52 Weeks, 52 Cupcakes.

My quest: Become a better baker. I want to be the mom at the school bake sale that can make the yummiest treats without breaking a sweat. But when it comes to baking and decorating cupcakes, I am no good. I can definitely make a semi-decent cupcake from a box, but if anyone wanted something yummy and inspired, I would not be the first person they would ask. I decided today that I would like to change this. This is my first step. I will bake a different cupcake every week, hopefully improving on my basic skills as the year progresses. I will add my recipes here as well as pictures and reviews from family and friends.

So lets start at the very beginning. The first cupcake on my path to being a baking wiz is the Magnolia Cupcakes classic vanilla with vanilla buttercream frosting. Let the fun begin!

My journey begins...with flour. Two types: self-rising and all-purpose. Can someone tell me the difference? I still don't know...

Week 1: Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream

The finished product! My first cupcake from scratch! This cupcake was made using the Magnolia Bakery recipe for their classic Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream. The cake now, 5 hours later is a little hard and the icing is not ideal, but my wonderful husband did grant me an exclusive review. He gives my first try 3 out of 5 stars. Pretty good for a novice, huh? All in all, this was a fun experience. I feel like I accomplished something, even if it is not edible by morning, it was worth it.

Cupcake and Frosting Recipe Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/magnolias-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/index.html

Week 2: Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate. And more chocolate. Week 2 of my cupcake experiment has introduced me into the world of cocoa. Let's talk about the good parts first. The frosting is AMAZING. Perfectly smooth and a great mixture of sweetness and chocolate flavor, this recipe really impressed me. I will be making this frosting again for sure. My reviewers gave the frosting a 5 out of 5. Now on to the "needs improvement" section. I had a little flub up with the measuring spoons. I thought I grabbed the 1/4 cup when in fact I had grabbed the 1/2 cup. You can see where this is going. My cake was out of proportions with flour, oil and cocoa powder. I wonder what it would have tasted like if I would have gotten the recipe right? Probably pretty yummy. My cake turned out moist and light, but you could almost taste the oil. I need to be more careful and take my time and definitely read the measuring cups better next time. All in all, this chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream turned out pretty tasty. Not a 5 by any means, but definitely worth taking a few bites of. I also feel a little more confident with my decorating skills. I haven't gotten into anything fancy yet, but I have more of a flair now that I have frosted a couple batches with the frosting bag and accompanying decorating tips. I have learned so much just from these 2 weeks. I can't wait to see what next week shall bring!

Cake Recipe Link: http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/01/moist-chocolate-cupcakes-with-vanilla-buttercream.html

Frosting Recipe Link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/creamy-chocolate-frosting/detail.aspx

Week 3: Banana Nut Cupcake with "The Best Frosting I Ever Had"

This week I decided to make something with a comfort food theme. I love banana bread and was hoping I could find an easy and delicious banana nut cupcake recipe. I was worried that the cupcake would taste too much like a muffin and not qualify for cupcake status, but this recipe made a really smooth and tasty cupcake. This week I was a stickler for my measurements and made sure I didn't accidentally grab the wrong cup like last week. I wanted this batch to have great frosting AND a great cake. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled the first batch out of the oven and tasted the warm cake. It was delicious! I waited patiently while they cooled and I finished the frosting. I wish I would have pulled the cupcakes out a couple minutes sooner so the bottoms would not have been as brown, but they were still pretty tasty. The frosting I made this week called for flour and granulated sugar. I was a little wary because my previous two frosting recipes called for powdered sugar and did not include flour in any way. The frosting was rough going at first, the consistency was supposed to look like whipped cream and I could not imagine it ever getting to that state. But after a couple minutes I started to see it all come together. The frosting was delicious, one that I definitely want to use again. It was light and a perfect compliment to the banana nut cake. I have loved experimenting with a variety of recipes and ingredients and seeing how it can all come together to create a tasty little treat. When I gave the last of my cupcakes out to be tried by friends and family I was a little sad that I didn't have more to enjoy myself! This is definitely a recipe I will use again!

You can find the recipe I used here!: http://acozykitchen.com/banana-bread-cupcakes-with-thats-the-best-frosting-i-ever-had/