No one can eat just one cupcake. At least that is what I tell myself after my third one, still warm from the oven.
Everybody loves to eat cupcakes and you have decided to jump in and have a go at creating a batch. It is so simple to make them and you only need a few basic skills and tools. You will not need any speciality tools that you will spend weeks tracking down as many of them you probably already have in your kitchen.
Once you have the basics you can create perfect cupcakes for any event, party or just because you deserve it. And after the last few years, we all deserve some cupcakes!
No matter the reason you are making them they will be special and magical. Cupcakes do not always need to be sweet, they can be savoury too. However, the savoury version falls closer to the muffin side than a cake but they are still great to eat.
Following are a few tips to get you started with your baking of the perfect cupcake easily.
Tools & Equipment
Some of the basic baking implements you will need can also do double duty for many of your baking projects. To begin, you need to have cupcake pans (paper cups that surround your cakes) which come in assorted sizes from mini to jumbo. They may have different names where you live, such as being called Pattie-pans in Australia. These can be purchased in any grocery store.
In addition, you should buy paper-baking cups that are produced by a reputable company. These paper liners are not just there to make your cupcakes look pretty but they also make cleaning up a breeze. Unbleached cases are your best choice here.
Measuring cups and metal spoons in various sizes, an electric stand or hand mixer, and a fan-forced oven are also essential kitchen implements. With baking, it is important to get your measurements right, so investing in a simple measuring scale is a great idea.
You will want to decorate your cupcakes with either frosting or gorgeous embellishments. Your grocery store baking aisle is a treasure trove of jewelled sugar work flowers, sparkles, confetti, etc. Now you can even purchase pre-made and coloured gum and fondants. When it comes to frosting, whether bought or made by you, having a lean budget does not stop you. Piping bags and nozzles are cheap, or you can use a resealable bag and snip the corner off for decorating.
Usual cupcake ingredients
There are many pre-made cake mixes in a myriad of flavours available. As stated above, you can also buy ready-to-use frostings, decorating gels, sprinkles, and other edible goodies to decorate your cupcakes. For making your cupcakes from scratch, you can find many cupcake ideas on the Web or follow this link to my own go-to recipe that you can modify to create any cupcakes.
Traditional recipes for cupcakes typically have all-purpose flour, salt-reduced butter, white sugar, eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla flavouring, and milk. Many bakers will tell you to use French flour and butter to make the perfect little morsel. To begin with, the ingredients you buy in your local store will work just as well. You can add various ingredients to this basic batter such as wild blueberries, nuts, chocolate, vegetables, and all kinds of seasonal fruits.
Cupcake cooking tips
When baking cupcakes, make sure that your ingredients are close to room temperature as this tends to help make your cake light and airy. When mixing, make sure not to go crazy, if you over-mix you will find that the finished product will have small tunnels running through them and they will be a little rubbery.
For moist cupcakes, it is essential that you don’t overbake them and follow the temperature directions exactly. A minute or so before they are ready, test them with a skewer or a toothpick, if it comes out nearly clean they are ready and will be moist.
One last tip is to make sure that your cupcakes are absolutely cool before you frost or decorate them because if they are still warm whatever you add to them will melt. This was one of my first mistakes many years ago.
These tips are designed to help you in your baking journey and make your life sweeter. I am constantly updating and adding to the site so please check back regularly.
Enjoy.
