cupcake project | 07: vanilla cupcakes for two.

Well, hello there, dear friends.

I have noticed that my statistics has gone up lately, I am not sure why and who my readers are, but really… Thank you for dropping by. I am so glad that you have come across my little niche in the big web.

My blog has been utterly neglected in the past few days (again), but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any new stuff to share. Truth be told, there are a lot! I just don’t know how to process them… yet.

If you’ve been following this blog, you would probably know that I have an on-and-off relationship with writing. As of the moment, let’s just say we are on the “not-talking-cool-off-muna-tayo” stage. In a gist, inspiration has flown out the window for now.

Today, I mustered enough willpower to write because there are just a lot of things lined up on my to-do list and I am not in the mood to work. How easy to say… but hard to do. Heh.

Last Saturday, I attended an event sponsored by Coke and Araneta Center – the Coca Cola Caravan and Giant Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. I have yet to finish my post about it –- I don’t know where to start! I am still overwhelmed by the whole experience. If want the deets, you can hop on to Krissy’s site – she was too kind to have invited me! Thanks, dear! :)

Christmas came a wee bit early.

I’m still a newbie at going to events, and really, it takes time for me to process stuff, so let’s just move on (for now) to something that I can do even with eyes closed – baking.

Okay, that’s too much of a hyperbole, but I am in my element when it comes to baking. So let’s just get it on, shall we?

In the past few weeks, I have mastered the art of baking almost everyday. I make sure that I have enough freshly baked goodies to bring (and sell) at the office everyday. I learned my lesson, in the business that we do, people get hungry in the wee hours and there’s not enough food establishments open. No one can resist a {sweet}bite-sized treat, right? Right.

So bake I do. Everyday. And that’s on top of the slew of orders I am getting, thank you Lord. I don’t want to brag, but I’m just thankful that I have very supportive friends who buy and promote my stuff. Plus with the aid of social networking, I get to showcase my goodies and attract possible clients. If only I can do this everyday without going broke, I’d quit my job. Really.

I have been thinking about that, but in order for me to be self-employed, I need to have a steady and stable customer base. That being said, I have to earn or sell at least Php2000 everyday. That’s just enough to cover the rent, baking supplies, and utilities. I don’t have that yet. In time, I will, but right now, I’d have to be content with working at night and baking in the morning.

I couldn’t complain, I love baking and I’d do whatever it takes to fulfill my dream of opening a quaint pastry shop someday.

In the months that I have tried and tested numerous recipes, I have learned to bookmark the ones that work best for me. That means, the batter can be done ahead of time, doesn’t need too much equipment, doesn’t require too many ingredients and clean up, moderately easy, and DELICIOUS. These are usually tagged as my “go-to-can-be-done-in-a-jiffy” recipes. Those that don’t pass my criteria, I place in another notebook and I mentally mark them as a “to-do.”

I already have the best go-to vanilla cupcake recipe, but that still doesn’t stop me from testing new ones. An officemate wanted to order just two pieces of vanilla cupcakes, and I doubted that I can scale down my go-to recipe to just two. I have seen a recipe for vanilla cupcakes for two from the ever-reliable Jessica, and I tried it out earlier today – with a few modifications (as always).

The result? Heaven in a cup that can be done in a cinch. Seriously! My officemate loved it. I haven’t tasted them yet, but just looking at how gorgeous they were, I couldn’t help but smile. And the smell… Oooh, smelled like how vanilla cupcakes should be.

Don’t they look moist? Frosted with “crinkles and cream” buttercream.

I’m blabbing way too much again. Sorry. ;)

Vanilla Cupcakes for Two

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tbsp vanilla
6 tbsp flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp milk 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with 4 liners -- place them at the outer edges of the pan. 

In a bowl, beat together egg and sugar until combined. Add in vanilla and oil, stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salit. Whisk until smooth. Stir in milk. 

Scoop batter equally between the four cupcake wells. 

Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. 

Cool completely. I frosted them with vanilla buttercream mixed with chocolate crinkle crumbs.