I participated in a cupcake class today at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell this morning, my second class there this year (taught by Chef Stefany – her blog has lots of good baking tips and recipes). Cupcakes, I made them all the time so it’s not new for me, but I thought I might pick up some good tips and ideas – and I did. The class was really good. We made three types of cupcakes, and I came home with two dozen.

First off was a Chocolate “Mostess” Cupcake, a far superior version of the ubiquitous Hostess Cupcake. It’s a really nice chocolate cake, filled with a cream filling and topped with chocolate ganache and the familiar white frosting loops. Delicious as well as very cute.

The second cupcake we made was carrot cake. Not my favorite at all, but I tried a bit and the cake is pretty good. Very light and flavorful. I love the finishing touches on this – a terrific cream cheese buttercream, toasted coconut around the edges, and little marzipan carrots that we made in class.

Last off was my favorite. I’m solidly in the chocolate camp when it comes to desserts, and am not a big fan of traditional meringue or lemon meringue pie. This cupcake is reminiscent of lemon meringue pie, but infinitely tastier. The cake is similar to a pound cake but not quite so heavy. The cupcakes are filled with a bit of lemon curd, then topped with a silky swiss meringue.

I took a few of these to a family gathering tonight and they were a big hit. Pretty to look at and really delicious.

• Chocolate “Mostess” Cupcakes with Cream Filling and Ganache Frosting (Professional Culinary Institute, Cupcakes Galore)
• Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Professional Culinary Institute, Cupcakes Galore)
• Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes (Professional Culinary Institute, Cupcakes Galore)