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The Cupcake Thread!

and here is a fun done shot...i pushed a lemon drop into the tip of the swirl to press the frosting down and sprinkled with pareils.

oh and random frosting note, it's FAT FREE. how funny is that??? i kept finding references to it being fat free online and i'm thinking that is crazy because you know some random people will be like 'oh it's healthy!'...NOT! though it's not 'as bad' as buttercream thankfully!

oh and FG..i made coconut & lime cookies, not cuppies. the cookies were fab though!

lemon cupcake done.jpg
 
Date: 5/19/2008 5:12:49 PM
Author: Mara
oh and FG..i made coconut & lime cookies, not cuppies. the cookies were fab though!
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Whoops, read that wrong the first time.
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The tops of those cupcakes look divine! I just bought a small Wilton decorating tip kit so I''ll have to try my hand at that rather than just slathering on frosting with a spatula. They look so shiny and pretty!

 
So the boiled icing is basically an italian buttercream without the butter? Sounds interesting...I''d imagine you could use egg whites rather than meringue powder. Also, do you think the corn syrup could be omitted? I don''t really like using it and I''ve found it doesn''t seem to make that much of a difference.
 
not sure lp though you can google it! i did find some other recipes kind of similar, one with brown sugar instead of white, which sounds SO cool...i def want to try that. the one thing i really liked about this frosting is that it is pure white....which i can't get with buttercream at all cuz the butter is yellow! hehee.

i love that you can just microwave the water, sugar, syrup rather than doing the double boiler thing. seriously i love anything easy!!! and the merengue powder was SO EASY to get peaky with the water, within 2-3 min with a hand mixer. i'd much rather do that than egg whites honestly, but i think you could do it with egg whites since that's basically the same idea. i just was lazy...and since then there is nothing 'raw' in the recipe...i didn't feel weird letting the cuppies sit out since i hate refridgerating them, because even in a sealed container it dries them out.

FG...i also got the basic decorating kit but then quickly realized the big swirls i liked on cupcakes were made with the super large tips that you have to buy separately. i have two versions of them. the 1M is popular but then there is this crazy huge one from a korean company numbered like 804 or something that makes the biggest swirls ever, it's fab but it uses A LOT of frosting.
 
Meringue powder is dried egg whites. When you''re adding the water, you''re just rehydrating them. It''s a marketing ploy from the baking companies.

Yes LP, it''s basically a meringue. Truly it''s neither Swiss or a Italian because of the way it''s prepared, but it''s all essentially the same stuff. I guess you could say that it''s closer to the Italian, if you really wanted to classify it.

Also, the corn syrup could probably be omitted. I imagine it''s only there to keep the sugar from crystallizing. The difference between it and sugar is just that it''s a different type of sugar, so they crystallize at different points-meaning that once it''s combined with sugar-it will prevent it from crystallizing. Often you''ll see caramel recipes that call for corn syrup-and thats why. It has to cook so long that crystallization is a real threat-even a grain of sugar will ruin a pot.

Mara-I think next time you should try making an Italian Meringue-it''s not that hard, and it can withstand a heck of a lot of stuff. If you have leftovers, you can pipe it onto a silpat or parchment paper, and throw it in the oven at 170 degrees, and leave it overnight. It dries at the low temp, and you can store it in sealed plastic bags-and it makes a tasty sweet snack-and keeps forever just so long as no moisture is introduced. As for being *safe* to eat- the egg whites are raw as they go into the mixing bowl-but when you add the 200+ degree sugar syrup-they go from raw to FREAKING HOT really really fast. The other day when I was making the buttercream I touched the stupid mixing bowl just after adding the sugar syrup and burned my hand on it. I mean it-the stuff has to sit on the mixer until it cools down to room temp-which takes about 15-20 minutes-but it could stay there for a VERY long time and won''t break down to solids and water.

Technically the Swiss Meringue is the weaker between it and Italian-you can pretty much do anything to it once it''s made, and it won''t fall apart on you. The French Meringue is made with totally uncooked egg whites and uncooked sugar-and it is also the weakest of the three-and only used when it''s going to be cooked further. I never make the French, and rarely make the Swiss, just because it''s my opinion that Italian is the easiest once you''ve done it successfully. Here''s a link to the meringue wiki page.

I''m also guessing that if you want to make that boiled icing stiffer you should decrease the water thats in with the sugar and corn syrup.

Here''s a pic of the Italian Meringue from the other day, right before I started to add the butter to it.

IMG_0574.JPG
 
And here's a pic of the buttermilk cupcakes that I made last night. I have a ton of eggs left over from the other day and we don't eat them except for in baked goods because BF is allergic. Both this recipe and Gold Cake are from 'The Joy of Cooking" if anyone is interested. I use that when I want to experiment with making something new. I made 5 kinds of cookies over Winter Break using recipes in there.

Anyway, sorry for the crap piping job. One awesome thing about the Italian Buttercream is that even though it hardens like butter in the fridge, you can bring it back to the original texture after either bringing it to room temp before touching it, or heating it gently and whipping the poo out of it. Even if it separates due to being cold. It's scary when it separates, but it's so satisfying to bring it back.
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Vanilla Buttercream on Buttermilk cupcake (BF likes these more than the gold cakes)

ETA: this is the same frosting from Friday- I just whipped the poo out of it after it came to temperature through artificial means(microwaving it for about 10 seconds-doesn't take much at all even though it was a big bowl of it).

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Freke that looks delicious
Sorry for the delayed response. They stick to the point that the paper rips. The last batch were a bit better the next morning, but still kinda sticking. I do let them cool down for at least 15 mins. Not using any special paper, just some regular baking cups from Publix lol.

Snickerdoodles tonight!
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Date: 5/17/2008 4:47:44 PM
Author: Mara

i''m making meyer lemon cuppies today with this icing for dessert with some friends and their kids.
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Ooh Miss Mara, will you share the recipe with me? I am soo making lemon cuppies for my graduation. Yours came out SO CUTE too. Love them!!
 
freke what does a swiss or italian merengue taste like (without the butter). i ask because i''m really not a merengue fan at all in general. i don''t eat anything merengue and i always prefer whipped cream (real of course) on anything like pies etc. when i tasted the merengue powder after adding water then whipping, i was like EWWW GROSS. hahaha. i couldn''t wait to add the sugar and syrup!

wonder if i i put too much water into the syrup/sugar mixture and that''s why it was a little soft and didn''t dry as quickly? next time i might try less.

other random thought, what if i made the italian or swiss merengue and then added just one stick of butter to it. maybe i''d like it better if it wasn''t AS buttery. hmmm.
 
oh and icekid here's the recipe. you can tweak it to your liking, aka i used almond extract last time instead of vanilla. and i used less sugar this time too. and more lemon. just really depends on your taste buds!!!

Lovely Lemon Cupcake
1 1/2c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
3/4c sugar
zest and juice from one lemon
1/2c buttermilk
2 eggs, room temperature
1 stick melted and cooled unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix sugar and zest of lemon together, crush together with fingers to release aroma til sugar is lemony yellow. Add sugared zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla into a bowl and whisk to combine...whipping for a minute or so to get some air into the batter. Whisk into flour mixture, do not overmix or it will result in a tougher, gummier cake. Bake at 350 for ~20-24 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool entirely then frost. You could frost with the boiling icing, or a lemon buttercream or once I used a lemon cream cheese with blueberry jam in it, so yummy.
 
Date: 5/20/2008 5:26:24 PM
Author: Mara
freke what does a swiss or italian merengue taste like (without the butter). i ask because i''m really not a merengue fan at all in general. i don''t eat anything merengue and i always prefer whipped cream (real of course) on anything like pies etc. when i tasted the merengue powder after adding water then whipping, i was like EWWW GROSS. hahaha. i couldn''t wait to add the sugar and syrup!

wonder if i i put too much water into the syrup/sugar mixture and that''s why it was a little soft and didn''t dry as quickly? next time i might try less.

other random thought, what if i made the italian or swiss merengue and then added just one stick of butter to it. maybe i''d like it better if it wasn''t AS buttery. hmmm.
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Fresh Italian Meringue smells a bit like egg whites, but after it''s been able to sit for a while the smell goes away. What kinds of meringue have you had? Just the topping on pies and stuff? (I so wish you lived in NM, and I could expose you to everything!!!)

Was it kind of humid when you made it? Believe it or not, humidity levels can seriously screw up certain baked goods-so that could have had an effect too. It was so weird to go to school in NY state, right on top of the Hudson River from almost as dry as the Sahara New Mexico-nothing would dry the way I expected it to in NY. I would try less water and see what happens there.

I would try the meringue and add only a little bit of butter to it-I bet it''d be yummy and just buttery enough!!! But I love all things sweet-so it''s not hard to please me.

I made a peanut butter pie today from a recipe from my elementary school cookbook. It is SO GOOD. And not baked. And it only has about 5 ingredients: powdered sugar, whipped cream, peanut butter, cream cheese, and graham cracker crust. Although delicious, it was very loose and certainly wouldn''t stiffen anymore than it already did. So if I were to remake it, I''d make it into more of a mousse by adding some gelatin (Which is so one of my favorite baking ingredients-like using it to make foam!!) or something else (Italian Meringue perhaps?). But it was so good-tastes a LOT like Reeses...But I''m not going to post a picture because it''s a bit funky looking and almost soupy. Still yummy though!
 
miss freke did you see my pictures of my peanut butter torte? it uses oreo cookie crust and then the center is cream cheese, pb, heavy cream (for the stiffness you wanted), confectioners sugar...and then you can mix crushed peanuts and chopped chocolate with cinnamon to mix into the center mousse if you want. then it''s topped with chocolate and cream ganache. it was SO GOOD. i made it again using yogurt instead of the heavy cream in the mousse and it still came out REALLY good. the recipe is from the Baking from My Home to Yours Dorie Greenspan book...I love this book!! You can google ''Peanut Butter Torte'' and ''Dorie'' and trust me..you will find many pictures and the full recipe. I loved this torte.

and re: merengue...yes i have had whatever comes on PIES basically!!! and whatever else i make in my kitchen. hehee. and i''ve had merengue cookies or whatever they are, those little hard puff things that you can buy at bakeries. i might have to play around with some merengue with and without butter to see if i like anything!!!

and just had to let you cupcaking lovers know...last nite i had an amazing 3 hours of my cupcaking life...i took this class at Sur La Table that was taught by Karen Tack, one of the authors of Hello! Cupcake (hellocupcakebook.com) ... and learned how to make a bunch of the designs from her book! we made a westie, the sunflower patch, a shark in water, a slumber party girl, and spaghetti and meatballs. it was SO FUN, seriously i had a blast!!!!! i took a lot of pictures, including one with Karen so here are a few...the funny thing is that i had the book (She signed it too) and i was thinking gosh this looks so hard even though it says it''s easy. well once you see her do a few of them then you realize it really is easy. and it doesn''t have to be perfect...mine certainly weren''t!

funny thing is that she uses mostly boxed cake and ready-made frosting because you work with candy and cookies and stuff, so she is like whats the point of having a gourmet cupcake under all that goo? hehehe. i can see her point! these are more about what''s on top of the cupcake than what''s IN it.

Spaghetti & Meatball. The spaghetti is just swirls of frosting and the meatball is a Ferrera Roche candy unwrapped and coated in strawberry jam. YES it''s that easy.

hello cupcake meatball.jpg
 
the sunflower patch...oreos used for base just on top of green frosting. leaves are cutout green candy, and then you just pipe the petals and add M&M ladybugs!!

hello cupcake sunflower done sm.jpg
 
and my crazy looking long-tongued westie!!! portia is a little cuter for sure.

hello cupcake westie done sm.jpg
 
Those are adorable Mara!!!

I think the PB pie would be great frozen... Your torte sounds fab by the way. I didn''t see pics-at least I don''t remember seeing pics-was it on this thread? Or another one? I think I''m going to go get a piece right now!!
 
freke here is the pb torte...i did them in individual 4" springforms. i also froze the 2nd one and it was YUMMY....

pb torte done showcase b.jpg
 
Oh YUM!!!That looks so good...Ok going to get a slice of pb pie now...
 
Mara,


OMG you are one talented lady!!! Will you please open up your own shop. Rick and I will drive down to San Jose and stock up!!!!! LOL

Linda
 
Mara, I just printed the picture of the Westie. My mom has one. She will get a kick out of seeing this.

Linda
 
So the PB pie set up over night!!!I had some yesterday right after I made it-and it was still soft, but now--it''s totally set up! Yay!!It was the easiest dessert to make EVER, and its so yummy!! And now it looks pretty!!!
 
Mara, WOOOOOWEEEEE, those are BEEEAUTIFUL, you are the decorating QUEEN, seriously!!!!!! hehe Magnificiant
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ha ha thanks guys, but i had to take a CLASS to do those beauties....so it''s not NATURAL....hehee. it was so fun though...honestly i want to do it every week!

anyway, freke, yes mine set overnight too, the fridge helped chill for 2-3 hours....i bet yours is really yummy! the ''lighter'' version with yogurt and reduced fat PB worked out really well as well! mmmmm.

i just ate the top of my shark cupcake...the westie has been demolished by coworkers as well. so funny!!
 
I should get my fanny in gear and make some of these for my grandboys. I am afraid I would eat them too. I am supposed to NOT have sugar, doctor''s orders. I will have to be strong-willed. UGH!!

See Miss Mara what you started. HA!!!
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Linda
 
Thanks for the recipe, Mara. I am so excited to try it out.

And count me in as soooo jealous of your cuppie class- that looks like so much fun. And your cupcakes turned out fabulously- adorable!
 
okay miss freke, our resident culinary science expert, i am calling on your assistance here.

i made some mango muffins tonite...i made them from scratch with no real recipe, and they came out all sorts of wrong with just a little right. they TASTED good, the parts that were cooked that is. but they were WAY too moist and they had flat tops that eventually sunk into themselves...muffins are puffy right? well i wanted puffy muffins, these were like sunken weights.

here is what i did...i am thinking way too little flour for the amount of moisture i had in there, and also too little baking powder. but hoping you can tell me how to fix it because again, the parts that cooked (outsides) tasted REALLY good...but the inside was like way soft gooey mess. i actually tore them up and put them on the baking sheet and crisped them to cook...like crispy muffin bites hahaha. but yeah i'd like to actually have them in a muffin shape at some point. help!

Mango Spice Muffins

1/2c ap flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/3c wheat bran
1/2c 'fresh' mango (it was in a TJ's jar preserved with mango juice)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2c light brown sugar
1/3c baking white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 tblspoons canola oil
6 ounces fat free yogurt

how i made them was a little odd...i creamed butter and sugars and then added in yogurt...i meant to add egg in after butter sugar but was distracted. so i added yogurt, then egg, then oil, and vanilla. then folded in all the dry. within a minute the batter was really puffy looking like it rose a lot. baking powder?

anyway, they puffed up immediately in the oven, but never got domed tops. instead they just sunk in the middle and continued to deflate. they were way too cakey softy inside. i want them to be soft and cakey but dense too. should i try using white wheat flour as well? up the flour to something like 1c or more? use more baking powder?

again, taste was GOOD esp after 'crisping' in the oven later...just have to figure out the muffin part. i used a 6 cup texas size muffin tin with no papers. they slid out okay hahaha.

 
Revised Mango Spice Muffin Recipe:

Sift together into a large bowl:
2 1/2cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnimon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Whisk in to the dry ingredients:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup wheat bran
heavy pinch of salt

Mix together:
3/4 stick butter(melted) or 6 Tablespoons oil (Or a combo)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup fresh mango
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the wet into it, and mix until moistened but still lumpy. Bake at around 375.

I'm thinking that it was so puffy initially because of the baking powder. There wasn't enough flour, so I added more flour and another egg to be on the safe side. I actually adapted the recipe using a banana muffin recipe, because I don't have a muffin recipe in my head lol. Many others, but no muffins...Anyway, the mixing method I used is totally different, but its what we called the "Muffin Mixing Method" so I thought it would be appropriate (used for pancakes and waffles too). So this recipe may need some tweaking to get them the way you want them, but I think it should be a good start.

You could also use half whole wheat flour and half AP flour if you want. Let me know how it goes!
 
FC: These sound absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!! You made my mouth water!!!

Linda
 
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That''s what I do best Linda!
 
freke you rock! i have some Q''s though.

i am thinking i''d half this recipe, so in looking at it...halved it and modified it slightly...this is what i am thinking (you critique pls!!)...

1 1/4c AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (why not more for 1c flour...seems like even cupcakes use more?)
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnimon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup wheat bran
pinch of salt
2 tblsp butter
1 tblsp oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 eggs
1/2c fresh mango
1/2cup yogurt

i removed the milk...unless i *need* both? also i was thinking after feeling the texture of these...i am def going to cut back on oil and butter next time. maybe 1 tblsp oil and 2 tblsp butter. they came out REALLY greasy feeling. these were SO MOIST...i figured i''d need to add more dry...and less wet.

why so little on the baking powder? many muffin recipes seem to use a lot?

so really my original was not TOO far off...just more flour...and a little less oil and wet??
 
Well, I thought about the baking powder/soda thing for a while (You should have seen me, I was sitting on my couch staring at my laptop for about 30 minutes thinking about this recipe!) and a lot of the recipes for muffins use less leaveners because usually muffins are supposed to be more dense and not as fluffy. Totally feel free to increase it though-but not by too too much!!

One thing about muffins is that the batter is really a bit wetter (in most cases) than cupcakes-so a lot of wet isn''t bad. Plus, they are mixed differently than cakes, and it allows the flour to absorb less liquid because it goes so fast. You''ll notice if you mix it using the "Muffin Method" the batter starts out really soupy, and then stiffens up by the time you''re scooping the last few muffins.

I would say that if you''re going to decrease the oil/butter, leave the milk in-you''re going to need it for moisture (instead of grease)!

There are SO MANY things you could do to this recipe-well any recipe really-that would seriously change it-more dense, more light, more moist, less greasy--its just a big experiment really, that you work on until you achieve exactly what you''re looking for. This is why I like Cook''s Illustrated so much-they do all the testing for you-and give you a great recipe-one that you can tweak this way or that way depending on what you want (And I LOVE that they tell you everything THEY did-so you kind of know what effect it''ll have on the recipe).

Yeah you''re original recipe wasn''t bad at all!!
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