The yeast is very active today. Watching the bubbles form is hypnotizing…..
The temperature is just over 80 degrees here in NY. We are keeping the beer in the tub for the next couple of days in order to keep it below the maximum ferment temperature of 78 degrees. We can go without a shower….we just can’t loose the beer : )
My first brew: American IPA. I split the 5 gallons into two batches, one with an American ale yeast and the second with an English ale yeast.
Fermentables: 1.5 lbs – American 2-Row; 8 oz – CaraHell; 8 oz – Cara Vienne
Hop Additions: 2 oz Columbus (bittering); 1 oz Cascade (aroma)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE hoppy beer. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful the hops smelled just out of the bag. I pinched off a bit of one of the pellets to give it a try…very bitter. I wonder how hops would be in a cake?
I needed a bit of practice with piped flowers. I piped all night long….seriously. It is amazing how many times I glanced at my watch while at the office. Seven hours of piping, however, and I wasn’t even phased.
Cupcakes are just so much fun to make : ) I hope that this is a trend that stays around for a while. The pound cake was yummy….it just didn’t rise as much as I had hoped. The cupcakes turned out rather flat. A result of the pound cake batter, perhaps? The buttercream turned out SOOOO sweet. I love sugar but these were a bit too sweet even for me.
My husband and I took these to my friend’s house in Brooklyn. Luckily, we each had one before we all left for drinks at the local bar. When we returned, we found no evidence of the 6 remaining cupcakes. Their adorable dog Kona, however, was running circles in the kitchen. I wasn’t too disappointed…..it wasn’t my best showing.
I had so much fun piping the icing on these cakes! Where has all the buttercream gone? It seems like everyone is using fondant these days. Don’t get me wrong…fondant is beautiful and allows you to do things that are impossible with buttercream. But….a cake can be beautifully decorated using only piping bags. I had a great time experimenting with the piped borders.
bakedandbrewed 
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