NY Birthday Cupcakes

So this is a little late in posting, but I wanted to share with you my recent weekend at home which was cupcake-filled.

There's something about birthdays that just make you want to be at home. For me, that's Tully, NY (Syracuse-ish), aka CNY, Upstate NY, the 315, Finger Lakes region, etc. Every Labor Day weekend I go home for my true birthday celebration. When I arrived at home around 9:30 pm, my Mom had flowers, balloons, and of course cupcakes!

Every year for my birthday my mom makes me funfetti cake (my favorite box cake-mix from when I was a kid) with delicious homemade buttercream frosting. This year she found these adorable candle letters on toothpicks to spell out Happy Birthday. Super cute, cheap, and reusable if you don't light them. Thanks Mom!!

As another birthday treat, Ted's parents made me their delicious homemade vanilla cupcake recipe. They even topped them with fresh raspberries from their garden. Yummmmm!

Kathleen's Homemade Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 and 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspooons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups milk

Cream the butter add sugar gradually, creaming till light. Add eggs and vanilla and beat till fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition. Beat 1 minute. Spoon in cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Quick & Delicious Buttercream Frosting

Both family recipes for buttecream frosting are very similar. Here is my favorite icing recipe:

• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk (or whipping cream)

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl until creamy. Add more milk/sugar as needed to acheive the perfect consistency.

Gross NYS Fair Cupcake

Another birthday tradition is going to the NYS Fair when I am home for my birthday. The fair, known for its Gianelli Sausage, Dino BBQ, salt potatoes, fried dough, and delicious ice cream is not known for its cupcakes... But I looked and looked and thought I might never find one. And when I finally found one, I immediately wished I hadn't.

The cupcake from Patrician's Bakery looked promising and at $2.00 was a great price. However, one bite into this was enough for me to throw it in the trash. The cake tasted like stale angelfood cake, and the frosting had the taste and consistency of Cool-Whip. Oh well, no one is going to the NYS Fair for cupcakes anyway.