Cupcake Experiment #2

Yum!  My quest to become "known for cupcakes" is going along smashingly!  This week, I tried a cake mix from scratch...

For my first from scratch cake, I went to my tried & true, favorite cook book.  This Betty Crocker book is from the '70's and was given to my by my mother-in-law, when I first got married.  I love it...simple & basic recipes.

I assembled the ingredients for the batter...

...and filled the cupcake pan.  Last time you might remember that I overfilled the cupakes.  This time, I got the perfect amount of batter into the cakes.

I've also invested in a mini-cupcake pan.  These are the perfect size for a taste-test, they're super cute! and my youngest, Aiden, also loves mini-muffins.

The cakes came out perfectly and it was time to frost...

I used the same buttercream frosting recipe that I used in Cupake Experiment #1.  This received a total of  

4 stars in the first test and I didn't want to change too many things this time around.  I also went for a Patriotic theme...the blue frosting turned out perfectly but the red sugars looked a little pink.

How did they Score?

  Presentation...3 stars

Frosting...4 stars

Cake...2 stars

I took the cupcakes to a family party, so there were more tasters this time around.  In general the cake was a bit dry and sort of bitter tasting.  The frosting was still a hit!

Coming up next week...Red Velvet cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!