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Flag Day Cupcakes


This week we encountered another obscure holiday this week, Flag Day. Seems like it's the prequel to the Fourth of July, but not as hyped. So I looked into it and made some patriotic cupcakes!  
Flag day was established in 1916 to commemorate the adoption of the American flag that was passed in 1777. This Flag Resolution stated that "the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Every second Sunday in June we also celebrate the creation of the U.S. Army which happened in 1775. 
Another event remembered on Flag Day is the Bear Flag Revolt on the Pacific Coast. American settlers and mountain men arrested a Mexican General and declared themselves an independent republic. The bear can still be found on the Californian flag today. 

Now that we've got a little understanding of Flag Day, let's dig into some yummy cupcakes! 
This is a recipe from the Pie in the Sky cookbook that my Mom and I have made many times! She got me some festive decorations and this was the perfect use!

Ingredients: 
  • 2 1/3 Cups of Flour
  • 1 Tsp. of Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Tsp. of Salt
  • 1/2 Cup of Cocoa
  • 1 Stick of Butter
  • 1 1/2 Cups minus 1 Tbsp. of Sugar
  • 1 Tsp. of Vanilla 
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 Cups plus 3 Tbsp. of Buttermilk
First, combine dry ingredients in a small bowl, flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set this bowl aside.
Next, in a larger bowl or electric mixer combine the butter and sugar for a 3-4 minutes. 
    I saw this and wasn't sure if I really needed to mix it for that long, but it really made my cake nice and 
    fluffy. 
Add in the vanilla and eggs and combine well. 
Slowly add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk. 
    Unfortunately Sprouts was out of buttermilk, so I had to make my own. 
With the oven heated to 357 degrees bake cupcakes for 20 minutes. Give your cupcakes attitude by getting cute baking cups and candies for the top. 
Check to be sure your cupcakes are baked all the way through by inserting a knife and if it is clean it is finished. Pop them out and let them cool for a while so that they will be ready for frosting.


Mocha Buttercream Icing
Ingredients: 
  • 1 Stick of Butter
  • 4 Cups of Confectioners' Sugar
  • 1/3 Cups of Cocoa
  • 1/2 Cup of Extra-Strength Coffee or Espresso
  • 1 Tsp. of Vanilla 
In a large bowl or an electric mixer beat the butter until it's soft. 
Add half of the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until smooth. 
Scrape down the bowl and add in the other half of confectioners' sugar, cocoa, coffee, and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth and creamy. 
Use a piping bag with a tip to frost the cupcakes and top with patriotic toothpicks. 
The coffee frosting complements the chocolate cake perfectly and this recipe makes enough cupcakes to feed all of your friends. 



Comments

  1. Nick TraskJune 21, 2020 at 11:10 AM

    These cupcakes look delicious! I love the idea of coffee buttercream with the chocolate cake! Also, I never really knew what flag day was about so I'm glad you got curious! It looks like they turned out really well, but what was the hardest part of the bake? Was it getting the mix right, baking the cakes properly, or creating the buttercream to the correct consistency?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makala RoggenkampJune 25, 2020 at 11:35 AM

      I'd have to say that the buttercream was the most challenging part of the bake. You have to get just the right consistency and I was struggling with mine being a little too runny. This can be fixed by adding just a little more powdered sugar.

      Delete
  2. Lynn Klyde-AllamanJune 22, 2020 at 9:39 AM

    I remember doing a musical program for Flag Day in elementary school. We all wore paper flag hats.

    ReplyDelete

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