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In my quest to further my obsession knowledge of cupcakes, I came across The Great Purple Cupcake Project. Normally, I would just think that it was a great cause (it benefits epilepsy awareness) and move on. However, I recently have become very aware of epilepsy.
I am fortunate to work at a school with a staff of some of the most incredible people. It's amazing the amount of love and compassion that can develop between a group of strangers and I am so thankful to be a part of that staff. One of those incredible people is Christine. Not only is she an amazing teacher (special ed, none the less) but she is an incredible mom. Her son, Jake, was diagnosed with epilepsy almost two years ago and her everyday life involves watching her son seize. Christine also has a blog and she posted a video of Jake seizing and it broke. my. heart. I cry when my dog throws up or is acting weird...I can't even imagine watching your child go through something like this.
So, on Friday, epilepsy awareness day, our entire staff wore purple and we sold purple cupcakes as a fundraiser. Again, I was overwhelmed by the generosity and character of our staff. We sold cupcakes at $2.50 each and raised over $170! It was so fun to come together and support Christine and her family's battle against epilepsy.
In order to make 6 dozen cupcakes and icing on a weeknight, I used box mixes. I know. I know. But honestly, I somtimes find that box mixes are just as good, if not better, than some homemade recipes. Plus, it was easier and faster. I did, however, make the frosting from scratch. I made strawberry with vanilla buttercream, chocolate with coconut buttercream and champagne (just substitute champagne for water in the instructions) with vanilla buttercream.
Easy Vanilla Buttercream from Cooks Illustrated
The buttercream frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated; if refrigerated, however, it must stand at room temperature to soften before use. If using a hand-held mixer, increase mixing times significantly (at least 50 percent). This recipe can be doubled to make enough for a two-layer cake. It's really easy to work with and quite delicious. Makes 3 cups.
20 tablespoons (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups Confectioners’ sugar (10 ounces)
1/8 tablespoons table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or coconut extract)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
In my quest to further my obsession knowledge of cupcakes, I came across The Great Purple Cupcake Project. Normally, I would just think that it was a great cause (it benefits epilepsy awareness) and move on. However, I recently have become very aware of epilepsy.
I am fortunate to work at a school with a staff of some of the most incredible people. It's amazing the amount of love and compassion that can develop between a group of strangers and I am so thankful to be a part of that staff. One of those incredible people is Christine. Not only is she an amazing teacher (special ed, none the less) but she is an incredible mom. Her son, Jake, was diagnosed with epilepsy almost two years ago and her everyday life involves watching her son seize. Christine also has a blog and she posted a video of Jake seizing and it broke. my. heart. I cry when my dog throws up or is acting weird...I can't even imagine watching your child go through something like this.
So, on Friday, epilepsy awareness day, our entire staff wore purple and we sold purple cupcakes as a fundraiser. Again, I was overwhelmed by the generosity and character of our staff. We sold cupcakes at $2.50 each and raised over $170! It was so fun to come together and support Christine and her family's battle against epilepsy.
In order to make 6 dozen cupcakes and icing on a weeknight, I used box mixes. I know. I know. But honestly, I somtimes find that box mixes are just as good, if not better, than some homemade recipes. Plus, it was easier and faster. I did, however, make the frosting from scratch. I made strawberry with vanilla buttercream, chocolate with coconut buttercream and champagne (just substitute champagne for water in the instructions) with vanilla buttercream.
Easy Vanilla Buttercream from Cooks Illustrated
The buttercream frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated; if refrigerated, however, it must stand at room temperature to soften before use. If using a hand-held mixer, increase mixing times significantly (at least 50 percent). This recipe can be doubled to make enough for a two-layer cake. It's really easy to work with and quite delicious. Makes 3 cups.
20 tablespoons (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups Confectioners’ sugar (10 ounces)
1/8 tablespoons table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or coconut extract)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
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