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.

Page 67 Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

"The batter for these candy-bar-like cupcakes is laden with ground sweetened coconut and pecans; to further enhance their appeal, the cupcakes are dipped in a bittersweet chocolate glaze, then sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes. Creamed coconut, usually sold in jars at natural food stores or online, differs from "cream of coconut," which has added sugar and is typically used in cocktails. If you can not locate creamed coconut, you can use another quarter cup of butter in its place." - Martha

I loved making these cupakes best so far! They are a very rich treat and should be devourved...slowly! As much as I love ganache, the cake itself was so appealing to my pallette, I did feel as though I had invented a candy bar. The cupcakes is a creamy colored cake with ground pecans and coconut in it. The coconut milk definitely makes the cake's texture fluffy and moist. I didn't have the coconut butter so I did what she suggests and I added an extra bit of butter. Rich, rich ,rich! Save these for a special occassion.

Page 111 Allergen-free Chocolate Cupcakes

"Anyone allergic to nuts, eggs or dairy shouldn't miss out on all the fun. Whether someone in your family has dietary restrictions or you're making treats for a whole classroom of kids, these chocolate cupcakes should suit most needs. Divvies Bakery, which specializes in allergen-free sweets, kindly shared this recipe on The Martha Stewart Show." - Martha

Amazingly the cupcakes were very tasty and moist! There is no eggs or dairy in them and yet the chocolate treat is just that...a treat to eat! Distilled white vinegar, or the rice vinegar which I used, is the trick to making the moist content. The rest of the recipe is pretty straight forward, all of the usual suspects of ingredients. As usual, though I did not have cake flour so I naturally used all-purpose flour and they seemed to have turned out OK.

A super simple recipe for a super simple snack. I used some non-dairy whipped cream for the garnish on top trying to stay away from the dairy and egg content. Unless you have an allergy to gluten or wheat, these are the perfect cupcakes for whatever circumstances you may need.

Page 134 Black Forest Cupcakes

"Chocolate and cherries are a match made in heaven - or, in this case - the Black Forest region of Germany, where the original layer cake was created (and cherries are abundant.) These miniature versions of the classic German dessert are saturated with cherry liqueur, layered with sweet pastry cream and preserved cherrries, and drizzled with rich chocolate ganache." - Martha

Today was Labor Day and I was entertaining for the afternoon. My planned dessert, Black Forest Cupcakes, an attempt at an elegant dessert to "Wow!" my friends. I made the chocolate cakes according to directions with minor changes, no buttermilk, and I used light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. I also chose to bake six in my mini-bundt pans but the rest I made in a standard cupcake tin. I thought it was a great choice because the designs are so pretty and again, I was thinking to "Wow!" my guests. I think it worked; everybody enjoyed the cherries and chocolate treat so much there was no conversation for about 5 minutes!

The recipe calls for pastry cream and chocolate ganache of which I made the ganache just like recipe says: heavy cream, corn syrup and semi-sweet chocolate pieces, but the pastry cream I copped out and used some instant vanilla pudding with a little leftover buttercream frosting mixed in. I've made pastry cream a ton before and I knew what it takes to do so. I had guests in the house and wanted to serve the dessert before it got too late. Pastry cream requires cooking and cooling; didn't have the time. As you can see by my picture, the look came out the same and the taste was sufficient. Pastry cream when made correctly is so smooth and rich, you can hardly taste it; that's the difference between my fake version and the real thing...mine was tasty, but not smooth or rich.

Page 103 Blackberry-Cornmeal Cupcakes

"Succulent blackberries, picked fresh from a farm or bought at a local market, are baked into golden cornmeal cupcakes for a delicious taste of summer. Serve the cakes warm from the oven or at room temperature, and pair with ice cream, if desired. Oven temperature is crucial here: If it is any cooler than 375 degrees, the berries will sink to the bottom." - Martha

I didn't have any blackberries, fresh or otherwise. I did have frozen cherries in the freezer so, of course that's the road I took...not the one to the market or farm. I also didn't have yellow cornmeal (is that something most people have at home?), but I did have white cornmeal. Don't ask me why, but I found it in my pantry towards the back. I suppose at one point I had planned to make "Fry Bread" or something similar and just never did.

Also, about 3 out of every 5 recipes call for buttermilk. I still haven't broken down to buy any of that either. I usually replace it with 1% or 2% milk, this time I used a mix of heavy whipping cream and 1% milk. Each time I've substituted out the buttermilk, my cupcakes seem to turn out OK so I don't really know what I'm missing. However, there is a recipe in the book called "Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes" for which I will have to "suck it up" and buy the buttermilk. I mean, you shouldn't really sub-out the main ingredient of a recipe, right?

Whenever I think about serving cornbread or muffins, I always remember the best meal I ever had at school. At St. Elizabeth's School in Granite City, Illinois, one of the Friday meal choices was usually Navy Bean Soup with Cornbread and Applesauce. Ever since then, I have always chosen to serve applesauce with my cornbread. Talk about comfort food! What a great contrast of tastes to my young pallette; the applesauce placed on top of the cornbread and the steaming hot pasty soup was heavenly!

These cupcakes help bring back sound memories. I placed cherries in a few, made some plain, but I also placed a tablespoon of apricot jam in a few knowing that the sweet taste and grainy texture would surely compliment each other. And it does.

Page 141 Roasted Banana Cupcakes

"Roasting the fruit before folding it into the batter gives these cupcakes a pronounced banana flavor and keeps them very moist. Honey, paired with bananas, is added to the frosting." -Martha

I had never heard of roasting bananas before; I was anxious to give it a try. I placed the bananas on a small cookie sheet and placed them in the 400 degree oven for the 20 minutes Martha suggests. I was surprised to see the fruit seeping with a syrupy liquid that was beginning to fill the pan. The recipe says to fold in the bananas at the end of the mixing process and that's where my confusion began. I had this wonderfully fragrant syrup that I was not sure what to do with it. Was this flavorful liquid something that was going to enhance the batter? Should I add it or leave it in the pan? Surely, Martha would know that the bananas weep when roasted? She doesn't say what to do.

I made the decision to not add the syrup to the batter but I did save the banana syrup to put into the frosting. Why not, right? I added an extra banana to the batter hoping to get a flavor boost, and in retrospect it may have been too much: not flavor, but pulp. The cupcakes, albeit very tasty, were not as fluffy as I thought they should be. The texture was almost chewy and I attribute that to the extra banana. (When I have made banana bread in the past, I always add an extra piece of fruit for flavor and it has always been a great decision. This time, not so much!)

I also decided against the choice of cinnamon buttercream frosting suggested by Martha, because I chose to go with a "Banana Pie" idea so I made a meringue top flavored with that syrup that weeped from my roasted bananas. It was pretty darn good! I also placed a banana slice on top of the cupcake before AND after I iced it then I toasted the meringue...can't get enough banana!

Page 157 Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

"Mint-infused milk, along with mint extract, adds flavor (but no color) to pale buttercream, the dark chocolate cupcakes are also flavored with mint. A cluster of (chocolate) mint leaves on top suggests the primary flavor component of the finished treat. The leaves may admittedly not be an 'anyday' endeavor, but they can be prepared a day or so in advance. You can, of course, serve the cupcakes without any topping other than the frosting, or garnish them with a few chocolate curls shaved from a mint bar." - Martha

If you read her words closely, you may have noticed that I didn't use the "chocolate" mint leaves as my garnish. I simply washed and dried a few small fresh mint leaves from my garden for the garnish along with a raspberry (frozen). These happen to have the look of something one might expect to serve during the holiday season, but the color scheme aside, they are perfect for a summer afternoon treat.

I used my rosette cupcake pan for these and was hoping to have the buttercream "glaze" them a bit more to show off the design of the rosettes. However, once I started to frost them, I really liked the thickness of the drip and left them alone. The cupcake was still warm...just enough to allow a bit of the design on top to peak through. I am totally satisfied with the end result. I also embellished the recipe by adding one of my favorite cookies to the cupcke...a Girl Scout Thin Mint. So after I filled the cupcake pan, I placed a cookie on top and pushed it into the batter...not too far. That way, when you turn out the cupcakes after baking the thin mint is actually toward the bottom of the cupcake and it's a surprise when you bite. I think it's a great addition!

Martha has a wonderful recipe for true buttercream frosting: separating eggs, heating each with sugar and whipping the whites to fluff and then add the yolk base. Totally worth it, but so many steps and pots and bowls! I have a simple recipe for buttercream frosting that next time I will go back to using. Those in the know would appreciate the difference in taste, but for the most part, not many are in that category. Sorry folks!