Back to Basics

Decided to go back to the basics today and make very simple cupcakes, which of course ended up being anything but. After driving around town trying to find vanilla beans (you would think this would be simple but living on an Alaskan island this is no small feat), filling my kitchen with smoke from over filling my cake pans, and using every dish in my kitchen twice, all while trying to control my one year old, I finally managed to make the most perfectly 'simple' vanilla, chocolate and strawberry cupcakes.

I found a great recipe for strawberry cupcakes using strawberry gelatin and real pureed strawberries, I topped it with a strawberry whip cream frosting, using fresh organic strawberries my Mother in-law gave me.

For the chocolate cupcakes I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe, that is actually a very easy, one bowl recipe with dark chocolate Ghiradelli chips and a rich chocolate buttercream frosting.

Finally classic white cupcakes with the most delicious vanilla buttercream frosting that is anything but boring. It tastes like melted vanilla ice cream. Using real vanilla beans makes all the difference in the world.