Cupcakes are horrible, aren't they?

[StrippedBear]

When I was a small child in the 1970s I used to like Mr Kipling's Fondant Fancies. I used to eat as many as my mother would allow. You can still buy them. Now I think they are beyond horrible... but somehow I've never let go of the idea I like gooey mush... however it has been sinking in slowly that I find cupcakes sickly now (too much icing, too little sponge), am really not that fond of gooey chocolate cake... not even carrot cake if covered in too much gooey, cheap topping...

Inversely, I always thought that wholemeal flour was something you ate cos it was good for you... then just for the hell of it, I tried a River Cottage Honey wholemeal cake - really plain - just a sponge with wholemeal flour and almonds - with honey trickled over at the end. It was fabulous. Spurred on by the big packet of wholemeal flour I had a go at Apple and oat muffins - they were delicious too. My tastes have obviously changed. I am a convert.

Any ideas of what else I might like?

Revolting, yes. In my day they had a lot less icing and were called fairy cakes. They were still horrible though.

These days I can't even eat horrible chocolate (ie less than 50% cocoa for milk and less than 70% for dark). I've been known to spit unexpectedly nasty chocolate or cake into the compost bucket or dog's bowl.

Imo the best chocolate ever (and you probably won't thank me for telling you this) are dark Lindors. Their only redeeming feature is that you can't eat more than three because they're so rich.

Try Nigella's sticky toffee muffin recipe, without the topping. Dates give the sweetness. Yum. I do like a modest swirl of salted caramel buttercream on top, but they don't really need it.

Bara brith tea loaf is another favourite, if you like dried fruit but not a heavy fruit cake.

Just recently I have discovered that Costa Tiffin is all sugar and no flavour - very sad. I can't get much pleasure from most confectionary - not even Lindt tastes good anymore. Problem occurred I think when I started eating 85% cocoa chocolate- Green & Blacks, Divine or Co Op - I'm not that fussy . I think your taste buds dull as you get older. Cupcakes I would still attempt to eat but only the home made ones with a high butter content.
I really dislike processed savoury food but it's a recent thing that I've started disliking processed sweet stuff too. I've just made ginger biscuits and topped them with dark choc and they are lovely!

Mine are bloody lovely. I did some boozy fruit ones with a brandy frosting and caramel sauce for Christmas and also do Malteser ones, and lemon and white choc ones.

I hate sweet stuff, except when pregnant. I'd only eat a cup cake if it had 95% of the topping removed!

Try chocolate cake but removing about 25% of the sugar, much nicer. Also tea breads are yummy and not too sweet. For carrot cake make the topping using just philadelphia, lemon juice and a little icing sugar to taste.

If you find hot chocolate is too sweet, try making cocoa (G&B cocoa powder definitely nicest) with milk. I take it with no sugar at all.

I never eat any sort of cake, unless someone has made it specially for me, and then I will just have a tiny piece. I just don't like it. Its not a crime you know!

I don't like cake either - I have a slice of cake once in a blue moon and never really enjoy it. It's the texture and sweetness I think.

I rather like fruit cake eaten with cheese at Christmas (with the icing thrown away and marzipan eaten separately). But once a year is enough.

Cupcakes are revolting - all that icing on a dry as a bone sponge.

I have gone right off chocolate as well. I had a few thorntons things not long ago and couldn't believe how disgusting they were. And SIL bought me some salted caramels from Hotel Chocolat - they were really insipid.

Cupcakes make me heave when I walk past all the sickly sweet smelling laden stalls at the farmers market, vile things, garish and and sticky. I can't believe that anyone could eat a whole one without vomming!

DD had one from Whole Foods market - it was bright purple with a macaroon on top and cost £3

I think it might try gingerbread - at least it tastes of something other than sugar.

Cupcakes are pretty bleurghhh arent' they.... can't figure out how much they charge for them!

However, they are hugely popular - gave lots of food presents as gifts this Christmas, and I offered everyone a choice of a homemade xmas pudding, homemade xmas cake or a dozen cup cakes - and nearly everyone wanted cupcakes :(

I find cake a bit sickly now - iced or not .... my one exception:

Rich dark ginger cake with a touch of salt and a load of ginger to balance the syrup sweetness- mmmmmmmmmm - even nicer if you can bear to leave it for a couple of days to go sticky.....

Depends on how goey and thick the icing is. A colleague brought some in to work from Tesco's for her birthday the other day and they were lovely- really light sponge with chocolate sauce in the middle and fluffy buttercream on the top. Yum.

Sesame seed Ryevita with very strong cheese and some red onion chutney.

I think it's a bit of cake pimping....something for kids to love and people who like fancy creative baking....the horrible vividly hideous cocktail of chemical food colouring doesn't appeal much to me.

Personally I can't be arsed with pretty baking. Have always baked my kids birthday cakes they loved and stuck a few candles on it - any pretty stuff requests and I employed the services of M&S ? those novelty cakes were a short lived obsession....thankfully - they often ended up in the bin. I still get requests from the kids for added cake decor but I refuse - even when it comes to my hot cross buns, the glaze will be applied but the tasteless flour and water combo for the cross is left, as it adds nothing to the flavour of the bun.

lol snow.... we have "cold, unloved" buns too (no kisses on top according to DD when she was 4 )

bytheway I love the notion that they are kisses rather than crosses....still not doing them. But tempted by the whole 85% cocoa choc chip with zesty orange glaze idea - mess with a classic? Always worth a try!