I love cupcakes. Their "snack" size makes me feel like I'm actually good at portion control....until I eat more than 1 (or 2). I'm a firm believer in the saying "you CAN have your cake and eat it too!" It holds true for cupcakes, as well.
What I love even more about cupcakes is their versatility. By that I mean they can be as formal or as casual as you'd like them to be. Cupcakes are perfect for any occasion, whether you are wanting to dress them down for simple breakfasts, lunches, or dinners, or dressing them up a bit for birthday parties, housewarmings, random girls' nights, weddings, or baby showers.
I recently made these delectable Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes, and they were thankfully a big hit!
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| I picked these fresh blackberries up from the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market here in Greensboro! |
I'm not a big fruit person. It's not that I don't enjoy fruit, I just don't usually crave it, so I figured the best way to ensure a balanced diet was to toss it in some chocolate and call it a day!
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| I used one of my paper towels as a straining tool because I purchase fairly thick ones...and also because I didn't want to go out and purchase cheese cloth! Feel free to just double up on paper towels. |
| As you can see in some of these photos, this is not the most glamorous recipe to make...but luckily I was always taught not to judge a book by its cover! |
This is where the dressing up part comes into the mix! I am a sucker for annoyingly cute cupcake tins. They're like accessories for your cupcakes--and they also give me an excuse to accessorize something other than myself. I was making these for a couple different occasions, so I wanted to choose an "outfit" that would be appropriate for both!
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| Rule of thumb for filling your cupcake tins is 2/3 full. |
Stripes it was!
I used the same icing as I did for "Carl's Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Cake." There's not too much to say about this icing except it's absolutely amazing, and very addicting. It's definitely impossible to have just one spoonful...
so I've heard...
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| Hey pretties! This is one of my favorite platters, so I try to use it any and every chance I get. You can find the exact one and ones with other patterns at my go-to home decor/entertaining shop, Emily McCarthy Shoppe! |
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| Just my bestie for the resties! |
One of the occasions I made these treats for was my good friend Natasha's birthday. She is so very special to me and is also a big reason, if not the sole reason, I got back into 203YP blogging. When contemplating it, she constantly asked me, "Lindsey, why not?" I never had an answer to that question which ended up being an answer in itself.
Tash is that friend that always reminds you that you're capable of anything, you never have to settle in your personal or professional life, Starbucks running out of PSLs (pumpkin spice lattes) is really not an emergency, and laughter truly is the best medicine. I'm not sure how we ever have conversations because we are always laughing when we're together.
Tash, you rock--thanks for being my friend and role model for the past 3 years! Cheers to many more birthdays together!
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| Pictured: my dream kitchen as of late! |
Occasion #2 was a kitchen christening! Friends of mine had just renovated theirs, so naturally we had to break it in in style. Morgan and Neill's HGTV-ready kitchen is just perfect, and they are more than welcome to cook meals for me in it any time.
Dinner was quite delicious to say the least, and dessert was simply just the icing on the (cup)cake--pun very much so intended!
So don't forget, you CAN have your (cup)cake and eat it too!
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