Jumbo Cupcakes with Creme Filling

I used to be a big fan of The Simpsons. In the last few years, it has lost some of its cleverness, and so I haven't followed it for many years, but one of my favorite episodes has a side plot in which Moe decides to convert his seedy bar into a family restaurant, similar to Applebee's, called Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag. He decorates it with "a lot of crazy crap on the walls" and advertises gimmicks such as Million Dollar Birthday Fries and, "If I'm not smiling when your check comes, your meal is on me."

As the episode progresses, Moe's enthusiasm for his restaurant wanes. When someone orders the Million Dollar Birthday Fries, he comes out with a basket of fries on his head, along with pinwheels and sparklers and sings this song:

"Here you go!

Here I am!

Uncle Moe! Thank you, ma'am!

This'll be a treat!

Uncle Moe, here I am, while you eat!"

After doing this several times, he begins to cut corners. Eventually, the song sounds like this:

"Here you go.

Here I am.

Eat your fries.

Eat 'em."

I reflect on this clip a lot, particularly because I think I often do the same thing. In my life there are many things that I do over and over again, and sometimes I wonder, when I get tired or stressed out if I am doing them with the same enthusiasm and impact that they once had. I think about this every time I write another blog post.

This is a good recipe. It was even worth having to buy a jumbo cupcake pan to make them. They are similar to Hostess cupcakes, in that they have a cream filling and they are decorated on top with white squiggles, but there is no way you would ever mistake these for store-bought cupcakes.

A couple of tips:

• The recipe does not specify whether to use natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder. I used the Special Dark blend from the grocery store, which made them very dark and rich. Mmm.

• Martha advises you to hollow out the cupcakes at the bottom, put some filling in them, and then put the bottom back on. I didn't do that, and, as a result, some of my cupcakes were not as full of filling as they should have been.
• I bought a special piping tip for filling, which was longer than most piping tips and had a slanted opening, to more easily insert into cake.
• Rather than lining the tins with cupcake papers, grease the pan with butter and dust it with cocoa powder. This way, the cupcakes look more like Hostess cupcakes.

I made them for the people I work with, who loved them. The recipe only makes 12, and they are huge, so they are not really ideal for bringing to any kind of a potluck thing where there will be lots of other desserts. However, I think they would be a fabulous substitute for birthday cake.