More designer cupcakes

Oh, this is so exciting! I just attended Joycelyn's Cupcake Workshop II at Shermay's Cooking School today. Have been looking forward to it since the previous workshop in March. Was initially on waiting list and you can imagine how happy I was (still am) when I received an email to confirm my place!

Workshop II is about infusing different flavours into melted butter and blending them with batter. The crumb turns out to be tight and moist and I was utterly overwhelmed with bursts of different flavours, all owing to the ingenious master recipes which were painstakingly tried and tested by Joycelyn so that beginners like me can make such classy cupcakes too.

If I may say so, the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Cupcake and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cupcake (Workshop I) have simple, down-to-earth base yet flamboyant decorations; The Very Buttery Cupcake with infused butters (Workshop II) is the exact opposite - intense and sophistcated taste with a subtle finishing.

These are the cupcakes before decoration, well almost. Was so busy trimming the tops and pigging on the crumbs that I forgot to take photos and started with the golden meringue. In fact, they are good to eat as it is without necessity for decorations but of course it'll be better to dress them up for presentation.

Lavender Cupcake with Lavender & White Chocolate Frosting - sounds romantic, doesn't it. I'm a fan of anything lavender - essential oil, soap, powder and now lavender cakes. The taste of lavender is pretty subtle and light so no worries about eating a bar of soap.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling & Golden Meringue Topping - don't exactly like lemon cakes but this changed my thinking. This is light and zesty definitely unlike those with a chemical fake taste.

Earl Grey Tea Cupcakes with Orange Blossom & White Chocolate Frosting - I love Earl Grey Tea, it has this distinct aroma and immense flavour; some people like it, some don't. Naturally I love this Earl Grey Tea Cupcake which is well complemented by the white chocolate frosting.

Chai Spice Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean & White Chocolate Frosting - surprise, surprise. I didn't know that spices can blend so well into cakes, bringing them into a whole new dimension. I am an avid fan of cinnamon buns, I guess the theory applies for cakes as well.

The end result - elegant looking and flavourful assortment of miniature cupcakes which can be served as petits fours. Anyone drooling yet?

And I must definitely mention the chilled Gryphon Earl Grey tea served during the workshop. The gourmet tea is an artisan selection of black tea with oil of bergamot and lavender. Taste really good and different from the usual earl grey tea, no wonder some people swear by it. Now I'm a convert too.

Resources

• Shermay's Cooking School http://www.shermay.com.sg/
• Joycelyn's Blog KUIDAORE http://brandoesq.blogspot.com/
• Gryphon Tea Company http://www.gryphontea.com/