Things That Make You Go Huh

It's not for the lack of effort.  I have done my homework.  I have been trying to make the "perfect" white cupcake.  Trying, for years.  I want to duplicate the Cold Spring Bakery's white cupcake recipe.  I love those cupcakes.  The crumb is dense, yet light.  Not loose or dry.  No big holes, no holes at all.  White, white as new snow.  Yummy, real yummy.  I would imagine that what is in them is as important as the process to get there.  I am fairly certain, the recipe calls for eggs, but only the whites, because of their pure white color.  When I make a recipe that calls for butter as the fat, I think that even messes up the color.  Do they use shortening?  Well, I hope you are feeling my pain.  Sunday was Henry's birthday.  I wanted to do something special, since his party is not until this coming Saturday.  I thought I would (once again) whip up the Cold Spring Bakery's white cupcakes, for the one hundredth time.  I used another recipe that boasted all the aforementioned qualities of my "perfect cupcake".  They even showed a picture of the the cakes interior, and it looked pretty darn close.  I bought some sweet Sponge Bob cupcake liners and made the cupcakes.  They were tasty.  Henry liked them.  But they were definitely NOT the Cold Spring Bakery's.  Bummer, again.  I'm not even going to share the recipe, because it was not what I was going for.  However, the frosting on the top.  It WAS, what I was going for.  I like cream cheese frosting, because the flavor and consistency never disappoint.  Easy to make too.  8 ounces room temperature cream cheese, 1 stick room temp unsalted butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.  Really easy, really yummy.  Next time, just for fun, I want to try substituting mascarpone cheese for the cream cheese and see what that does for me.  As for those cupcakes, I will continue to search, until I find, and then I share.  My family does not mind the time I put into it, they reap the benefits by eating the rejects.  And if you are an employee of the Cold Spring Bakery, like I tell my kids, "It always feels good, when you share." :)