28th
Iron Cupcake: Chili Pepper Challenge
The Cupcake: Chili Vanilli… Icing? Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind
So, there’s this Iron Cupcake Contest going on, and I’ve determined to put my experimental culinary bent to strike out and find my special purpose and maybe a good thermos (or was that a Steve Martin flick?…but that’s not important right now). The prizes are as sweet as the competition subjects: a one-of-a-kind piece of original Cakespy art by ETSY artist Jessie Oleson; a luxury hostess apron from Jessie Steele; the next generation of the Cupcake Courier; and a new publication from the library of Taste of Home Books.
Plus, you know, “Iron Cupcake” is a pretty spifftastic title to add to my email signature, which I am highly likely to do, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Anyway, this month’s challenge was chili peppers, and the planning experiment went a little something like this:
What goes with chili and how does that go in a cupcake? My pepper of choice would be the cayenne. It tastes good, has a nice heat to it, it’s fun to say…Maybe some cream cheese icingy stuff to tame the flame, and a little sweet and sour fruitiness to play it up. Tamarind…what is that? That’s tangy, right? Oh yes, it’s tangy. And a little vanilla bean? Groovy.
The cayenne and vanilla bean went into an heirloom family favorite cake recipe, topped with cream cheese icing with a tamarind cream cheese stripe. And then I melted red sugar and tamarind pulp together to make a tart and crunchy drizzle on top.
The result is pictured above, the Chili Vanilli cupcake with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing. Because nothing says quality baked goods like being named after a “pop and dance music project.” I’ll admit, it was better than I expected. Some might even say it was good. But don’t take my word for it…here are a couple of cupcake testimonials from my taste testers who are only motivated by the threat of more cupcakes to taste (nicknames awarded to protect the innocent…you know who you are):
“The cupcake was fantastic! The best ever frosting! The extra red goodness only added to the delightful creamy but not too sweet very unique icing!” - Adjective Princess
“Hit the spot. The icing was killer!” - My ”People”
So there it is. Please vote for me by clicking on the Iron Cupcake logo below and looking for some sort of a spot to vote, subsequently selecting the Chili Vanilli with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing as your preferred Iron Cupcake entry. And I will reward you with more cupcakes!
