Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cookbook Review: The Butch Bakery Cookbook

 The Butch Bakery Cookbook
by David Arrick with Janice Kollar
Hardcover
192 pages

The Butch Bakery Cookbook is all about cupcakes.  Masculine cupcakes.  Cupcakes for grown men.  You won't find any frilly pink frosting or colorful sprinkles in this book.  Instead you'll find recipes for jumbo cupcakes named Beer Run, Triple Play, Tailgate, Camp Out, Side Car, and Jack Daniels Rush.  Manly cupcakes made with spices, bacon, nuts, liquor and beer.  This is not your mother's cupcake cookbook.

Chapters Include:
Introduction: Dessert for Dudes
Chapter 1: Working
Chapter 2: Play Ball!
Chapter 3: Touchdown
Chapter 4: Barbecue Season
Chapter 5: Couples' Night Out
Chapter 6: Butch's On-The-Go

To test out the cookbook I really wanted make the cover recipe, which is a maple cupcake with milk chocolate ganache and Butch's bacon bits (baked crumbled bacon with brown sugar and freshly cracked pepper).  However, everyone in the house kept eating up all all the bacon.  So I had to come up with another plan.  

Collectively, we decided on the New Yawk Cream Pie cupcakes.  The New Yawk Cream Pie cupcake is a yellow butter cupcake filled with vanilla pudding and topped with an easy chocolate glaze.  The recipe is from Chapter 6, Butch's On-The-Go.  While Chapters 1-5 feature rather intermediate homemade recipes, Chapter 6 features recipes using pre-made cake mixes.    
New Yawk Cream Pie Cupcakes
Adapted from The Butch Bakery Cookbook by David Arrick
Makes 18 jumbo cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes

"A Yellow Butter Cupcake filled with Vanilla Pudding and topped with an Easy Chocolate Glaze.  We know that sometimes you want a cupcake, but time is of the essence.  So here's an easy way to cut out the middleman and get right to the nitty-gritty.  Choose the butter version of a boxed yellow cake mix for these cupcakes.  We've switched up the ingredients here so that you won't even know these cupcakes came from a mix.  Filled with store-bought vanilla pudding and topped with our super-easy chocolate glaze, you'll impress all of your friends, and no one will be the wiser."

For the Yellow Butter Cupcakes:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow butter cake mix
3 large eggs, broken into a small bowl
1 cup half and half
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted an cooled slightly
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Filling:
4 (4-ounce) containers store-bought vanilla pudding

For the Easy Chocolate Glaze:
1 (16-ounce) can store-bought chocolate fudge frosting

Make the cupcakes:  Place a baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.  Line three 6-cup jumbo sized muffin pans with liners and set aside (I used regular sized muffin pans).  In a large sized mixing bowl, add all of the cupcakes ingredients.  With an electric mixer on low speed, mix for 30 seconds to combine, and then beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Fill each of the prepared muffin cups with no more than 1/4 cup batter, about 1/2 full.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 22 minutes.  Leave the cupcakes in the pan on a rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely before filing and frosting, about 1 hour. 

Make the Glaze:  In a small saucepan, heat the frosting until melted enough to run off a spoon.  Let cool slightly to thicken.

Cupcake Construction:  Using a small paring knife or melon baller, cut a 2-inch diameter hole in the top of each cupcake.  Reserve the cutout pieces.  Fill with pudding almost to the top of the hole, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and then slice a piece from the reserved cutouts to cover the pudding.  Using a measuring tablespoon, spread 1 heaping tablespoon of chocolate glaze over the top of each cupcake.  Don't worry if it drips over the sides.  Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container, or frozen for 1 month.
The Butch Bakery Cookbook is fun, unique, and creative.  It's definitely worth a sneak peek!

25 comments:

  1. This does sound like a fun book...I'll keep my eyes peeled. Now if only I had a cupcake to aid me in my search ;)

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  2. Looks great.
    Thanks for sharing
    The cupcakes look YUMMY
    http://inthekitchenandonthecouch.blogspot.com/

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  3. those are looking soooo deliciously good!

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  4. What a delightful concept - "manly" cupcakes. I will need to run this by the men in the home. They do look delicious - and I don't mind the shortcut of pre-made frosting. Life in 2012 often demands shortcuts.

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  5. This book is certainly for my men in the house, and my son will have a lot of fun with it, I am sure. I ordered in on Amazon. Thanks for the review.

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  6. Does sound like a fun, unique book. Funny how bacon disappears!
    That cover shot looks incredible--you'll have to try again when the bacon thieves aren't home.

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  7. Dear Kim, What a fantastic review! I know my son and daughter will get a kick out of this. I absolutely love the 'new yawk' too! I will be sure to save this and make it for my family. Blessings, your friend, Catherine xo

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  8. Cool book - and how much do I want one of those cupcakes!!
    Thanks for your nice comments at my place. I am back on my "French type diet" (yeah...I have to quote that as it's loose rules) and have lost a little weight. But that doesn't mean I can't have a cupcake now and then.

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  9. I wish I had one of these right now with my tea!

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  10. i may not have a single man in my life, nor am I a man in any way shape or form...but I need this cookbook. ASAP. those cupcakes look amazing! I wouldn't even know how to eat them...do you get all the flavors in one bite...do you lick out the centers...tough call.

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  11. The names alone made me smile! This book is going on my wish list ASAP.

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  12. What a fun cookbook with a unique take on cupcakes!!

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  13. Sounds like a great cookbook! Those cupcakes looks amazing,Kim!

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  14. Awww....I was REALLY looking forward to your take on the cover cupcakes! Darn! I LOVE bacon and with maple and brown sugar on a cupcake? I may have to buy the book just for that recipe alone! I've got to know how it tastes!!! LOL! I wondered why it was called "Butch"? It looks like a great cookbook with interesting new takes on the world of cupcakes. Thanks for the review but if you ever make the ones with the bacon..please send me a note and let me know how they were or if I get the book and make them I'll let you know! How's that? As usual...a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds but at least I ate supper tonight first!

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  15. Very cute cookbook or should I say manly..lol..love it! My kids would have gobbled up the bacon too. The cupcakes sound really yummy. I like that they sound simple to make:)

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  16. god they're so tasty cupcakes:) I found your blog on google and I really liked what I saw:) looks good..

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  17. Cupcakes have gotten so creative. Little Boston cream pies in a cupcake form, what's not to like?

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  18. Wanna know the top secret recipe that most guys use for cupcakes?

    1. Get in car.
    2. Go to store, buy cupcakes.
    3. Take cupcakes out of store box and put on plate from home.
    4. Tell everyone you baked cupcakes

    :)

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  19. Great review! My husband was instantly intrigued. :)

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  20. Finally a new take on cupcakes...I'll take them any way, masculine or feminine!

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  21. What a fun book and those cupcakes look pretty amazing. Great review!

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