The Cupcake Thread!

[akw94]

Jas, that''s a hard question. Are they a chocolate group? If so, chocolate anything always seems to be great. I really, really like the Chocolate Brownie Mint cake that I recently made. I had a lot of compliments on it and you can take out the mint so that it''s more likely to please more people. Also, the Cookies and Cream is a big favorite too.
If you''re wanting to stay away from chocolate, maybe a fruit flavor like Strawberry or I did a White Chocolate Raspberry that went over well. Or something with caramel as an alternative to chocolate.
Sorry, maybe that was too many ideas. Part of *my* problem is deciding what to bring somewhere so I always make too many. If it were me, I''d probably bring 2 kinds so it would make my decision-making easier.

I went to go buy some fondant today and came out of the store without it. I didn''t know it would be so expensive! I saw a small package for $7 something and bucket for $21. I have no idea if that''s a normal price but it seemed way too much for me. I wanted the bucket for $7

. Oh well... I think I need another paid order to pay for the fondant before I make that purchase!

 

[Jas12]

Lili-thanks!

Dixie--i paid $9 for a box (size of a cake mix) of wilton stuff. If you are just doing toppers this will go a really long way i think.
Thanks for those flavor suggestions, i know it''s a hard Q. I have some potluck dishes that i know will always disappear when i bring them, but cuppies, not so sure.
Maybe i''ll find the energy to make 2 kinds as you suggested. I am all motivated during the day when i have energy but a baby to look after, but once he is in bed at 8 and i can actually bake i have lost steam

 

[Mara]

cheesecake jas.... i am obsessed with it right now.

i made an eggnog cheesecake for holiday and people LOVED it.

the recipe i used was Dorie Greenspans 'tall and creamy cheesecake' (Google it...you will find the recipe), as i belong to the TWD (tuesdays with dorie) group. i'd never thought that cheesecake could be easy, and it's a little time consuming to get it all setup and parbake the crust...but it was not *hard* at all ..and it was so yummy!!! i can't wait to make a Meyer Lemon one with lemons from my new tree.

oh and re: le cupcake, there are a fair amount of foreign flickr users, like another one i can't think of but she is from singapore. and there is a great one who i think is from india.

i picked up a cupcake book recently that has 1/2 the recipes as mudcake. it comes out really yummy...but i never quite got why they called it mudcake?? and the 'making' of it is interesting, boiling stuff together first then just mixing and baking.

 

[gryffindor]

I just found this thread and I am going to work my way through reading it. I have always loved cupcakes, even before they became such a fad. I don''t make them right now since I live alone so I would just eat all of them. I love to bake desserts and cake is my favorite.

In regard to cheesecake, I made pumpkin cheesecake this year and it was a very nice change from pumpkin pie. I did cheat and use a pre-made crust since I don''t have one of those spring foam pans, but there was absolutely no cheesecake leftover so I got away with it! I used Martha Stewart''s recipe only because her recipe calls for a few tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice and I was trying to use up the pumpkin pie spice in my baking cabinet. I halved the recipe for the pre-made crust.

 

[Jas12]

Mara--i make mini cheesecakes quite often in many flavours. I like mini b/c then i don''t have to worry about slicing it prettily and i never get a cracked top. I personally am not a big cheesecake lover but they always go over well!


The T&Co cuppies Missjaxon posted inspired me to try some fondant bows--they turned out *okay*. Not sure if i like them enough to make a batch of cupcakes to go with them but i may just put off laundry tomorrow night and try to whip up some of that patented Tiff blue icing.

i''ll post a pic if i do.

 

[Jas12]

Couldn''t resist trying to do some Tiff blue frosting

(Missjaxon it is ALL your fault
The bows are a little a**y looking, but for a first attempt at free-hand stuff, not bad.

 

[Jas12]

another shot.

Why does my frosting go ''feathery'' at the edges? Too dry? It is pretty stiff.

 

[lili]

Jas12--
Those are sooo cute.
Love the tiffany blue.
I think the bows look great!

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 1/16/2009 9:38:33 PM
Author: Jas12
Couldn't resist trying to do some Tiff blue frosting

(Missjaxon it is ALL your fault

The bows are a little a**y looking, but for a first attempt at free-hand stuff, not bad.

Haha Sorry Jas, but who can resist Tiffany Cupcakes! They are the best of both worlds

. How did you make the blue? I just used sky blue and added a bit of moss green, but a little too much unfortunately. My edges get feathery too when my icing is thick, so maybe that is what it was for you also ( I am NO expert by any means though). I personally would love to see a whole thread of everybody making just Tiffany cupcakes. haha That is so awesome that you did the white ribbon too.

I love it! Now if only I could reach thru the screen and eat it!

 

[puffy]

jas12 those cuppies are so yummy looking!!! great job on them!

 

[icekid]

wow, you guys are all getting really good! No cuppies for me lately, trying to drop some stress poundage I''ve put on

Love the Tiff ones, Jas. The bows are so cute!

 

[steph72276]

Jas, love the Tiffs cupcakes. And I think you did great on the bows!

 

[qtiekiki]

Jas12
Your Tiffany cupcakes are adorable. The bow looks great.

This may be a stupid question, but how do you transport your cupcakes? Do have one of those carrier case? Or you just leave them in the pan? How do you cover them in the pan?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/17/2009 6:20:30 PM
Author: qtiekiki
Jas12

Your Tiffany cupcakes are adorable. The bow looks great.


This may be a stupid question, but how do you transport your cupcakes? Do have one of those carrier case? Or you just leave them in the pan? How do you cover them in the pan?

We have a baking supply store near me that is fabulous and I actually buy bakery boxes there. They are super cheap and then I don''t have to worry about lugging around a container and remembering to bring it home. Great for gifting baked goods too. I usually buy a number of different sizes, they are like .25-.75 cents each.

 

[Jas12]

I have a carrying case for cuppies (2 tiers) --but i like NF''s idea with the bakery boxes. Would make the CC look professional too!

 

[Mara]

I have cupcake boxes I bought in bulk with a pal. But yeah bakery boxes are great, or your local shop might have cupcake boxes.

That Tiff with the bow is super cute. Icing is very thick, hence the feathering. I love how even just a tiny bit of change in consistency with icing makes SUCH a visual difference....I get so many diff looks based on icing consistency.

 

[akw94]

I just use bakery boxes too. Tied with a pretty ribbon, I think it makes for a nice presentation.

Here''s some Lemon Poppy Seed I made this morning. Not so pretty but tasted great!

 

[akw94]

Here''s carrot cake I made for an order:

 

[missjaxon]

Dixie those look Yummy!

I wish I could order some of those.... do you ship to Saskatchewan

 

[Mara]

MMMMMM carrot cake is one of my favorites ever. I miss baking right now!! Hopefully we''ll be all setup in the new house soon. VDay is coming..!

 

[Lulie]

I can''t believe I never came into this wonderful thread! Congrats to all

Now I have a question: DH hates, hates greasy/sweet frostings and foundant is out of the question. I tend to use whipping cream only, def can control the sweetness there, but having hard time piping intricate patterns, any tips? our favorite bakery uses gelatiin. TIA

 

[Jas12]

Lulie: would he like a cream cheese frosting? You can really control the sweetness there b/c you get the ''stiffness'' from the cheese and not the sugar. And it''ll pipe easily. I don''t think it would be possible to get a great, strong consistency with whipping cream, even if you added something, but i am not the expert...the others will have to chime in....

....
I am making a batch of fondant ''30s'' for some toppers. I got some small wilton cutouts (i think they are the same ones mara has--the shape looks similar) and got tiny number stamps from the ink/stamp section. they are simple but will do the trick. So many 30th b-day to attend so i am going to make a bunch of colors in advance and just use them over the next few months.

 

[akw94]

Thanks Missjaxon! I wish I could ship but I don''t think they''d taste so good once they get there. Or look so good!

Mara, carrot cake is definitely a favorite around here too! Will you be baking again for Vday?

Lulie, I''d definitely try a frosting with cream cheese. I find that it really helps so that it''s not extra sweet.

Jas, that''s a good idea to use stamps from the ink/stamp section. I wouldn''t have thought of that. The supply from the cake decorating stores is so limited where I am so that makes it tough. Those sound like they will be very cute. I still really like your hearts!

I have a question for anyone who sells their cupcakes or sells any perishable items.
How do you store them? I can store a few dozen in my fridge but I''m getting worried about what I''ll do with bigger orders. I know I could store the cupcakes overnight outside the fridge but sometimes, I have to frost them the night before and don''t want to leave those out. I use cream cheese in my frosting and I also live in a warm weather climate so worry about leaving anything out.
Have you bought something else to store in? I am starting to wonder if I can only accept smaller orders.
Would appreciate any thoughts!

 

[Jas12]

Dixie--necessity is the mother of invention. I could not find *anything* to emboss my fondant with around here, so stamps seemed like the best bet. Endless options!
Mara, is that what you use?
hmm, storage--maybe someone you know has an old fridge kicking around that they want to get rid of. You could plug it in the day you make the order and use it just for that, then unplug. ??

A close friend of mine is getting married this summer--she has asked me to do the desserts (she wants an eclectic mix of her and FI''s fave things) I am a better baker than i am a cupcake chef so i feel okay doing the things like cookies, bars, pie but she wants red-velvet cuppies as well. I think i would really have to practice and look for a great recipe (will have to try the one MrsS posted). Makes me nervous

so i haven''t said yes yet!

 

[Mara]

storage...ooh fun!!! if i can NOT frost the night before, i won''t...because it''s easier to store them without frosting in bulk. but if i have to frost, i fridge what is required for cream cheese. also, this sounds so funny but our downstairs in our old house gets really cold at night and i would put the cc cupcakes down there sometimes because it would be like 50 degrees. i never had an issue with them then.

we might get a cheapo used fridge for the new house solely for my baking stuff and cupcakes because i just don''t have the room for it in the regular fridge. but i figure we''ll see.

i baked this week and i was so excited to be back in the apron!!!! i am going to be doing some stuff for v-day so i am very excited about that too....will keep you gals posted!

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 1/7/2009 11:00:25 AM
Author: Mara

Date: 1/4/2009 11:26:18 PM

Author: Clairitek

Just wanted to pop into this thread to say...


A) FI and I have decided that we want a cupcake tower at our wedding. Neither of us are regular cake people and I think cupcake towers are really fun, especially for a more casual wedding.

Do you think I''m crazy for thinking that we can bake them ourselves? We might have access to an industrial kitchen and baking machines (mixer, oven, etc) to do it. We have friends who own their own bakery.


Any words of advice on making 150 cupcakes at a time? How far ahead can I bake them? What about storage once they''re frosted?

I will give you my honest thoughts. Making cupcakes is not as easy as it might seem. If you are not a baker, you will have to experiment a lot until you find them the quality you probably desire. Plan to make 5-6 or more test batches of them leading up to the wedding, to perfect your recipe and your technique. And even that might not be ''enough'' it just depends. Homemade cupcakes from recipes are NOT foolproof like mix cupcakes are. It might take you 3-4 batches just to get the rise and look to where you want it.

Secondly, 150 cupcakes, regular size, will take you at least about 6-8 hours to MAKE the cupcakes, from start to finish, using 2-3 pans in a regular sized oven at a time (if you can fit 3...mine can really only fit 2.5)...and that is assuming you don''t have a lot of rejects, so you might need to make that 8-10 hours instead of 6-8.

Then you will need to store them. Cupcakes dry out fast, so plan to put them in a SEALED container and they will last about 24-48 hours unfrosted that way, you will have to baste them with a sugar water before you frost anyway, but make sure you can seal and store 150 cupcakes (it''s a lot...)

If it''s buttercream you can frost about a day ahead of time but if it''s a cream cheese based frosting, you should really do it the day of OR do it the day before AND you will need fridge space to store them (or a really cold day..not sure where you live!)...again 150 cupcakes IS A lot.

I had a request for a wedding for 150 people and I am flat out not sure I want to do it. It is a lot for a regular baker without a professional space, and if you are not well-versed at cupcakes to start with and how much work it is to just make say 72 regular size, you might be overwhelmed by 150. You mentioned having friends pipe them. Do they know how to pipe? Otherwise you might end up with 150 cupcakes with what looks like chocolate poop on top. It took me a while to learn piping skills.

The best thing I can suggest is to start practicing and even see if it''s something you want to pursue when you do a few batches. Then as you get better, make 50, make 100. You might say...NEVERMIND we''ll pay someone hahaa. But good luck!!

Mara- I know you wrote this a while ago but I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write our your advice for me! I got caught up in other threads and only came back to this one since I have some time this week to play with my oven.

Thanks also to the rest of you who took the time to respond to my questions. Much appreciated!

 

[Jas12]

Hi gang--anyone have a really good chocolate cuppie recipe ? I am looking for something moist and with an even rise (i want to put a chocolate ganache on it) my recipe, although good tasting, bakes with some cracking on the surface of the cake. this would be fine if i were piping on buttercream, but i would like to find a recipe that bakes nice and smooth.
Any suggestions?

 

[Amandine]

I don't visit this thread as often as I would like, but thought I would share something I saw on a blog...

This is from Estilo Weddings, they have a lot more patterns on their website.Estilo Weddings

 

[AsscherGirl]

Date: 2/3/2009 10:22:04 AM
Author: Jas12
Hi gang--anyone have a really good chocolate cuppie recipe ? I am looking for something moist and with an even rise (i want to put a chocolate ganache on it) my recipe, although good tasting, bakes with some cracking on the surface of the cake. this would be fine if i were piping on buttercream, but i would like to find a recipe that bakes nice and smooth.
Any suggestions?

Hi Jas,

There is a recent post on the blog smittenkitchen that has cupcakes made out of a guiness cake recipe (I think originally found on epicurious). I have only made the cake form, but it''s a moist firm cake with a great even rise. Smittenkitchen''s cupcakes also look awesome.

Hope that helps!

 

[Jas12]

Thanks so much Danielle!!! I will check it out.