Chocolate Cupcakes for Special People

Yes...I just whipped up over a dozen cupcakes. No...It's not just for the sake of gluttony.

The fact is, I have heroes in my life (o boy, that sounds like the beginning of a cheesy Chicken Soup for the Soul story), heroes who deserve cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes, but chocolate cupcakes with very chocolate-y chocolate frosting. 

Let me tell you about these heroes of mine.

Of course, in our lives, there are the mothers, the fathers, the best friends -- those that we can't imagine living without. They are our own personal heroes in their own right. But the ones I'm talking about are a bit different. They are my allies, my camaraderie. Individuals who were once total strangers to me, but who now support my cause, share my dreams, work together with me toward these dreams, and provide me with mental support, much more than they know, every single day.

When I started my foundation, Future Minds, I was scared shitless that nobody would want to join me. Who knows, maybe nobody would care enough to join. I was also unsure about how good a leader I would make. I was head of the academic department in my high school's Student Body, and I was frickin' pathetic. I was self-conscious and nervous and would sweat and sweat and sweat before every meeting that I had to lead. Half of the time, I could see my members looking at me sympathetically, probably thinking, "The poor girl. She's wetting her pants."

I was even more scared once I started reading leadership books, in the hope of mending my sweaty leadership ways. The books said that a leader has to be charismatic, must have "presence", and I was sure I had none. Anywho, with dogged determination and a healthy dose of naivety, I marched onwards and told people about my idea for a foundation anyway. There must be a reward system for naive persistence in the world, because I'm sure at one point God said to His helpers, "Oy, she's tried enough. Let's send her some highly qualified, easy-to-lead people so that she can have a go at her dream."

And that's what happened to me.

True, there are many others who have given their priceless help with my foundation, and I couldn't have done much without them. But the heroes I'm talking about today are the people who work on my foundation constantly. They're the ones who are carrying out our activities and dealing with our problems every day -- the petty stuff and the big issues. They don't know how much I appreciate them -- in those days when the weather is bleak, or when something goes wrong at uni, or when there's just too much to do and I'm at the brink of frustration, or when someone just stings me with criticism, or when it's just a shitty day overall, a simple message from them or a short chat never fails to brighten me up. The whole world can go mad and yet when I hear good news about my foundation from them, all is well.

An old friend once remarked that I'm a housewife inside, and unfortunately that's very true. Cooking for others is how I show my love and appreciation for someone (well, that and giving a big bear hug, but I probably shouldn't do that to the boys, I don't wanna scare them). I'm afraid I wasn't born to be cool. I wish I could just hug each and every one of my heroes and cook up a storm for them and feed them for days on end. I often dream about the meal that I would cook for them once I have the chance. But for now, these cupcakes will have to do.

The greatest thing about them is that they're not just pleasant to work with -- they also make really great friends. That's a rare combination in an organisation and I consider myself extremely lucky! I always quietly regret that I didn't have the chance to get to know these people better before moving away to the Netherlands. I often feel bad when I email them just to ask them to do something for Future Minds. I would really love to just chat with them sometimes, over something trivial, just getting to know them. I do know some things about them, though, and it is these things that make them great comrades.

Alfa is the best company you can have if you want to go to the kitchen, have a coffee break and munch on cake while standing over the kitchen counter. She doesn't judge you if you eat too much and makes you laugh with her funny-but-endearing kitchen routines, like adding excessive salt to anything and everything. I have many kitchen memories with her.

Tasya has that rare combination of being so accomplished and admirable, and yet unthreatening. I think that's because she's really down-to-earth and doesn't hold back from telling you about her personal struggles. She makes you feel very special when she shares her thoughts and worries with you.

Ucup is one of the most genuine people I know. He's very authentic in the sense that he stays true to the kind of person he is, and he's cool with it. I feel comfortable talking to him because he's very open and doesn't hold back -- people who hold back just make me confused.

Arin is my definition of a cool woman. She makes funny jokes, comes up with smart one-liners and just has an aura of ease about her. She's the kind of person you want to invite to your party because she'll just liven it up!

Chita is super fun -- there are many moments when I wish that she would be here with me and my friends. She apologizes a lot because she's afraid of making mistakes, but she really doesn't need to, because she's awesome and does a great job at what she does anyway. You can have a great conversation with her.

Ghufron wows me because he dreams big, really big. When I first got to know him, I had a feeling that he wouldn't let you in on himself too quickly. I was delighted to find out later that we share many common interests, and I can't wait to work together with him on his projects.

Kris is just a really nice guy. It touches me how much he puts into his work at Future Minds Foundation -- he exceeded my expectations, and then some more.

Titut is that wise friend you'd like to go to when you have guy issues or just random life questions in general. She will calm you down with her sensible and gentle approach -- her advice is always well thought out, never brash or juvenile.

Adit is a really charming person and he doesn't even know it. He makes you feel really comfortable around him because he's just a great friend. Sometimes he makes me feel bad because I feel so evil compared to him, but, being a great friend, he wouldn't agree with that.

Reni makes me laugh with her unexpected, random comments. She also has real patience with children, which is not something you can say about a lot of people. 

Farid came across as really quiet at first, but then I found out how brilliant and knowledgeable and passionate he is about his field. I'd love to have a long conversation with him one day about spirituality and religion, just learning from his wealth of knowledge.

Tika has that motherly feel about her, and although I'm not sure if she'd like to hear that, it's actually a really great quality. The housewife in me found a company in the housewife in her -- I have a memory of us getting excited over grocery shopping in Maastricht and making corn and eggplant fritters. She's just really sweet!

Icha and I had a great conversation the other day about Future Minds. I didn't know that she'd told many people about Future Minds, and how passionate she is about it. She reminds me that sometimes there are probably many people who support me more than I know, and I'm not even aware of it. She totally made my day.

Ganes is the kind of person that cracks you up a lot with her unintentional jokes. She made me feel really special when she invited me to her birthday party, just after knowing her briefly. But I think that's how she is -- she just includes people and makes you feel like part of the gang.

Ika and I haven't had much time to get to know each other, but I'd really like to know her better. She seems like a genuine and nice person, the kind you want to be close friends with. I hope I get to have many cosy conversations with her when I see her again.

So, you see, these are the reasons why they deserve cupcakes. That's why at midnight yesterday, instead of going to bed, I whipped up a batch of these cupcakes.

Heroes and cupcakes...They go together in my book. Here's one to each one of you, guys. Couldn't have done it without you.

With love,

Annisa

ps. And for those of you who wonder what the hell I'm gonna do with all these cupcakes...I'm gonna knock on my landlord's door and surprise him with these cupcakes. And give some to the lady who sells newspaper in front of the supermarket. And my hairdresser. And save most for exam nutrition for my housemates (err...did I say nutrition?). And pop one into my mouth, and wash it down with a glass of cold milk.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from http://www.tartelette.blogspot.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces chocolate, a mix of milk and dark, melted and cooled
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until airy and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape down the sides if necessary). Still on medium speed, add the chocolate and mixing until well incorporated. Add the flour, baking soda and salt alternating with the milk. Make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overbeat. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. 

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Whipped Ganache Frosting

12 ounces (360 gr) good quality chocolate, a mix of milk and dark
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium size bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a couple of minutes. Stir the cream and chocolate together gently until the mass becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool and refrigerate until very cold. When ready to use, whip the ganache until it is holds its shape and spreads easily. Use as soon as it is made or it will be too stiff to spread. If this happens, just reheat it on top of a double boiler to melt it again, and repeat the cooling and whipping process. If your chocolate is less than 72% bittersweet, add 2 more ounces before adding the hot cream.

Spread on the baked and cooled cupcakes. Smooth out with a bread knife.

Name Plates

1 bar of white chocolate, chopped up

1/4 bar of milk chocolate, chopped up

wax or baking paper 

a round-shaped cookie cutter

a toothpick

Boil a pot of water. Place a heatproof bowl over the pot, with the bottom of the bowl not touching the water. Place the chopped up white chocolate bar on the bowl until melted. Be careful not to get ANY water in the melted chocolate!

Place the wax or baking paper on a flat surface. Pour the melted chocolate on the wax or baking paper, spread out and smooth out with a bread knife. The result should be no less than 1/4 cm thick. Cool until almost hard. Cut into rounds with the cookie cutter. Cool again until the name plates are harder. Carefully lift each name plate off the paper and place on a plate.

With the same method as before, melt the milk chocolate (using a new, clean bowl). Wait for the melted chocolate to cool a bit. If it's too hot, when you use it to write on the name plate, it will melt the name plate.

Once slightly cooled, dip a toothpick in the melted chocolate and use it to write on the name plates. Be careful with the finished name plates -- do not touch them and let them dry on their own.

Place on baked and frosted cupcakes.