Page 222 Hummingbird Cupcakes

"Some say the hummingbird cake, a Southern specialty replete with pineapple chunks, bananas, coconut, and walnuts, earned its name because each otherworldly bite makes you hum with delight. Others hold that the cake is as sweet as the sugared water used to attract the tiny birds. Adorned with dried pineapple 'flowers,' the cupcake variation makes a beautiful presentation for Mother's Day. To give the flowers a cupped shape, cool them in muffin tins." - Martha

So, I was attracted to this recipe because of the gorgeous photo that is in the book. I tried my best to duplicate the photo for your pleasure, but you'll see by reading below, the pitfalls I had. Also, a point to be noted, I was baking these cupcakes specifically for a ladies luncheon, not Mother's Day, as Martha would suggest. I thought they definitely made a great presentation though.

This cupcake was, par for the course, a super delicious treat! I decided against the walnuts this time because of the allergy factor since I was supplying them for a luncheon. I imagine they would have only gotten better had they contained the nuts. It is a very easy, albeit many ingredients on the list, recipe. But again, with that many ingredients, there are just as many bowls mentioned to use. I didn't use that many. I beat the butter and sugars, added the eggs, then instead of mixing separately the coconut, bananas, pineapple etc,.; I simply added each to the egg/sugar mix and whipped it. Alternately, instead of sifting my flour mix into a bowl then adding it to the batter, I sifted my flour, soda, salt & cinnamon directly into the fruit/eggs. Very easy; I didn't see what could have posed a problem doing it that way or the other.

But when it came around to making the pineapple "flowers," it took WAY MORE TIME than the book says it would. The recipe states to layout and dry in the oven the thinly sliced pineapple pieces on parchment for 30 minutes and then flip for another 30 or possibly more. I did that, and then did it again and again before I thought the rounds were dry enough to use. Luckily, I had begun that process first, but it turned out to be finsished last.