And they only occasionally catch on fire and need to be fed to the squirrels…
My mom’s Red Velvet Cake is hugely popular. People have paid $20 for it, after requesting that she bring it to a bake sale. If you can’t find a recipe online, I’ll see if I can help out. It has some strange ingredients like lots of red food coloring, vinegar and Crisco in the icing.
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I ended up getting out a cookbook I hadn’t really tried anything from yet, The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle by Kate Zuckerman. I went with a spiced apple and sour cream cake. It isn’t the most visually stunning cake ever, but it’s certainly the tastiest I’ve ever made–the texture is perfect, holding together on the fork and falling apart in your mouth, and it tastes like fall. I made a cider caramel sauce to go with it, but I ended up not sending that because it didn’t need it.
Hmm, the cookbook sounds familiar. I might have that one. I need to dig it out of the cupboard and give that a try.
I make these for nearly every event I have to bring something to and get raves every time. For icing, I heat up 3/4 cup heavy cream in the microwave (until it’s hot, but not boiling). I add 1 cup chocolate chips to it and let is sit for a few minutes. Stir it until glossy, adding a little vanilla. Turn the cupcakes upside down and just dip the tops in. Sooooooo rich. (It actually makes enough icing for a double batch of cupcakes.)
I also make these as mini cupcakes, using mini chocolate chips for the cupcake filling. Great little bite-sized desserts to bring to a picnic.