The extent of our domesticity...Pirate cupcakes!

In celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day on Monday, September 19 (oh and also to belatedly celebrate D's birthday), R and I decided to place an order for Domino's pizza and bake cupcakes this afternoon. So I hied myself over to R's place via the Line 11 bus. We walked to the local Vons to buy cupcake mix, eggs, icing, candles, and soda, then walked back to R's place to commence baking.


Cupcake ingredients (excluding oil and water)

The cupcakes took about 21 minutes to bake at around 350 degrees F. While they were baking, R and I watched reruns of Dancing with the Stars on ABC. R and I had been channel flipping, as neither of us were accustomed to watching tv, so then when we happened upon this channel, we were both revolted yet strangely unable to change the channel.


Unfrosted cupcakes, awaiting frosting

I layered the chocolate frosting on the first batch of cooled cupcakes ...


Beginning the process of frosting the cupcakes

... and left the intricate skull and crossbones details to R. Both of us managed to smear chocolate frosting all over our hands.


R decorating with the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger / Rusty Barnacle

We ended up with 24 cupcakes from the 1 box of chocolate cake mix. There was some frosting left over, but the amounts were almost exactly right to make 24 cupcakes. I guess the frosting, cake mix, cake decorations, and cupcake tins companies coordinate.


All 24 frosted cupcakes

Can you spy cupcake #1, the first cupcake R decorated? Hint: It's in the picture below.


Close up of frosted handiwork

Our next dilemma was how to transport these suckers to the lab, as R and I would either be busing or walking to lab the next day. We decided to stick them on plates. When we got into the Rusty Barnacle, I sat down with two plates on my lap and one on the seat between me and R.


Pirate cupcakes plated for transport

After walking across campus from the parking lot at UCSB, R and I safely made it to lab with not one chocolatey casualty. We stuck them into the violently pink plastic containers we had been using to store other food.


Pirate cupcakes stored in violently pink plastic container

D was in lab to help us arrange the pirate cupcakes in their temporary homes. Now their fate has passed from our hands into that of the lab. We sincerely hope nothing happens to tip the containers over.


Rest of the pirate cupcakes stored in lab