Test Kitchen: Cupcakes Galore!

Remember the last post, where I said I was thinking about opening a cupcake bakery? Well, I'm really thinking about it. So much so, that I've inquired about becoming a vendor at Dayton's 2nd Street Market and started testing recipes. Hopefully my tasters will continue to help over the next few weeks.. they were a great help so far! :) Here are the first five testers.

The PB&J
(Vanilla cake. Peanut Butter frosting. Grape filling.)

Good stuff: The frosting was a hit. It tasted exactly like a PB&J.
Bad stuff: The jelly dilemma- not everyone is a grape lover. It looks a little plain, needs something on top to help visually.

The Verdict: A keeper. I think I'll stick with the grape jelly, and add something on top, but the recipe is pretty solid.


The Sweet Celebration
(Vanilla cake. Confetti sprinkles. Vanilla frosting.)

I made two variations here: Little Sprinkles and Big Sprinkles. I wanted to see the difference.

Little Sprinkles.

Big Sprinkles.

Good Stuff: Everyone loves confetti! It just makes people happy. The cake and frosting are tried and true.
Bad Stuff: Big Sprinkles. They don't give the same visual appeal. Piped frosting. I just don't like the look as much, and it gives less coverage on the cupcake.
The Verdict: Little Sprinkles (on the left) are the winner. No piped frosting. Variations on the color of the frosting.


The Black on White
(Vanilla cake. Chocolate frosting.

The Good: Classic cake. Sprinkles give visual appeal. Chocolate icing was not too sugary.
The Bad: Not enough frosting.
The Verdict: Very good basic cupcake. Add more frosting.


The Strawberry Shortcake
(Vanilla cake. Strawberry filling. Pink icing. Fresh strawberry.)

The Good: Very good presentation. Really makes you want to eat it!
The Bad: WAY TOO SWEET. The filling was too overpowering- I could feel the Diabetes coming on with the first bite.
The Verdict: Love the presentation, need to remedy the filling. I used a pre-made topping, which was way too sugary. Use jam or a homemade puree instead.


The Watermelon
(Pink vanilla cake. Chocolate chips. Green vanilla frosting.)

The Good: Good concept, fun idea.
The Bad: Doesn't actually taste like watermelon, when you sort of want it to. Pink wasn't pink enough, green was too green.

The Verdict: Table the retesting of this one until the summer. There won't be any interest in it in the winter, and there are more pressing cupcakes to be perfected!