Tin Can Tourist – THE JOY OF CAKING

A couple weeks ago I announced that I was going to make a few treats in an effort to pick the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert. The only requirement for the dessert; it must have chocolate in it. And as you might imagine, this is becoming a harder chore than I originally thought.

The first recipe I presented was for Strawberry Kiss Cheesecakes. They definitely hit the spot, and after making them I had to wonder if I would be able to top them.

Well… now I present the Chocoholic Cupcake. The cake is dark, moist, and less sweet than a lot of chocolate cupcake recipes. I like to top them off with either vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting which is sweet and buttery and compliments the dark chocolate cake.

I have to say that it is nearly impossible to choose a favorite between the two desserts I’ve made so far. I have at least one more dessert to make before picking a favorite, but now I’m wondering if we should celebrate Valentine’s Day with just desserts and wine!

Chocoholic Cupcakes

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar, not packed

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 c. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. cocoa

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. skim milk

1 c. boiling water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Prepare cupcake tins by placing paper liners in each cup. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add sugars, eggs, skim milk, and oil. With an electric mixer beat ingredients for 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa; mix again until completely blended. Add boiling water and flour; beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

I couldn’t resist decorating these cupcakes with bright gumballs from SweetWorks candy, along with Hershey’s creamy milk chocolate hearts and kisses. Both are so festive!

And drum roll please….

TheMaryJaneFam blog, Raising Jane Journal, featured photos of my one and only Pink Paradise today. They also shared a link to my Tin Can Tourist post as well. I feel so honored! If you have a minute, please hop on over there and check it out.

Also, an important reminder all you glampers – the International Glamping Weekend is scheduled for June 1-2, 2013. Follow the link above to find out more.

I shared this recipe at:

So, the day I’ve long anticipated finally arrived. A Tin Can Tourist Rally right here in the Finger Lakes.

When Bill and Denise Fletcher of Fletcher’s Vintage Trailer Sales told us about a camper rally they had planned for our area we had just started remodeling our 1972 Frolic Camper – aka – the Pink Paradise.

And while we knew there was no way we would be ready to show off the Frolic, we graciously accepted an invitation to tour the fifty plus campers that were slated to be part of this years event.

Fortunately for us, and everyone involved, the heavy rain our area was hit with the night before had ceased, the sun made it’s way out, and vintage camper doors were opened.

Many of the camper owners are do-it yourselfers just like hubby and I. Like us, they have invested sweat equity into their vintage trailer projects and they seemed to enjoy sharing their stories with us as much as we enjoyed listening to them.

As usual, I had my camera in hand, and here are just a few of the pictures I took.