Bake Cupcakes Like A Pro

Except from Lifestyle Magazine, October 2007 issue

(all pictures courtesy of Lifestyle Magazine)

 

 

Cupcakes are hot, hot, hot! Easy to do and individually portioned, they also give you a lot of room to be creative. Even novice bakers can get into the act of baking cupcakes, say Cheryl Chee. She takes you through the steps.

 

Step 1: Bake The Base

Quick Way: Don't turn up your nose at the idea of using cake mixes because it's ideal when you need to bake quickly. All cake mixes can be used for cupcakes. Just make it your own with a bit of tweaking.

o    Play around the flavours - There is a wide range available such as apple, vanilla, lemon to name a few.

o    Add more butter or oil for a more moist cake.

o    Add optional items like nutes, fruits, raisins, cherries, chocolate chips etc for more texture.

As a rule of thumb, adjust cupcake baking time to about 1/2 to 3/4 the time to bake a cake, If you are unsure, just check if the cupcakes are done after 15 - 20 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter. The cupcake is done once an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Recipe For Cinnamon Walnut Cupcakes

From Scratch: Here's a cupcake recipe that works well and tastes great. It has a spicy apply flavour. The firm texture makes it perfect for decoration. (this recipe makes 20 - 24 standard cupcakes)

Dry Ingredients (A):

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

 

Wet Ingredients (B):
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed

 

Wet Ingredient (C):

2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

 

Wet Ingredient (D):

2/3 cup apple juice

 

Dry Ingredient (E):

1 cup walnut (cut into pieces)

 

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 deg C

2. Sift together Dry Ingredients A. This is not compulsory in this recipe, but sifting flour and other dry ingredients helps them to absorb liquids better. If the salt you use is grainy, just add the salt after the other dry ingredients have been sifted. Then use a wooden spoon to gently stir to combine.

3. Use mixer to whip butter and sugar (Wet Ingredients B) together until creamy.

4. Add eggs (Wet Ingredients C) into mixer and beat until combined.

5. Spoon in Dry Ingredients A mixture and apple juice (Wet Ingredient D) alternatively to the batter in the mixer, beating after each addition. Beat only until everything is well mixed together.

6. Add walnuts (Dry Ingredient E) and stir with wooden spoon to combine.

7. Scoop into baking cups or directly into silicon cups, if using.

8. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. To check if it's done, insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done.

9. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before removing them from a pan (if using muffin pan)

10.Cupcakes must be cooled completely before decorating with icing.

 

Step 2: Make The Icing

Quick Way: Get a good icing mix, add 1 - 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to it for the lemon flavour that goes well with this cupcake. You can start with a basic ready icing mix like a white buttercream mix.

Recipe For Lemon Icing

From Scratch: The tangy icing here complements the sweet cupcake. This icing is also very versatile and you can use it for piping or bordering. (makes enough for ice swirl 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients

6 tbsps soft unsalted butter

2 tbsps white vegetable shortening

4 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon rind

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups sifted icing sugar

Method

Beat all ingredients together. For stiffer consistency, add more sifted icing sugar. For softer consistency, add water. The ratio shown in the recipe is great for piping. If you wish to just cover the cupcake without piping, you may use all butter. Adjust the ratio of butter to shortening according to your needs; keeping in mind that shortening is more heat resistant, which is better for piping.

 

Step 3: Decorating Cupcakes

When choosing the icing for your cupcake, keep in mind that you need to achieve a balance in taste. If the cake is sweet (because of ingredients such as fruit purees or raising), the icing should be tangy.

Quick Way: Flat icing is the easiest way to go. If your cupcake is slightly domed after baking, slice the top off so you get a flat surface. All you need is a spatula to even out the icing.

 

 

1. Put a dollop of icing on the cupcake.

 

2. Spread the icing evenly and smoothly on the cupcake.

3. Complete cover the surface of the cupcake. This is your palette for the decorating.

 

(the following were not printed in Lifestyle magazine due to lack of space.)

You can pipe or lay on edible decorations like coloured pearls (shown here) or icing decorations, icing images, etc for your own personal creation.

Swirl icing is another way to ice your cupcake. Equipment required: a large star tip (like the Wilton #1M) and a piping bag.

1. Using a large star piping tip, place icing in the piping bag and squeeze icing onto the cupcake, holding the bag in a vertical position

2. With constant pressure, move the bag in a circular motion, covering the edges of the cupcake first, while circling the icing towards the middle

3. Continue piping in a circular motion, going towards the middle

4. Now it’s time to sprinkle some shaped quins on it – in this case, edible confetti

5. Top it off with edible decorations. Here an edible icing decoration in the shape of a hat is used.