230 replies to this topic

[Suzanne F]

Cupcake lovers: be on the look-out for Hey There, Cupcake! by Clare Crespo, ISBN 0-9717935-6-5. It should be out soon, if it isn't already. I can't vouch for the quality of the recipes -- didn't have to test any -- but the decorating ideas are adorable.

[CanadianBakin']

Those Barefoot Contessa ones sound wonderful so I went looking for the recipe online. In case anyone else wants to try them but needs the recipe, here's a link Coconut Cupcakes

[Wendy DeBord]

I use that recipe for my standard coconut cake...........theres none better I know of.

[rcarter]

I agree, the Barefoot Contessa Coconut Cupcake recipe is excellent, and the batter is firm enough so that she recommends using an ice cream scoop. Makes for perfect looking cupcakes - I used this recipe for a friend's small wedding reception.

Barefoot Contessa Carrot Cupcake recipe looks good too. I will have to try that next.

[rajsuman]

should be OK, there's a Nigella recipe for brownies with cream cheese filling which is v similar, just keep an eye on the cake and maybe turn down the heat or cover with tinfoil if baking too fast.

on that note, for serious cupcakery, I recommend Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess.  There's a recipe in there for cherry chocolate cupcakes (basically, chocolate cupcakes with a jar of cherry jam stirred in, then iced with ganache) that moved a friend of mine to tears when I made them for her birthday.  Also hundreds and hundreds of fantastic ideas for cupcakes, from simple (eg fairy cakes) to fancy (lavender-scented, with lilac-coloured icing and silver flowers to decorate).

I love that book! So far everything I've tried from it has worked brilliantly. Until yesterday that is. My banana muffins were edible, but hardly praise-worthy. How is a cupcake different from a muffin? My guess is that the cupcake is smaller, denser and the ingredients are mixed in a different manner compared to a muffin batter. Anything else I might have missed?

I'm off to start a muffin thread.


Suman

[EliseMF]

So here was...if I say so myself... a brilliant cupcake twist. I was making the Cooks Illustrated "perfect cupcakes", when I realized I didn't have heavy cream for the ganache icing.
I did have evaporated milk. Thinking of my favorite, since I was nine years old fudge recipe, I heated the evaporated milk, added the chocolate, and let it melt. Stirred it up, and smoothed the just warm fudge onto the not completely cooled cupcakes. The fudge hardened on top of the little cakes, they look fantastic, taste great-- and best of all, travelled incredibly... no frosting mush.
voila-- cake and candy in one!

[yvegeny]

How much chocolate did you add to the evap milk? That sounds like a great icing for schools, as it didn't mush. I am the class mother who bakes everything, so this is always a problem for me. Thanks.

[Shelley G.]

I love cupcakes... Just acquired some silicon baby bundt moulds for the carrot cake we serve at our teahouse. They worked beautifully - two to a plate, with an artful little puddle of cream cheese, honey and orange zest sauce, and topped with a carrot flower (I use little aspic cutters for these). I have christened them "Baby Cakes" - which elicited much giggling from an eighty year-old patron who blushingly enquired if we also served "Stud Muffins".

[AlainV]

These chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling are my old potluck standby. they are fudgey and creamy, not too sweet and can be in the oven in less than a half hour.

Neil,

I tried those yesterday. First time with cupcakes so I don't know what I have to expect.

They taste very good but are not fudgey and creamy. I checked the chocolate cake with a toothpick until it was dry.

The chocolate cake is moist and spongy but the cream cheese center is cooked, not creamy.

Is this a good description of the final product or did I bake them too long ?

By the way, I just bought Café Beaujolais from Amazon !

[nightscotsman]

These chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling are my old potluck standby. they are fudgey and creamy, not too sweet and can be in the oven in less than a half hour.

Neil,

I tried those yesterday. First time with cupcakes so I don't know what I have to expect.

They taste very good but are not fudgey and creamy. I checked the chocolate cake with a toothpick until it was dry.

The chocolate cake is moist and spongy but the cream cheese center is cooked, not creamy.

Is this a good description of the final product or did I bake them too long ?

By the way, I just bought Café Beaujolais from Amazon !

It sounds like you baked them properly. The cake part should be "fudgey" like a very moist chocolate cake, not like a dense brownie. And the cream cheese part should be creamy like a baked cheesecake, not like a liquid center. I guess it just depends on how you define the key words. Sorry you were dissappointed.

[AlainV]

Neil,

Thank you for the answer !

I am not dissappointed at all : I am very happy with those cupcakes !

I just wanted to know if I have got the correct texture because it was my first attempt with cupcakes.

[Kapuliperson]

Here's a bunch of decorated cupcakes and a Cupcake Cake (CCC) for my girls'  teachers.

aww.. those are so cute/pretty!

[kthull]

TP, how do you get the scalloped edges around your icing layer on the individual cupcakes? They look really cool. And they look too regular to be impressions from the cupcake liner.

[Tepee]

I've got a scalloped pastry cutter that fits the cupcake top just nicely. The icing is rolled fondant.

[spaghetttti]

Positively scrumptious looking!

OT question - do you make petits fours, too, Tepee?

Edited by spaghetttti, 22 October 2004 - 11:21 PM.

[Tepee]

Oh no, Yetty! Don't get me into that too! As it is, I'm trying real hard (my standard of 'real hard') to cut down my sugar intake and calories. I must admit after seeing the petits fours thread, I'm itching for an occasion to produce some.

[spaghetttti]

Well, darling, after you make them don't eat them === send the little lovelies to me! Just a two hour flight away,

I know, that petits fours thread has got me dreaming of them! Make them, make them, TP!

[Tepee]

I know how tough the first week of 'puasa-ing' must be......! I can sense the effect on you from the vigour of your words.

[kthull]

I've got a scalloped pastry cutter that fits the cupcake top just nicely.   The icing is rolled fondant.

I thought that could be it, but wasn't too sure. Cool idea. Thanks!

[EliseMF]

How much chocolate did you add to the evap milk? That sounds like a great icing for schools, as it didn't mush. I am the class mother who bakes everything, so this is always a problem for me. Thanks.

sorry for the delay--I was away..
its 14 oz of chocolate to one can of evaporated milk, and a healthy splash of vanilla

[Lexica]

So here was...if I say so myself... a brilliant cupcake twist. I was making the Cooks Illustrated "perfect cupcakes", when I realized I didn't have heavy cream for the ganache icing.
I did have evaporated milk. Thinking of my favorite, since I was nine years old fudge recipe, I heated the evaporated milk, added the chocolate, and let it melt. Stirred it up, and smoothed the just warm fudge onto the not completely cooled cupcakes. The fudge hardened on top of the little cakes, they look fantastic, taste great-- and best of all, travelled incredibly... no frosting mush.
voila-- cake and candy in one!

How did I miss seeing this the first time I read the thread? What a great idea - especially since I almost never have cream in the house, but evaporated milk is easy. Hmm... more cupcakes tonight, I think!

[edited to add:]
Did you whip the ganache or leave it smooth and glossy? When I tasted my ganache to decide whether to whip it, I realized that for cupcake frosting my tastebuds demand whipped frosting. The smooth & glossy version was pretty, but not right for cupcakes.

Edited by Lexica, 25 October 2004 - 01:28 PM.

[s'kat]

I made the Ina Garten coconut cupcakes for a friend's birthday weekend, and was utterly impessed. Perfectly moist, deliriously rich... I was surprised that the recipe instructed you to just put the coconut on top, so I toasted mine. ::drool::

Sinclair, you seriously make a regular-sized cake from this? Talk about too much of a good thing!!

[Marlene]

So here was...if I say so myself... a brilliant cupcake twist. I was making the Cooks Illustrated "perfect cupcakes", when I realized I didn't have heavy cream for the ganache icing.
I did have evaporated milk. Thinking of my favorite, since I was nine years old fudge recipe, I heated the evaporated milk, added the chocolate, and let it melt. Stirred it up, and smoothed the just warm fudge onto the not completely cooled cupcakes. The fudge hardened on top of the little cakes, they look fantastic, taste great-- and best of all, travelled incredibly... no frosting mush.
voila-- cake and candy in one!

How did I miss seeing this the first time I read the thread? What a great idea - especially since I almost never have cream in the house, but evaporated milk is easy. Hmm... more cupcakes tonight, I think!

[edited to add:]
Did you whip the ganache or leave it smooth and glossy? When I tasted my ganache to decide whether to whip it, I realized that for cupcake frosting my tastebuds demand whipped frosting. The smooth & glossy version was pretty, but not right for cupcakes.

This is a brilliant idea. I'm on cupcake detail this week for the school. I think these will be perfect. I'm thinking whipped for the ganache, but that's just me.

[Wendy DeBord]

I made the Ina Garten coconut cupcakes for a friend's birthday weekend, and was utterly impessed. 
Sinclair, you seriously make a regular-sized cake from this?  Talk about too much of a good thing!!

I sure do and it's fabulous!

[DiH]

How much chocolate did you add to the evap milk? That sounds like a great icing for schools, as it didn't mush. I am the class mother who bakes everything, so this is always a problem for me. Thanks.

sorry for the delay--I was away..
its 14 oz of chocolate to one can of evaporated milk, and a healthy splash of vanilla

What size can of evaporated milk were you using?


Di

[wordplay]

Just wanted to thank my fellow eGulleteers for tipping me off to Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes -- you helped me win my department's annual bakeoff! My mini cupcakes trounced the competition, which included treats like a strawberry orange cream pie, an apple walnut cake with buttercream icing, among others. This recipe rules!

[M. Lucia]

Here is a cute idea for decorating cupcakes as animals.
Congrats wordplay!

[laniloa]

Last night I made a batch of the burnt sugar cake cupcakes for my office. Big hit so thanks for the recipe. I'm interested in technicque tips for burning the sugar since mine seized horribly when I added the boiling water. I just reheated and fished out a few of the more stubborn clumps to salvage but I figure there is a better way. Thanks.

[MissJane]

Hello There:)

Here are my latest cupcakes made from Italian Buttercream and the vanilla cupcake recipe in the Whimsical Bakehouse Book.

I just want to say all you guys have taught me tremendously over the last year of me lurking!.. A BIG THANKYOU!





-- Jane:)

Edited by MissJane, 29 June 2005 - 06:16 PM.

[CanadianBakin']

WOW!! You've done a beautiful job! They're almost too pretty to eat. :)