black Forest Cupcakes 102. Cupcake Kebabs 103. Rosemary’s Summer Pudding Cupcakes 104. Chocolate & Nut Dacquoise 105. Gelée of Fruit with White Wine in a Cupcake 106. Dessert Cups 107. Special Occasion Cupcakes 108. Far Breton Cupcakes 109. Lamington Mini-Cupcakes 110. Party Sundae Cupcakes 111. Opera Cupcakes 112. Chocolate Charlotte Cupcakes 113. Aunt Florence’s Frozen Lemon Cupcakes
TOTAL: 113 DONE: 44 REMAINING: 69