So here's the deal: I want to start a blog about cupcakes and Syracuse. My good friends Sarah and Jenn sat around a table with me tonight to help me start this little venture of mine. So here I am, starting a blog. Who would have thought?!
I want to try a new recipe every week for a year. That comes
out to 52 different types of cupcakes. Whoa. That is the charge I’ve given
myself and I’m ready for it! I hope you are too :)
I’ve also decided to name my cupcakes after famous things in
Syracuse. Even though I
live in Baldwinsville (a suburb of Syracuse) it's the city that I identify with. Not to mention, there are so many things here that
are special and unique. I feel like it’s my duty to glorify those things in my
delicious cupcakes!
My first cake I’m calling The Westcott. It’s a carrot cake filled with coconut and pineapple.
Like the Westcott area, it is down-to-earth and full of flavor. The cream
cheese frosting appears traditional at first glance, but when you taste it,
there is a surprising flavor of ginger that brings the cupcake to a whole new
level. To top it off, there are candied pecans on top that give a crunchy,
earthy contrast to the moist and sweet combination of cake and frosting.
I looked up recipes and read blogs to gather all of my ideas
for this creation. I have pretty standard recipes for both the carrot cake and
cream cheese frosting. The addition of pineapple was perfect to add
moisture to the cake, and who doesn’t love coconut with pineapple?! The idea to
add ginger to the frosting came from a blog which suggested different add-ins
for cream cheese frosting. I’ve made candied pecans in the past, but decided
to break them apart in my food processor first. This way, there was a bit of
pecan in every bite, instead of one whole pecan on top. Voila! The Westcott was born!
Thanks to Sarah Heppell for the photos!
