Mission Accomplished

"i am just going to blast the air conditioning in the car the whole way and hope that my car gets cool enough to keep the frosting from melting.  i don't care if i freeze-my cupcakes must make it the whole way! what can i say-i'm a sacraficer."

that, my friends, is the conversation i had with my apartment mate, katherine, before i left for luke's on friday.

it all started when i decided to make these delicious cupcakes to give to luke's family.  i would be staying over their house for the weekend, and so wanted to bring a gift. they were the perfect "introduction to fall" cupcake, a spice cake which i concocted up along with the help of jenna, as well as her chai tea butter cream frosting.  the frosting alone is a perfect treat, spicy from the cinnamon and chai and a wonderful deviation from the typical vanilla.  i piped the frosting using a star tip and then dusted more cinnamon on top and by the time i was done, they looked so delectable! they definitely fit the bill for a dessert worth presenting to your boyfriend's parents, that's for sure.

just as i finished sprinkling the last flecks of cinnamon on the last cupcake, it dawned on me:  i had to take my beautiful creations in the car for a two hour drive! frosting is very temperamental and will melt if not in a cool environment; i had not just put all this detailed time into each cupcake only to have them get destroyed!

the horror!

i put them in the freezer in a last ditch effort to keep them as cool as possible and hopefully solidify the cakes enough so that their forms wouldn't loose shape. i wasn't about to let go of the vision of myself presenting luke's family with beautiful looking cupcakes!

it means a lot to me, ok? i'm an artist-aesthetics are important.

i set out on the road, cupcakes safely positioned in a way that ensured minimal jostling and i drove with extreme care.  normally, i'm a bit of a road bully.  i admit it.  i have zero patience on the road and less than zero patience for slow drivers.  i also tend to brake very suddenly and am overall not the greatest driver (my mom  still doesn't let me drive her.) however, there's nothing like cupcakes sitting next to you to put things into perspective! suddenly, with the cupcakes' lives my responsibility, i became a very careful driver. maybe i should drive with cupcake passengers more often?

except for one incident where i once again braked very quickly and sent my purse flying into the cupcakes, i made it to luke's with myself and my cupcakes safe and sound.  the purse incident somehow didn't destroy all of them, only three.  sweet relief!

the damage. how my heart breaks!

i did indeed blast the air conditioning the whole ride.  i wore a sweatshirt and so didn't feel that cold, but my nose was definitely feeling it by the end!  i realized how cold i actually was, however, when i got out of my car at luke's and realized my muscles were frozen and i could barely move!  my idea worked though-the frosting held it's shape! like i said...i'm such a sacraficer.

in the end it was all worth it because his family loved them. his parents and his aunt and uncle all raved about them-about both their taste and their presentation. mission accomplished. all was right with the world.

and so, without further ado...

Fall Spice Cupcakes with Chai Tea Butter Cream Frosting

makes 16 mini cupcakes | inspired by eat live run

Ingredients for cupcakes

1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

2 T cold butter

1/4 cup scalded milk

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 beaten egg

~preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line mini cupcake molds with cupcake liners or spray with non stick spray

~mix together all the dry ingredients

~using your hands, mix in the butter until the ingredients feel grainy and therr are no clumps of butter left

~heat the milk on the stove until just boiling

~remove from stove and combine with the rest of the wet ingredients

~add all the wet ingredients to the dry

~mix to combine-but don't over  mix! don't do it!

~bake for about 15-20 min, checking with a toothpick to see if they are done

ingredients for frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsps Chai concentrate

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

~beat together all of the ingredients until light and fluffy!

~pipe or spread onto each cooled cupcake, dust with cinnamon if desired, and enjoy your introduction to fall!

have a bite, won't you?

-julia