Cupcake Camp!

Today was cupcake camp New Haven 2012, and it was CRAZY! I somehow managed to procure some prime real estate, and mine were the first cupcakes that people saw as they entered a cupcake lover's heaven.  There were hundreds of different types of cupcakes, ranging from traditional flavors to unique flavor pairings.  I only tasted a few cupcakes, but they all looked delicious.  I made three different types of cupcakes for the event: Matcha Daifuku, Irish Dream, and Vermont Harvest.

The Matcha Daifuku cupcakes were the green tea mochi cupcakes with red bean paste frosting that I've posted previously.  These are one of my favorites.  They are chewy and only slightly sweet.  I named them for the Japanese dessert after which they were inspired.  Red bean paste surrounded by chewy green tea mochi.  I can't wait to go to my favorite Japanese bakery in NYC on Monday to pick some up!  These cupcakes were the last to go.  I was expecting a fairly adventurous crowd of cupcake eaters, especially given that there's a mochi ice cream shop downtown, but after having walked around and seen all of the cupcakes, these were definitely the most 'foreign' cupcakes.  They were also the only non-traditional cake at the event.  I was surprised, but I'm glad to have advanced my mochi love-spreading mission :).

The Irish Dream cupcakes are a new recipe that I created specifically for this event, though the idea has been floating around in my head for months.  I just needed an excuse to make them!  I did a test bake earlier in the week, and people in lab seemed to thoroughly enjoy them.  I will post the recipe soon (hopefully...), but for now, let a teaser description suffice.  A tender salted caramel cupcake is topped with silky irish cream swiss meringue buttercream, then drizzled with salted caramel.  These cupcakes disappeared in a flash.  They were completely gone within 20 minutes of the doors opening!  Crazy!

Finally, I baked my Vermont Harvest cupcakes, which I originally made about a year ago.  I absolutely love these cupcakes.  They are not overly sweet, and the spices help lend a deep, complex flavor that instantly transports you to cool autumn nights with a cup of hot apple cider.  Two of my favorite things in a cupcake!  The cake is pumpkin and spice, and it is topped with a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  I will also post this recipe in the coming weeks.  These disappeared shortly after the Irish Dreams, which wasn't surprising.  I was expecting these to be really popular, and they seemed to be!

The day was exhausting but lots of fun, and I'm always glad to support a worthy charity (Close to Free Campaign with the Yale Hospital Smilow Cancer Center) and spread joy through sugar and butter.  I hope that everyone who went enjoyed their sugar highs!  Thanks to the organizers, sponsors, and all of the participants!