Week 23: Wellesley Fudge Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting

In 1898, two Wellesley graduates spotted an intriguing recipe for chocolate fudge cake in a Boston newspaper. Supposedly, they used Baker's baking chocolate for its unique richness. Apparently, Baker's had already been making fine chocolate for 135 years. The graduates made the cake for the Wellesley Tea Room. And this simple, incredibly fudgy cake has been famous ever since. The cupcakes, an offshoot of the famous cake, really do taste like fudge! I made them a bit smaller because I knew they would be very rich...which they are...so while this recipe is for a dozen, you actually can get 15 of them. They were easy to make and so was the frosting. The recipe is from Linda West Eckhardt's Cakes From Scratch in Half the Time.

The fun part was the "little people" decorating. I saw this idea on a french web site that is actually about artistic photography. It's called "minimiam." The site is all flash and very cool. I wanted to try this so I went to the local hobby store and started looking around for some "little people." I found the HO sized peeps and brought them home and the fun began!

However, the little people were very hard to photograph!

Download recipe: PDF

16 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:11 PM

    FABULOUS! I visited their website and it is too cool. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to try the icing recipe!

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  2. Anonymous10:51 AM

    For more minimiam, click here.

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  3. Queen of Cupcakes, you know I worship you like the cupcake icon you are, but now you have gone and posted a Wellsley recipie. Wellsley, the arch rival of Smith College, my alma mata. My heart and loyalties are torn in two. But thanks for posting me in your sidebar! I am just so emotionally confused right now...

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  4. Cupcake:

    Hopefully this will make you feel better. I did some research and found a reference in a 1909 cookbook called "Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes"...to a recipe for SMITH COLLEGE FUDGE.

    Melt one-quarter cup of butter. Mix together in a separate dish one cup of white sugar, one cup of brown sugar, one-quarter cup of molasses and
    one-half cup of cream. Add this to the butter, and after it has been brought to a boil continue boiling for two and one-half minutes, stirring rapidly. Then add two squares of Baker's Premium No. 1
    Chocolate, scraped fine. Boil this five minutes, stirring it first rapidly, and then more slowly towards the end. After it has been taken from the fire, add one and one-half teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Then stir
    constantly until the mass thickens. Pour into buttered pan and set in a cool place.

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  5. Love the mini people!

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  6. cool blog.i didn't know so many people were so into cupcakes.anyway,found an awesome blog bout cupcakes.http://chockylit.blogspot.com/ .sometimes i look in just to drool over her pics.lovers of cupcakes unite!

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  7. dear god, i want these

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  8. Anonymous12:38 AM

    Your blog is too cool and your cupcakes are beautiful! I just discovered your blog and was so excited to see that you're baking from my book.

    I can't wait to see what you bake next!

    Julie Hasson

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  9. QOC, thanks for taking the emotions of a whiny Smithie into account. Your blog has everything! If I knew what a Terp was or what sport it played, I'd route for it! It's Smithie Fudge at my next holiday gathering!

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  10. Wow...did you see who wrote in....Julie Hasson...author of 125 Best Cupcake Recipes! so cool.....

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  11. Anonymous7:46 PM

    Too cool! you're famous! Just wondering if you could post the recipe for the fudge cupcake you baked last? thanks.

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  12. Okay, the recipe is here. It's a PDF.

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  13. Anonymous4:25 PM

    Can you share with all of us what activies the peeps are engaged in on top of the cupcake? It would seem that each one has an interesting story to tell.....

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  14. Anonymous7:14 PM

    Thank you for turning us onto that website! What wonderful ideas.

    I can't wait to buy some little people!

    Terila

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  15. Anonymous10:24 AM

    wow! I came across your website while searching for a moist vanillia cupcake recipe. So, it looks like you are testing 52 different cupcake recipes!! Wow! How do you find the time?

    Also, just an FYI I went to Staci's Coffee Shop On Rt 7 Falls Church yesterday and had a cupcake there. It is one of the best cupcakes I've tasted in the DC area. Check it out. Not big fan of Cake Love in DC.

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  16. Hey Cupcake Queen- I made these the other night with slight alterations (vanilla bean and adding some coconut). Oh sweet decadence. Perfect.

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