A Cupcake tribute to Billy Ocean

Caribbean queen
Now we're sharing the same dream
And our hearts they beat as one
No more love on the run

I stalk cupcakery web sites, and once in awhile, something very exciting happens-a cupcake I've been waiting to try for months and months is put on the weekly menu at Cupcakes Actually!!!!!!!  This cupcakery is closest to me, and I have been waiting to try their summery, alcohol-infused creations since I first began checking their weekly flavor lineup.  So when I woke up today and saw that the Caribbean Queen was available today, after shrieking with joy, I naturally starting singing that Billy Ocean classic for which the cupcake is named.

The Caribbean Queen is described as a pina colada cupcake, blended with coconut, pineapple, and rum, topped with a coconut rum frosting.  i will say my head felt a slight tropical buzz after eating my cupcake.  This cupcake was like a trip to the Copa, Copa Cabana!  It was tropical and light and rumdidlyumptious.  And I want another one.  Right now.

As an aside, I acknowledge that I have now written odes to two great '80s songs.  Google tells me that "Caribbean Queen" was a hit in November of 1984, when I was just a baby.  My mother is chiefly responsible for my intense love of '80s and '90s tunes. 

It is because of my mother that I love Bryan Adams, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna.   She was a musical badass, though in recent years she has been stuck in a classic rock rut (and I was nearly disowned one Christmas when I confused Porky Pig and Bob Dylan).

My second retro music influence?  Who better than Uncle Brian!  Anyone that had to go anywhere with UB usually went in his silver Porsche.  And in nice weather, with the open top, people from far and away heard my uncle belting songs like "Unchained Melody" at the top of his lungs.  But this time gave me an appreciation for groups like the Temptations, the Supremes, the Rolling Stones, and of course, the Beatles.

And finally, we have my brother.  Being that Steve is my older brother, he has been giving me rides since I was 12.  And his preferred music in the car?  Very loud, very gangsta rap, the more profanity, the better.  The rap songs I do know are likely ones that he played in his car.  Thank goodness he went to college in the country, because now he is alllll about the country music.  And most of the country I know, I heard in his car.  A little of each genre is fine, but too much & I go crazy.

So thanks to my family for enriching my musical tastes!!  Maybe I'll even create a  cupcake inspired by one of these genres-like C.R.E.A.M.(Wu-Tang).

A Cupcake-tastical Birthday, Part 2 of 2

It was such a busy week making cupcakes that I had to split the post in two.  My family likes to celebrate my birthday and my mom's together, as they are separated by just eleven days, and my aunt hosted a brunch.  I came up with a delicious cupcake idea--mimosa cupcakes!  I made an orange chiffon cake (recipe found in The Cake Bible, with a champagne buttercream and candied orange peel for garnish.  Next time, I would skip the ridiculous hassle of sifting that fancy cake flour and use an orange cake mix.  Why? Way faster for probably similar taste.  Or maybe I'm just not a chiffon fan.  I also mistakenly boiled the candied orange peel to death, nearly ruining another pot, simply because I mistakenly forgot to turn the burner down.  I know huge surprise there, right?  I once tried to make cocnut pecan frosting with a hand mixer, and it was only AFTER the counter was covered with goo that I read the recipe directions-cook on stovetop.  Oops.

 When my mom and I started opening our presents, I got the BEST SURPRISE EVER!  My family from Baltimore actually read this blog!  (Hi Uncle Mike!) AND, they went to a cupcakery called Flavor in Bel Air, Maryland.  Which means that this cupcake taster has hit another state!!

I opened the pretty box and inside were a chocolate peanut butter cupcake and a flavor 9--the latter being the most unique cupcake I've tried to date.  Somehow these bakers have figured out how to keep the frosting thick and fluffy without the extra sugar, and the cakes were well-balanced.  The flavor 9 is a coconut cake with butterscotch chips, pecans, and my favorite-graham cracker crust!! 

After checking out the menu at Flavor, I am way impressed and inspired.  Everything from a creamsicle to  lucky charms cupcakes, they have succeeded in making me want to try more.  Thanks again to my family for a wonderful birthday!