When I took a food writing class in July 2017, I wasn’t a baker, just a theoretical cupcakologist. Students were assigned to write a recipe. We had been told that minor changes to another chef’s recipe weren’t copyright violations, so this became my strategic approach.
My recipe adapted the Georgetown Cupcake coconut cupcake recipe. I added macadamia nuts to convert it to a coconut macadamia cupcake. I researched the typical quantity of nuts in cupcake recipes and added it to the ingredient list. Modifying the recipe longhand, I inserted a ^ to indicate when to add the nuts to the batter. To test the recipe, I bought a coconut cupcake from the bakery and garnished the coconut-covered frosting with macadamias. Assignment complete … and completely delicious.
Having advanced my cupcakology studies, I’m now an inspired home baker. I’m celebrating my year of progress with a fully homemade coconut macadamia cupcake for today’s National Macadamia Nut Day. School is cool with homework like this.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 