Cupcake 101

 Everything you need to know to make & decorate cupcakes - all in one spot!

Cake mix, or scratch?

To make a cake mix taste homemade:

Use butter in lieu of oil

Add an extra egg

Use milk (coconut milk, juice) instead of water

 

A cake mix doesn’t make 24 cupcakes anymore

Use this to make it go farther

Cake Mix Extender

1 ½ c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

Mix in a Ziploc and store in fridge

Add 3 heaping Tbsp. to a mix.

 

Quick fix chocolate cupcakes

Great recipe using ingredients you probably have on hand

1 ½ c. flour

1 c. sugar

¼ c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¼ c. + 2 Tbsp. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 c. hot water

Makes 18 cupcakes

Fill liners 2/3 full

Bake at 375 16-18 min.

Use a scoop to evenly distribute the mix into cupcake liners.

The #24 scoop (disher) is perfectly sized for cupcakes.

Line your pans with cupcake liners. The ones that come in a container are more likely to sit nicely in the pans as opposed to the cute ones that come in bags as they tend to ‘stretch’ out.

Don’t leave cupcakes to cool completely in pans as the moisture may cause the wrapper to release from the cupcake.

If you want the bottom of your paper wrappers to look nice after baking, sprinkle some uncooked rice in the bottom of each well. Save and reuse.

If you want heart shaped cupcakes, use a ball of aluminum foil.

Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter and minimize air bubbles. 

Not so hard as to dislocate the liners.

Don’t overfill your cupcakes – this will lead to very large domed tops.

Bake cupcakes at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Mini cupcakes take less time.

Check your oven temperature! Rotate cupcakes halfway.

Frost your cupcakes withing 48 hours of baking.

Freeze your well wrapped cupcakes a max of 3 months.

https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/how-to-pipe-butter-cream-flowers-using-only-a-ziplock-bag/

https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/8-piping-hacks-know/

Cupcakes should be cooled completely before frosting or before freezing.

https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/cupcakes-101-10-tips-to-bake-the-perfect-cupcake/

https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/cupcakes-102-how-to-frost-the-perfect-cupcake/

https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/cupcakes-103-14-ways-to-decorate-cupcakes-like-a-pro/

Lots of fun topping/décor ideas here, even some advanced ideas.

https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/cupcakes-104-how-to-store-and-freeze-cupcakes/

Includes a timeline for prepping for a party.

 

Add filling to your cupcakes. You can core out the center using a cupcake corer, an apple corer, or a paring knife, but it’s not necessary if you have a star tip.

Just squeeze some filling into the cupcake with a bag and a tip.

If filling with a chunky filling, small candies, etc. a core is best.

https://youtu.be/9Iblr21p208 to see a cupcake being filled

Small batch Decorator Buttercream

1/2 lb. Crisco (1 1/8c.)  - 8oz. (I use7.5 oz.)

   can use part or all butter 

   Walmart–shortening (whiter, similar to hi ratio)/vegetable shortening taste test

2 lb. powdered sugar

scant 1/2 c. milk or water  - warm helps it mix better

 hold back some liquid for stiffer frosting – it will stiffen a bit when the water cools

 if you’re frosting cupcakes, a thinner frosting will be easier on your hands.

Use clear flavoring if you want white frosting

1 tsp. clear vanilla flavoring 

1 tsp. clear butter (omit if using butter)

1 tsp. salt 

 

Chocolate Buttercream-

Substitute 1 lb. powdered sugar with ¾c. cocoa (SACO is my fave) 

Limit water to 1/4 to 1/3 c.

 

Add flavoring and salt (and cocoa) to shortening and start mixing on low. 

Alternately add powdered sugar and water while mixing. 

After all powdered sugar is added, stop and scrape bowl well. 

Mix on low for 2 minutes. 

 

It’s not necessary to have a lot of specialty bags & tips. Ziploc bags will work just fine.

You can put multiple colors of frosting in a bag, or add a stripe of food color up the side.

Pipe frosting on top, then flip cupcake upside down on wax paper, place in freeze for 10 minutes - Perfectly flat tops for decorating!

Tips

1M(open) vs. 2D(closed) – start on the inside vs. the outside for pretty rosettes

Use like a star tip with a blend of colors for hydrangeas

1A – 1 blob or all the around, start with a center blob to get tall

Vary tips to add texture.

Want to just use your spatula? Check out this video for a variety of ways https://youtu.be/RW4pZYe_6FY