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Original: 1/16/2011 10:34 PM
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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Baking Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

 

Baking project!  Tawn's aunt had her 70-somethingth birthday celebration today so even though I was not going to attend, I helped prepare two dozen cupcakes.  Tawn prepared brownies, too, but since he made those, not I, they aren't covered in this entry.

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The recipe for the cupcakes came from the Magnolia Bakery's "More from Magnolia" cookbook.   The Magnolia Bakery is a well-known spot in New York's West Village, popularized in the TV show "Sex and the City" as it is just around the corner from Carrie Bradshaw's fictional apartment. 

We visited Magnolia Bakery last March and I have to say that while their cupcakes are tasty, they aren't anything special.  Nonetheless, this was the cookbook we had at hand.

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The recipe we used was for their Vanilla Cupcakes.  Instead of self-rising flour, I used a substitute of cake flour, baking powder, and just a little salt.   The recipe is easy enough to use, made all the easier if you have a stand mixer.

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You may notice that I have five eggs in the bowl but the recipe calls for just four.  I was on the fence because the eggs look smaller to me than the standard "large" egg.  The sizes were also inconsistent.  Ultimately, though, I stuck with four eggs and placed the extra one back in the refrigerator.


This project wasn't really about taking pictures and writing, though.  It was about filming and editing a really cool video and, in all modesty, I think this one is one of my best.  I hope you enjoy it.

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The end products, which were tasty and very pretty in a pastel sort of way.  If I had it to do again, I would sift my powdered sugar for the buttercream frosting as it ended up just a wee bit gritty.  Other than that, though, no complaints.


 Posted 1/16/2011 10:34 PM - 631 Views - 46 eProps - 27 comments

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Visit stevew918's Xanga Site!
They look so yumm!  Is it a traditon to give sweet things for birthdays in Thailand?
Posted 1/16/2011 11:14 PM by stevew918 Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit CurryPuffy's Xanga Site!
I like the coloring of the cupcakes. Did you add a candle or sprinkles too?
Posted 1/16/2011 11:39 PM by CurryPuffy Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit murisopsis's Xanga Site!
Hehe! I loved the music selection for the video. It made me smile.. I'm just surprised that you didn't pipe the icing on in a fancy-schmancy design!
Posted 1/16/2011 11:44 PM by murisopsis Xanga True Member Xanga Premium Member - recommend - reply

Visit mercurialmusic's Xanga Site!
don't lick your finger between each cupcake you fill -- but every other one is ok. ;) good video! i was impressed with the camera work -- i'm assuming you did it all? it was fun to watch, and those cupcakes look yummy! :)
Posted 1/16/2011 11:45 PM by mercurialmusic Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit ElusiveWords's Xanga Site!
I love the little effects in your video including the magnificent music. I noticed there were left over icing! Hmmm... I wonder what happened to it?
Posted 1/17/2011 12:06 AM by ElusiveWords Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit yang1815's Xanga Site!
Holy butter!
Posted 1/17/2011 12:35 AM by yang1815 Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit Made2Order's Xanga Site!
magnolia cupcakes.. hmm.. never heard of it. is it famous?
Posted 1/17/2011 1:11 AM by Made2Order - recommend - reply

Visit awoolham's Xanga Site!
I enjoyed the video and the write up so much. Love your home and your narration. Thumbs up!
Posted 1/17/2011 1:26 AM by awoolham - recommend - reply

Visit foggysunnymorning's Xanga Site!

Well done! I love this recipe and the video! Definitely, I'll try it one day.

Posted 1/17/2011 2:05 AM by foggysunnymorning - recommend - reply

Visit ThePrince's Xanga Site!
good job with the cupcakes! whenever i go to magnolias, i make a beeline straight for the red velvet ones.
Posted 1/17/2011 3:09 AM by ThePrince Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit a_strange_wind_blowing's Xanga Site!
The video was fun to watch. Good job! Now I'm hungry for cupcakes.
Posted 1/17/2011 3:34 AM by a_strange_wind_blowing Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit Fatcat723's Xanga Site!
Nicely done - love the video - who eat the left over icing!?!?!
Posted 1/17/2011 4:25 AM by Fatcat723 - recommend - reply

Visit tehls's Xanga Site!
what do you use to edit your video projects?
Posted 1/17/2011 4:36 AM by tehls - recommend - reply

Visit HonoluluBob's Xanga Site!
Carrie Bradshaw's fictional apartment is on the Upper East Side, nowhere near the Magnolia Bakery. I'm embarrassed that I know this.
Posted 1/17/2011 6:15 AM by HonoluluBob - recommend - reply

Visit WildWomanOfTheWest's Xanga Site!
Absolutely wonderful!  Any leftovers?
Posted 1/17/2011 8:22 AM by WildWomanOfTheWest Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit ZSA_MD's Xanga Site!
Neat! I am surprised that you thought the powdered sugar in the icing was gritty. Loved the recipe and the way you made it. Hope Tawn's aunt was super delighted with them.
Posted 1/17/2011 8:28 AM by ZSA_MD Xanga True Member Xanga Premium Member - recommend - reply

Visit christao408's Xanga Site!

@HonoluluBob -  The physical building they used for exteriors, though, is just around the corner from Magnolia. I can drag Tawn into this for the details, as I don't know, but we went and took pictures in front of it and there's a little sign asking people to donate a dollar into a lock box for each picture they take, the money going to some charity.

Posted 1/17/2011 8:59 AM by christao408 Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

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@CurryPuffy -  Sprinkles and candles were both added by Tawn. Actually, there's a great story about candles and birthdays in Thailand. Regardless of whose birthday it is, the young children at a Thai birthday party all want to participate in the candle blowing. To involve everyone, Tawn displayed the cupcakes on a tiered set of cake stands, putting a candle in each cupcake. All the children then had a candle or two they could blow out. After serving the cupcakes, he relighted the candles for each child so they could blow their candle out yet again!


@stevew918 - It isn't particularly a tradition to give sweet things. It was just that everyone was contributing to this spinster aunt's party and Tawn's contribution was the cake, which he decided to bake.

@ZSA_MD - I think it was because I didn't sift the sugar and it was a bit lumpy.


@WildWomanOfTheWest - Leftovers? Even with the two dozen brownies Tawn brought added to the pile, there were no leftovers!


@tehls - Edited on iMovie. Could be a lot better if I actually watched some of the training tutorials.


@ElusiveWords -  @Fatcat723 - Leftover icing sits in the icebox in the hopes that another batch of cupcakes may be baked soon, although given how busy this week will be, I doubt that will happen.


@a_strange_wind_blowing - Ah, I was successful in making you hungry for cupcakes! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!


@ThePrince - A friend of a friend makes a lovely red velvet cupcake but without the enormous amount of food coloring. They taste every bit of good and leave you free of that, "Did I really consume two bottles of food coloring?" feeling.


@foggysunnymorning - @awoolham - I'm glad you enjoyed it!


@Made2Order - Not famous in culinary circles but famous because it had a small place in the "Sex and the City" TV show as a shop the main character went to.


@yang1815 - Better buy butter futures...


@mercurialmusic - Yes, every other one is just fine! =D I did almost all the shooting myself holding the camera with one hand or using a tripod. Tawn shot two sequences, though: the toothpick test and then the intro shot the following morning when I review the ingredients for the icing.


@murisopsis - Glad you enjoyed the music choice. I had classical music shuffling on my MP3 player and that song played just as I was about to edit the frosting sequence. Suddenly, it occurred to me how I could put it all together. Inspiration!

Posted 1/17/2011 9:41 AM by christao408 Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit paperblanks's Xanga Site!
your voice sounds exactly like what I thought you'd sound like! That's actually a nice surprise for some reason. Honestly, you could probably start your own cooking show miniseries on xanga :)
Posted 1/17/2011 11:27 AM by paperblanks Xanga True Member Xanga Premium Member - recommend - reply

Visit cupcakefridays's Xanga Site!
You make cupcakes!

If you're interested, you could potentially be featured on our site. Just come by and leave a comment/message sometime.

Posted 1/17/2011 11:45 AM by cupcakefridays@ireallylikefood - recommend - reply

Visit christao408's Xanga Site!

@cupcakefridays@ireallylikefood -  Well, I made cupcakes this time. Don't know about it being a regular event... =D


@AzureRecollections -  Really? My voice was a little deeper than normal since my throat is sore. There are actually a whole bunch of videos I've posted on Xanga for cooking:

Macadamia Nut Cream Pie
Making homemade Mozzarella cheese
Tasting that cheese, frosting a cake
Baking French macarons
My first time making pasta
Additional adventures in Italian cooking
My experiences using (mis-using?) a bread baking form
Making Thai style pumpkin soup

Is that enough to start a miniseries? =D

Posted 1/17/2011 1:23 PM by christao408 Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit Sinful_Sundae's Xanga Site!
I LOVE VIDEO BLOGS!!!! i don't own a TV... and watching your youtube video is like watching food network LOVE IT!
Posted 1/17/2011 5:27 PM by Sinful_Sundae Xanga True Member - recommend - reply

Visit beowulf222's Xanga Site!
Awesome
Posted 1/17/2011 8:59 PM by beowulf222 - recommend - reply

Visit TheCheshireGrins's Xanga Site!
Oooo, what a lovely birthday gift!!!
Posted 1/17/2011 10:23 PM by TheCheshireGrins Xanga True Member Xanga Lifetime Member - recommend - reply

Visit paperblanks's Xanga Site!

@christao408 - 

Seems like i'm totally out of the loop >> Yes, I think you're good to go on a miniseries! I hope you're feeling better though
Posted 1/17/2011 11:01 PM by paperblanks Xanga True Member Xanga Premium Member - recommend - reply

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