Owl Cupcakes and Death Valley

It would be a gross understatement to say that my friends Cecilia and Michelle like owls -- they love owls. They sport owl t-shirts and owl jewelry. Cecilia even has owl measuring cups. I can't really blame them. Baby owls are pretty darn adorable. So when I saw these owl cupcake liners from Meri Meri I immediately knew what had to be done...

Two weeks ago, Cecilia, Michelle, and I were lucky enough to camp in and around Death Valley, CA for 5 days for a planetary geology field trip. The views were overwhelming. I felt so small in the vastness. Standing in front of millions-of-years-old features makes you feel like a blip in time.

Back to the owl-lovers... here's Cecilia at Badwater Basin:

and Michelle at the Kelso Dunes:

and the 3 of us around the campfire - thanks for the picture, James -

We got not 1, not 2, but 3 flat tires on the trip, which naturally led to this series of pictures with all of the Canadian graduate students:

...which naturally led to the creation of this tumblr. But I digress.... The point: Death Valley is awesome!

You know what else is awesome? Cupcakes. And owls on cupcakes are stinkin' cute. Make some for your owl-loving friends and hear them squeal with delight.

*Note to rich men looking for a wife who will make our future children cupcakes like this all of the time:
I'm available, and waiting.


Vanilla Cupcakes
Martha Stewart

yields 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Beat butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, cinnamon and milk and beat for 2 minutes. Spread on anything.