The Secret Life of Cake

So yesterday I was watching "The Secret Life of..." and the episode happened to be about cake!  It made me happy. :-)

I didn't actually watch the entire episode because I had some other stuff going on at the time, but that's what TiVo is for, right?  Anyway, I did happen to see the part about Chicago's Cupcakes, and I learned something very important to cupcaking.  (Yes, I used the word cupcake as a verb.)  Are you ready for this intense cupcake-related secret that could change your entire baking world?

Well...  Cupcake batter needs to have more moisture.  That's it.  Cupcakes dry out faster than cakes because cakes are totally covered in icing to lock in the moisture.  Cupcakes, on the other hand, are only iced on the top, so that moisture can seep out.  Therefore, one should add more liquid to cupcake batter in order to make them moister. Now I feel a lot better about my cupcakes always tasting drier than my cakes.  It's not my fault, I just didn't know the secret.  OK, so it is my fault because I didn't know the secret, but that's all about to change.

And speaking of cupcakes, y'all know the next Iron Cupcake Challenge is coming up:  Chocolate with a Twist.  And I have a fantastic idea.  I just need to go to Costco and buy some ingredients.  I won't tell you what I'm making just yet.  You'll have to wait for the wonderful surprise. :-)  I can tell you how I came up with the idea, if you'd like to know...

I was walking down the hallway at school, thinking about how my little siter got a Chocolate Peppermint milkshake from Chick-Fil-A and how much I wanted one, because I just love the combination of chocolate and mint.  And then I remember that the ICE challenge was about a chocolate + something combination, and what other interesting flavor combinations can be included with chocolate, and BAM!  I came up with my idea.  It's making my mouth water just thinking about it, actaully.  And these cupcakes will be so moist and delicious too...