Cupcakes

Anyone who knows my extended family knows that my sister-in-law is the baker/caterer.  She does a lovely job every time.  The most beautiful birthday cake I've ever seen was one of her creations - a flower garden with a white picket fence - all edible. It was a shame to eat it!

But for my sister's baby shower a couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law was not available to do the honors, so I decided to attempt cupcakes myself.  I had no pretensions of mine turning out as delicious or as beautiful, but I'd do my best.  

I used recipes from Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

I made chocolate (of course)...

...as well as lemon and vanilla.  I knew I would end up with more than we needed for the shower, but I figured I knew some little people who would be happy to clean up leftovers.

This is the face I got when this little person wanted to be picked up and her cruel mother decided to put down the fresh-from-the-oven pan first.

I made cream cheese frosting to go on all of them, but I tinted it three different colors, one for each type of cupcake: pink for chocolate, yellow for lemon, blue for vanilla (only the frosting had enough yellow in it from the vanilla that the blue turned green!). 

This is how they turned out.  Simple; nothing fancy; I know my limits!

Sadly, I wasn't really impressed with the flavor.  None of them seemed to have enough.  And they got very dry very quickly.  

But the ladies at the shower seemed to enjoy them, and I was glad.

And they were made with lots of love for my sweet "little" sister whom I love so much.

Next: pics from the baby shower.