When Cupcakes Alliterate

Have we all recovered from the sugar-high madness that was Cupcake Camp 1.0 this past Sunday? I know I’m still a bit hungover from all the sugar consumed in the span of three hours that day, but it was certainly worth it. There were many beautifully decorated and delicious tasting cupcakes at the event. Once again, a huge thank you to Monica and Michelle for organizing the first ever Cupcake Camp in Toronto, as well as to my fellow bakers out there who shared their wonderful creations. I’m definitely looking forward to the next camp!



As promised, I bring you a more detailed post about the cupcakes I made for Cupcake Camp. When my friend Suzie first informed me about Cupcake Camp, I immediately started digging through my collection of recipe books and magazines and googling online for inspiration. I dabbled with a few ideas here there, some using fruit, others being tea-infused, but deep-down, I think my heart was already set on making some form of a chocolate cupcake.

Originally, I planned to make a chocolate chestnut cupcake that would also make use of some liqueur in one form or another, but I had a hard time finding chestnut purée. My busy schedule since returning back the city after the holidays and beginning the second term of school, not to mention a lack of a car, afford me very little time to run away the city just for a can of chestnut puree.

Thus, on to plan B. I remembered this fabulous cake a fellow classmate made a while back for a presentation: vegan chocolate cinnamon. I absolutely fell in love with that cake; it was incredibly moist and the warmth of the cinnamon matched so well with the richness of the chocolate. Inspired by the cake, I decided to make Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes. I used my stand-by chocolate cupcake recipe, and simply threw in two heaping tablespoons of cinnamon.



I also toyed with the idea of caramel while I was planning out my cupcake, and as a happy medium, I decided to incorporate the caramel into my frosting. I found a wonderful recipe for Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting on Ivonne’s blog, and I must say, this frosting is divine. Creamy, buttery and sweet, with the slight tang of cream cheese, it was the perfect match for the chocolate cinnamon cupcakes. My favourite was the caramel sauce, which tastes even better when you add a good pinch of salt for an instant salted caramel sauce.

These cupcakes smell heavenly yet sinful at the same time; open a box of them and you’ll get a whiff of the sweet, buttery caramel with the spiciness of the cinnamon. I dare you to resist having one! Funnily enough, the editor in me has just realised how alliteration-centric these cupcakes are. Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting. Now say that five times fast.



And on one final note regarding Cupcake Camp, I was finally able to try Suzie’s Chocolate Rolo Cupcakes today, which got great reviews from tasters on Sunday. A rich, chocolate cupcake (using the Magnolia recipe) with an incredibly creamy frosting (it’s my favourite part of the whole cupcake!), Suzie filled the centre with gooey caramel, replicating its namesake confectionary. These cupcakes are perfect for any chocoholic!