It’s Holly

The baking bug has bitten again. Maybe it’s the cold weather. Maybe it’s because I like to bake. Maybe it’s because I finally cleaned my kitchen, but a clean kitchen just doesn’t look right so I decided to get it messy again. Maybe I just wanted some cupcakes.

picture courtesy of Migs Vuitton

This was definitely my best batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes. ever ever. Better than this batch. I started with a recipe from my favorite cupcake blog, Cupcake Bakeshop by Chokylit, with a few modifications of my own. See below.

Cupcakes
makes 36 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3-3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cups cocoa [I used closer to 3/4 cup]
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter [I used baking powder]
3/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons vinegar [I used 3 tsp of coconut vinegar, because it's what i had on hand]
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 ounce red food coloring paste [I used a shit ton of liquid food coloring to offset the color of the additional cocoa i added in]
2-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter
3 eggs

I kept the frosting recipe the same –

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The results? Fantasticalorgasmical. Yes, the best cupcakes ever. I brought them into work, and someone said “Are these from a box?”. I suppose that’s a compliment.. meaning they taste.. professional? lol

Also baked this week – German Chocolate Cupcakes. They were aiiight. I used cake flour instead of the recommended all-purpose flour because I thought it would be fancier. Turns out the crumb is too fine, and the cupcakes sort of just disintegrated on your tongue upon first bite, and didn’t really hold up or provide enough texture for the really thick frosting. But, that’s why we experiment, right? Right. More cuppycakes to come…

Today, I started with eyeliner.

I’ve never been the type to wear make-up on the daily basis for various reasons… 1) I’m too lazy 2) I really don’t know what I’m doing and 3) I’m just too lazy. Don’t get me wrong, I can doll up when needed, but it’s usually a special occasion (my birthday, new year’s, picture taking lol).

In recent mornings, I’ve found myself looking in the mirror before I leave for work and thinking “Damn, I should put on some makeup” or “Where the FUCK did these dark circles come from? I should use some concealer” when I never really felt the need before. Maybe the creeping up of my “late twenties” is playing mind games with me. Maybe I’m sick of looking 18 all of the time. Maybe it’s time for me to look my age?

So, the personal struggle really comes with this thought – Do I feel the need to wear make-up to conform and fit in with “the man’s” definition of beauty, or do I simply want to do it to look my best and feel good about myself? Or are they one in the same?

So today I started with eyeliner. No powder, now foundation, no blush… and considering the closest I get to make-up daily is putting on some Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm, this is a nice little baby step. We’ll see if it sticks.

p.s. i have tendency to rub my eyes a lot. so if you see me walkin’ round looking crazy with raccoon eyes, please flag me down. thanks.