Georgetown What-cake

So I tried this Georgetown Cupcake recipe for chocolate cupcakes. It went... ok. I planned to use this recipe for my baby's first birthday party cupcakes, just to have them be something special. I didn't want to pay for 2 dozen cupcakes from GC because they are crazy high priced. I also didn't just want to mix up a boxed cake mix, and I hate store bought cake. Previously, I've also had delusions of creating some kind of insane fondant cake with intricate themed details but I got real and abandoned that plan.

Overall, the cupcakes turned out fine. There are definitely a few things I wasn't thrilled about and a few things I would do differently next time. They were very soft and moist, and had a good, non-boxed flavor. They didn't wow me though. Maybe my expectations were too high just because it was a GC recipe. After all, they were just chocolate cupcakes. But at the same time chocolate can beamazing, right? I know that I over-mixed them. They didn't have a rounded cupcake top, they were flat. I don't have a stand mixer, so I was doing my best with the hand mixer. Aside from my own mistakes which are fixable, I was underwhelmed by their chocolatey-ness. The recipe called for 1 1/4 cups of cocoa, but I think I will also add some melted semi-sweet chips to my batter next time for a richer flavor. I want a nice, dark cupcake and these were very medium brown. The frosting was a simple cream cheese frosting that tasted great, but I wasn't wild about the consistency. For the birthday I intend to pipe it on with a pastry bag and a large round tip, but for my trial batch I just slapped it on there with a butter knife. It was a little thicker and pastier than I imagined a GC frosting to be, so I added a splash of milk to make it more silky and it did help. I'll definitely add a few splashes next time though for a fluffier result.

All that said, I will probably end up making another half-batch with those changes before the official birthday batch so I know if my changes were right. I don't know TONS about baking and all the reactions, or the right way to correct problems with what you're baking. I just kind of wing it, so it's going to be a little bit of trial and error which I'm fine with. All the ingredients are standards so they're just sitting in my pantry waiting to be whipped into cupcakes! Plus I'm sure the published recipe isn't even what they use in the cupcake shop. What sense would it make to go putting that all over the internet? So I will take their silly standard recipe and make it fabulous and maybe I'll start selling my own cupcakes (not likely).

Eleven

That's how many months it's been since my baby girl was born. I can hardly believe it, but I don't need to explain that to those of you who are moms. And those who aren't parents, you've heard the "time flies" thing so many times that it barely holds any meaning. Plus it's altogether different when you're talking about your baby. No offense, but you wouldn't get it. Not now anyway.

The whole approach to one year thing is definitely bitter sweet - at the risk of sounding ridiculously cliche. Of course I've had the time of my life watching her grow and change over the past 11 months, but having her first birthday is just the first of many reminders that my teeny tiny bebe is disappearing before my eyes and turning into a toddler who will become a little kid, who will transform into a teenager (gasp) and so on. I've said it before, I'm loving every stage as it comes. I've spent each stage in the past 11 months wishing that she'd stay that stage forever. Right now isn't any different. I simply adore everything about my 11-month old. I shall share.....

I have so many pictures of her that look like this because she loves my camera and is always after the strap. She likes to chew on it, as you'll see in a minute :)

She has recently mastered the sippy cup!

Well.... almost ;)

This is her sweet, sweet bathing suit for this summer (we didn't bother with one last year because she was way too little to be out in the summer heat). It's lavender with pears on it and a green ruffle at the waist with white polka dots. Oh, and a sun hat to match... be still my heart!

I wuv those duckie lips!

What is it about a bebe in just a diaper?

My brother decided not to shave for 3 months. Bebe wasn't a big fan.

We have tea parties with her stacking cups.

"I wish the paparazzi- I mean, MOM would get that camera out of my face!"

This expression craaaaaacks me up

Her hair grew overnight and is now all wispy and wavy, especially when she wakes up from a nap as in this photo

She had a cold in this next set of photos, so please excuse her red eyes and any snot/nose crust I may have missed in the editing process.

...sometimes the sippy cup still gets the best of her :)

So now the birthday party plans begin. This last set of pictures was taken for her party invitation since the vest she's wearing perfectly matched the one I had chosen (I used the 3rd one from the top of the set, in case you were wondering). I ordered them two days ago and they arrived today. They're perfect. I've also reserved a pavilion at the park where her party will be and booked a photographer to capture all the special moments so I can be part of them. This weekend I plan to try out my cupcake recipe to make sure it's the one I want to use. I'll let you know how it goes :)

For now it's late and I need some ice cream. I'll be back.