Tips for Creating Cupcakes

A cupcake is a delightful single serving treat that everyone loves. It is a popular dessert or snack that is commonly served at parties. They come in very handy and versatile. You can present your cupcakes in several ways. You can create colourful icings or add toppings for additional taste and style.
Homemade cupcakes are easy to bake and design. This literature will give you valuable tips on how to create your own cupcakes.

Follow the Recipe
There are different cupcake recipes scattered on cooking books and online. Try to browse and scan for great cupcake recipes. Select the recipe you would like to create and take note of the ingredients and techniques used. Make sure you copied the precise and accurate measurement of the ingredients to prevent any mistake.

Baking Equipments and Ingredients
Gather all necessary ingredients and baking tools needed. Make sure that they are clean and dry. When baking cupcakes, you will need muffin pans, cup liners, decorating tools such as piping bag and nozzles, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups.
For your ingredients, consider to buy good quality flour and eggs. Good quality ingredients will definitely yield into delicious cupcakes. When preparing your main ingredients, consider to sift your flour. This will keep your flour fine and helps in mixing the batter more easily.

Mixing the Batter
Add all ingredients into your mixing bowl - milk, sifted flour, eggs and shortening. Mix all ingredients well by stirring them under one direction. Remember not to overly mix the batter. It will result to chewy cupcakes and taste flat or bland.
Plating
Once the batter is completely mixed, pour the batter into the muffin pan. Fill the pan approximately 2/3 of batter. This will create perfectly baked cupcakes. Over filling the muffin pan with the batter will get your cupcakes burn.

Baking
Make sure to pre-heat the oven for baking. Set the temperature of your oven based on the instructions given on the recipe. Place the prepared muffin pan into the oven and give an effort to check your cupcakes often. If you're cupcakes seems cooked, apply a cake tester or a toothpick in the cupcake. Once the cake tester is pulled out and there are no crumbs included, the cake is already baked.
Set aside the muffin dry and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan. Apply icing or toppings for added decor and taste.
Baking cupcakes on your first attempt may not yield into a good result. It will surely take time and practice to perfect one. Once you have mastered the basics, you can be inventive and try other shapes, ingredients, decor and recipe. This will make your cupcake baking experience worthwhile.

The author writes about giving valuable tips on baking homemade cupcakes for starters and beginners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Christel_B_Gaza

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5399119

Baking Cupcakes - Tips to Get It Just Right!

Baking can be a joyful task but it can turn out to be quite a nightmare as well. Cupcakes are amongst the easiest items to bake and keeping in mind some simple tips can go a long way in bringing out the perfect cupcakes. Read on to know more about these tips which have been endorsed by people from all over the world and compiled together into this single article.

To begin with the most important thing is to get the right implements involved in the process. This includes a good oven and baking tins as well as the ingredients to be used. The baking tins or muffin moulds must be a little on the heavy side and it is a good idea to get a medium sized one. This ensures that the pan heats well. Foils or greaseproof paper used must be of a good quality to ensure that the cupcake comes off without sticking to the paper. Make sure to fill the mould only till 1/2 the capacity. This gives the cupcake space to rise and get a nice fluffy appearance.

Coming to the most essential part of the cupcakes-the ingredients! It is necessary to keep all the ingredients at room temperature or to bring them to room temperature (in case of the cream which is usually refrigerated) prior to mixing the batter. This makes certain that uniform mixing is possible and avoids the formation of any lumps. While mixing it is good to remember to mix according to instructions on the recipe. If a blender needs to be utilized do so for the right amount of time. Over mixing the batter can lead to the muffins becoming rather dry and chewy.

Pre heating can be quite an important step in baking since it assures the proper complete cooking of the batter at a uniform temperature. Different types of cupcakes may have different cooking temperatures and period of baking time. Rotating the baking pan half way through the cooking time is also a good idea. The rear of the oven receives maximum heat and that side of the pan may get over heated if the turning is not done. The completion of the baking must be checked periodically after the minimum set time. Using a fork or a needle to test is a good practice.

The best ways to eat cupcakes are to bake them and eat them the same day. They remain fresh and extremely tasty and make for great tea time or after dinner bites!

You can find more about cupcake recipes from internet resources. Try our amazing gourmet recipes at http://www.cupcake-recipes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_J_Cooper

Cupcakes - Create Multiple Flavors, Cupcake Cakes and More!

Cupcakes are great, but many are wondering how this little birthday and school room treat has come to create such a fuss. Not only are cupcake centric eateries springing up across the country, from home-style Magnolia Bakery on the East Coast to Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, but these once quaint cakes are being served everywhere - even at black tie events!

It's no secret that Hollywood's played a part, featuring cupcake shops in popular television shows, but the glory really goes to these miniature cakes.

Take flavor and colors for example. One dessert doesn't have to mean one flavor and look. A single batch of cupcakes can offer a rainbow of flavors and tinted icings, from lemon to hazelnut, from pretty pastels to vibrant tangerine and hot pink. Cupcakes are doing for many store-front bakeries what 31 Flavors did for ice-cream parlors.

And, there's so much you can do with cupcakes. As with cakes, you can add fillings, sculpt into fun designs and stack them.

While some of the upscale cupcake boutiques use expensive ingredients like Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, you don't have to go all out to create cupcakes fit for a special event like a wedding. Just be sure to use fresh and natural ingredients, such as butter and fresh fruit instead of margarine and frozen.

Cupcakes - Your own 31 Flavors
Here's how you can serve a variety of flavors and a palette of colors - all from a couple cupcake pans.
Divide white icing (snow-white buttercream or cream cheese) into separate dishes. Add flavor and food coloring to each dish. Due to the bitter taste of food coloring, don't use extra to achieve dark colors or red. Instead use a more intense form of coloring such as gel.

Cupcake Baking Tips
For two dozen cupcakes, make enough batter for two 9-inch cakes.
Bake in cupcake or muffin pans, and fill your liners 2/3 full.
Usually cupcakes are baked at 350° F (adjust for high altitude) and for around 23 minutes, give or take a few. Use the toothpick test. As with other cakes, always cool completely before decorating.
Loose crumbs should be brushed off gently before icing.
Smooth icing with a knife and short strokes. Leave smooth or pipe a frosty swirl on top, depending how you want to decorate.

Decorating your Cupcakes
You can decorate your cupcakes with just about anything you use to decorate larger cakes. Some of the most popular cupcake decorations are grated coconut, gum drops, piped flowers and figures, shaved chocolate, whimsical designs created with candies - and of course sprinkles.

Filling Cupcakes
To fill a cupcake, cut out a cone from the top. Then place a teaspoon of filling inside. Before replacing the top, cut off its cone (since the space it filled is not filled with filling).

Cupcake Cakes
Also called pull-apart cakes, these are perfect for birthday parties and youth events. Each guest pulls off a cupcake. Serving's a cinch and clean-up's, well a piece of cake. And a great plus with little ones - everyone gets the same size serving!

You can sculpt a cupcake cake into just about any shape you can imagine: numbers (for birthday ages), sports (footballs, team logos and names, etc.) holiday figures, flowers, Easter baskets and bunnies, cats and dogs, well you get the picture. The shape doesn't have to be exact (and probably won't), but the decorating will add the realism.

Here's how it works:
Bake cupcakes in double liners (for extra strength).
Arrange baked cupcakes on a covered, sturdy cake board. Play around with this until you get the shape you want. Staggering works best, and keep them close together.
Dab icing onto the bottoms of the cupcake liners, returning them as you do to their original positions. The icing will, once it dries, help hold the cupcakes in position.
Crumb-coat. This is optional. Thin some icing or make a glaze. Spread over all the cupcakes. Crumbs will show, but that's ok. When it dries, the crumbs won't be swept up into your final coat of icing.
When the crumb coat has dried, smooth your regular icing over the whole cupcake cake.
Decorate!

Tip: If you have extra cupcakes, decorate to match, and place them on a separate plate. For example, Blue's paw print on each cupcake can accessorize a Blue's Clues cupcake cake.

Serving: Pull up and forward. If the cupcake is stuck, slide a knife under it

Cupcake Tier Cake
Tiered cupcake holders have become quite popular at weddings, birthdays and other special occasions. You can take this to a higher level of creativity by creating a tiered cupcake cake! Assemble wedding cake tiers (straight up in graduating sizes is easiest), and arrange cupcakes and accessories to create a complete look.

Here's another example of how you can work this cupcake magic. Create a Christmas tree by using cupcakes on the tiers as ornaments and tucking sprigs of pesticide-free pine needles between the cupcakes. On the top tier, place a tree topper surrounded by more cupcake ornaments.
Finally, one more cupcake tip. Cupcakes, if stored in freezer bags, will keep well in the freezer for up two months. Be sure to squeeze all the air out you can before sealing the bags. You can have a large variety of cake types and flavors on hand to thaw to decorate!

Samantha Mitchell, Co-Author Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 & 2 The World's First Cake Decorating Video Books For more cupcake decorating tips along with step by step videos, sign up for our free newsletter at CakeAnswers.com [http://www.CakeAnswers.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_Mitchell

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/588080

The Perfect Cupcake - 5 Top Tips to Help Perfect Your Cupcakes!

Are your cupcakes as flat as a pancake? Or spilling out of their cases? There are a million and one things that can go wrong when baking cupcakes; the latest trend in home baking. Baking the perfect cupcake is not an impossible task, but nor is it an easy one. In fact, baking the 'perfect' cupcake is an ideology that does not really exist. I mean, what is 'perfection' right? But there are a few fundamental rules that you need to abide by in order to end up with a cupcake sponge that looks as good as it tastes, so we have compiled our top five tips to ensure your cupcakes cook as beautifully as can be, for all to enjoy!

1. Scales are your friend
Yes, it's true - the scales are indeed your friend. Well, in the kitchen at least. Measure out all of your ingredients before you begin mixing your cupcake batter and never try and 'make up' missing ingredients.
Experimenting with flavours is great! Experimenting with bicarbonate of soda as a replacement for baking powder, is not.

2. An over-beaten batter is a bad batter
When you over-beat your cupcake mix, your cupcakes will either be as hard as rocks or simply not rise in the middle, and there is absolutely nothing you can do with a cupcake that didn't rise!

3. Right temperature, right time
If your recipe calls for an oven temperature of 220 degrees, then make sure it is heated to 220 degrees! If the oven is too hot, the cupcakes can 'spike' in the middle and rise faster than they can cook. If the oven is too cool, then quite simply, the cakes won't cook. But always, ALWAYS, take your cakes out of the oven at the exact right time. Even if you think they look a little underdone, the cake will still 'cook' for a little while as they cool when they come out of the oven, so trust the recipe, and take those beauties out!

4. Cool cool cool!
As soon as your cupcakes are removed from the oven, scoop them out of their pans and lay them onto a cooling rack to cool from every angle. This is very important, as the pans stay can stay hot for some time after being removed from the oven and this can lead to one of two cupcake catastrophes; over-cooked cakes, or peeling cupcake cases. When the cupcakes are left in their pans after being removed from the oven, the heat from the pan continues to cook the cake. The heat from within each cupcake once removed from the pan is enough to 'finish' cooking the cupcake to perfection. Plus, moisture can build up between the cupcake and the cupcake case when they are left in the pan, causing case-peel. Not a good look!

5. Eat one warm
Okay, not strictly a tip for the perfect cupcake, but certainly one for the perfect treat! So when you set your cupcakes aside to cool, take the time to enjoy one at it's absolute prime; fresh and warm straight from the oven. Bliss!

For bespoke gourmet cupcakes made to order and deliver in the UK visit us here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_L_Howells

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4742578

Cupcake Toppings

When it comes to putting toppings on cupcakes, given their small size, attractive snacks are easily created; your guests, kids and family will appreciate the care and love that goes into baking. Candy is one of the easiest choices when selecting toppings for cupcakes. Colored sugars and sprinkles are always an attractive and delicious topping and it's something kids can help with as well. Once the cupcakes are iced, pouring the sugars and sprinkles in separate bowls allows for careful dipping, or not so careful, of the cupcakes. Another tasty topping can be larger candies such as gum drops or finely chopped up candy bars of various flavors.

To kind of shake things up a bit, adding flavors to frostings is a nice way to turn the ordinary into astonishing. Chocolate frosting with some coffee added becomes a scrumptious mocha topping. If it's St. Patrick's Day you are celebrating, green dye in the frosting with some mint flavoring will surprise your guests into having more. If it's a fall chocolate cupcake, orange frosting and some thin black licorice formed into the face of a jack o'lantern is sure to put a smile on the faces of some eager Halloween celebrants.

A festive alternative to your average cupcake could be like a Mardi gras King Cake. White cupcakes, filled with cream cheese or your favorite jelly, can be iced with yellow frosting and then sprinkled with purple and green sugars. Put them on a tray edged with sparkly beaded necklaces and chunky, in expensive costume jewelry and you have a Mardi gras party your guests won't soon forget.
Easter need not be a challenge when cupcakes are on the menu. Some colorful and creamy cupcakes in their holiday baskets will be a treat for everyone of whom you make a gift of these cheerful snacks. Frost some cupcakes with a nice pastel frosting such as pink, yellow, green or blue. On top of each cupcake, place some Easter candy such as Peeps, chocolate eggs or candy coated M&M's are decorations that enhance the delicious flavors that go along with the holiday.

For those who like to mix flavors, chocolate cupcakes are delicious iced with a peanut butter frosting with bits of peanuts or chocolate drizzled on the top. Use this same peanut butter frosting on a white cupcake filled with their favorite jelly to create something just for the kids. Another delightful combination can be orange flavored cupcakes iced with a pineapple-flavored frosting, sprinkled with coconut. If you're planning a bridal shower, how fun would it be to present to the party goers cupcakes topped with candy lollipop rings, available in any dime store candy aisle.

Topping a cupcake needn't be any harder than a walk down the candy aisle at your local grocery store, with the only limits in place being the smaller size of the cupcake and which delicious toppings to choose. For every occasion, there will be an attractive topping for a cupcake that is certain to cause your guests and loved one to delight in their beauty. Dare to imagine and remember, the sky's the limit when it comes to topping cupcakes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1835202