Orange Upside Down Cupcakes (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

But sadly, there were car fuzzies everywhere.

The End

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Uh... ya....

This story is sort of a tragedy.  

So instead of just ending on a sad note, I thought I'd put the ending out there so you can brace yourself and not cry hysterically or anything like I did at the end of "500 Days of Summer."  

Yes, I know there was a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie!  That's what I get for blogging and movie-ing at the same time.  It took me 20 minutes to realize that the Bachelorette actually ended up with someone this season - I have a problem.

But not all was lost. I learned a lesson.

Remember that goody - "Pride cometh beforeth the falleth?"

Oh ya, we're going there.

And it's about to get good. 

As with many things in life - it all started with a "spark."

You see there was this cake - an orange cake.  It was getting ALL kinds of online love.  Features, comments, pins - you name it.  

It seemed like everywhere I went on the blogosphere that week - I was haunted by this orange cake.

The Cake From Where It All Began:

Now don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of orange and an even bigger fan of "easy," but I was dumbfounded to realize that what everybody was raving about was just so normal... so simple.

And that's the moment the dark seed took root.

"I can do that."

It became my presumptuous mission to become the toast of the blogs, the bees knees.  If an easy orange cake can do it...then I most definitely could.  

You guys like orange, right?  Obviously.  

And something that doesn't require frosting?  Boom - frosting on the ground!

Since I can't be a total copycat, instead of "simple" why don't we go with "classic?"  Upside down cake.

Then make it totes unique?  Mini-size 'em.

The stage was set.

The ingredients prepped. 

And honestly, I worked my magic.

These were good.  Like Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Garden, sophisticatedly-rustic-delicious good.   Even on Day 1, 2, and 3.

My evil plan was working.  Assuredly, my cupcakes would be the buzz of the week.

My friends and family drooled over them.  My brother who only eats my desserts if they are chocolate, begged for more.

Oh, I done good.

And that's when it happened...

I had carefully pack several away to bring to work.
Because the praises of family and friends can't be trusted.  They love me, you know?
But co-workers.  Co-workers have no obligation to boost my ego.  They can just as easily grab a cupcake, take a bite, and toss it in the trash.  No harm, no foul.

It was there that I would finally reign.  And my induction into the "Lauded Bakers of the Blogosphere" would be imminent.

That was before I was running late.

Before I couldn't find a container with a lid,

Before I had to slam on my brakes,

Before the treats I had so lovingly crafted, pummeled one by one to the floor...

...of my car.

My dreams crushed.
Replaced by smooshed cupcakes coated in car fuzzies.

-----

I learned a valuable lesson that day.

Baking isn't about winning praise.
It's about enjoying the process.

It isn't about sugar and butter.
Baking is about sharing and bringing people closer.

Oh, who am I kidding?  It totally is!

But I also know that giving way to the cockiness within -- always ends badly.  I'm just lucky this time my penance was pieces of carpet.

Orange Upside Down Cupcakes

used Sallys Baking Addiction as my starting point

• 3 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 Cup (2 Sticks) of Butter, melted
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (Or Sour Cream)
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Orange Juice
• 4 tsp Vanilla
• 2/3 Cups Butter [for cupcake tops]
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar [for cupcake tops]
• 3-4 Small Oranges, cut into 24 thin slices and peeled
• 24 Cupcake Liners

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Preheat Oven to 375F after baking for 7min lower to 350F

Bake for 15-20 minutes

1) In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

2) In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave 1 Cup (2 sticks) butter in 30 sec increments until melted. 

    Stirring in-between each heating.

3) Transfer melted butter into a medium sized bowl.  Add 2 Cups brown sugar and beat until combined.

4) Add eggs, yogurt, milk, orange juice, and vanilla.  Beat until combined.
5) Slowly add flour mixture to batter.  Once combined batter will be very thick.  Which makes it super
    easy to spoon into the cupcake tin. Yeah!

6) Because I needed the tops to slide out very easily, but I didn't want to have to eat these out of a 

    cupcake liner, I totally stole this idea from Glorious Treats.  Fold the liners in half and cut a small half 

    moon out of the bottom.  This will be just enough to cover the bottom of each of the muffin slots. 

7) Butter or spray the heck out off the muffin tin and then line with the cut cupcake liners.

8) In a small microwave bowl, melt 2/3 cups of butter and stir in 1 Cup brown sugar.

9) Drop in 1/2 Tbsp of this mixture into each liner.

10) Cut oranges into very thin slices - you need 24 total. 

11) I found that slicing the orange and then carefully peeling each one worked for me.  However, if
      you'd like to peel the whole orange first and then slice it that might work as long as you have a very
      sharp knife.
12) Next slit an opening in the slice, so you can easily wrap it into the bottom of a cupcake slot.  If you
      have more time cutting the slice into little "pie" pieces and placing them into the cupcake liner
      individually will make it easier to eat.
13) Press orange slice down so it gets immersed in the brown sugar and butter.

14) Spoon batter over orange slices and place into oven at 375F.  After 7 mins, lower the oven
      temperature to 350F.  Bake for another 8-13 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
      out clean.
15) Let cupcakes cool on a rack for a few minutes, then flip upside down and let cupcakes slide out.  If
      some seem stuck, carefully tap the tops of the cupcake tin to get them to fall out.

Vanilla Whipped Cream
makes enough for 24 cupcakes

• 2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2/3 Cup of Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tbsp of Vanilla Bean Paste (or Vanilla Extract)
• 2 tsp Unflavored Gelatin

1) Tip: But medium sized bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes beforehand.  It helps the cream to 

    whip up faster. Side Note: the gelatin helps the whipped cream to keep it's form and not to become
    a runny, puddly mess. 

2) Beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form.  Add powdered sugar (more or less to taste), vanilla, and 

    gelatin.  Beat until combined.  

3) Store in fridge if not using immediately.

*Disclaimer* - While the events in this post are true, they may have been exaggerated for story telling purposes only.  I happen to really like orange in desserts and I get inspired by other blogs like twenty times a day! 

Fail: Red, White, & Blue - Cake In A Jar (★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆)

Oh, the creative ideas you find on the web.  They're so adorable.  So simple.  

That's pure genius!  Why didn't I think of that myself?

And yet so often I find myself piled high in flour, hair disheveled, cursing the very mind I just idolized...the Betty Homemaker who is incapable of anything but perfection...while I dump yet another "experiment" in the garbage.  

Well, this week I had one of those days.  

Don't let this picture fool you.  This is a fail post remember?

Cake In A Jar.  Sounds intriguing, right?  I found out about this idea after following a trail of Pinterest recipes -- funny how those things work out. 

I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of this sooner.  Suddenly fragile baked goods were portable.

Rainbow Cake. S'more Cake. Lemon Meringue Pie Cake.  All conveniently packaged in their own individual jar.  (Okay that last one I made up, but if you were a real Betty Homemaker you could find a way to whip up a pie/cake combo!)

I had to do it.  And Memorial Day was just the occasion I needed.  

It was all planned out.  The red, white, and blue layers.  The quart sized jars for the gloriously large servings.  And the pièce de résistance...a Marine to send one to.

Oh, the patriotism!  (This same Marine heinously charged me with exploitation and I took great offense.  But that is besides the point.)

I wanted to make each layer a distinct flavor:

Red Layer: Red Velvet Cake
White Layer: Golden Vanilla Cake.
Blue Layer: Blueberry Cake (white cake with strained blueberry pie filling, and blue gel food color)

I must say, the flavors were great.  Especially, the blueberry.  Very unique.  

Alas, that's where the happy part of this post ends...

Little did I know that my trouble actually began weeks before, when I was enticed by the quart sized mason jars at Ace Hardware.  They were so glisten-y and voluptuous.   Who wants a pint, when you can have the pleasure of digging into a mound of delicious cake?  You don't have to finish it...just having the option is reason enough.

These are the things I think about, guys.

Well, I should've thought a little harder.  The recipe I used had instructions for cakes half this size.  I figured I would just cook them longer.

Wrong.

The outside and tops were overcooked before the red velvet layer had even begun to set.

I tried to compensate for this by lowering the temperature and increasing the time on the oven.  After an hour, the kabob skewer I was using to test the cakes came up relatively clean.  It wasn't perfect, but I was so worried about the tops (they were almost crunchy...and overflowing) that I made an executive decision to take them out and hope the very bottom layer would continue to cook a little longer.

As you can deduce from the second picture in this post, it seemed like I had made the right decision.  I assumed the cakes would settle back into the jars as they cooled and I could just slice off what little of the tops were still protruding out.

Thinking of nothing but sunbeams and butterflies, I left for the day.

What I found when I returned were pathetic, deflated versions of the cakes I had made.

Apparently, what I considered "cooked" clearly wasn't.

They could've used at least another half hour in the oven, but at grave risk to the blueberry layer.

Epic Fail.

What little I was able to taste was SUPER moist.  Too moist, if that's a legitimate problem for a cake to have.  The undercooked batter probably didn't help this situation much.  No frosting needed.

It's frustrating that these didn't work out.  They have so much potential.  I know what I can improve upon for the next time, but getting past all this wasted effort and wanting to try again is going to take some time.

Insert situation appropriate idiom here:

• Don't bite off more than you can chew.
• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
• Don't cry over spilled milk.
• Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins

Feel free to message me with suggestions.

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And Happy Memorial Day!  I am so grateful for all the men and women who were willing to give up time with their families, the luxury of an unregulated lifestyle and, ultimately, their lives for me and for you...for us.

Black & White Cupcakes (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

I made these for our church picnic. They were super simple...I used two box mixes AND canned frosting. Yup, I said it: Canned Frosting. Not my proudest moment but how easy is that? Well, manuvering the cupcake liners to accomidate both chocolate and vanilla cake batter without completely mixing them together was a little bit of a challenge. I found spooning the batter in while tilting the liners was the easiest way.

I mixed two whole box mixes. I used chocolate and french vanilla.

Of course, if I have plain yogurt or sour cream on hand I always add a

nice dollop for extra moistness.

I was surprised how great these turned out and how delicious they were. It was the first time I had used a French Vanilla box mix and I thought I had finally found my "go to" vanilla mix. Chocolates in general are pretty good, but I have never found a vanilla box mix that I have been happy with. I've used the French Vanilla mix by itself since I made these and I wasn't impressed. It must have been the chocolate/vanilla combination that made it so good. Some sort of "box cake mix" chemical reaction... ;)

This is where I failed. I admit it, but I was pushed for time...and I'll admit, a little bit lazy. BUT I used cream cheese and chocolate fudge...which are the best of the "canned" variety, if there is such a thing.

I frosted them so the chocolate and vanilla frostings were on opposite sides of the cupcake.

Each cupcake was topped with a little piece of Hershey's Cookies and Cream bar to tie the whole thing together.

Just a little idea for those times when you don't want to get too involved, but still want add a little creativity to your baking.