I'm nothing if not consistent so I deem it appropriate to once again start with the worst so we can leave it behind us and have only good things ahead. First up, the ugliest honors go to triple citrus cupcakes.
Maybe you're wondering, what is she thinking? I know this picture isn't the worst, good lighting can work wonders, but in person they didn't shine nearly as brightly. The cupcakes didn't taste terrible, although there was a small issue with pulp that I didn't enjoy. But what I really didn't like about these cupcakes was how flat they were and that the lime zest garnish looked gross and heavy. Kind of like seaweed. Yum. The glaze also became less white and thinner the longer it was on the cupcakes and that didn't help.
In the taste department, my least favorite was iced pistachio cupcakes.
While I didn't love them, I'm not sure I could pin down exactly what it was about them that turned me off. It's been awhile since I had one, and I'm not about to make another whole batch to figure out what it was that I didn't like. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my co-workers did enjoy them. In fact, just the other day someone asked me about them. Just goes to show you, no two taste buds are the same.
To lighten the mood a little I'll move along to the prettiest gal in the bunch, streusel cupcakes.
There are so many details to like with these cupcakes... the crumble, the glaze, the deliciousness. These cupcakes also hold a special place in my heart because they reminded me of the coffee cake my mom used to make when I was little. I'm all for cupcakes churning up good memories.
I was most surprised by two cupcakes in this section, but you'll notice that they each have a similar ingredient, coconut-pecan cupcakes with chocolate ganache...
We've established that I don't like coconut and I don't like nuts, but Martha just continues to be full of surprises. She concocted a recipe that incorporated coconut and pecans, and another with coconut, raisins and rum that I enjoyed. In fact I enjoyed each of them so much I would make them again. Madness, sheer madness.
With happy discoveries, such as cupcakes containing coconut being delicious, there are always unpleasant ones that you never want to relive again. In this section that would be lavender-iced brownie cupcakes.
While the brownies tasted just fine, and these weren't too bad to look at, I couldn't get past how much the lavender icing reminded me of soap. If I wanted my mouth washed out with soap I'd hop in my time machine, go back 20 years and say something inappropriate to my mom or dad. No thanks.
Last, but not least, the favorite. This was a tough choice because there were several cupcakes in this section that I really liked. But, there can only be one winner. Actually, since I make the rules there can be as many winners as I see fit, but I'm only going to let myself choose one. The lucky winner is brown sugar pound cakes.
These were the first cupcakes I made in the section and they started everything off on the right foot. It was my first introduction to brown butter icing and after I stopped worrying about whether or not I was making it right, it was love at first taste. Seriously, you should try it if you haven't already.
Thank you for taking this little walk down memory lane with me. I hope you enjoyed it. Simple and sweet are on deck and from glancing through the section I have to say that things look promising. Maybe there won't be a "never make again" in the bunch. Fingers crossed!
