Cupcakes with Sinful Frosting

These are the cupcakes I was in the midst of making while writing the last post. The frosting was so amazingly good that I felt like I had to blog about them right away (and before I forgot)! The 'cake' part was pretty bad- super gummy and stiff. I may or may not have made the batter wrong (I followed the recipe exactly but there were chunks of butter in the batter--weird), but either way, I won't be making these again. I do need to find a good white cake recipe in the next two weeks though!

The frosting was absolutely AMAZING. Magnolia Bakery has always been my favorite (to the point where I would purposely route flights through JFK with long layovers so I could leave the airport to go get one), so I adapted their Vanilla Frosting recipe to get one that is even better.

Vanilla Frosting

adapted from Magnolia Bakery

makes enough for 12 cupcakes

3/4 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 c. vanilla soy milk

1 t. vanilla

Combine butter, 2 cups confectioners' sugar, soy milk and vanilla in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until creamy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time until spreadable consistency is reached. Enjoy!

Home

Home. That word encompasses more than it seems to. Home means organic food. It means whole grains, making meals without excessive amounts of oil, an oven (!), normal altitude, and a whole lot more. It means I am currently making homemade funfetti cupcakes with an amazing vanilla frosting. Being home has been so much more than what I was expecting.

To say the least, I have been contently baking every day since I have been back in Davis. A short list of my favorites have been the whole wheat pita bread, bagels, pesto and pine nut bread, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and vegan pumpkin walnut bread. So many more things have gone into and come out of the oven that I can't even begin to list it all. I also FINALLY got a KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Professional!), after spending 20 minutes one night making Swiss Buttercream with my hand mixer.

One of the most exciting parts about being home has been my job. That is the last thing that I ever thought I would say, but I am very proud and glad to say that I got a job at a small bakery in Davis. I was hired to make cookies and scones, but have been "promoted" and have now learned to make the (award-winning) cakes, and am learning to make the limited amount of food that the bakery offers. The job could not be more perfect for me. It pushes me a bit over my baking boundaries and I have met some really great people. It makes me feel like my current dream of opening a bakery isn't too much of a reach, and like I really would be happy doing so. As I move up the line of cooks, I am curious to see how I feel about also making food-- If I were to open a bakery, would I want to make food also? Questions like these always go through my mind, as well as quickly recognizing all the things I would do differently if I owned the bakery.

As advice from a bakery friend, I am going to start trying to take good pictures of my finished products, both for this blog and for a baking portfolio. I will definitely be making all of my favorites again and will be sure to remember to take pictures and update Traveling Baker!

P.S. I have gotten most items on the wishlist (everything except the cookbook set) plus way, way more. My mother has realized that my sanity relies on my baking and is generously paying for many of my ingredients and supplies. Thanks mamacita!