Wedding cakes and cupcakes

Last weekend I made 96 cupcakes and a couple of small cakes for a friend's wedding.

On the menu:

• Chocolate malt cupcakes
• Raspberry lemonade cupcakes
• Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting
• Lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• A double layer six inch flourless chocolate cake with cream cheese filling and frosting
• A double layer six inch chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling and frosting.

These were all recipes I have used before, so it was just a matter of organizing my time to get it all put together in time to deliver.  I put all of the frosting ingredients out on the counter so the butter and cream cheese could soften while I got the cupcakes ready so I could just pipe the frosting on right before transporting them.

So.
Much.
Butter.

I was happy with the results--this is the way I would want to do a party myself.  Lots of variety and interesting flavors.

(Incredible cake photos by Hally Crangle)

The two best recipes to come out of this combination were the cookies and cream frosting and the flourless chocolate cake, so I'll share those:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 36 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups salted butter
• 12 eggs

1. Prepare two six inch cake pans by spraying with olive oil spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. 
2. Heat the water, salt and sugar on the stove until all combined and set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate in a glass dish in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each session. Put this into the electric mixing bowl
4. Cut the butter into pieces and add them to the chocolate very slowly--beat in each piece before adding the next. Then add the hot water/sugar mixture. 
5. Add the eggs to the mixture very slowly, one at a time.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Put each of the cake pans into a larger cake pan then fill the outer pan about halfway with very hot water to create a water bath.
7. Bake the cakes in a preheated 300 degree oven for 55 minutes or until they firm up a bit; the centers of the cakes will still look wet when they come out of the oven. 
8. Remove from the water bath and cover tightly (while still in the pans) when cool enough to handle. Chill the cakes overnight in the fridge. To remove, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10-15 seconds, run a knife around the outer edge of the cake, then invert onto a plate or cake board.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

• 1 cup of salted butter, softened
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• 4 to 4.5 cups of powdered sugar (adjust to desired consistency)
• A couple of sleeves of crushed up Oreos or Newman O's, whichever you prefer

Beat the butter and vanilla until fluffy, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, then add the cookies and continue to mix.  This is not a frosting that can easily be piped onto cupcakes because of the cookies--better for spreading on a cake or using for filling.