German Chocolate Cupcakes Cupcakes the best way to say ‘auf Wiedersehn’ to a good friend

Someone told me last week that I don’t really qualify as an amateur baker, since I’ve been writing this column way too long for that, but I still claim the title, especially after taking on a recent huge project. A dear friend of the newspaper, Debbie Pierce, celebrated her retirement last week, and since we …

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting ‘Poppy’ in the kitchen and try some beautiful scratch-made cupcakes

I have always been a sucker for poppy seeds. If there is a tray of pastries that includes poppy seed bread or muffins, that is what’s going on my plate. That nutty flavor is just irresistible. That being said, I rarely bake with poppy seeds, for some reason. I had to change that, and what …