This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

The New Girl

It's the new girl's first day and she made some cupcakes.

Today is the first day on my new  job. It's unlike any first day I've ever had.   While the familiar feelings of excitement and eagerness are there, I didn't have to spend the first day learning where the bathrooms are located, which keys open which doors and determining whether most folks bring their lunch or go out.  

For the first time in my life,  my office is my home. My favorite place on earth. There's a lot about this new job that's exciting including the venue.  

I invite you to join me each week as we talk and muse about food , food memories and recipes. If I do my job and make the recipes interesting and the photos inviting enough that you want to make the recipe, please let me know what you think about it. Your comments are important to me.  Also, if you make one of my recipes, please send me a picture and I will publish it.   

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

How could a food column the weekend before Easter feature anything other than Easter related eats? I don't think it can.  How about some Easter Basket Cupcakes?

Good cupcakes start with a good recipe. You want your cupcakes to taste as good as they look. Beauty just takes us so far, after all. I like this recipe for Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes for two reasons. It uses my favorite baking ingredient, buttermilk, and the recipe makes a batch of 12 so you don't have to make 2 or 3 dozen cupcakes unless you just want to.  

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

Adapted from Baking Bites

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (if using sel- rising flour, omit baking powder and salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup buttermilk.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until butter and sugar becomes creamy (*see note).  Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extracts until mixture is smooth.  Add half the flour mixture and stir until combined.  Alternate adding  buttermilk and flour mixture until both are added completely and  all ingredients are mixed well.

Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave cupcakes in muffin tin for 10 minutes. Then, remove from tin and let cool completely before frosting.

To follow the tutorial to assemble the Easter Basket Cupcakes, click on the pictures on the right side of the column. Each picture has a caption which gives step-by-step instructions.

(*Note: I wasn't able to get the butter and sugar to cream following the recipe amounts. I added in a small amount of canola oil and kept beating on high speed until the mixture was creamy.)

For decorations, you will need: green food coloring, icing, coconut, jelly beans red licorice ropes.

Please join us on Facebook and Syrup and Biscuits .  We love company and I usually have something on the stove.  

Y'all come see us.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?