Page 133 Jumbo Cream-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

"Store bought snack cakes can't compare to these homemade versions: dark chocolate cupcakes are filled with fluffy marshmallow cream, which is also used to pipe decorations on the tops. Take care not to overfill the hollowed-out cupcakes, or the cream may seep out." - Martha

Oh, wouldn't that be terrible! I'd love an overstuffed cupcake. Anywway, the next time you buy the Hostess brand, think of these homemade versions. They are as easy as "pie" to make and in less time than it takes to get to the store and back to buy the hydrogenated-oil-filled creations, you have some delicious, natural-ingredient wonderments! The taste is supreme and the texture is so much more fluffy than the dense snack treats. Don't get me wrong...I've had my fair share of the popular cupcake from way back when I took my lunch to school all the way through last month! But now I know the secret to the snowy white treasure waiting to succomb to my eager tastebuds...marshmallow cream whipped with a bit of butter. Heaven!

I did take my cupcakes to the next level by icing the tops with some chocolate ganache, letting it harden before I decorated the tops with the ever-so-famous white curly q's. And by the way, the recipe says it makes 12 jumbo cupcakes...I used what I think is an over-sized cupcake sheet pan, but even after I halved the recipe, I still made 12 over-sized cupcakes. They are each about 4" across the top. I can't imagine how jumbo, jumbo is supposed to be...I'll have to look for that pan someday.

Page 41 Banana Pecan Cupcakes

"Baking a batch of these ultramoist cupcakes is a great way to use overripe bananas; keep a bunch in your freezer (unpeeled) and thaw when you're ready to use. Caramel Buttercream makes a satisfyingly sweet topping, cream cheese frosting or chocolate sour cream frosting are also good choices. Left unfrosted, the cupcakes can be enjoyed any time of day." - Martha

When I was young living in California my sisters and I would walk down to the neighborhood drug store and get an ice cream cone for a nickel. My favorite ice cream back then was Banana Walnut. I remember the clerk used a cylindrical type scoop and he would set the ice cream right on top of the cake cone like he was stacking blocks. These cupcakes remind me of those days and that ice cream. I substituted walnuts for the pecans in the recipe. I used the caramel buttercream for frosting on some and the others I left unfrosted for my memory's sake.

You know, by now I have the sequence down of how Martha likes her ingredients added after having made a number of the recipes. We always are told to cream the butter and sugars, add the vanilla, and alternate the dry sifted ingredients with the liquids to the egg/sugar batter. I have begun to choose not to have so many bowls in the process of making the cupcakes and they all seem to bake up just wonderfully. I hope that's OK with Martha; I know its OK with me. I do cream the sugars and butter, add the eggs and vanilla, but then I just put a sieve over my bowl and place in it the flour, baking soda and powder and salt and sift away directly into the batter. Mix it up, add the liquids (like milk or juices) and voila! The batter is complete with no extra bowls getting in the mix. Seems easier to me and so far, just as successful. I hope you have success this way too!

Page 100 Blondie Cupcakes

"For those who like their baked goods chunky and nutty, these cupcakes, inspired by the popular bar cookies, are nearly bursting with cashews, butterscotch chips, and toffee bits. If you can't find toffee bits, chop a small chocolate covered toffee bar, such as Skor or Heath, to use instead." - Martha

I actually like Blonde Brownies more than I do a Chocolate brownie! I love chocolate, but the richness of the toffee and/or caramel flavor is so good in a blonde brownie; it remains much longer on the pallette, hence I enjoy it more. These cupcakes don't dissappoint. They are rich and fulfilling when it comes to the candy crunchy tops and the fluffy cake surround.

This recipe calls for butterscotch chips and cashews. I didn't have either so I substituted white chips and pecans instead. The white chocolate chips rather than standing on their own, actually soak-up the flavor of the toffee chips and batter that it's very similar to what a butterscotch chip would have been in the cake. The pecans are the perfect nut...I'm fromTexas! The toffee chips give the cake it's candied-top texture and the flavor throughout the batter.

The best part of this cupcake is definitely the top! If I make them again, I'll make them in my muffin-top only pan insteaad of in a paper liner. Best tasting topper ever!

Page 97 Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes

"Inspired by everyone's favorite cookies, these packable cupcakes were created with bake sales in mind. These Oatmeal Cupcakes made with oat bran are topped with crumbly oats and coconut. Try this recipe and bake a batch!" - Martha

There are three recipes in this series: the Chocolate Chip Cupcake, the Peanut Butter Cupcake and the one I chose, the Oatmeal Raisin Cupcake. (I omitted the raisins for the most part.) These taste just like eating a tender cookie; oh, so delicious! I halved the recipe...now this seems to be a habit...and I substituted margarine for the butter.

Since I didn't have any oat bran (I guess you get this in the cereal aisle by the oatmeal) so I instead I pulsed sone Raisin Bran cereal in the food processor. Seemed to work just fine and all I needed was a 1/3 of a cup anyway. So a few raisins DID get into the recipe because of that, however, not intentionally. I love raisins but my boys don't so much. Maybe I should have used golden raisins because then perhaps they wouldn't have seem them to pick the dried fruits out! I try to be sneaky when I can!

Page 22 Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

"Kids of all ages are bound to adfore white cupcakes studded with chocolate morsels. Whipped egg whites folded into the batter produce a light and airy crumb. Tossing the chocolate chips with a bit of flour helps ensure they will be distributed throughout, rather than sink to the bottoms as they bake." - Martha

Just by looking at the picture of these cupcakes I knew thay'd be a hit. They are simple and not too over-done. White cakes, chocolate frosting and non-pareils for the old-time or retro look to a cupcake is perefct for my family. However, that's how Martha displayed them, and I thought it'd be a good cupcake to add one of her decorating techniques in thebook. So instead of non-pareils I chose the goldleaf flakes to decorate them. What an switch from retro to elegant with one simple substitution. You could put these out for a grand party and make a grand statement!

The recipe was easy to follow but it did include a couple of extra bowls besides the one main mixing bowl. You know, I don't like to have too many bowls for one recipe, and I don't like to have to wash utensils after having used them for one part of the recipe before another, so I made my simple changes experimenting with the results.

When I went to whip the egg whites, I had cleaned off the beaters from mixing the butter and flour mixtures together, but I didn't wash the beaters, perse. I wiped them off. Knowing there was still minute particles of "fat" left on them, I didn't think the egg whites would fluff; they didn't. They frothed, but not to stiff peaks or anything. However, I still folded them into the batter and the cupcakes came out still very fluffy and moist!

Then, when making the Dark Chocolate Frosting I used the same bowl to melt my chips in for the frosting as I used to mix the Dutch cocoa and water. That was OK too. HOwever, I also used half cream cheese in the frosting that normally calls for all butter. I am wondering if I added the chocolate when it was still too warm or if the cream cheese moistens the icing a bit more than butter would because the frosting was slightly drippy; not as stiff and workable as I would have expected. I had to add more powdered sugar to stiffen it and then I also refrigerated it for about a half an hour to bring it to the consistentcy of which I like to frosting cakes. It then held it's shape when piped from the tube. Overall, another wonderful tasting cupcake ala Martha!

Page 126 German Chocolate Cupcakes

"Although you might think these cakes have a German pedigree, they're actually named for German's chocolate, a sweet baking chocolate developed in the nineteenth century for an American company called Baker's Chocolate.  Modern versions call for semi-sweet chocolate instead, which gives the cupcakes a well-rounded flavor, perfectly complemented by the traditional sticky-sweet coconut-pecan filling and frosting." - Martha

For the double celebration of my husband's birthday and for my mother's side St. Ivany Family Reunion this weekend, I chose to make an all-time favorite cupcake.  There may be nothing better than the gooey coconut-pecan frosting that tops these cakes.  And if you are a member of the St. Ivany family, you'd know that there is a family gene that requires you to digest an indescribable amount of sweets daily.  So these cupcakes are really the perfect potluck dish!

Martha's recipe says it makes 24 cupcakes but I didn't have that result.  My recipe only made 21.  It's close, and perhaps if I put a bit less batter in each tin cup then I could have stretched it to a full 24, however, I like the full tops on the ones I made rather than a smaller cake.  Also, this was the first recipe that I followed the entire ingredient list to the tee.  I am in St. Louis this weekend staying at my cousin's home so I purposefully shopped for the specific ingredients needed.  I guess it's weird that this was the first recipe that didn't produce a total like the others.  I placed toothpicks in each cupcake too because I learned my lesson with the filled cupcakes earlier that I know these would be top-heavy also.  She doesn't suggest it, but I know...

Page 90 Marble Cupcakes

"Bakers have long swirled dark and light batters together to make marbleized cakes. This version, baked in cupcake tins, relies on equal parts milk and cream for richness. Creating the two-tone appearance is as easy as a few strokes with a knife or skewer. There's no need to be precise; each cupcake's unique pattern is part of it's charm. They're pretty enough to leave unadorned, but if you prefer, drizzle the cupcakes with milk glaze or top with dark chocolate frosting." - Martha

Let me tell you what attracted me about these cupcakes...the simplicity! Tomorrow, my family leaves on a road trip to St. Louis and I wanted to make a cupcake that i could take in the car with no mess to keep me worried while driving. These marbleized cakes with only sifted powdered sugar on them was a perfect choice!

I really wanted to make the recipe just right this time, so what did I do to not follow the recipe exactly? Well, the recipe calls for heavy cream and milk, a stick of butter, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder (plus all the other ingredients.) I didn't have any cream, or butter or believe itor not...I had run out of baking powder! So I substituted Smart Balance (it's half butter/ half margarine) for the butter. Then I had heard befoe that you could sub cream of tartar and baking soda mix for the baking powder (1 t BP = 1/2t CT + 1/4t BS.) And finally, I can't believe this worked, I subbed a ChickfilA vanilla shake for the amount of heavy cream I needed! You know ChickfilA makes the all-natural shakes with real ice cream, so I was hoping it'd be rich enough to work...and it did!

These cupcakes are so adorable; just the right mix of chocolate and creamy cakes swirled together like a piece of art! Almost too good to eat, but fogetaboutit! We're eating these!