Baking project! Tawn’s aunt had her 70-somethingth birthday celebration today so even though I was not going to attend, I helped prepare two dozen cupcakes. Tawn prepared brownies, too, but since he made those, not I, they aren’t covered in this entry.
The recipe for the cupcakes came from the Magnolia Bakery’s “More from Magnolia” cookbook. The Magnolia Bakery is a well-known spot in New York’s West Village, popularized in the TV show “Sex and the City” as it is just around the corner from Carrie Bradshaw’s fictional apartment.
We visited Magnolia Bakery last March and I have to say that while their cupcakes are tasty, they aren’t anything special. Nonetheless, this was the cookbook we had at hand.
The recipe we used was for their Vanilla Cupcakes. Instead of self-rising flour, I used a substitute of cake flour, baking powder, and just a little salt. The recipe is easy enough to use, made all the easier if you have a stand mixer.
You may notice that I have five eggs in the bowl but the recipe calls for just four. I was on the fence because the eggs look smaller to me than the standard “large” egg. The sizes were also inconsistent. Ultimately, though, I stuck with four eggs and placed the extra one back in the refrigerator.
This project wasn’t really about taking pictures and writing, though. It was about filming and editing a really cool video and, in all modesty, I think this one is one of my best. I hope you enjoy it.
The end products, which were tasty and very pretty in a pastel sort of way. If I had it to do again, I would sift my powdered sugar for the buttercream frosting as it ended up just a wee bit gritty. Other than that, though, no complaints.
christao408 
They look so yumm! Is it a traditon to give sweet things for birthdays in Thailand?
I like the coloring of the cupcakes. Did you add a candle or sprinkles too?
Hehe! I loved the music selection for the video. It made me smile.. I’m just surprised that you didn’t pipe the icing on in a fancy-schmancy design!
don’t lick your finger between each cupcake you fill — but every other one is ok. 😉 good video! i was impressed with the camera work — i’m assuming you did it all? it was fun to watch, and those cupcakes look yummy! 🙂
I love the little effects in your video including the magnificent music. I noticed there were left over icing! Hmmm… I wonder what happened to it?
Holy butter!
magnolia cupcakes.. hmm.. never heard of it. is it famous?
I enjoyed the video and the write up so much. Love your home and your narration. Thumbs up!
Well done! I love this recipe and the video! Definitely, I’ll try it one day.
good job with the cupcakes! whenever i go to magnolias, i make a beeline straight for the red velvet ones.
The video was fun to watch. Good job! Now I’m hungry for cupcakes.
Nicely done – love the video – who eat the left over icing!?!?!
what do you use to edit your video projects?
Carrie Bradshaw’s fictional apartment is on the Upper East Side, nowhere near the Magnolia Bakery. I’m embarrassed that I know this.
Absolutely wonderful! Any leftovers?
Neat! I am surprised that you thought the powdered sugar in the icing was gritty. Loved the recipe and the way you made it. Hope Tawn’s aunt was super delighted with them.
@HonoluluBob – The physical building they used for exteriors, though, is just around the corner from Magnolia. I can drag Tawn into this for the details, as I don’t know, but we went and took pictures in front of it and there’s a little sign asking people to donate a dollar into a lock box for each picture they take, the money going to some charity.
@CurryPuffy – Sprinkles and candles were both added by Tawn. Actually, there’s a great story about candles and birthdays in Thailand. Regardless of whose birthday it is, the young children at a Thai birthday party all want to participate in the candle blowing. To involve everyone, Tawn displayed the cupcakes on a tiered set of cake stands, putting a candle in each cupcake. All the children then had a candle or two they could blow out. After serving the cupcakes, he relighted the candles for each child so they could blow their candle out yet again!@stevew918 – It isn’t particularly a tradition to give sweet things. It was just that everyone was contributing to this spinster aunt’s party and Tawn’s contribution was the cake, which he decided to bake.@ZSA_MD – I think it was because I didn’t sift the sugar and it was a bit lumpy.@WildWomanOfTheWest – Leftovers? Even with the two dozen brownies Tawn brought added to the pile, there were no leftovers!@tehls – Edited on iMovie. Could be a lot better if I actually watched some of the training tutorials.@ElusiveWords – @Fatcat723 – Leftover icing sits in the icebox in the hopes that another batch of cupcakes may be baked soon, although given how busy this week will be, I doubt that will happen.@a_strange_wind_blowing – Ah, I was successful in making you hungry for cupcakes! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!@ThePrince – A friend of a friend makes a lovely red velvet cupcake but without the enormous amount of food coloring. They taste every bit of good and leave you free of that, “Did I really consume two bottles of food coloring?” feeling.@foggysunnymorning – @awoolham – I’m glad you enjoyed it!@Made2Order – Not famous in culinary circles but famous because it had a small place in the “Sex and the City” TV show as a shop the main character went to.@yang1815 – Better buy butter futures…@mercurialmusic – Yes, every other one is just fine! =D I did almost all the shooting myself holding the camera with one hand or using a tripod. Tawn shot two sequences, though: the toothpick test and then the intro shot the following morning when I review the ingredients for the icing.@murisopsis – Glad you enjoyed the music choice. I had classical music shuffling on my MP3 player and that song played just as I was about to edit the frosting sequence. Suddenly, it occurred to me how I could put it all together. Inspiration!
your voice sounds exactly like what I thought you’d sound like! That’s actually a nice surprise for some reason. Honestly, you could probably start your own cooking show miniseries on xanga 🙂
You make cupcakes! If you’re interested, you could potentially be featured on our site. Just come by and leave a comment/message sometime.
@cupcakefridays@ireallylikefood – Well, I made cupcakes this time. Don’t know about it being a regular event… =D@AzureRecollections – Really? My voice was a little deeper than normal since my throat is sore. There are actually a whole bunch of videos I’ve posted on Xanga for cooking: Macadamia Nut Cream PieMaking homemade Mozzarella cheeseTasting that cheese, frosting a cakeBaking French macaronsMy first time making pastaAdditional adventures in Italian cookingMy experiences using (mis-using?) a bread baking formMaking Thai style pumpkin soupIs that enough to start a miniseries? =D
I LOVE VIDEO BLOGS!!!! i don’t own a TV… and watching your youtube video is like watching food network LOVE IT!
Awesome
Oooo, what a lovely birthday gift!!!
@christao408 – Seems like i’m totally out of the loop >> Yes, I think you’re good to go on a miniseries! I hope you’re feeling better though
@AzureRecollections – Slowly clearing up, thank you. Thankfully, I don’t get the kind of colds I had when living back in the US. I don’t know how you people in the northern climes handle that weather! =D@TheCheshireGrins – Nothing like a baked good to say “I Love You”.@Sinful_Sundae – I really enjoy making video blogs but they take a lot of time. Glad you enjoyed.@beowulf222 – I’m glad you enjoyed it, too.
@christao408 – LOVEEEEE!