“How often do you blog?” he asks.

“I try to post twice a week,” she unthinkingly replies, “Every Monday and Wednesday.”

Her answer was honest…albeit, incorrect. She USED to post twice a week, yet she hasn’t done so in a year. In December, Mardi Gras for most dessert bloggers, her fingers didn’t type a word. In 2019, her unique views didn’t surpass the previous year’s count, a first.

It’s not only about the statistics.

She compares her dull flat-lays to the avante-garde images in her head – a bowl of soup precariously teetering on a see-saw (quirky and unexpected), a slowly melting chocolate truffle on a tongue (sexy, gothic and moody) – and is chagrinned. Her intros are stilted and forced – telling, rather than showing. Her words only seem to flow when in the midst of upheaval – not a sustainable situation. Unsatisfied with her results, she wonders if she’s stuck in a pattern that doesn’t suit her anymore.

But who is she without her blog, her constant companion for the past 11 years? She considers her options and decides, before killing it off completely, to seek CPR – her first remedy – a writing course to revive words that have flat lined.

Apple Molasses Spice Cupcakes

• Servings: 24 Cupcakes
• Print

Moist cupcakes with the unexpected flavors of cardamom and 5-spice garnished with walnuts and rich cream cheese frosting, if desired.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
• ¼ teaspoon clove
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• ½ cup boiling water
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 ” pieces
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• Cream cheese frosting (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350⁰ F. Line cupcake tins with papers.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, soda, spices, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together molasses, sugar, egg, oil, ginger and water. Add molasses mixture to flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold in apples.
3. Pour batter into tins, sprinkle with chopped walnuts (if using) and bake until toothpick comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely and decorate with cream cheese frosting.