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The Cupcake Thread!

Hmmm...My recipe for Pound cake is really simple.

1 # sugar
1 # butter (room temp)
1 # eggs (about 8)
1 # flour

Beat the sugar and butter for a long time because that''s where the leavening comes from. So beating it too much isn''t really a problem. Then add the eggs one or two of the time, and by the end, it will probably look a little curdled and messed up, but when the flour is added it turns into a beautiful batter. Bake at 350* F. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

This is the classic pound cake recipe, and it''s really dense and comes out slightly crunchy on top if baked in one big pan, but so yummy. I love it.
 
Date: 6/24/2008 11:51:45 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Hmmm...My recipe for Pound cake is really simple.

1 # sugar
1 # butter (room temp)
1 # eggs (about 8)
1 # flour

Beat the sugar and butter for a long time because that''s where the leavening comes from. So beating it too much isn''t really a problem. Then add the eggs one or two of the time, and by the end, it will probably look a little curdled and messed up, but when the flour is added it turns into a beautiful batter. Bake at 350* F. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

This is the classic pound cake recipe, and it''s really dense and comes out slightly crunchy on top if baked in one big pan, but so yummy. I love it.
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HI:

Right-O.
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Good ole cake batter. I think I may "refine" my granulated sugar to smaller morsels. Gotta love those FP''s!

Eva17--I thought about using SC as Miss Skippy recipe/reference indictated--I often have SC in my fridge (my son loves it????) but not buttermilk. With all those eggs and butter what''s a little more "fat"?????
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And OH with fresh summer berries...yum yum yum

cheers--Sharon
 
let us know which you made and how it was
 
I have cupcakes in the oven right now--yum! I made them with leftover batter from the cake I pulled out about half an hour ago--delicious dark chocolate...mmmm...
 
Date: 6/22/2008 8:42:14 PM
Author: Mara
ha ha OMG i can't believe you found that surfgirl...what a little sleuth you are!!! thanks for all the sweet words gals...


well i actually have not started a 'business'...it all started with my friend who Yelped my cupcakes...and then a bunch more people did because I'd bring them to events, and then people started asking me if they could order, and so I figured well why not on the side. But I do not that many orders, thankfully, cuz I'm BUSY anyway and it is a lot of work! i actually have turned away two gals who wanted like 250 and 400 cupcakes for weddings...SO not ready for that!


so funny because i logged on here the other day and meant to post some pictures of recent stuff i've done but my computer crashed and then i got distracted (happens so often lately!) and wandered away.


i actually just got back from a cupcake bakeoff and i won 3 out of the 7 categories...it was so fun! i have pictures which i'll try to upload in the next few days.


hope you all are still baking too....love the cupcakes eva!
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here's to your cupcakes mara!

ETA : sorry i've been dying to use this emoticon! lol! lol! lol!

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Ringster,
Where on earth did you find that *thing*?!
 
Date: 6/25/2008 3:14:21 PM
Author: Harriet
Ringster,

Where on earth did you find that *thing*?!
Click to expand...

you likey? ;P
 
Date: 6/24/2008 11:21:09 PM
Author: Eva17
let us know which you made and how it was
Click to expand...
HI:
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I used MS "classic" recipe and it is delish. Took me much longer to bake than the recipe stated (50 min...)--despite my generous loaf pan. Regardless it is a cake I''d make again, but next time I will try the one with SC in it (I think it was Paula Dean''s via Miss Skippy.....) for comparison sake.....

cheers--Sharon
 
One of the surgeons from work retired yesterday so the nursing staff thought we''d have a bakeoff to contribute stuff to his farewell party. I won! Heehee. No prize though, doggnit
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No one else made cupcakes though, just sponge cakes and stuff, so cupcakes were something a bit different. Yay for cuppies!!

Here''s my gaggle of cupcakes! Red Velvet and vanilla with strawberry cream cheese.

Naked...

CuppiCakes1.jpg
 
Yum. A few disappeared beofre they were frosted!!

CuppiCakes2.jpg
 
Ready to roll... my husband ate 6 of these in one sitting!

Cuppicakes3.jpg
 
Ta da!

I have a stack of strawberry cream cheese left over, so I might have to make some more cuppies to use it up
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CuppiCakes4.jpg
 
ooohhhhhhh those look so good, DandiAndi!! YUMMMM
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Date: 6/28/2008 8:34:17 PM
Author: Rosebud8506
ooohhhhhhh those look so good, DandiAndi!! YUMMMM
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Ditto, they are gorgeous DandiAndi! I want one. hehe
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DandiAndi--
those strawberry cuppies look almost like a drawing -- so perfect.
 
DA they look gorgeous! And SCRUMPTIOUS.
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Date: 6/28/2008 11:11:46 PM
Author: FireGoddess
DA they look gorgeous! And SCRUMPTIOUS.
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Wow those look Delish!!!
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Heehee thanks ladies!! I have so much fun making them. I was called to work at 1am this morning to deliver a baby and had JUST finished icing another batch to take to calisthenics dress rehearsal when I had to leave to race to work. The surgeon looked at me sideways when I told him I was up baking cupcakes at 1am... he figured I must be pregnant and nesting to do such a thing at such a strange time!
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(I''m not!! Just mad on cuppies)
 
they look yummy.

love the platter shot!!!
 
Date: 6/24/2008 11:51:45 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Hmmm...My recipe for Pound cake is really simple.

1 # sugar
1 # butter (room temp)
1 # eggs (about 8)
1 # flour

Beat the sugar and butter for a long time because that''s where the leavening comes from. So beating it too much isn''t really a problem. Then add the eggs one or two of the time, and by the end, it will probably look a little curdled and messed up, but when the flour is added it turns into a beautiful batter. Bake at 350* F. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

This is the classic pound cake recipe, and it''s really dense and comes out slightly crunchy on top if baked in one big pan, but so yummy. I love it.
Click to expand...

I have a Q freke: do you use salted butter or unsalted butter? I am by no means a "baker" but I always wondered the difference between the two when to use, and when not to use.

I LOVE pound cake!! I found a recipe on Cooking Light made with lemon and poppyseed. But it turned out very WET. I guess I will beat the butter + sugar longer, and take your advice.
 
Date: 6/29/2008 9:41:09 PM
Author: Rosebud8506
I have a Q freke: do you use salted butter or unsalted butter? I am by no means a ''baker'' but I always wondered the difference between the two when to use, and when not to use.

I LOVE pound cake!! I found a recipe on Cooking Light made with lemon and poppyseed. But it turned out very WET. I guess I will beat the butter + sugar longer, and take your advice.
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I use unsalted. Basically the only difference is that one does have some salt added to it, and the other doesn''t. That seems obvious, but what isn''t necessarily obvious is that because of the higher salt content-you''re a) getting less butter, and b) possibly more water because of the higher salt content.

I don''t normally have salted butter around, but I''d use it for anything basic-and then not use salt in the recipe because of the butter''s salt content. I also throw salt into every recipe I make-even if it doesn''t call for it, because it''s general use is as a flavor enhancer. Essentially salt should be present, but you shouldn''t have an overwhelming sense of in your fact SALT. You know?

So really instead of my pound cake recipe above being flour, eggs, butter and sugar, it usually comes out to be flour eggs, butter and sugar-plus vanilla extract (or a funky liqueur if I''m feeling spunky) and a pinch of so of salt. This is just a personal preference. I like recipes without them too, I just prefer to add my own thing to them.

Would you might posting your recipe?
 
Those cupcakes look so yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!! I want to reach through my computer screen a grab one
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Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake (from Cooking Light)


Cooking spray
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside.
Beat granulated sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Poke holes in top of cake using a skewer. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; brush over warm cake. Cool completely.


**ok, now I didn''t bake in a loaf pan as it suggests above. I baked into mini bundt pans (6 to be exact) and adjusted the time to about 40-45 min. What gives?
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Freke: thanks for the knowledge on salted vs. unsalted!
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I usually use unsalted when cooking in general, but I have tried to use that and bake regular old chocolate chip cookies (seriously right off the package from Nestle) and it tasted really flat, so salted works much better IMO for CCC.

If you have any advice on what happened with my lemon pound cake, please by all means I am all ears!!
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Oh, and if it means anything, I used my KitchenAid mixer vs. handheld mixer with this recipe. I am always afraid I am going to mix the hell out of the batter, so I am a nut with watching it to make sure it doesn''t overmix.
 
Date: 6/29/2008 10:08:58 PM
Author: Rosebud8506
Ok, this is so it doesn't stick to the pan right?
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

And these are for the cake?
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

Icing
2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
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How did it taste? Did you take any pics? Where do you live-by any major bodies of water or in a humid area?

I would reduce the milk, sugar and butter-but only a little bit from each. OR add just a little bit more flour. I'm talking like reducing by tablespoons and adding by tablespoons. Maybe reducing the buttermilk by a 1/4. That shouldn't make too big of a difference to the flavor-only the texture.

I heart my kitchen aid, but I use it only for meringues and stuff that takes a lot of beating. Otherwise I just use my arm-which takes longer, but I like to do it.
 
Rosebud to my eye that recipe doesn''t look like it would be all that wet...for my lemon cupcakes I use more butter, a little less flour and same amount of buttermilk as your recipe, AND add lemon juice and they don''t come out wet at all. Do you have an oven temperature gauge? It could be that your oven is really off. I always wondered my stuff came out so wet and I had to cook everything twice as long --well got a thermo and it was FIFTY Degrees off. So literally now when it says heat to 350 I have to do 400. Crazy yet true. Now my stuff comes out great and it bakes up in the time it typically should.

DA those cuppies look yummy, those RV''s got huge domes!! I am always curious about domed cupcakes vs non. Most of mine do not dome but I did a recipe recently and it had huge domes on it. I was like WHY?

I made a fabulous lemon yogurt cake from whiskblog.com and I loved it...it tastes a lot like a pound cake would esp a day later...so yummy. Plus a little more healthy. You can also put a glaze of jam on it or a lemon glaze. But I tend to not even bother, I love lemon loaf cake

Oh and I always always always use unsalted butter. I was not sure either but erred on unsalted and then I read a blog where a gal did a recipe that a bunch of other people did too and she said it came out so salty because she used salted. I was like oooh never salted. I always have a trough of it in the fridge. Basically it''s just extra salt in the recipe.
 
Date: 6/29/2008 11:33:46 PM
Author: Mara
Rosebud to my eye that recipe doesn''t look like it would be all that wet...for my lemon cupcakes I use more butter, a little less flour and same amount of buttermilk as your recipe, AND add lemon juice and they don''t come out wet at all. Do you have an oven temperature gauge? It could be that your oven is really off. I always wondered my stuff came out so wet and I had to cook everything twice as long --well got a thermo and it was FIFTY Degrees off. So literally now when it says heat to 350 I have to do 400. Crazy yet true. Now my stuff comes out great and it bakes up in the time it typically should.

DA those cuppies look yummy, those RV''s got huge domes!! I am always curious about domed cupcakes vs non. Most of mine do not dome but I did a recipe recently and it had huge domes on it. I was like WHY?

I made a fabulous lemon yogurt cake from whiskblog.com and I loved it...it tastes a lot like a pound cake would esp a day later...so yummy. Plus a little more healthy. You can also put a glaze of jam on it or a lemon glaze. But I tend to not even bother, I love lemon loaf cake

Oh and I always always always use unsalted butter. I was not sure either but erred on unsalted and then I read a blog where a gal did a recipe that a bunch of other people did too and she said it came out so salty because she used salted. I was like oooh never salted. I always have a trough of it in the fridge. Basically it''s just extra salt in the recipe.
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Mara, I don''t know!!! I was hoping you or Freke could enlighten me
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It''s the ONLY recipe I use that domes like that. The only thing I could think of is that I used baking soda in the RVs and not the vanillas... other than that I''m STUMPED.
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Mara: My oven is a bit off. I always have to keep the temp a few degrees higher than what the recipe calls for. I find a lot of things come out uneven too, but I am not getting a new oven any time soon (it''s about 6 yrs old). Maybe I didn''t mix enough?

No, we live in MI and it is not too hot here (or humid) although, on any given day it could be high 80''s and humid and then 70 and rainy.

The only pic I took was on my phone, and I deleted it. I also bake in stoneware (pampered chef stoneware). So...
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it beats me!?

I''m going to give it another whirl and try with the hand mixer and also try your suggestions Freke, and see if that changes the outcome. Thanks ladies
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DA I''m not sure what caused the domes but I''m assuming it had something to do with the leavener. You said you used baking soda? Those are some huge domed tops!

RB- I''d keep a watch on the humidity too. Most people have no idea how weather means that you need to adjust your recipes. Because it''s so FREAKING dry in NM, I almost always end up adding more liquid to recipes, because the flour has such a low moisture content 99% of the time. It can make a huge difference. But I''d decrease the buttermilk, decrease the butter and sugar-but only by a little bit, and see how that does. And I meant in my earlier post, to reduce the buttermilk by a 1/4 cup.

The stone bakeware might be making a difference too-most recipes use metal so things will bake faster in thin sheets of metal versus the thicker ceramic of the stoneware. So you might need to bake it longer because of that as well... Or maybe just at a higher temperature.

I love baking, but sometimes it gives me a headache. It really could be so many little things or it could be a combination of things.
 
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