welcome changes

 celebrating my best friend charla's 21st, tango videochatting with corey, deliciousness at cheesecake factory, opi's coney island cotton candy + seche vite topcoat (current favorites), returning my empties via back to mac in exchange for my free lipstick - 'hue', the 161 miles between rival universities that make my relationship long distance, building pokemon decks, my new hair!, cupcakes from twist cupcakes for my grandfather's birthday, chicken salad at mary anne's, & my new dress from kintage.

at the beginning of august, i went to six flags in georgia with corey and we had a great time. i surprised myself. i'm kind of a theme park wuss (though i've gotten better in recent years), but i ended up riding four rollercoasters, including batman! needless to say i didn't carry my phone around so i have no photos, but it was a great way to celebrate classes being over. also, ALWAYS get the flash passes - waiting in the 90 degree heat in half a mile long lines would have been a waste of a day.

ok, as lame as this sounds... this is the biggest change in my life recently. i guess i'll start at the beginning. in highschool, i cut my hair into a pixie cut after having long hair for my entire life. i grew my hair out to my shoulders, then cut it off again. having short hair is positively freeing, by the way. i could make it look awesome with minimal effort and it never got in my way. well, after experiencing these extremes, i vowed to grow it out during my senior year. and that's exactly what i did - until now.

i grew my hair as long as it would go. i loved it, but it was beginning to become a drag. too much upkeep, too much shampoo/conditioner, just too much hair. so, i decided to get a trim to my shoulders and add a few longer layers. it's the biggest hair change i've made since i was about 18. i love it so far. for a few minutes i kind of felt like it made me look 16, but i got over it.

i've just recently gotten back from spending a few days in auburn and fairhope. i visited corey from the 15th to the 18th, then headed to my parent's house for family time and relaxation. classes start on the 22nd, and though i'll regret saying this when i have a mountain of work due next month, i'm welcoming the change.

chocolate cupcakes with raspberry icing

i love raspberries, and i love chocolate. thus, its one of my favorite combinations. you can take the chocolate raspberry love a step further with these cupcakes and fill them with raspberry jam, but i couldn't find my tiny decorating tips and had nothing to pipe the filling with. this cake is moist and the icing is pretty unique. i found 6 cups of sugar in the frosting to be a bit much, but modify it to your tastes!

for the cupcakes:

• 9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 & 1/2 cups flour (or cake flour, which i didn't use)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• 1/2 cup milk

preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit. line cupcake pan with cupcake liners of your choice. combine the cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking and baking powder in a bowl and whisk or sift. in another large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about five minutes. add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

brew your coffee and combine it with the milk. add half of the dry ingredients to your butter, egg and sugar mixture. next, add the coffee and milk mixture. add the rest of the dry ingredients and turn off the mixture just after all ingredients have combined. divide the batter in the cupcake pan and bake for 20-22 minutes. allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

i chose not to fill my cupcakes, but if you desire to do so: heat up some seedless raspberry jam in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, then put it into a piping bag with a thin, circular tip. simply poke a whole in the top of the cupcake and pipe some filling inside. 

for the frosting:

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 cups powdered sugar (to taste - i only used about 4 1/2)
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• pink food coloring

combine the butter and raspberry jam and cream them together until smooth. gradually add the powdered sugar, and finally, the pink food coloring as desired. garnish with a raspberry!

recipe adapted from annie's eats.