Countless Cupcakes

Last week Barb and I had a cupcake lab. We attempted this recipe. I've tried it before with a white cake mix but this time we decided to go by the book. It calls for a 'chocolate cake mix' so I bought 'milk chocolate.' If I could go back I would have bought the devils food for more contrast. Even still, they were tasty.

Barb is spoiled. She has a kitchenaide mixer! The little cupcakes are bite sized and a favorite for the vain. It made nearly 7 dozen! This was no easy feat, given the petite oven. Again, looking back, I would have done half the mix tiny and resorted to traditional size to finish it up. The icing is sinfully orange. Good thing they're on small scale. This is a terrible photo but I thought I would document them in all their glory. The presentation was sub par but the day of the party was non stop. No time to be a perfectionist. In addition to the chocolate-orange cuppies, Barb whipped up some pistachio filled cupcakes. Yes, filled! She baked them, pulled a plug and filled them with pistachio pudding. These were gourmet. Something you'd pay 3.50 a piece. She garnished them with pistachios, they were almost to pretty to eat. It's love at first bite!

We had a great time baking together and we plan on many-a-more cupcake labs. Experimentation and brainstorming is full fledged! What is your dream cupcake?