Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

 

As if we needed an excuse...

Whoa - a post!

Yep. I'm still here.

Still cooking and baking and all-around fooding.

Just not documenting every culinary moment these days.

I did want to share these yes-I-know-they're-not-great photos of the cupcakes I made for Alex's class Halloween party.



Glow-in-the-dark meringue ghosts.






Broken-Glass cupcakes.




Bloody cute.
(Get it? ...sigh.)

Baking for Batgirl

Not long ago, Gail Simone was asked what Barbara Gordon's favorite cookie/baked good would be. The answer?

Snickerdoodles.

Yeah. You just know my food geek over-achiever-y-ness was going to kick in.




Snickerdoodles are good. But what about Snickerdoodle cupcakes?

I mean, cupcakes are (were?) the rage for a reason. Who doesn't like cupcakes?



Not Babs, I hope!



Lovely cake batter with just enough cinnamon to evoke that wonderful cookie.



I opted for a basic powdered sugar frosting in lieu of the Italian meringue (which tends to leave me a bit punchy).





On top of that, sift cinnamon sugar and there you have it. Snickerdoodle cupcakes! Perfect after a hard night of crime-fighting. ...or, you know, not.

International Black Alice Day

This time around, I'm baking not for a big name superhero, but for a snarky & not-as-well-known-as-she-should-be anti-hero: Black Alice.

Black Alice is the costumed name of Lori Zechlin, created by Gail Simone.
As is often the case, Lori's powers developed after a traumatic experience, in this case, the death of her mother.

And those powers? Oh, she 'borrows' the abilities of other magic users. Most of the time, neither well nor wisely, but it certainly makes for an interesting read.

Lori, or Black Alice as she's being celebrated today, is a fun, sad & nuanced character. You can learn more about her in Simone's Birds of Prey and Secret Six.

When International Black Alice Day was announced, I was stumped. No foods came immediately to mind.

So I asked 'mom' if there were any dishes associated with Black Alice. Gail suggested things a teenager could make for herself, like cheeseburgers.

Ok. That I could do.



The Black Angus Alice Burger

Starting at the bottom: roll smeared with barbecue sauce, topped with potato chips, an enormous Angus beef patty, cheese slice, bacon, ketchup & mustard, lettuce & tomato.

Very much the sort of thing you can eat when you have a sixteen year old's metabolism!

But of course I had to make dessert. It just wouldn't be me, otherwise.



Devil's food cupcakes with a peanut butter ganache filling & goth-grey buttercream frosting, topped with purple 'disco dust'.

An inch & a half of pure sugar, chocolate cake & a bit of bitter, sweet & peanut butter-y goodness.

Chocolate cake...well, because. The frosting because there is no way Lori'd use pink!
And the filling? A bit sharp, a touch of sweetness...& peanut butter to reflect the nuttiness of the world she lives in (c'mon; she had a crush on Ragdoll & worked with King Shark. Who's a shark!).

Matt & Alex had gone to bed, so I was out of taste-testers.

...so sweet, my teeth literally ached.

But were I (redacted) years younger? I'd love it.

 So happy International Black Alice Day! Enjoy a burger too big to eat & little cakes so sweet they might send you into a sugar coma.