Читать книгу Bake Me I'm Yours … Cupcake Fun - over 25 cute cake characters - Carolyn White - Страница 6

Cupcake Recipes

First, get to know the Golden Rules of Baking before you proceed. I always use a stand mixer and where possible give easy ‘all-in-one’ recipes, but if you wish to make your cake mix by hand, cream the fat and sugar together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy before gradually beating in any liquids and finally incorporating the flour with a large metal spoon.

Golden rules of baking

 Let all your ingredients come to room temperature before you begin to make your cake mix.

 Before starting to make your cupcakes, read the recipe right through to familiarize yourself with the method.

 Preheat your oven and check that it is reaching the correct temperature by using an oven thermometer.

 Prepare tins (pans) before starting to make your cake mix so that it doesn’t have to sit.

 Ensure you weigh the ingredients accurately – the key to great cupcakes!

 Never cream your mixture on full speed – start on slow and work upwards.

 Eggs are best used when they are at room temperature.

 Add eggs one at a time or gradually to prevent curdling, adding a tablespoon of the flour if it looks like the mixture may be starting to curdle.

 Always fold in the flour. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment (flat beater) on the slowest speed.

 Generally fill the muffin baking cases (liners) two-thirds full for a flat top and to allow room for frosting.

 If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the pan halfway through baking.

 Use a wire rack to help your cakes cool quickly.

Cupcake troubleshooting

Peaked – either too much raising agent or the oven temperature is too hot

Sunken – not cooked for long enough or oven door opened too soon

Sloping – check with a spirit level that your oven shelves or even the oven itself is level

Some cooked but others not quite – your oven may have a hot spot, so the muffin tray (pan) needs to be rotated halfway through the cupcake baking time

Dense or heavy texture – mixture not thoroughly mixed together and the raising agent hasn’t been distributed evenly; can also be caused by overbeating the mixture

US cup measurements

If you prefer to use cup measurements, please use the following conversions.

(Note: 1 Australian tbsp = 20ml.)

Liquid

1 tsp = 5ml

1 tbsp = 15ml

¹⁄₂ cup = 120ml/4fl oz

1 cup = 240ml/8¹⁄₂fl oz

Butter

1 tbsp = 15g/¹⁄₂oz

2 tbsp = 25g/1oz

¹⁄₂ cup/1 stick = 115g/4oz

1 cup/2 sticks = 225g/8oz

Caster (superfine) sugar/brown sugar

¹⁄₂ cup = 100g/3¹⁄₂oz

1 cup = 200g/7oz

Icing (confectioners’) sugar

1 cup = 115g/4oz

Flour

1 cup = 125g/4¹⁄₂oz

Ground almonds

¹⁄₂ cup = 50g/1³⁄₄oz

Chopped nuts

1 cup = about 125g (4¹⁄₄oz)

Cream cheese

1 cup = 225g (8oz)

Any baked but undecorated cupcakes can either be frozen for a treat another day (up to a month in an airtight box) or used to create cake pops – see Bake Me I’m Yours… Cake Pops for ideas.