Bakers on Board (7 page)

Your friends will be “green with envy” when you whip up this recipe!

Pistachio Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 box instant pistachio pudding (I used Jell-O)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 egg white

1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk or mix flour, baking powder, salt, and instant pudding together until well combined.

3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer set on high speed, cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil.

4. With the mixer on low, add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time.

5. Add in the flour mixture and milk, alternating between them. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all ingredients are combined. The batter should be smooth and creamy.

6. Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

7. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, about 15 minutes, before frosting. I like to use a basic vanilla buttercream (see the recipe for pink perfection frosting on page pages 95 and 96) and add a few drops of green food coloring to give it that real pistachio feel. If you're going for a pirate theme, why not add a skull-and-crossbones flag that you color, cut out, and tape to a toothpick? Just insert it in the frosted cupcake, and yo-ho-ho, you're ready to go!

Vinny Buzzetta was one of the very first cake masters I interviewed for my
Carrie's Cupcake Critique
blog. Vinny also baked cupcakes for one of my Halloween parties and created oozing eyeballs and blood on them.
So cool!
What's even more impressive is that he has been baking professionally since he was a teenager and was boss of his own biz before he was even twenty-one. After graduating from high school, he attended the French Culinary Institute of NYC and graduated from the classic pastry arts program.

Following that, he opened up The Cake Artist, a custom cake and cupcake shop on Staten Island, and filmed a reality series,
Staten Island Cakes
. He's now a freelance cake artist and has done many different pastry projects, including work with Daffy's, Bergdorf Goodman, Ralph Lauren, the New York City Ballet, and more. He promises me that he's looking for a space to open a new bakery in NYC. (Hurry up! Please!)

Carrie: Vinny, what makes the perfect cupcake?

Vinny:
In my opinion, the perfect cupcake first and foremost has to be delicious and moist. Of course, an aesthetically pleasing cupcake is great, but if it's dry and tasteless, then what's the point? The perfect cupcake should be sweet and buttery and light as a feather, topped with delicious, flavorful cream. Any artistic decorations are just a plus!

Carrie: You're known for your amazing cake decorating, and your cupcakes are works of art as well. What's the coolest cupcake topper you've ever done?

Vinny:
Recently, a friend of mine launched a new baby product called Baby Soothe, an infant massaging device, and she hired me to re-create it in sugar on top of cupcakes for her launch party. Over the years I've done many different cupcake toppers, but this one I certainly enjoyed. I think her product looked better in sugar than in real life! I was thrilled to help a good friend out.

Carrie: What are your fave flavors of cupcakes? What are the most popular ones you sell?

Vinny:
In all honesty, I love them all! I have the biggest sweet tooth and couldn't turn down any flavor. If I had to pick just one, it would have to be something chocolate. Chocolate
anything
! I'll admit I am a total chocoholic! As far as the most popular, my Oreo cupcakes are killer. They're the number one cake and cupcake flavor requested.

Carrie: How did you first start baking and decorating cakes? Who taught you?

Vinny:
I've always had a passion for baking and desserts, ever since I can remember. My first mentor was Carol Frazzetta of Carol's Cafe on Staten Island. I started taking classes at her restaurant when I was just fourteen! From there she hired me to be a pastry sous chef in her kitchen. I would assist her in baking desserts for the restaurant. I really developed a solid foundation for desserts with her. She taught me so much and really inspired me to become who I am today. As far as cakes go, I am really a self-taught designer. Although I attended culinary school, I just learned the basics there. I remember always watching
Food Network Challenge
from a young age and learning by trial and error from that. Somehow it worked!

Carrie: You started out really young as a pastry chef with your own biz. What advice do you have for kids who want to grow up to own their own bakeries?

Vinny:
My advice to all young kids aspiring to be a pastry chef is
do it
! Don't let any obstacles come in your way and stop you. I've had many trials and tribulations over the years, and I never let anything get in the way of my passion. From fighting my parents to go to culinary school to opening up my first business. I persevered and pushed until I reached my goals! I love what I do and wouldn't want my life any other way! Chase your dreams and turn them into a reality.

Many thanks to all our family and friends who make “Cupcake” possible:

The Kahns, Berks, and Saperstones, as always, for their love and support. Daddy and Maddie: love you to the moon and back!

Our supersweet agents, Katherine Latshaw and Frank Weimann from Folio Lit; our great team at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky: Steve Geck, Kate Prosswimmer, Alex Yeadon, Elizabeth Boyer.

All of our Cupcake Club fans who come to every signing, preorder, and race to bookstores the day the next book is out, and share their enthusiasm for the series with us! Hugs and sprinkles!

Sheryl Berk is the
New York Times
bestselling coauthor of
Soul Surfer
. An entertainment editor and journalist, she has written dozens of books with celebrities, including Britney Spears, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Zendaya. Her daughter, Carrie Berk, is a renowned cupcake connoisseur and blogger (
www.facebook.com/PLCCupcakeClub
;
www.carriescupcakecritique.shutterfly.com
; Instagram
@plccupcakeclub
) with over 105K followers at the tender young age of twelve! Carrie cooked up the idea for the Cupcake Club series while in second grade. To date, she and Sheryl have written eleven books together (with many more in the works!).
Peace, Love, and Cupcakes
had its world premiere as a delicious new musical at New York City's Vital Theatre in 2014. The Berk ladies are also hard at work on a new series, Fashion Academy, as well as its musical version—
Fashion Academy: The Musical
, premiering October 2015 in NYC.