Cupcake Experiments: Strawberry & Basil Cupcakes w/ Balsamic Buttercream

After the success of the Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, I was back in my baking mode... Eager to create, but already burnt out on the super sweet and the bacon-y savory, I was ready to try something that very much so skirted the boarder of the two lands. Noming on some strawberries with the bf, I started thinking about some other good strawberry combinations, since I've already done the very decadent Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cupcake. Curious, I thought about my other love with strawberries... Balsamic! A risky move, but one with potential, a Balsamic buttercream perhaps?

And thus the Strawberry & Basil Cupcake with Balsamic Buttercream was born!

Starting with the same base as the Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes... (but doubled for double the fun)

3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups milk

mix together well.

in a blender, blend half a package of strawberries with a half cup of basil. the mixture will look kind of gross, but will smell amazing, and taste even better. pour the mixture into the batter & hand mix together. fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 15-20 minutes.

balsamic buttercream frosting

1 stick softened butter
.25 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp milk
1 box powdered sugar

like any basic buttercream, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. slowly add the powdered sugar, balsamic and milk until you've reached the consistency and flavor you like.

frost & decorate with leftover strawberries & basil bits!

zero, next maru?

Cupcake Experiments: The Cinnamon Roll Cupcake

Perhaps my best cupcake yet (although some would beg to differ) this base recipe for a vanilla cake is absolutely delicious, so anything added would simply make it amazing.



For a dozen cupcakes:

Batter/Cake:

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Scant 1/2 tsp.salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 whole large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. whole milk

Sugar Mix/Filling:

• 3/4 c. (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Frosting/Topping:

• 8 oz. cold cream cheese
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 5 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the Sugar Mix/Filling ingredients together and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups. Whisk together flour (1 3/4 cups), baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add whole egg, yolk, and vanilla and beat 1 minute. At low speed, mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches. Pour the batter into the pan so that it fills about a third of the case. Then sprinkle on a layer of the sugary filling. Pour more batter so that the cupcake case is about 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes before frosting it with the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

For the Frosting/Topping, beat the cream cheese with the softened butter, cinnamon & vanilla extract until combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until you reach the consistency and sweetness desired. Be sure to sift the powdered sugar for a smoother frosting.

Review: The Rotating Bar @ the Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Called the Bona Vista Lounge, we sort of stumbled on this little gem by accident.

I'd heard of the downtown rotating bar, but never heard it mentioned in the same sentence as a "must" visit destination. It's from a different generation. My parents would go there for romantic dates on the town, but now we're so inundated with going to the "new" and "hip" the classics seem to have fallen to the wayside.

It's funny to hear people talk about these bars & restaurants that are "LA Institutions." Now I must admit, as a youngster I wasn't completely hip on the insider track, but I do know that you locked your doors while driving through Silverlake and you would never be caught after dark in Echo Park for fear of a knife fight. But I do know that, like so many things in LA, old and established is a very relative term.

Now I've veered completely off topic. The Bona Vista was a delightful bar. While the drinks were a little pricey, they were substantiated by the amazing views of the Los Angeles skyline. It is most certainly worth a visit or two, and I would recommend sunset as an ideal start time.

To my peeps. I love you guys!

I feel like I should have a backlog of things to talk about...

Yet, somehow they seem to magically be escaping my recent memory. A few things happened.

I broke up. I started a new blog. I went to a bunch of Laker's games. My grandfather passed away. I got a new cousin, Brandi. I met a boy. He had a funny name in juxtaposition with mine. I took care of a cat & didn't kill him. I started another blog. I went to silverlake. I bought a plaid dress. I got thrown out of a Vegas club. I didn't get banned from the MGM. I threw a few parties. I got a kid committed. I fell in love again. I made more bacon cinnamon rolls. I met James Cameron. I got sick. Twice. I went to the UCB for the first time. I drank pineapple sake. And today I realized that sometimes, when someone hits you really hard, but you don't feel any pain, then it's all OK.

So basically, this was my way of summing up the last 3 months of my life.

Moving on...

A snarky retort...

To my dearest Punky. I've taken into consideration this article that you have sent me, and I simply reply...

iizuka~zucca out.

T-Shirt Wars!

Absolutely adorable video, thanks Punky!

Damn you women & your psychic powers!!

I've just started following a lovely little comic blog & I thought I'd share! Enjoy!

Watering-hole rap sheet: Beach Cities

manhattan beach: the obvious winner here is simmzy's hands down. aside from the fact that they got rid of the lychee beer, probably because i'm the only person who liked it, i still love their burgers.

hermosa beach: in hermosa there's only one bar where adios motherfuckers and baby blue sweatsuits go together perfectly, the underground is a great pub/club.

huntington beach: i know which bar it's not. it's not hurricanes. i could live a happy life never going there again. but beachbar301 on the other hand... $2.99 brunch. awesome.

newport beach: blue moon being one of my favorite beers, and drinking at the beach one of my favorite activities... mutt lynch's combine these two things perfectly.

laguna beach: and finally. who can resist watching the sunset over the beautiful laguna beach while sipping martinis & munching on apps? at the cliff you can.

Watering-hole rap sheet: LA Proper

a list that will most likely change several times a month... here are my current picks!

santa monica: it takes a lot to drag me out here, mostly because of the stupid parking restrictions, but renee's is still a clear favorite. even though the last trip was a bust, there are still so many great memories that make up for 1 failure.

brentwood: now this is a toss up. 2 of my favorite bars within spitting distance of each other! bar food la, for their blue moon on tap, their irish bartenders, all night happy hour & their bacon relish & south for their thursday recession happy hour & mystery shots. both amazing deals!

westwood: hands down palomino happy hour!

culver city: if i must, it'd have to be saints & sinners. i could sit & watch the crackling fireplace for hours & the bartender's display of fire-eating is always fascinating to watch.

mar vista: true westside ghetto, lost & found, with their puppies on the wall, super salty popcorn & $3.50 drinks (regularly priced you don't even need to rush there for a happy hour.)

century city: yes i realize that listing this does make me a tool, but x-bar still has amazing fries, and summer nights by the fire pits do take me back to my agency days.

west hollywood: where all the cable workers hang out, barbea's with their strongbow & shuffle board always takes me down the carrot highway. where carrots are actually memories. of piano key belts.

mid-city: a new one barely making the list... sheddy's! more research must be done, but it was still love at first sight.

hollywood: this is a no brainer... cap city all the way!

silverlake: if i'm forced to hang out with the dirty hipsters, at least i know i can suck down a few good drinks at the good luck bar. plus it's big enough so i can easily escape the weirdo talking about his balls & sneak into another room.

downtown: there are so many to choose from, but to me there is always a clear favorite. seven grand, you stole my heart with your eastsides & as the local of my descent into rom-coms i'm forever yours.

Sheddy's: my new mid-city watering hole

i feel like my attitude towards mid-city bars has been wavering lately. i have my favorites everywhere else, but west hollywood has failed to produce a solid location that i would visit time & time again... that is until last night!

in my google map quest to find a "new" drinks location, i stumbled across an la times review of a tiny bar on the corner of fairfax & 3rd. fairfax & 3rd? really? sandwiched somewhere between the grove, cvs, whole foods & citibank? intrigued, i set out to check out this "good old-fashioned beer-swigging pub."

dark & cozy, this is the perfect location, free of pretension, for a lovely little conversation between good friends, or new acquaintances. the couple next to us were ordering "tangerines." i'm not sure what it is, but it's a definite taste test for my next visit... as is the cheese & meat platter.

With happy hour until 8PM ($3.50 / pint), the FYI footnote: bring in a Grove theater movie stub to get half-off your first item, and the ample parking this place is a clear winner!

Sheddy's
361 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036

I've been abscent for far too long...

one of the problems with blogs is maintenance. when i started this blog at the beginning of last year, i made it my new years resolution to keep up a steady stream of new information, and witty observations, and i think for the most part 2009 was a success.

2010 brings along with it a whole new slew of resolutions, that have for the most part been keeping me very busy and entertained. this brings us to... the list. now, i do have to apologize. the list, in no way should preclude me from continuing to update this blog, because let's face it, the list is very tailored to a specific set of experiences & as anyone who knows me knows, i always like to deviate from the path.

so love them & leave them, i have not left you. i'm back and ready for more!