My oh my. Shouldn't all working weeks end with a cupcake cooking session? I think so. I really do.
But lets take a step back....
Yesterday morning started with another 'shake-inducing' weights session at the gym. Coupled with a 1km run warm up, and a 1km run cool down, I felt energised throughout the day.
Mr BBB's niece is getting married in a few months and has creatively decided to make mini cupcakes for all of her guests. So, we decided that a pre-event baking session "with the girls" was the perfect way to road test the various flavours and decide which ones would be selected for the special day.
But no baking session would be complete without a snackity-snack for the bakers, so before work yesterday I delved into the Mystery Box to see if it could provide some inspiration:
Those chosen ingredient...
Artichoke.
Um. Gulp. Hmm.
Did you know? Artichokes are a perennial thistle thought to have originated in Southern Europe. They are rich in dietary fibre, magnesium, vitamin C and folic acid, and may be of benefit in treating chronic digestive complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome.
When I drew this ingredient I tempted to hold onto it and come up with something for dinner using artichokes over the weekend. No "snack" using artichokes came to mind....
However, I did some internet research and came across this little gem of a recipe. Not only did I have all the ingredients on hand (except for the artichokes which I picked up on the way home from work), but it was quick and easy. It also did not require fresh artichokes, but canned. Confession: I have never actually cooked fresh artichokes and am somewhat intimidated by them! I will have to overcome this at some point I know ;)
Such a simple dip. Just grab the canned artichokes…
And blend with black beans, garlic and lemon juice.
Served with carrots and celery for some crunch!
Perfect for dipping, and a perfect snack for the bakers!
But now, onto the fun stuff.
The ladies of the family arrived at 6.30pm and our kitchen was quickly turned into a hive of activity.
There were ingredients galore…
Wine tasting…
Cupcake success…
And cupcake fails…
And of course, there were lots of laughs.
In the end we decided to freeze most of the cupcakes (un-iced) so that we can see how they turn out once thawed. We will have to do this at wedding time so may as well test it out now!
I did, however, manage to keep a few before they went into the freezer…
So tiny and oh so cute :)
Overall we had a wonderful evening, baking and chatting our heart's content. A perfect Friday evening really :)
What about you? Do you have a favourite cupcake flavour?
Happy Baking :)
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ah! so cute! you know I looove cupcakes :)
ReplyDeleteI hope they turn out well, any favorite flavors so far? Keep us posted on how they turn out!
hehe some DID end in disaster there.
ReplyDeleteNo real favourite flavours, Just something small and sweet. With silver balls I see!
I love baking failures...well not really. But sometimes they're so bad it's funny. They look adorable.
ReplyDeleteThose cucpcakes are rather gorgeous... but I have to say I'm much more enticed by the dip. Gosh, I love artichokes! Though I, too, have never cooked them from fresh. I'm more of a marinate-em-and-gobble-em-up girl :)
ReplyDeleteoh, so cute! I love baking anything miniature. It must be a girl thing. haha. Favorite flavor....hmmmm....too hard. Depends on my mood.
ReplyDeleteBeware of the dreaded paper peel if you decide to freeze the cupcakes. Try and let them dry out overnight before you put them in the freezer so they have less moisture than when freshly baked.
ReplyDeleteHis niece? Really? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteI don't have a fave cupcake since it's totally mood dependent, but the last cupcake that I really LOVED was vanilla vanilla with a spicy poached pear filling. Oh. Yeah.
@The Intolerant Chef - thankyou for a great tip!! I will pass it on :)
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much the cupcake flavor as it is the frosting. I love cream cheese frosting...but I have to make it myself bc the store bought ones are too sweet. I can put it on any flavor cupcake and love it.
ReplyDeleteThat artichoke dip looks divine! I'm intimidated by fresh artichokes too...this looks like something I'd really enjoy!
Do you ever get something from the mystery box that you just don't want/like and put it back to try something else?
I have to admit that when I first saw the cupcake pic I did a double take as I don't often see sweets here. Secondly, I thought the mystery box ingredient was "pink icing" (which is what my mystery box would be full of along with butter, eggs and sugar :P )
ReplyDeleteI got a little confused when I first looked at this post, the two thing I saw on the page before I started reading were that gorgeous pink cupcake and the word from your Mystery Box - Artichoke.
ReplyDeleteI thought - OMG, has Lisa made artichoke cupcakes?? I then read on and it started to make sense.
Sounds like you had a lovely time.
So cute! This dip looks great and so do the cupcakes :)
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