Chocolate Cupcakes, Pizza and Beer
A few weeks ago, Sebastian held a “party with a purpose” for a creative project he’s working on. He is making a feature film (!) and the actors and crew were coming over for a script reading. I couldn’t wait to dazzle everyone with canapés, salty nibbles, and some ridiculously extravagant dessert. Perhaps secretly, I wanted the food to steal the show.
Well, what happened instead was this: the night before the party I was still clueless about what to serve and feeling sort of spread thin and uninspired in general. So there, in the eleventh hour, I turned to my beau and said, “Do you mind if we go back to Plan A? Pizza and beer?”
He didn’t, of course, and I decided to just make cupcakes for dessert.
Here is the lesson: even the best intentioned hostess doesn’t always have the energy or inclination for pulling out all the stops. Sometimes, we only have it in us to offer one personal touch to a party, and the rest will be store-bought and delivered. And I just want to say this loud and clear: that is okay. Guests would rather have you in a good mood than your miniature beef wellingtons.
Magazines and entertaining “experts” just don’t say this enough, in my opinion. The atmosphere of a party is influenced so much more by the host’s attitude than what’s being passed on the hors d’œuvre tray. I can honestly say I have never felt underwhelmed by the food and drink at a party if the host keeps my glass filled and keeps the night convivial and lively.
I truly love designing menus for parties, especially if it gives me a chance to try recipes that seem a bit too special for an ordinary Tuesday. But the older I get, the more I realize that the food at a party is secondary to the people and to the vibe of the night. Sometimes, nothing says “party” like chocolate cupcakes, pizza and beer.
One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart Stewart Baking Handbook
Makes 18 to 24
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
from Martha Stewart Baking Handbook
Makes about 4 cups
To be utterly frank, I thought this frosting was a giant pain in the butt. The frosting kept separating and I struggled (and ultimately failed) to achieve a consistency I was happy with. The frosting seemed, for lack of a better word, oily. Once the cupcakes were iced and eaten, though, people couldn’t stop talking about how “light” and delicious the frosting was. So, this one leaves me a bit stumped.
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks or 1 pound) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Melissa: I adore you for this post. If you have nights like this, then I know it’s OK for me to have them too.
Oh, and thanks for yesterday’s post on Tulle. I managed to snag 3 items for under $100!2 years ago
Melissa, SCORE! See sometimes that’s just what a girl needs is a little newness in her wardrobe. Oh, and for the record, it is more than okay to have nights like this. But if I become the standard for acceptable behavior, soon you will all be forgetting to wash your hair and leaving your bed unmade.
2 years ago
Lisa (dinner party): I always have a hard time with frosting too! Not sure why…I think it may have to do with the temperature of the butter needing to be just right?
Issues aside, yours look amazing! Love the silver leaf.2 years ago
Lisa, I was eagerly anticipating what you might have to say, hostess-with-the-mostess that you are.2 years ago
Cordelia: Thank you thank you for encouraging this kind of hostessing! There’s nothing less appealing than stressing over food versus enjoying your own fete–I’m often guilty of the former. And what can beat pizza and beer? Also, congrats to Sebastian!2 years ago
Lisa (dinner party): Aww–I wish!
On the subject of hostessing, though, I do want to chime in with Cordelia and say that I completely agree with you. Making everything from scratch is awesome if you can swing it, otherwise, making one thing and saving yourself the work is totally fine too. Or just getting pizza and calling it a day! As long as you have fun–that’s always the main point.2 years ago
Sara Rose: One time this summer we wanted to have an impromptu backyard get together. I didn’t want to cook so I sent Nolan out to the store to find “something” for the night’s get together. want to know what he did? Got four of the grocery store’s homemade salsas, three different kinds of tortilla chips, and stuff to make a quick queso dip. He bought a couple kinds of Mexican beer and stuff for margaritas. We dumped everything into pretty bowls and the beer into the cooler, turned on Buena Vista Social Club on the ipod. Everyone LOVED it. WE ate popsicles for dessert. It was probably one of the best parties we’ve thrown.2 years ago
Cordelia and Lisa, Amen! Why do magazines and entertaining cookbooks always making hostessing sound so HARD? It certainly doesn’t have to be, and I’m always happy to have lots of voices saying that.
Sara Rose, That sounds like an AWESOME party. I may steal that one.2 years ago
megan (brooklyn farmhouse): Love this – I totally agree. I admit sometimes I go a little crazy and try to do too much at parties, and end up hanging out in the kitchen all night rather than with my friends. Love the idea of edible silver on the cupcakes, too – where did you get?2 years ago
My sister gave it to me, and I think she got it off the free table at work. It’s called FRM Argento Fino Edible Silver. The website doesn’t seem to be working, but on the package it’s listed as http://www.frm.it/food2 years ago
Paula Maack: I couldn’t agree more. I love to plan extravegant menus, and the day before I usually cross half of the stuff off my list, because it’s too much. It’s such a regular thing with me, that my husband will glance at my menu and lists and say… “so, which of these things are you REALLY making?’ I always reply “all of them, why?” And, of course, by the time the party comes around, I only end up making half of it.
In all honesty, my best parties were the ones where I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up a bunch of cheese, pates, crackers, fruit and cookies, and laid it all out with zero effort. Yet, I still love to fuss.
I just posted some super-easy canape recipes for OSCAR night, should you be interested in a little inspiration for your next soiree. They can be made in advance and assembled at the last minute, which I love.
Cheers,
~ Paula2 years ago
Paula Maack: Jeez, I messed up that link – big time. Here it is correctly, I hope.
Sorry about that.
~ Paula2 years ago
Sara Rose: It was the best party ever. Everyone still talks about it. We also threw a Chinese takeout party where everyone brought their fave Chinese takeout and we watched The Last Emperor for Chinese New Years a couple weeks ago. I got some coconut cookies and had ginger beer and iced green tea. It was way fun too.2 years ago
alexis: the trick i found to the swiss meringue buttercream, is instead of adding the butter a little at a time to the meringue mixture, instead cream the butter in the mixer and add the meringue to it a little at time. mixing well between each addition. the first time i made SMBC, i used that sweet little trick and i did not have the curdled effect. And yeah, the SMBC is a royal pain, but tastes so good!2 years ago
Kristina: I think the key is the one personal touch, as you say. Pizza and beer may be humble, but anyone not charmed by edible silver on cupcakes is a curmudgeon, plain and simple.2 years ago
Sophie: These chocolate cupcakes look stunning! In Belgium, we eat them allways without frosting! I prefer them simple & plain, mmmmmmm…..2 years ago
September: I visit your website every day and I visit Yahoo! Shine every day too and I just noticed that you have this article on there! I had no idea you wrote for Shine too. I love it!2 years ago
Marianne: Hi. I’m a new reader here and I couldn’t agree more. I recently heard Ina Garten say something along these lines as well, about how your friends won’t have more fun if you make everything yourself. You are both very wise.2 years ago