Frosted Cupcakes

An amazing thing happened this week.  We were able to acquire a container of Pillsbury Chocolate Frosting.  Now, before any of you start thinking you should go get some (either for yourself or for us) read the rest of the story.  When we were living in the States, I refused to buy frosting of any kind for two reasons:  1) I hate frosting, so why would I waste money on something I couldn't enjoy? and 2) If it is in the house, it will last no longer than 24 hours because my husband will eat the entire container, and then lick it clean.  Armed with this information, I only would buy frosting when I had a specific dessert and there were people coming over to help eat this dessert.  

Well, a few weeks back, I found an amazing looking strawberry "tall" cake recipe, that I had to try.  I fell in love with the butter cake recipe, and knew that there's nothing better than butter cake and chocolate frosting.  So I started looking for a good frosting recipe but I was never able to find all the necessary ingredients (not that they're not in the country somewhere but when you're a baker and all the people around you are cooks, it makes it hard to find certain things).  I was really bummed because I really wanted to make this cake, so when the chance for this $2 thing of frosting came, I jumped up and down all excited. I started thinking of who we could invite over for dessert and coffee and when would be a good time.  Todd, upon seeing the frosting container, immediately grabbed a spoon and was making a bee-line for my blue-topped treasure when I stopped him.  I told him about my 'big plans' for that frosting, and he was off limits, to which I was told (nicely, but firmly) that sharing of the frosting, either in the form of dessert or out of the jar, was NOT going to happen, period.  

So we compromised.  I made my recipe, but made cupcakes instead, so that no 'sharing' of the frosting (or dessert for that matter) would be happening.  

I got to bake, Todd got to enjoy.  It seemed like the perfect arrangement, except the cake recipe apparently didn't translate to cupcakes (why, I have NO idea, but they looked awful and tasted weird... compared to the heaven it is as a cake).  They stuck to the paper (and pan with the few I tried without paper) and were a veritable mess all around.  We did, however, eat them anyways.  We were even 'terrible' parents and let Em, who never gets sweets) have at one of the paper left-overs.  She loved it, of course, but I guess that's to be expected when you have no frame of reference.  Todd didn't have any complaints either except for the work involved having to get the cupcakes out of the paper (he said it was like eating crab legs, which I don't understand, but I'm not a crab kind of girl).  Lani was also thrilled to have so many crumbs to

 clean up.  I was disappointed in the confection, but I like my desserts to be aesthetically pleasing as well as good to the taste, but I guess you can't win them all!  The only one who had no opinion either for or against the cupcake disaster was Coop, who spent the entire dinner and dessert time sleeping!