Baby Yum is turning 1! I can't believe it! It seems only yesterday that the swollen ankles (read: swollen EVERYTHING) and waddling around all became worth while. Now I've got a teething, walking toddler to chase in addition to her older sister, Little Red. And Party Planning is in the air!!! If you've been following this blog, you know that us Yummers know how to throw a party! Not all of us Yummers are big on themes for these shindigs, but I am. I LOVE to plan, and themes just help tie everything together. It makes it easier to justify the purchase of a new chip and dip bowl for the party if it's the shape of a Cowboy hat! But I think for Baby Yum's party we will be focusing on Cupcakes. (Mostly because I found a T-shirt and Bib set featuring Cupcakes.) I've got banners and party favors in the works, but I'm supposed to be eating healthier. What to do about the cake? So begins my research towards Cupcakes, cakes in general and what's in them.
I won't turn over all my findings here, but I will just say there is way too much sugar in every cake recipe I have found!!! Ick! I have a sweet tooth like the next person, but one recipe I found had more sugar in it than flour. I repeat my earlier statement: Ick! There has got to be some better alternatives. Firstly I tried cutting the sugar content. (the kids at Music Makers are gonna love me come Thursday-they're gonna be my guinea pigs!) Then I tried Agave. Sugar in a recipe is technically considered a "wet ingredient", so Agave nectar in it's liquid form is not a bad idea. Honey is also an idea to replace the white sugars, but it's taste may stand in the way. Brown sugar is NOT an option. Most brown sugars purchased today are refined sugar in disguise. I won't bore you with the details of sugar processing, but basically the brown sugar purchased in the store it white sugar with a little molasses added to it to make it brown and slightly sticky.(which is not how it was originally made)
Also experimenting: making your own powdered sugar for icings. Basic powdered sugar is mostly sugar ground into a powder via a food processor with a little cornstarch added to keep the sugar from liquifying during the grinding. Simple, except I really don't want to have to break down and use refined sugar. I don't think any of my previously used sugar replacement methods will work for icing, so we're going to try raw sugar.
No recipe this time, but many will soon follow! I've got 3 weeks till Party Time! Let's get baking!!!
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