See those cans right in front of the bag of flour - by the chocolate chips? I'll tell you what those cans are not: they are not pumpkin. You see, it's hard to find pumpkin in the Spring because it's a seasonal item. But this year, it's even harder. Did you hear about the pumpkin shortage from flooding earlier this year? There were no cans of pumpkin to be found to make the chocolate pumpkin cupcakes for Wedding 3.0. Luckily, Whole Foods sells canned sweet potato. Sweet potato is kinda like pumpkin, right?
The chocolate pumpkin (sweet potato) cupcakes are all baked and I can attest to the fact that only the most astute squash snobs will know the difference. Phew!
Thanks goes out as always to Jonathan for cleaning up after me and to my mother-in-law for babysitting Myles and taking over loading cupcakes in and out of the oven after he fell asleep. Everyone should be so lucky as to have such an awesome mother-in-law!
I'll be posting more Wedding 3.0 updates as they happen on the blog and on Twitter. I sincerely hope that I have not jinxed myself by saying that the snafu has already happened.
I think the two can be safely subbed for each other. & yes, I did know about the shortage, I heard about the possibilty & bought extra this fall!( I do love my pumpkin soup)
ReplyDeleteGood luck Stef! I'm sure this one will be just as fabulous as the others.
ReplyDeleteOh man! I stocked up on mine a few weeks ago, since I knew it was worse than usual this year. And also, just in case we have a summer like last year (rainy) I will be all set for fall treats. MMM Pumpkin Logs. A lady in the grocery store was looking for a can for her dogs upset stomach and I had to inform her of the shortage...she hadn't heard and was so bummed! Good Luck!!
ReplyDeletei have a solution for the cupcake sliding around issue: double sided tape! my boyfriend gave me the idea and it actually works really well in bakery boxes. it keeps the cupcakes in place and it does not stick to the wrapper or pull the wrapper off when you remove the cupcakes from the box. i've used it more than once, it really works!
ReplyDeleteI bet they will turn out great!! I'm just glad to hear that the mishaps seem to happen to someone other than me:) Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteIf you bake a batch with sweet potato, and it doesn't work, you should still be able to find some fresh butternut squash. Canned pumpkin is actually made from a variety of squashes, only one of which is actually pumpkin. A couple weekends ago I did a cake tasting at my house for a couple brides to be, and I made "pumpkin" cake with roasted butternut squash. It was fantastic, and both brides picked it!
ReplyDeleteI'm baking cupcakes for a wedding in October, and you better believe I'm taking notes on your snafus. The box tip is a great one.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are snafu free from this point on!
A trick taught to me by my mom. If you lay down a slightly damp towel, then put your boxes on top of it they won't move. I do this when I have to take flower arrangement or baked goods anywhere.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
I was just at my local CVS pharmacy. They had cases of canned pumpkin for 15 cent a can. I even said to my husband who was standing next to me. I better load up. There is a canned pumpkin shortage. Can't wait to see photos of the finished product. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about it, it is close. Or maybe it is just me.
ReplyDeleteThe way we prevented cupcakes from sliding around when we packed them for catering orders was to use parchment paper. Between each row of cupcakes we would fold the paper so it would make a triangle between the cakes, about as tall as the liner. That way they can only slide side to side, which drastically reduces sliding!
ReplyDeleteI am still able to get canned pumpkin in the baking aisle of my local grocery store - but I think that sweet potato sounds pretty darn good too. not to mention, it's fun of anti-oxidants helping the bride to keep her youthful glow!
ReplyDeleteI lurk quite a few cooking blogs, but this is my first comment on this one. I like your blog a lot, but I have to say that sweet potato and pumpkin are NOT interchangeable! I don't know how they taste in cupcakes but with regards to pie and any other dessert I've tried, they are NOT identical. Sweet potato pie is considered a "soul food" or a southern food, and very popular with African American families, and pumpkin just will not do. My whole family HATES pumpkin! In our devotion to Harry Potter, my sisters and I have tried to make pumpkin desserts, and it just does not work if you are used to one flavor. Conversely, I know a girl from Pennsylvania whose family inadvertently picked up a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving once instead of pumpkin, and her whole family hated it! In any case, I hope your cupcake switcheroo goes well, but I just had to say, don't be surprised if your client is indeed an astute squash snob, and can tell the difference!
ReplyDeleteBoot, Lexi, Linders - So smart!
ReplyDeleteK. - Thanks so much!
Sommer - How does the tape not stick to the wrappers? I don't get it.
Sinful - Oh, you are definitely not the only one. :)
Allie - Wish I had seen your comment before baking. Butternut squash might have worked even better.. but, the sweet potato worked just fine.
Amanda - I already had another one. I'll tell you about it soon.
Knitting - Thanks! Good tip!
Joy - Thanks! I no longer worried after I tasted how good they were.
Pinky - Great tip! Thanks!
Lulu - I'll be sure to tell Bride 3.0 about your comment. :)
Mariko - Don't worry. I didn't try to hide it from her. I cleared it with her and verified that she also liked sweet potato. Personally, I'd choose sweet potato pie over pumpkin any day. But, in the cupcakes the chocolate is really the dominant flavor. I don't think the difference between the two is very dramatic.
As an American living in the UK, I missed out for several years on my pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving (yes, I still celebrate Thanksgiving) because you can't get tins of pumpkin here.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I discovered that sweet potato pie tastes pretty much identical. Started making that each year and it's gone down very well (with myself and the Brits who I've won over).
They're definitely swappable, with very little noticeable difference.
well, a piece occasionally sticks to the bottom of the wrapper, but it doesn't pull the wrapper off. mostly they stay stuck to the box and you can easily pull the cupcake off. i don't know how it works, it just does!
ReplyDelete