Obsession

That's what my daughter says I have, a new obsession.  All because of this.

Is that not a pathetic excuse for a cupcake?  No nice rounded top, and those extensions on the side- ugh.  They stick like glue to my ancient muffin tins- which makes getting them out in one piece a bit of a challenge.  And I have a lot to learn in the cupcake decorating department.

I must admit to a new guilty, time-wasting pleasure- the show Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  They come up with creations that make my mouth water!  So when the granddaughter said she wanted strawberry cupcakes for her birthday in August, I said I would be happy to make them.  And, not wanting to have a disaster the day of the birthday, I decided we needed to do some test runs well ahead of time.

I surfed the net, and found all kinds of cupcake recipes.  The first go was an unmitigaged disaster- thin batter that did not rise properly, and made cupcakes that looked more like flat pancakes.  I didn't even frost them.

The second run tasted much better, but was misshapen, like the one in the picture.  But I am now determined to figure out why my cupcakes refuse to look like the ones on the show!  I have been baking from scratch for years- this shouldn't be rocket science!  I think my lousy, ancient pans are a large part of the problem.  I also think I may have put a tad too much batter in them.  DH says that my batter was too thick- I don't think that makes sense, since the first batter was very thin and the shapes weren't that different.

Today Shannon brought me a present- a silicone mini muffin tin.  Hah!  So I can test my theory, and try the third recipe I've found for strawberry cupcakes.

No, I have not fallen off the wagon when it comes to food.  I am learning that I can enjoy guilty pleasures in moderation, and cupcakes are the perfect, portion controlled sweet.  I indulge on the weekends, and eat healthy the rest of the week.  It seems to be working great, because I am maintaining my weight loss without counting every single calorie that I eat.  

And if you think I'm not doing anything in the studio, you'd be wrong.  My next TT challenge is almost done, I just have some hand sewing.  But I can't show that until the reveal on August 15.  So until then, you'll just have to bear with me on my quest to bake a perfectly shaped cupcake!!