I gotta tell you … I love cupcakes… so much scrumptiousness in a little bitty bite, so it seems only fitting that the IMBB 13 waxes rhapsodic about this tasty little treat. You can check out details on the Is My Blog Burning thing here.
I made Cherry Baby Cakes recently for our 2-1/2 year old son to take to school, and they were the perfect tiny treat for grubby little fists. So cute and adorable in all their pink sugary glory.
Not only are cupcakes all the rage as the IMBB theme, they are in recent magazine issues as well. On the cover of the current issue of Cuisine at Home, a nice, fluffy, airy coconut cupcake reigns supreme. Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion features a cupcake article written Sara Neumeier. Adapted from her book, “Cupcakes Year ‘Round,” recipes and adorable pictures are included for Strawberries and Cream Cakes, Carrot and Zucchini Cakes, PB&Js and more. The pictures alone certainly put Sara’s book right on my Amazon Wish List. The new issue of Cook’s Country has cupcakes highlighted in their current issue as well and lastly, even Martha Stewart’s magazine Kids has gotten in on the act with their very own cupcake feature.
Go ahead, make some cupcakes of your own and join us all.
Cherry Baby Cakes
1-1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup cherry marmalade or cherry preserves, large pieces snipped, if necessary
60 maraschino cherries with stems, drained
1 recipe Powdered Sugar Icing (below)
Preheat oven to 350. Line sixty 1-3/4 inch muffin cups with miniature bake cups; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, butter, egg and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Spoon 1 scant teaspoon of batter into each muffin cup. Add 1/2 tsp of cherry marmalade and top with 1/2 tsp additional batter.
Bake cupcakes for 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Pat cherries dry with clean paper towels. Drizzle each cupcake with about 1/2 tsp icing. Dip half of each cherry into remaining icing; place on top of cakes. Makes about 60
Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir in additional milk, 1 tsp at a time, until icing reaches drizzling consistency. Add a smidge of maraschino cherry juice to tint the frosting pink.
i love the sound of these baby cakes! they don’t sound like they’ll give me a sugar overload afterwards and yet are sweet enough with the cherry to give me a sugary happiness. thanks for sharing!
ooh. ooooh! these i have to try….
Emily – exactly! Because of their bite-size proportions, they’re perfect when you need a small sugar fix, but don’t want to go overboard. Santos — you too! Try ’em – you’ll like ’em! :) And when you do, come back and report.