Batter Up

I ended up with more batter than I knew what to do with. I had just finished filling tiny cupcake sleeve number 24, slightly overfilled that is, when I realized I had enough batter to make another 24 more. 'How would I store all of these tiny cupcakes?' I thought.

My mind ambled for a minute as the title song from the 70's classic "Wonder Woman" swam through my head, it was a frenetic day. 'I've got a spring form cake pan, I'll use the remainder for a cake', my eyes wide with excitement I hurriedly buttered/parchment papered the bottom of the pan and filled it.

With the miniature cupcakes cooling, the cake pan in the oven, I owned this project. All of that work, prepping, beating, mixing, folding and pouring was paying off. Toothpicks were coming out clean and the test taste revealed amazing results.

The next morning, chocolate butter cream frosting was the only suitable close to the cupcake/cake venture. I tore into the final stage with confidence and yet more chocolate. Since I knew that the longer the frosting stood out, the stiffer it would get, I opted to frost the cake first. Without a hitch, then on to a handful of cupcakes and the frosting was gone.

The cake, sitting on a round of parchment on a square green platter, anchored by a dot of icing to keep it from slipping was again anchored symmetrically with strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. A few sprigs of mint and three lone raspberries adorned the top. Three of the tiny cupcakes were also adorned with raspberries. 'How pretty', I thought.

It is this kind of success that pushes me to bake more. It's a rush when all of the hard work and sweat equity pays off.