chai sweet potato cupcakes

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was: chai sweet potato cupcakes. I kind of hit a wall in my brainstorm for a new autumnal dessert (all that came to mind was pumpkin pie!), so I did a little research using the Google Machine.

I landed on this killer recipe from the Kitchn. The recipe belongs to Tess Huff, who is one of the many contributing food writers to that site. I followed her instructions to the T and the results were excellent; the cupcakes were moist, sugary, and fragrant with the scent of chai and autumn spices. 

The key ingredient is the chai syrup. You make a spice-infused simple syrup which you spoon into the cupcake batter and frosting. It's divine. Get the cupcake recipe here. Happy Thanksgiving!

chocolate cupcakes

Last week, I baked chocolate cupcakes for the first time. Cupcakes are one my favorite sweets - little handheld cakes which are essentially vehicles for decadent, sugary frosting. Cupcakes surged in popularity across America in the early 2000's, with local bakeries and national chains producing creative spins on this classic dessert. Red velvet cupcakes became something of a phenomenon and a top choice to serve to guests for virtually any special occasion.

I searched far and wide for the "perfect" cupcake recipe and I landed on this one by I Am Baker. Give it a shot - it's terrific! This recipe makes one of the best frostings I've ever had. The cream cheese gives the chocolate frosting a nice level of structural integrity, making it easy to pipe out on your cupcakes. Bon appetit!