Buttery Cupcakes

Butter Lane cupcakes.

Butter Lane is not to be missed. I admit I had my doubts when I arrived at the cupcake shop around 7 p.m. and found out that the price for one of these sweet morsels was $3. I mean, Magnolia charges 3 bucks and - contrary to popular opinion - I don't think their red velvets are all that. But Butter Lane's long lines hinted at the potential of this cupcake hot spot.

Raspberry.

Unfortunately, the banana with cream cheese frosting and vanilla with French frosting were sold out (my 1st and 2nd choices, respectively), but I took my friend's suggestion and gave the peanut butter frosting over chocolate cake a try. I'm glad I did. It was buttery, not too sweet and whipped to perfection. The moist cake and fluffy frosting rival Sugar Sweet Sunshine in quality. A true cupcake lover's delight.

He had the chocolate cupcake with raspberry frosting. It even came with a real raspberry on top!

Flowery.

Fin!

I don't feel it's fair to give this bakery a rating yet since I haven't had their other distinctive flavors. But I do like what I taste so far. All the more reason to come in the future...

Location:
Butter Lane
123 East 7th St
New York, NY 10009
212.677.2880
www.butterlane.com

V is for Velvet: Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

Red Velvet Cupcake.

Just in time for Valentine's Day - some rich red velvet cupcakes to spark a smile on your sweetie's face. I took a cue from Paula Deen.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

Cook Time: 20 min
Prep: 20 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 24 frosted cupcakes

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons red food coloring
* 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
* 1 pound cream cheese, softened
* 2 sticks butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish [Optional]

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry. [Note: I just used whatever I had on hand - sprinkles]

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

All Frosted Up.

With Sprinkles.

I modified the ingredients a bit after perusing the reader's comments, which proved to be a good move. Namely, I reduced the amount of vegetable oil from 1.5 cup to 1 cup and increased the buttermilk from 1 c. to 1.5 c. The original amount made the cupcakes much too oily, and grease leaked through the cupcake tins. I would use more cocoa powder in the future since I really like chocolate...and for more of a Sugar Sweet Sunshine taste rather than something out of Betty Crocker's book.

Oh, and go for regular cream cheese - none of that low-fat nonsense! The frosting will wow you. Even thought it was my first time making red velvet cupcakes, I was quite pleased with the results. [Note to self: use electric mixer next time. My arm ached from the manual mixer, but it sure made the frosting one smooth operator.]

First Bite.

My family was the first to test these babies out, and by the way they were gulfing them down, I take that as a good sign. All in all, a good first effort!

Wedded to Cupcakes

Sugar Sweet Sunshine.

Last time, some of my friends went to Sugar Sweet Sunshine without me. But I heard such tantalizing tales of the tiny morsels that I was hooked - cupcakes are definitely going back on my agenda.

Sexy Red Velvet Cupcake.

I chose the Sexy Red Velvet Cupcake, red velvet cake with "The Moose," as it's called here. Rather than cream cheese icing, Sugar Sweet Sunshine uses a rich, smooth vanilla buttercream. Right after I took a bite, I wanted seconds (the guy smushed my mousse a bit in the bag, but no biggie). Cake so soft without being sugar rush sweet. But it's the buttery whipped cream that deserves top honors. The mousse was the moistest I have ever tasted. Whipped to a fluffy, light texture. For just $1.75, you can get a half a dozen to sample.

Other delectable choices include: pumpkin (pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing), sunshine (yellow cake with vanilla buttercream), ooey gooey (chocolate cake with chocolate almond buttercream) and black and white (chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream). I am so coming back!

It's a ring thing.

Saturday, I went to my friends' wedding in the West Village. It was a beautiful ceremony, small but intimate. We all snapped the obligatory family pics and 'paparazzi' shots. I remembered to take one of the rings. Since it also happened to be Halloween, random people on the street kept asking us what we were dressed up as:

"I love your costume! It's so elegant. But - what are you supposed to be?"

"Uh....we just got married?"

Yerp. We would be the wedding party. Or more aptly described as The Mafia, what with our black dresses and vintage heels, waistcoats and fitted suits.

Vegan cupcakes.

We bypassed the Halloween parade (and the 100-strong police force in uniform) for some refreshments back at the newlyweds' apartment.

I don't know about you, but when I imagine vegan cupcakes, I didn't expect them to taste this, well...good. I was pleasantly surprised by this batch, made with coconut oil instead of butter. My favorite (and Calla's mom agrees) were the brownie cupcakes, which tasted rich and smacked of chocolate gobs. As I recall, these were some expensive cupcakes. But oh so tasty.

Let's toast!

Recipe Teaser

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

2. Omurice (Omelet Rice).

3. Japanese Beef Curry.

4. Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew).

5. Autostrada Sandwich.

Happy Birthday to Me...

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday weekend so special! Karaoke singfest, a gooey chocolate cupcake (thanks, C!), cakes No. 1 & 2, dinner, drinks, 16 Handles and good company ~ what more could a girl ask for?

I'm glad we're on this boat called friendship together...

...because without you I'd sink!

(OK - I'll stop with the cheese now. But freals, you know who you are. Major <3.)

I love me some cupcake! Excuse me while I -nom nom- get -aefaoejg;vnm;lm - a bite...

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes, made by Emily for our coffeehouse in April. And it was her first time baking them! These were my far the best dessert of the night. Look at all that homemade love.




2. Ban-chan. Because a true Korean meal just isn't the same without it. You've got your choice of black beans, kimchi, dried squid, sausage & asparagus, silky tofu and the requisite leafy salad with ginger dressing. (I think I may be secretly Korean.)




3. Pork Gopdol (stone bowl) Bibimbap. Please excuse the blurriness, which was due to all the hot steam rising from the dish. This version was lacking in the sweet and spicy department (Chef - what happened to your taste buds tonight?) but it didn't fail to fill me up. Gotta love that grub! (Han-gang; 34 West 32nd St; New York, 212.736.0099).

Note: I ate this pre-Swine Flu, so I had no problems with the pork.




4. Tomato soup, made in my very own kitchen. You, too, can make it yourself. Adjust the black pepper to your liking. Also, I find this soup pares well with grilled cheese-bacon-mushroom sandwiches. A wonderful meal on a rainy day, just like the ones Mom used to make.




5. New York mushroom slices. Take a look at the middle slice - big love! Generous New York portions.

Day 4: Diesel Cafe & Kickass Cupcakes

Photo by Dan4th.

My camera battery died halfway through Sunday (3/22), so you'll have to excuse the jacked photos. I met up with my friends Aya and Renee at Diesel Cafe in Somerville, off the red line Davis Square stop. I'd heard about the hipster vibe but that didn't daunt me.

Framed abstract paintings of faces in watercolors and acrylics lined the walls, along with geometric prints and images of foliage and flowers. The cafe is a lot more spacious when you step inside. Nine to ten booths stretched out into oblivion (or what seemed like it), but each one was occupied by focused folks speedtyping away on their laptops, their caffeine fix (ahem, "friend") next to them.

From my high stool, my peripheral vision took in two Asian chicks playing pool, a vintage Mobil regulator and a busted photo booth. An old man wearing a grey newsboy, royal blue cardigan and a plaid shirt stood guard in front of the photo booth, arms akimbo, right arm lightly resting on his cane and an unswerving gaze to the right (cash counter). That's when I noticed his chunky silver chain. Grandpa's a true G!

A bright red stop sign in French ("Arret") next to the "Employees Only" swinging door arrested my attention. Diesel Cafe was super crowded and bustling with noise, but a good kind of noise.

My grub.

The counter person served up my Vietnamese iced coffee and sausage, egg & cheese sandwich with a chipper tone and a wide smile. This is the best Viet iced coffee I've had in a cafe -- bar none. Though Renee found it "too smoky" for her liking, I downed the entire thing. Not too sweet like those boba drinks, with just the right strength to keep me awake but not in zombie mode.

A mix-up in my order resulted in me lugging back an extra Vietnamese coffee. If I had downed both of them, I would have been a jittery mess. One thing's for sure: Diesel doesn't shortchange you. The size small coffee is easily the equivalent of a Grande at Starbucks (take that!). Starbucks, incidentally, is right across the street. If you're not a coffee person, Diesel also sells croissants, muffins, bagels, sandwiches, non-caffeinated tea and chocolate.

The cafe wasn't as "lesbo" as the reviews hinted. I didn't get any chicks hitting on me this time, so I was a happy camper.

Aya chowing down.

So was Aya. That huge Italian thing of pastrami, ham, cheese and fixins' sure looked scrumptious. And required additional maneuvering in the chomping department. Some random bits of lettuce and honey mustard flew across the table. Whoops! Aya also bought some Taza Chocolate here and shared some with me. Renee, sadly, is allergic to chocolate, so she had to pass on this one.

Tazo Chocolate Mexicano is stone ground, organic and locally produced in Somerville. We sampled two flavors: Vanilla and Guajillo Chili. The chocolate was nutty and crunchy with sugar flecks (cane sugar) aplenty. Since I prefer dark chocolate, I liked the bitter undertone.

Photo by Nodame.

Before I parted ways with my buddies, we walked a couple blocks down to Kickass Cupcakes. A more fitting name for this bakery would be "Kicking to Stay Afloat" -- hardly kickass.

Photo by fromourruins.

I asked the counter lady what the special of the day was and she suggested the Mojito Cupcake ($2.75). I gladly obliged. The cupcake's cream cheese filling gave it a moist sheen. While I thought the frosting was overly sugared up (See those sugar crystals? Pumped it up three notches above the normal sweetness level), I would be content just chomping on the cake part. Although the rum factor initially drew me in, it was toned down in the actual cupcake. I didn't even taste a hint of rum. Disappointment.

OK, so I wasn't expecting J.P. Licks-like rum raisin ice cream, but still... The cake's texture was too crumbly and hollow. I've tasted more heartier cupcakes. Though the gimmicky store name was worth a shot, I probably wouldn't go again.

Ratings:
Diesel Cafe - 4.5 out of 5 stars. Kickass Vietnamese coffee, bombdiggity sandwiches and lots of people-watching character to boot. You do have to pounce on a table, though.

Kickass Cupcakes - 3 out of 5 stars. I'm being generous here: The cream cheese filling saved this otherwise too-sweet-I'm-parsing-my-lips cupcake from being a complete flop. I'm just glad I didn't spend more than $2.75 on this one.


Locations:
Diesel Cafe
257 Elm St
Somerville, MA 02144
617.629.8717
www.diesel-cafe.com

Kickass Cupcakes
378 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144
617.628.2877
www.kickasscupcakes.com