Friday, July 8, 2011

Wedding Cupcakes!

Hey Everyone,

I have successfully completed my first wedding cupcake order and it was a HUGE success! I was so happy with how everything turned out. It was definitely worth the two and a half days it took to complete everything. The wedding was simple but still beautiful and even though it was just a small ceremony with a Justice of the Peace it was still very beautiful and romantic. It just goes to show that a wedding doesn't have to be a big to do. All you need is family and a minister and a couple that is in love.

The cupcakes I used for the wedding were the classic red velvet cakes that I posted on here a few weeks ago and a delicious White Chocolate Mocha cupcake. Both were to die for. I made over 2 dozen of each and now 5 hours after the ceremony and reception, there are a grand total of six left. SIX. There were only 13 guests at this wedding and my grandparents only had one between the two of them. That's a lot of cupcakes. Here's some pictures from the ceremony and of the awesome cupcake stand that I made myself. It was a lot of work but definitely worth all of the hot glue gun burns.


The bride's bouquet mixed with the cupcakes and wedding glasses. I'm beginning to become obsessed with weddings. 

Another shot. My crazy uncle who was also one of the photographers for the night went a little nuts.


They started messing with different colored backgrounds.

Then green. I think I like the red better because the letters seemed to have popped out more.

Congratulations to my Tita Joan and Uncle Sam! The wedding was beautiful and you two are going to have a great life with each other. I'm glad I was able to make it back to be here to celebrate with you all.

Here's the recipe for the delicious white chocolate cupcakes. It was very involved and it definitely made a mess of a lot of dishes but it was completely worth it. The only major fail of the whole adventure were the chocolate hearts that I had hand piped onto wax paper and put in the freezer as decoration for the tops but it was just so dang hot outside that the hearts wouldn't hold their own for longer than 4 minutes so I had to scrap them and just put chocolate sprinkles. Next time, I think I might pipe thicker chocolate so that it is more sturdy. Other than that, it was amazing.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
5 oz. Semisweet Chocolate (coarsely chopped)
2 cups Cake Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Sour Cream
5 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
4 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Hot Coffee
12 tbsp. Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

Whipped Cream:
6 oz. White Chocolate (finely chopped)
1 1/2 cups Cold Heavy Cream

Decorating:
4 oz. Semisweet Chocolate (finely chopped)
Chocolate Sprinkles

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.  Let cool slightly.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, cocoa powder and baking soda.  Mix to form a paste and then slowly whisk in the coffee.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Slowly add the egg and vanilla mixture and beat until combined.  Add the melted chocolate and beat well.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the liquid mixture, beating just until all ingredients are incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the white chocolate whipped cream, place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Melt, stirring occasionally.  When the chocolate is almost melted, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil.  Once the chocolate is fully melted, transfer the bowl to a counter, pour in the hot cream and let it sit for one minute.  Then stir gently with a spatula until the chocolate is smooth.  Let the chocolate sit until it reaches room temperature – the chocolate can’t be the least bit warm when it is added to the whipped cream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup cream only until it holds the softest peaks.  With the mixer on high speed, add the white chocolate all at once and continue to beat just until the mixture holds firm peaks.  Transfer the cream to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

While the cream is setting, make the chocolate decorations.  Spread a piece of wax paper on a flat work surface.  Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.  Allow the chocolate to cool for several minutes (I probably waited 10-15 minutes).  Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic squeeze bottle (a plastic bag with the corner cut off would also work).  Carefully squeeze the melted chocolate onto the wax paper in the desired shape.  Allow to set completely.  Carefully peel off of the wax paper.
Frost the cupcakes with the now set white chocolate whipped cream, top with chocolate sprinkles, and garnish with chocolate decorations.  Store in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Source: Annie's Eats

Enjoy!