The Cupcake Thread!

[Mara]

lol SDL...i hope if it''s my recipe they come out right hehee. pressure! and so funny you found some of my stuff!

i love reading about piping tips, it really is practice makes perfect and consistency is very hard to get!!!! i pipe all the time and i am still not consistent. i also use a ton of diff tips and try the same methods with diff ones just to see what they do. experimenting is fun! also it really does depend on how stiff or fluffed or soft your frosting is with what you can accomplish.

 

[Mara]

oh and dixie on your question about the cupcakes not coming out evenly all the time, it is your cupcake pan... it is old and it probably is buckled in certain places. i had 2 old pans that got more and more like this the more i used them and finally i was like ''it is like $15 for a new one, wtf!''...so i just tossed my old ones and got 3 new ones. it makes a huge difference too in how even the baking is and browning and all that as well...pans are important!

 

[mrssalvo]

my mom just gave me a pampered chef cupcake baking stone. Are they any good? I haven''t tried baking with it yet b/c I always just used my normal pan but I wouldn''t mind giving it a go if you cupcake experts think it will work? thoughts?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 11/20/2008 3:08:05 PM
Author: mrssalvo
my mom just gave me a pampered chef cupcake baking stone. Are they any good? I haven't tried baking with it yet b/c I always just used my normal pan but I wouldn't mind giving it a go if you cupcake experts think it will work? thoughts?

Mrs. ah,that is sweet of your mom. I don't have the cupcake stone, not sure if you have their other stones, but you need to season them with oil so batter doesn't stick to them. I use a pizza stone and a stone for a cobbler. Once they are seasoned then I would try them and see what you think. My cobbler and pizza comes out nice but the tough part is you can't use soap to wash it. I use hot water and the little square thing to clean them but it can be tricky sometimes. I would hang onto your pans to see what you think.

 

[Mara]

dixie...don''t undercharge...omg $15 a dozen??!?! No way! those cupcakes take your precious time which is worth something...if you price yourself too low people will feel like they are paying for ''bargain cupcakes''...is that what you produce?? i would say at least charge $2 a cupcake (regular size ones not minis) so that you are getting $24 per dozen which at least covers your costs. i started at $30 and went to $36 and while i might have a few less people buy from me at $36 than $30, i put a lot of time and effort into my stuff and since it is ''just on the side''... i don''t want to be busier than i am right now. so it''s worth it for me to charge more to feel like my time is counted. anyway, just my two cents... i know you might think well i am just starting out or my stuff isn''t worth what cupcakeries charge, but think about ''perception'' to people.

 

[akw94]

Skippy, thank you! It''s fun making them.

Mara, good advice about reading about piping tips and experimenting. I''m going to have to look harder for more advice online b/c I''m just not satisfied w/my piping. I''m hoping to get a new pan for the holidays, otherwise, I will be buying myself one. I think it''s the pan too.
Ok, now I definitely know I undercharged! But at least it was just my 1st order. Part of my concern is that I live in an area that''s not big on cupcakes so I worry about charging too much. That''s also why I think the business might really go far, since there aren''t any cupcake stores around here and all you really see are the grocery store kind. Most bakeries here don''t have them either. So I don''t want to undercharge or turn people off by overcharging. You''re right though about perception, someone else mentioned that to me too. I''ll have to rethink my prices. Do you ever give a deal for bigger orders or is it always priced per dozen?

Mrssalvo, what do you do w/the cupcake baking stone? Do you just put the cupcake liners right on the stone? Sorry if it''s a silly question, I''m just learning about all the equipment and the what''s what of cupcakes.

What does everyone think about cupcakes for Thanksgiving? What kind would you serve? Is there anyway to incorporate pecan pie into a cupcake? I don''t want to do pumpkin and am probably also making an Apple Cake so probably want to stay away from apple. I was thinking of trying Mara''s peanut butter cup cupcakes. They sound soooooooo good, and I can''t ever make them for school functions b/c so many kids are allergic to peanut butter.
Other flavors or ideas? What are you all having for Thanksgiving dessert?

Here''s a pic of the cookies and cream cupcakes I made for my 1st order

.
Freke, I couldn''t get the tip of the icing to stay down, even when I released the bag before pulling up. What am I doing wrong??

 

[FrekeChild]

Well first off, what kind of frosting are you using?

To get rid of the peak, you need to take all of the pressure off of the pastry bag (or whatever it is you're using) a little bit before you're actually done making the rosette. Are you right handed or left handed?

(And we're having store bought pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I am just not up to making dessert on Wednesday night--I have class from 5:30-8pm-- and then cooking most of the day Thursday. I used to do it all of the time, but with class being that late, I just can't hack it this year. And this year is a lot different from previous ones anyway, so it's not going to happen. However, Christmas cookies WILL happen. I'm determined to make it happen.)

 

[akw94]

Date: 11/23/2008 8:18:05 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Well first off, what kind of frosting are you using?


To get rid of the peak, you need to take all of the pressure off of the pastry bag (or whatever it is you''re using) a little bit before you''re actually done making the rosette. Are you right handed or left handed?


(And we''re having store bought pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I am just not up to making dessert on Wednesday night--I have class from 5:30-8pm-- and then cooking most of the day Thursday. I used to do it all of the time, but with class being that late, I just can''t hack it this year. And this year is a lot different from previous ones anyway, so it''s not going to happen. However, Christmas cookies WILL happen. I''m determined to make it happen.)

Hi Freke,
I use a basic butter, cream cheese and confec. sugar frosting. I like to add the cream cheese b/c I think it''s just too sweet otherwise. Hmm, I''ll just have to keep practicing the rosette. I am right handed. I also have a problem getting the bottom of the icing to look like a complete circle b/c when I start the second level of icing, the bottom circle isn''t always completed. I don''t know if that makes sense, it''s hard to describe in words what I mean.
Sounds like you''re busy so I can understand not being up to baking, class and cooking! I''ve just started baking more since I have more time now, otherwise, I just didn''t have the energy.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Skippy123]

Dixie, we are doing a baklava and pumpkin pies for turkey day. In the past a friend of mind did a pumpkin roll and I made it too and those things are delicious so what about making a pumpkin cupcake w/that delicious cream cheese frosting. I can dig up the recipe if you like but pumpkin bread tastes similar and so delicious; not sure if you tried either. You look like you are having a blast with the cupcakes and awesome that you are starting a business doing that!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 11/20/2008 3:31:19 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 11/20/2008 3:08:05 PM

Author: mrssalvo

my mom just gave me a pampered chef cupcake baking stone. Are they any good? I haven''t tried baking with it yet b/c I always just used my normal pan but I wouldn''t mind giving it a go if you cupcake experts think it will work? thoughts?

Mrs. ah,that is sweet of your mom. I don''t have the cupcake stone, not sure if you have their other stones, but you need to season them with oil so batter doesn''t stick to them. I use a pizza stone and a stone for a cobbler. Once they are seasoned then I would try them and see what you think. My cobbler and pizza comes out nice but the tough part is you can''t use soap to wash it. I use hot water and the little square thing to clean them but it can be tricky sometimes. I would hang onto your pans to see what you think.

thanks skippy. I''ve got the pizza stone and use it all the time for pizza and cookies. I didn''t think about the need to season cupcake stone with oil. I may just buy a box mix to test it out with the liner and see if it works and if they back evenly etc. before I try a made from scratch batch. we''ll see....

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 11/23/2008 4:30:26 PM
Author: dixie94

What does everyone think about cupcakes for Thanksgiving? What kind would you serve? Is there anyway to incorporate pecan pie into a cupcake? I don''t want to do pumpkin and am probably also making an Apple Cake so probably want to stay away from apple. I was thinking of trying Mara''s peanut butter cup cupcakes. They sound soooooooo good, and I can''t ever make them for school functions b/c so many kids are allergic to peanut butter.

Other flavors or ideas? What are you all having for Thanksgiving dessert?


Here''s a pic of the cookies and cream cupcakes I made for my 1st order

.

First off, Dixie, your cookie and cream cupcakes look DEEEE-lish. Gorgeous! What type of frosting did you use-- a traditional vanilla buttercream, or did you experiment with marshmallow-style creams to mimic oreo frosting? Well, no matter what, they look incredible.



To answer your earlier questions about Thanksgiving, I''ve been experimenting this last week with a few varieties/combos of cupcakes to bring to the big family feast for those who aren''t big into pies. I haven''t finalized my selections, but I''m now thinking of:

-- Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes with Whipped Maple Frosting; perfected over the last week after trying 4 frosting combos, these taste-tested #1. They''re very mild, and my FI (who hates pumpkin pie) was surprised by how much he liked these.

-- Basic Vanilla Cupcakes (though I *might* make a candy cane frosting to tip the hat to the impending Christmas season, I''m not sure yet... but Dixie, I''d say that a "safe" cupcake for those who don''t like thanksgiving pies, like young children and finicky eaters of all ages, would really go for having a great basic vanilla alternative on Thursday)

-- Possibly some liqueur-based cupcakes for the adults?



Actually, I''d love some feedback and/or recipes for the last category. The family loves Bailey''s Irish Cream, and when I test-drove Mara''s frosting recipe in this thread, the frosting came out great. (Thanks, Mara!) I tried them on a basic vanilla cupcake, which was fine, but to my palate it seemed like it wasn''t the perfect pairing.

Can anyone suggest a type of cake (or even supply a recipe) that you think would pair well with a Bailey''s Frosting?

f-d-l

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 11/23/2008 4:30:26 PM
Author: dixie94

What does everyone think about cupcakes for Thanksgiving? What kind would you serve? Is there anyway to incorporate pecan pie into a cupcake?

Just to start the ideas flowing, I think the best way to come up with a cupcake based on pecan pie is to turn to the pecan pie recipe and break it down. Most of the PP recipes I see have lots of brown sugar, sometimes molasses, and sometimes caramel (and, of course, pecans). If I were to play around, I''d probably start off with a brown sugar cupcake (like the cake component of this one here:
http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/brown-sugar-cupcakes-with-fudgy-frosting/ ) but use crushed pecans rather than crushed walnuts, make a molasses frosting, and top with either a drizzle of caramel sauce or a dusting of crushed pecan bits depending on your palate.

Have you tried any combos yet?

f-d-l

 

[FrekeChild]

Baileys....What about some kind of Irish cream cupcake? Hmmmm....I''m going to have to think about that.

Thoughts of drinks/flavors with Bailey''s...coffee, chocolate, creme de menthe...

Ok. (This is very close to how my mind works-ADHD and all. Apologies for the jumbled mess...) I''m imagining a chocolate cupcake. A creme anglaise (cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla cooked carefully on the stove) spiked with Baileys as a filling for the cupcakes. Or instead, maybe a pastry cream. Either a Bailey''s/chocolate buttercream on top or perhaps something minty. I worked at a Bennigans for about a year and everything had Bailey''s in it. My favorite drink (well, one that had Bailey''s in it) was the Irish Mudslide, with Baileys, ice cream, chocolate sauce and mead. Yes, mead. That drink is fantastic.

I just tried to look up their drink menu, but with them filing for Chapter 11 recently, their website kind of went down the tubes and they don''t have their drink menu up anymore.

Maybe Frangelico, Kahlua, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur...

A technique often used with cakes is to "soak" the cake using a pastry brush with simple syrup mixed with a liqueur to enhance the flavor/moisture of it. I have use this a lot and made coconut cake and soaked it using 1/2 simple syrup and 1/2 Malibu rum (coconut flavored). That worked well...But you''d have to cut off a bit of the top of the cupcakes or use some kind of syringe (I just bought a food one from Linens N Things for $5.) Unless you take a chunk out of the middle of the cake, to fill it later, and soak some of the syrup into the hole before filling...

Pecan Pie. This is what I''d probably do...
Brown sugar cake.
Caramel filling.
Caramel or brown sugar buttercream with crushed pecans in it or caramelized pecans on top.
I think I should look into this. My dad and I are huge pecan pie fans, but we''re losing out this year to FF and my mom who prefer pumpkin pie...

OMG....Or....Brown sugar cake, caramel/brown sugar filling, caramelized pecans on top of the cake, but UNDER some freshly whipped cream with a little brandy added to it. Yum....

I am going to make my white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake for my mom sometime before/around Christmas. She loves it, and I don''t know if she''ll be around next year...

I hope this helps someone...Sorry it''s a mess...I actually cleaned it up a lot.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 11/24/2008 9:50:20 AM
Author: dixie94
Hi Freke,

I use a basic butter, cream cheese and confec. sugar frosting. I like to add the cream cheese b/c I think it''s just too sweet otherwise. Hmm, I''ll just have to keep practicing the rosette. I am right handed. I also have a problem getting the bottom of the icing to look like a complete circle b/c when I start the second level of icing, the bottom circle isn''t always completed. I don''t know if that makes sense, it''s hard to describe in words what I mean.

Sounds like you''re busy so I can understand not being up to baking, class and cooking! I''ve just started baking more since I have more time now, otherwise, I just didn''t have the energy.

Thanks for your help!

I really need to just make informative baking how to videos and post them to youtube. I told this to FF last night, and he said that would probably be a good idea.

I understand what you mean about the circles, and I can see the problem in your piping....I don''t know how to explain how to fix it without demonstrating...If you look at my picture above, you can kind of see that you should only be making one circle though. It''s almost like you make am outside circle, but instead of making the two points meet, you kind of go in with the end of the line. Maybe I could draw it better than I can explain it? I''ll try in a little bit...

 

[akw94]

Skippy, your desserts sound good! I don''t think I''ll make any pumpkin related items this year since someone will be bringing a pumpkin pie. But that cupcake you suggested does sound good!!

Fleur-de-lis, thank you! I used a cream cheese frosting, not heavy on the cream cheese though. I don''t like it too sweet so I find that adding some cream cheese to your basic powdered sugar frosting helps. Your cupcakes sound great, especially the pumpkin ginger w/maple frosting. I wish I could suggest a cake for you but I''m not that creative. I tend to just follow recipes, at least so far!
The idea of a brown sugar cupcake sounds good. I haven''t tried anything yet, just b/c I don''t feel ready to really experiment yet. But I might. You have given me some great ideas, thanks!

Freke, do you happen to have a recipe for the brown sugar cake w/caramel filling? That sounds soooo good! Or a recipe for caramel buttercream? Yum! Wow, it sounds so good and would be great for Thanksgiving.
Oooh, white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake sounds great too. I am such a dessert fanatic which is terrible since I''m trying to lose weight, not gain it!
By the way, I''d definitely watch your videos if you ever had time to make them.

 

[akw94]

Date: 11/24/2008 1:28:07 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis

http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/brown-sugar-cupcakes-with-fudgy-frosting/ ) but use crushed pecans rather than crushed walnuts, make a molasses frosting, and top with either a drizzle of caramel sauce or a dusting of crushed pecan bits depending on your palate.
f-d-l

I think I might try this recipe. Could you just put a caramel cube into the cupcake to make a caramel filling? Does anyone think that might be too much, too sweet?

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 11/25/2008 10:04:48 AM
Author: dixie94

Date: 11/24/2008 1:28:07 PM

Author: fleur-de-lis


http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/brown-sugar-cupcakes-with-fudgy-frosting/ ) but use crushed pecans rather than crushed walnuts, make a molasses frosting, and top with either a drizzle of caramel sauce or a dusting of crushed pecan bits depending on your palate.

f-d-l

I think I might try this recipe. Could you just put a caramel cube into the cupcake to make a caramel filling? Does anyone think that might be too much, too sweet?

Oooh, Dixie, since I never really was a filled-cupcake fan, I have yet to really start experimenting hard-core with filling injections much. I''m guessing Freke can draw from her enviable experience better than I can right now. (Off the top of my head, I would be concerned that a caramel square would melt in the oven and re-solidify once the cupcake reduces to room temperature and harden. Of course, there is one way to find out-- make a test cupcake or two in a mini-batch and see what happens!)

That said, I *love* Freke''s suggestions for pecan pie inspired cupcakes, especially to top the brown sugar cake with a little gooey caramelized pecans as a way of letting everyone know from where the inspiration came (because it''s BOTH caramel and pecan, not to mention darn pretty). I did a quick google search, and this looks like a simple recipe:


Caramelized Pecans
1/2T Butter
1T Sugar
1/2c Pecans

Melt butter in small skillet over medium-high heat and add sugar and nuts. Stir constantly until sugar loses grainy appearance, about 5 minutes. Pour nuts onto sheet of aluminum foil and let cool about 15 minutes. Store up to 2 days in airtight container.



BTW, I think Freke''s idea of a liqueur-infused whipped cream sounds superior to what I''m about to suggest, but if the idea of a fully-completed-in-advance cupcake sounds appealing with all the tasks to complete on T-Day, this Brown Sugar Caramel frosting in the comments section of gourmetgirl1''s blogspot blog sounds promising in its old-fashioned way:

POSTER NAMED CHEF RICK WRITES:
I''m a food historian and am lucky enough to have dozens of old cookbooks. This recipe is from the late 1950s and was published by Eudora Garrison, who for many years was the food editor of The Charlotte Observer. It has served me well over the years.

Caramel Frosting

3 cups (light) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sugar and half and half in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring over low heat until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. If lacking a thermometer, check doneness by dropping a tiny bit of syrup into a cup of cold water. When the syrup can be gathered up in fingers and will almost hold its shape, it has reached the soft-ball stage.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter, then let syrup cool. Add vanilla and beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency. A little cream (or half-and-half) may be added is mixture is too thick.

I haven''t tried any of these recipes (so caveat emptor, hee hee), but I''m salivating at the thought of what you''re trying to pull off. If you go for it, PLEASE post pictures ''cause your creations so far have looked so very delish!

f-d-l

 

[akw94]

Fleur, your ideas are making me drool! I love the idea of caramelized pecans as a topper. I might have to buy more pecans though since I only bought enough for the pecans in the cupcakes, but I could just do a few per cupcake and I might have enough.
I found this Caramel Swirl Buttercream icing that I might try. I am attaching a pic from the book. It looks so good! I''ve never made a real buttercream before so I''m hoping it turns out ok. Once you make the buttercream, you make the caramel drizzzle and mix into the icing. I''m not sure what to do about the cake though. I want to do the brown sugar cupcake recipe but I think it makes 24. Can you just 1/2 the recipe to do 12? I''d rather just make 12 since I think I want to do the pb cupcakes as well. I don''t know, I''m going a little crazy right now and can''t imagine having time to do all of this. I want to make an Apple cake as well but might ditch that for the cupcakes.
I would love to add caramel to the cupcake but I don''t know how. I''m hoping someone will chime in to give me an idea, of course, I did buy a bag of caramels just in case. I probably will end up trying one to see what happens. If the caramel hardens, that won''t work since they won''t be eaten right after being baked. Hmm, wish I knew more about all of this...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

"Amazon currently has the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer for $209.99 after-rebate. The $209.99 price is only valid on the following colors: White, Cobalt Blue, Empire Red, Onyx Black and Metallic Chrome."

 

[neatfreak]

Ohhh those caramel cupcakes look sooo yummy!

 

[FrekeChild]

Bad news....I only make caramel from scratch and don't use the caramels that come in packages (but they are so yummy, huh?)

Linky for Brown Sugar Cake

I'm adapting the recipe for our purposes:

# 1/4 cup butter
# 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
# 2 eggs
# 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
# 1 cup all-purpose flour
# 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
# 1/2 teaspoon salt
# 2/3 cup milk (or half and half)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat for 3 minutes after the mixture is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Divide into cupcake liners in the tins. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. I think this should make about a dozen cupcakes or so.

Caramel
Ok. Caramel is nothing to mess around with. I believe caramel becomes "caramel" around the 300 degree mark. And just the straight caramelized sugar is like napalm. It sticks to you and it burns until all of it's heat is gone. It is dangerous. Period. And I have the scar to prove it.

Having said all of that, it's one of my favorite things to make. And I don't use a recipe. So that makes sharing one really hard. Lol.

This is my method. The Freke method of caramel sauce making.

I put enough water to cover the bottom of a medium size stainless steel (silver) sauce pot. Then I pour anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups of sugar in (depending on what I'm making and what I'm making it for). The problem with cooking sugar (and this is getting into advanced baking and pastry technique) is that if there is even one grain of sugar--any crystals at all, the rest of the pot will follow and quickly. So essentially what I do is have the water, add the sugar and leave it to do it's thing on medium heat. You might read in a cook book that you need to brush the edges of the pan with water--I don't do that, because it stalls the cooking.

So the goal is to cook all of the water out of the sugar, and then let the sugar start to burn. Technically a copper pot is the best to do this in because of it's conductive properties, but color is going to play a huge part in deciding when it's done, so that doesn't help much unless you've made it a lot.

The best thing about cooking sugar is that it's relatively cheap--if you mess up and cook it too much, you just throw it out (best way there is to pour hot water into it, bring it to a boil and repeat until all of the sugar has dissolved into the water-this is also the best way to clean the pan after cooking sugar.) and start again.

So I recommend watching the pot the entire time. So your sugar has finally dissolved, and it's now cooking away. There will be a point where steam stops coming off of the syrup and the bubbles slow down and start to look kind of soapy/filmy. This is the point in which you need to be very careful. At one point--depending on how high the heat is--parts of the sugar will start to darken, this is good--it's finally starting to caramelize. So here are the colors you want to look for--chesnut brown and when you angle the pot a little so the syrup goes to one side--the shallow side should be about this color--honey yellow. When it reaches that color, you have to take it off the heat immediately If you wait too long, it will burn and turn bitter. And once it starts to turn brown--it goes FAST.

This is the point in which you're going to want to throw a chunk of butter (I think I use about 2 tablespoons to a 1/2 a cup-depends on what consistency I'm going for, and how much sugar I'm using) about a teaspoon of salt (it's caramel's best friend) and vanilla extract. This is a bit scary though-you have to have a metal whisk in your hand as you do this, and you have to start whisking it--the quicker the better, but you have to be incredibly careful to not splash it on you--because it will burn you. Also, you need to have heavy cream nearby, and as the sugar stops bubbling like crazy, you should add about an equal amount of heavy cream to the sugar. It will bubble up again, and at this point, you should have it back on the heat, and be whisking it still. The caramel/sugar will probably try it's best to harden when you add the butter and it starts boiling, but between it's need to dissolve into heavy cream, the whisking and the heat, it should melt right back into the heavy cream. At this point, providing that the heavy cream did not curdle (little white chunks of milk protein will be hanging out in it) you should have a smooth caramel sauce. Remove it from the heat, and allow it to cool. After it's cool you'll need to check the consistency. If it's not liquidy enough, you could put it back in a pan, heat it up a bit, and add a little bit more heavy cream. (NOTE: Only heavy cream is usable for this. Do not try to substitute half and half or milk. It WILL curdle.)

An awesome thing about caramel from scratch is that the entire thing is made of natural preservatives, so it will keep for a long long time.

Filled Cupcakes
I like to use a small paring knife to cut out a small circular hole in a baked cupcake. Another thing you might try would be a melon baller. You don't want to take out a huge piece. Maybe about an inch to inch and a half circle in the middle of the cuppie, and then about an inch deep. It's better to take a tiny bit out at a time, because once it's out, you can't really put it back. And then I fill the hole with whatever I want to using a piping bag and whatever tip--usually a plain round one though--no stars or anything.

Does any/all of this sound like something you might be interested in attempting? I know it sounds hard, but once you do it once successfully it is like riding a bike.

Any questions?

 

[akw94]

Freke, thank you for all of that info! Wow, you are a wealth of knowledge! I don''t think I''m up to making my own caramel this time around as it sounds challenging and a bit scary. But I am going to try your brown sugar cupcake recipe. I''m also going to try the carmelized pecans and the caramel buttercream frosting. I''m going to do a test cupcake with a pre-made caramel in the middle and one where I melt the caramel down and then fill it, using your method, after the cupcake is done. One problem is that I don''t have any round tips, only the star-type tips so I''m not sure how I''ll fill the whole. I guess just plop some icing in there with a spoon or something and then pipe the rest on top.. not sure.
Do you think if I''m using the pre-made caramels that either method will work? I did find one recipe using the pre-made ones so I''m hopeful. If you were choosing, do you think putting the caramel inside and then cooking or filling with melted caramel after would work better?
Also, if I make the batter tonight to do my testers, that batter will last until tomorrow to make the actual cupcakes, right? Is it the same with the icing or do I need to make that fresh tomorrow? If so, I''ll just try a very small batch today.

Whew.. sorry for all of the questions and thanks for anyone who feels like taking the time (in between their Tday cooking) to answer! I''ve prepared the stuffing so far and am onto cooking the sweet potatoes.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 11/26/2008 3:34:05 PM
Author: dixie94
Freke, thank you for all of that info! Wow, you are a wealth of knowledge! I don''t think I''m up to making my own caramel this time around as it sounds challenging and a bit scary. But I am going to try your brown sugar cupcake recipe. I''m also going to try the carmelized pecans and the caramel buttercream frosting. I''m going to do a test cupcake with a pre-made caramel in the middle and one where I melt the caramel down and then fill it, using your method, after the cupcake is done. One problem is that I don''t have any round tips, only the star-type tips so I''m not sure how I''ll fill the whole. I guess just plop some icing in there with a spoon or something and then pipe the rest on top.. not sure.

Do you think if I''m using the pre-made caramels that either method will work? I did find one recipe using the pre-made ones so I''m hopeful. If you were choosing, do you think putting the caramel inside and then cooking or filling with melted caramel after would work better?

Also, if I make the batter tonight to do my testers, that batter will last until tomorrow to make the actual cupcakes, right? Is it the same with the icing or do I need to make that fresh tomorrow? If so, I''ll just try a very small batch today.

Whew.. sorry for all of the questions and thanks for anyone who feels like taking the time (in between their Tday cooking) to answer! I''ve prepared the stuffing so far and am onto cooking the sweet potatoes.

I wouldn''t hold the batter over night. I would honestly just bake them today. Cake, so long as its covered well, doesn''t deteriorate much over night. The problem with leaving batters overnight is that a) it dries out on the top unless you have a wet towel over it and b) gluten develops over time, so your cuppies could turn out tough.

As for the premade caramels. If you melt them down a bit, they''ll be stickier, but likely not something that you''d want to bite into in a cupcake (they''ll go back to their original texture when they cool down). What you should probably do is get a bit of heavy cream in a small pot (I swear the stuff is indestructible) and toss some caramels into it to melt down. And whisk! This should create a caramel sauce of sorts, kind of like the one I talked about in the above novel. I''d probably use about equal parts--1 part heavy cream to 1 part caramels. (And I''d add some salt too!) And see what the consistency is like when it cools down a little.

For sure I''d bake the cupcakes first and then fill them with it when they are cool. I once baked muffins (lemon poppyseed) and I piped some fresh lemon curd into it right before baking---instead of having the oozing lemon curd in the middle when it came out of the oven, it had baked into the batter and there was a hole in the center of the muffin. Not good. I learned from my experience, and I won''t do that again. (Unless with perhaps some chocolate truffles...)

You can still use the star tips to fill stuff, you just have to use a little bit more caution, thats all.

So I''d bake the cuppies today, make the caramel stuff today, fill them tomorrow and make the frosting tomorrow, and then assemble it all tomorrow as well.

How many people are you cooking for? And what all are you making? And when should I show up?

 

[akw94]

Of course, I didn''t check this thread before I decided to do my testers. The pic below shoes my finished product, which needs work! I tried one caramel in the batter and one filled after cooked. The one in the batter is not shown below b/c all that happened was that it sunk to the bottom and stayed in its square shape.

The one below is where I melted the caramel (and mixed w/some heavy cream which I only knew to do b/c the bag of caramels suggested that for melting caramel), then emptied out the center, filled the cupcake and that''s what it looked like inside. Of course, I wasn''t very careful so they''re not the prettiest but I just wanted to see what it would taste and look like. I have one left that''s cut open so maybe I''ll go down and check the consistency of the caramel now that''s it''s totally cooled.
As for the cupcake itself, I added pecans to the recipe. It kind of tasted like banana bread (w/o the banana). I''m not sure how to explain that but it had that bread sort of consistency. I liked it a lot but it was different. Any thoughts on why it tasted different than your average cupcake? Is it the brown sugar or the pecans?? Oh, I just remembered, I also used Skim milk for the 2/3 cup milk, that''s all I had except heavy cream and didn''t know if it was ok to substitute that.

As you can see, the pb cupcake isn''t quite what I expected. I can''t remember if Mara said that it sort of melted into the cupcake but it didn''t do that with mine at all. I know she used the mini pb cups and I imagine that made a difference. I was thinking of chopping up the big ones and adding them to the batter. Or just giving up on that idea and trying to use the batter for some other cupcake, I don''t know.

Freke, thanks for all of your tips! I really appreciate you taking the time. Given your suggestion, I''m going to go ahead and make the brown sugar cupcakes tonight. I don''t want the batter to spoil. I guess I''ll wait on the pb cupcake batter since I''m not sure what to do w/it. I didn''t try the icing yet or carmelized pecans, just too tired from cooking and baking. I am SOOOOOOOOO glad I started all of this today though. Then I''ll just have to add the filling and make icing tomorrow.
Btw, is there a difference between icing and frosting?


You said --> "How many people are you cooking for? And what all are you making? And when should I show up?"

I''m not doing all the cooking, luckily. I''m going to a potluck type Thanksgiving so I volunteered to bring stuffing, sweet potatoes w/marshmallows and dessert of my choice. I think there will be 3-5 families present. 3:00 sharp! This is my 1st year cooking since I''ll be away from home. I''m just hoping it all turns out ok b/c I don''t want to spoil the family recipes. Since I''m not thrilled w/the pb cupcakes, I might try to make something else. Can''t decide.

Sorry for all the long posts!

 

[FrekeChild]

I don''t have much time to respond (in class), I''ll try to write more later, but the difference between icing and frosting is that icing is the stuff you see on danish--more of a glaze, and frosting is something that''s piped on, and used for decoration. Icing has a looser consistency, and has specific uses. There are actually multiple types of fondant, one being the stuff that goes onto danish, and another being the rubbery stuff that usually is on wedding cakes. I know that the first one is icing, but I believe that the other is frosting--although I wouldn''t really qualify it as either.

So:

Glaze = icing
Buttercream = frosting

Does that make sense? I think the two of them are basically interchangeable to the general public though.

 

[Jas12]

Everyone must be busy baking up a storm for the US Thanksgiving (i am a canadian but i can smell the googies from here

I forgot i promised a pic of my chocolate butter cream filled linzers. They turned out pretty good, but a little too time consuming for a bake exchange (i made 4 dozen)

 

[Jas12]

Another view....

 

[neatfreak]

Jas those are gorgeous!

 

[Mara]

dixie you are so ambitious with the thanksgiving cupcake hehee. i love experimenting too. sometimes it's not so nice, other times it's a nice surprise. i made a Caramel Cupcake the other night from this recipe and it was SO GOOD.... it uses White Chocolate in the cupcake as well and it's made like a Mud Cake. Definitely one of my favorites.

I also don't make caramel from scratch, I am far too clumsy in the kitchen to be creating anything at 300 degrees. I buy salted caramels and melt them with heavy cream to make a caramel creme and then I fill the cupcakes with the cut/cone method... like what cupcakeblog.com does. This is especially good with something like a pumpkin or banana cupcake....banana caramel oh my...or you can drizzle the caramel on top, I do this when short on time.

The funny thing now that I make cupcakes so much is that I really don't like them. The idea of a pumpkin or pecan pie cupcake or having cupcakes for Thxgiving is so not appealing to me! I made 12 dozen cupcakes today (I have pictures on my camera!)...yes it was crazy...!! I am SO looking fwd to our Pumpkin Pie and the Pumpkin Cheesecake we are having tomorrow....no cupcakes for me!!! But people love them, yep.... so I keep making them.

Oh and Fleur... I would do a chocolate cuppie with Baileys...or I have seen people do Guiness Cupcakes with Baileys frosting...too fun. I love the chocolate cuppies with Kahlua buttercream frosting.

BTW Freke, there are some youtube videos on baking and techniques and stuff out there...I've watched a few. One of the gals I like is How To Eat a Cupcake (howtoeatacupcake.blogspot.com), she has some fun YouTubes on SMBC.

Anyway happy early thanksgiving all...my buttermilk brined turkey is roasting in the oven and I am about to make my truffled gruyere mashed potatoes (new this year, so excited to taste them) for 'our' Thanksgiving dinner which always happens pre-Thxgiving. MUAH all you lovely bakers and cupcakers.

 

[Deelight]

Mara I just had to mention that I made your Chocolate Cocoa Cupcakes the other weekend OMG they were so good, I didn't make buttercream for them but I did a chocolate icing but they were a hit, so rich, chocolaty and light but dense at the same time.

YUMMMY