Friday, April 4, 2014

Secret Subject Swap, April 2014

Welcome to another Secret Subject Swap. This week 14 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

Secret Subject Swap, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

 

My subject is Write your own Obituary. It was submitted by: More Than Cheese and Beer.

Let me just say that this is actually not the first obituary I’ve written for this blog. As a mom, I decided to go public with the sad truth about parenthood and weekends in my post Death of a Weekend.

I have to admit that this one hit a little closer to home:

Obituaries and Funeral Announcements:
Tornado, BakingInA
Born: June 14, 2012
Died: April 1, 2014

BakingInA Tornado was born on June 14th after one day’s gestation and 10 minutes of labor. Conceived on Karen’s personal Facebook Page (may need to reword this, the imagery is a little scary), and pushed out in 10 intense minutes of peer pressure by personal friends, she entered this world with nothing but flour, sugar, stress and sarcasm.

In her infancy she was best know for her fuzzy recipe pictures, inability to navigate her own website and steadfast refusal to mention farts in every blog post.

As she matured and her photography progressed she was applauded for her bravery and honesty concerning her affliction with a chronic condition. She publicly divulged her inability to pipe frosting or make her recipes look appealing in any way, a handicap which brought her widespread sympathy and compassion.

Her final year was marked by a roller coaster ride of focus and fatigue, food and fluids, fact and fiction, fulfillment and failures, features and flops.

She departed this world on April Fools Day in a set of circumstances that can only be described as a perfect storm. It seems Ms. Tornado was electrocuted in a freak accident involving a spilled cocktail and static electricity.

When asked what she’d like to be remembered for, she once answered with her iconic tag-line: “When all the walls are caving in . . . what could it hurt to bake?”

Ms. Tornado is survived by Mother Nature, her spouse Tsunami and her children Thunder and Lightning.

In lieu of flowers, a table will be set up graveside for baked goods. Wherever she’s going, you know she’ll still gonna need her baked goods.


Blackberry key Lime Cupcakes | www.BakingInATornado.com

Blackberry Key Lime Cupcakes


Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swaps posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:




Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics
 
 
 
PS: I want to thank Ash, not just for this prompt, but for inspiring this cupcake


Blackberry Key Lime Cupcake
                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients, Cake:
12 oz blackberries
1 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
OPT: for more of a berry flavor you can add 1 tsp blackberry extract (or even raspberry extract) or 1 TBSP Blackberry Liqueur
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup key lime juice
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
OPT: 1 cup white chocolate chips

Ingredients, Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup key lime juice
OPT: a drop or two of green food coloring
3 cups powdered sugar
 
Directions, Cupcakes:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
*Sprinkle blackberries with 1 TBSP sugar. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature at least an hour
*Put blackberry mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Push through a sieve to remove seeds. You'll need 3/4 cup of this seedless puree for the cupcakes.
*Cream butter and sugar then bear in eggs two at a time, then the blackberry puree and vanilla (and any optional flavoring, if adding).
*Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until it's all incorporated. Beat in the milk and key lime juice. If you want a sweeter cupcake, mix in the white chocolate chips. 
*Divide batter into muffin tins.
*Bake approximately 20 minutes or until center bounces back to the touch.
*Cool completely before frosting.
 
Directions, Frosting:
*Cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in the key lime juice and food coloring.
*Gradually and carefully add the powdered sugar until it's a spreadable or pipe-able consistency. You can thicken it with more powdered sugar or thin it with milk if you need to.

48 comments:

  1. OMg...I don't know how I would handle this one, I might have cried, LOL. You did a great job though babe. I love the names of those you would be survived by.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have cried too if I had taken it more seriously. Killing off the blog seemed the way to go.

      Delete
  2. That cupcake looks delish. I'd miss Ms. Tornado if she were to get static electrocuted......

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE what you did with this prompt. Absolutely love it!! And...I'll be making cupcakes this weekend I think. Thank you for the great recipe!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Be sure I get a pic of the cupcake when you make it. Hope you love it.

      Delete
  4. This piece was amazing. Your writing...your humor...I absolutely loved it! And, of COURSE I'm lusting after those cupcakes. Since my blackberries won't be ripe for - oh - five months, I guess I'm going to have to break down and buy them because I can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AND, you'll do some beautiful piping on yours I'm sure!

      Delete
  5. You really should have been a stand up comic. Great obit!
    Delicious cupcakes! I love lime so that got my attention. I may have to treat myself and make some, after I make my next goal.
    Dawn
    Spatulas On Parade

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hilarious! Love this! Great prompt! Sarcasm is my favourite . . . especially when served with something yummy. Yes, Tornado, BakingInA would definitely be missed! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Diane. The prompt sort of scared me at first, but once I decided to kill off my alter ego it turned out to be a lot of fun.

      Delete
  7. Great post.. Love the obituary and not sure I could do it as elegantly. The cupcakes look wonderful too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The obituary was actually fun to write, now who ever thought I'd be saying a thing like that?

      Delete
  8. There's always so much more to your posts than the recipe, but somehow, I stop there, admire the photo, look at the ingredients and then want to make them instantly. Note to self: read more than just the food stuff!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, as long as you keep coming back you can read whatever you want!

      Delete
  9. the flavor combination of key lime and blackberry sounds marvelous! and of course, cupcakes always sound marvelous! they are making me hungry! great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Matt. So glad you joined in the swap and that you enjoyed doing it.

      Delete
  10. Not sure how I feel about the obit, because an awful lot of people would be sad to see you go... including me! Love that blackberry lime flavor combo... I've got a cupcake recipe up on my site with the same thing. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess great minds think alike. I actually set out to make a Raspberry Key Lime Cupcake. Sent hubs to the store for raspberries and they were all out but he said that the blackberries were huge and plump and looked amazing so I went with it. Glad I did.

      Delete
  11. That was AWESOME!!!!! HILARIOUS!!! I love it!!!
    And the cupcakes look soooo good!! Who needs piping???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honestly, my kids wouldn't know the difference if I could pipe or not. But I would . . .

      Delete
  12. That was the most beautiful obituary I have read about a blog. Oh wait, your blog shows us actual aspects of you? Thank goodness I'm not the only one who can't master pipe frosting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we do all put our heart and soul into our blogs, don't we?

      And thank you for letting me know you can't pipe. I feel so much less all alone.

      Delete
  13. I think we need a crash cart, STAT! Great spin on a tough subject. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You did a great job with this and the cupcakes look divine! Hope all the fart talk on my blog doesn't scare you away, but the fumes could be the death of us all. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, I don't mind that other people discuss the. . . ahem . . . situation just because I don't.

      Delete
  15. That's a scary topic! I can't believe you've come this far in only two years. I remember becoming friends over those watermelon cookies. Now, you're on to such fancy concoctions as Key Lime/Blackberry cupcakes. I'm proud of you and hope that you never have to publish that obit for a VERY long time. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, my friend. I love being able to count on your support.

      Delete
  16. Oh, Karen, fun and sarcasm aside, I've heard you mention writer's block, quitting and stuff.
    Nobody can make you write - well, maybe college boy, but he has to attend his classes - so we can just hope you'll still find enough challenge and fulfillment to carry on!
    I want to thank you for hosting your legendary Friday blog write-in's, and for being a wonderful friend ❤

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tamara, you're such a great friend. I love the challenges. Looks like May's a "go" as a bunch of people have already signed up!

      Delete
  17. These cupcakes have my attention. They look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know you make quite a lot of different cakes and cupcakes, hope you try these.

      Delete
  18. Great post! This is a tough topic to write about, but you did it. Love the cupcakes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, once I made it less personal it was fun to do. Hope you try the cupcakes.

      Delete
  19. Blackberry Key Lime Cupcakes? YUM!!! How do you come up with these? To torture all us readers!

    Funny post but at least you went out with a cocktail!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is too cute--and the picture at the end IS really great, so you did make your recipe look really, really appealing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Replies
    1. I'm not sure what that means, your liking my obituary, LOL.

      Delete
  22. April Fools Day was a clue Karen. I bet you would pretend to be dead by swanning- off (legging in or absconding) to some Caribbean island where no-one would know who you were except if you started to bake!

    ReplyDelete
  23. My condolences to Ms Tornado. Only now will her greatness be truly appreciated. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a neat 'subject' and I love how & where you took it. Nice Sunday morning coffee time (while listening to Chris Botti). Take care, Slu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy to add a little more entertainment to your Sunday mornings. Enjoy!

      Delete

Warning: Comment at your own risk. I have Comment Moderation, meaning I approve all comments before they show up here. So go ahead, I'm not scared!