I love to cook so I use any excuse to get in the kitchen. Of late I've been fascinated with cupcakes. They're small enough to allow you to have one and not derail your diet, especially the mini versions. Chockylit's blog has not only gorgeous photos but wonderfully creative recipes. The Cupcake Queen got me started on this kick.
I figured out that serving frozen desserts is easier if made up as individual cupcakes. I did this when I catered a bridal shower and used my new silicon cupcake pan for my favorite Frozen Lemon Mousse recipe. You have to turn them inside out to get them out of the pan.
I wanted a red, white and blue dessert for my 4th of July barbeque and made up a frozen dessert as individual cupcakes. Chocolate crust, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and some frozen raspberries and blueberries. Once they were frozen hard I popped them out and topped with whipped cream. I thought an addition of a tiny flag was cute, but my dad, who doesn't really see very well, almost ate one!
Earlier in June I made up Bon Appetit's orange layer cake as cupcakes to bring to a barbeque. They were quite festive. As is usual with me I was rushing to get everything done and didn't take a picture. I used my fabulous new silicon cupcake pan and figured everything would pop right out - not so much. The cupcakes took just as much persuading to get out as they would have in a regular pan. I decorated the top with a berry or two and a drizzle of raspberry juice. The drizzle really looked nice on the big cake, but sort of looked like, well, blood on the white frosting of the cupcakes. They'd be great as eyeballs. I'll have to remember this recipe for Halloween.
One of my recent experiments was with a lemon cake for a friend's birthday. Pillsubury Lemon cake, frosting from Bon Appetit's recipe (orange water replaced with lemon peel) and Martha Stewart's lemon curd on top. The filling was the outside frosting with a couple of tablespoons of lemon curd. My significant other said it looked like a step pyramid. My friend and her family all liked its lemoniness and have asked for the recipe.