No really, I can't bake.

I've said to a dozen different people a dozen different times that I don't bake because I suck at it. I don't tend to offer proof, except that having worked in a bakery for a year, I still never managed to learn how to tell when anything I made was done.

Here is some visual proof.

See. The plan. The plan was to make mini cupcakes, then to fill them with peppermint cream, then to top them with cream cheese icing. Originally I was going to use my vegan chocolate cake recipe, and I did try it a week or so ago, but I didn't quite think they were chocolatey enough and the texture was a little bit different than I was looking for. So I bought a box mix because it was cheaper than buying nice chocolate and making my own.

When I made the vegan cupcakes, I filled the sample cups about 2/3 full, and they only rose a bit less than 1/4 inch above the top of the cups. Just perfect, really. So, even though I'd realized the two recipes wouldn't react quite the same, I still filled the cups to the same level. Clearly the difference in the amount of rise you get from a vinegar/baking soda cake is rather different than one with eggs and whatever else is in a box mix.