Single Gal Survival: Cupcakes

Missed the previous Single Gal Survival posts? Check them out here!
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Yes, you’re right. I’m not technically a single gal. But I may as well be since Rahul is now 1,526 miles from me. Distance makes me bored and lonely. And sometimes, as you may well know, a girl can’t help but need a cupcake.

And while these days there are cupcakes galore available from fancy bakeries and food trucks here in Austin, some days I am far too weepy and/or lazy to put on real clothes and interact with human beings. And Lord knows I don’t need to go to the grocery store and buy a dozen of their pre-made, generic cupcakes. Because then who would be forced to eat all 12 of them? Me. And my stretchy pants are enjoying their summer off.

So, single gals everywhere, I have found the solution to your cupcake woes. Cupcakes for 1 (or 2 if you’re feeling generous and not hormonal).

I researched proportions of ingredients and came up with a basic cupcake recipe, to which I personally added peanut butter and topped with chocolate chip butter cream. But you can feel free to make any flavor cupcake that floats your boat!

Cupcakes for 1 (makes 2 cupcakes)
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
2 T brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/4 heaping cup all purpose flour
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
~1 T milk
In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, vanilla, egg white, and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly until fully incorporated and slightly bubbly. In a separate bowl, combine salt, flour, and baking powder. Once mixed, slowly incorporate into butter mixture, forming a thick batter. Mix in milk, starting with 1/2 T and adding more to get it to a cake batter consistency. Spoon into greased muffin papers in a muffin pan. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out cleanly from the middle. Top with your favorite icing and go to town!

birthday cake

Happy birthday, An Epic Change! Today was the 1st birthday of my blog and I had some fun things planned to celebrate.

No birthday is complete without a birthday cake, and in my family that means one thing: German Chocolate Cake. This recipe is as old as sin and I’ve eaten this cake so many times in my life. Help yourself to a little cake and I hope y’all will stick around for whatever the next year of An Epic Change will bring.

Rereading what I wrote one year ago is so interesting to me — so much has changed since then, the name of the blog included! Who knew a year ago where this would have taken me? I had no idea, I just had things to say.

I’ve grown as a person, a writer, and a chef and I feel incredible for it. Having my readers means so much to me. I cannot express how much I truly love each and every one of y’all for the simple fact that you’re willing to spend a little time with me each week and read what I have to say. I get so emotional when I think of the people I’ve come to know, the opportunities I’ve gotten, and the mere fact that people care about what I have to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me!

Now let’s eat some cake.

There’s a new sheriff in town. I just bought this mixer with some of the money from winning a prize from my sponsor, Foodbuzz, and Wendy’s, for writing this post. I just found out on Monday and thought my blog deserved a birthday present. Again, I cannot believe where this blog has taken me!

German Chocolate Cake Icing
1 German chocolate cake, prepared as directed (I used boxed)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Prepare German chocolate cake as directed on box, either in a 13×9 or 2 9 inch cake rounds. Set aside and allow to cool. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix evaporated milk, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Stir in coconut and pecans and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature and thicken more, about 2 hours. Spread over cake and enjoy!