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Cupcake VS. Cake


sugarseattle

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Because I'm always running short on time, I sometimes find myself scooping a few cupcakes out of the same batter I make layer cakes out of. Sometimes, it works, but a lot of the time my cupcakes dry out before I have a chance to bake new ones. It would be great to have a cupcake recipe that would keep for 2 days frosted and finished, so that I can keep up with the demand for variety my customers seem to want. I am currently storing my cupcakes in the refrigerated case. I would love either a batter that can hold for a few days so I can bake/frost as needed, or a freezable cupcake that I can thaw/frost daily.

I want a cake that is fairly springy and light, almost chiffon like. I am fairly certain my problem stems from using a recipe suited for layer cakes. Currently, both my chocolate and white cakes are butter cakes using the high ratio method. Should I try an oil based cake? What about a cake using the creaming method?

Stephanie Crocker

Sugar Bakery + Cafe

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I always make my cupcakes from the same batter as my layer cakes.

Cupcakes will always dry out faster because of their size, and if you are keeping them in the refrigerated case, even more so. That refrigeration sucks the moisture out of butter cakes like crazy. Also since cupcakes are only frosted on the top, that adds to the drying problem. The paper liners don't do much to retard moisture loss either.

I use a chiffon cake for my layer cakes and the chiffon batter works GREAT for my cupcakes. It's an oil based chiffon and retains moisture well.

Another thing I do to make my cupcakes more interesting is I fill them. After the cupcakes are baked, I take a bar straw and punch a few holes in the center. Then I will take leftover mousse, or flavored whipped cream, or pastry cream and inject some filling in the hole with a pastry bag. Then I ice as normal. People love 'em.

I really avoid using butter cake recipes for cupcakes.....dryness is too much of a problem.

My chocolate cake batter is not a chiffon, but it's oil based and stays moist a LONG time....makes great cupcakes also. :smile:

Edited by chefpeon (log)
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Annie - would you be willing to part with your vanilla recipe? I haven't found a great vanilla cupcake yet.

For chocolate, I have two I use but the Epicurious one in the best of chocolate cakes thread works great for cakes, cupcakes, sheet cakes, etc. It's oil based and holds up very well. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101275 I have it in weights on my other computer. I can pm it to you later if you would like.

Edited by CanadianBakin' (log)

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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Annie - would you be willing to part with your vanilla recipe? I haven't found a great vanilla cupcake yet.

Be glad to. I will post my recipe on RecipeGullet and link to it. I'll grab my recipe from my li'l black box at work tomorrow and post tomorrow night (or so). :smile:

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Annie - will you post your chocolate cake too? Since you'll have the book out and all.

Ok.....coming up, two RecipeGullet posts.....one for the white chiffon and the other for the chocolate cake. Actually I almost put my chocolate cake recipe up on the thread that was about searching for the best chocolate cake, but I felt selfish at the time. The chocolate cake recipe that I have, and the one you can find on Epicurious for the chocolate stout cake, I think, are the two best recipes for chocolate cake I've come across. The only drawback with the stout cake is that the beer makes it an expensive cake to make.

Hee hee.....I can just imagine asking my boss to get me a half rack of beer every week. That'd raise some eyebrows!!! :laugh:

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Argh! :angry:

I just spent the last half hour struggling with RecipeGullet!

I give up. I will post the recipes on this thread tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

And does anyone know how in the world you would enter something like

"1 lb 11 oz cocoa" in RecipeGullet? I can enter 1 lb OR 11 oz, but not both!

Double argh! :wacko:

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If you have a solid cake recipe, why not just play around with the recipe. Its the fat and sugar in the recipe that keep the recipe moist, as both are liquifiers. First try and replace some of the butter with veg. oil (25%).

You can also try a recipe that used buttermilk or heavy cream as these not only provide extra moisture, but also add a little fat.

Lastly dont keep your cupcakes in the refridgerator. It will only firm up the fat and allow them to release moisture and dry out, plus the butter cream is not as luscious when cold. If you could wrap them that would be different, but since you are displaying them for customers its harder to do.

Good luck!

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Argh! :angry:

I just spent the last half hour struggling with RecipeGullet!

I give up. I will post the recipes on this thread tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

And does anyone know how in the world you would enter something like

"1 lb 11 oz cocoa" in RecipeGullet? I can enter 1 lb OR 11 oz, but not both!

Double argh! :wacko:

Annie, I post them as two separate ingredients. I just add a note in the instructions that they are not divided.

Ellen

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If you have a solid cake recipe, why not just play around with the recipe. Its the fat and sugar in the recipe that keep the recipe moist, as both are liquifiers. First try and replace some of the butter with veg. oil (25%).

This, I think, is a great idea. I will be doing this next week to an orange butter cake that I'm not totally pleased with.

Annie, I post them as two separate ingredients. I just add a note in the instructions that they are not divided.

Thanks! I just might do that. :smile:

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i am totally using that black bottom cupcake recipe for my new chocolate cupcake recipe. For vanilla, i'm not so sure...i think vanilla cake (which would be coconut, lemon and red velvet) needs to be all butter. I did try a batch reducing the eggs and we'll see how that works out.

Stephanie Crocker

Sugar Bakery + Cafe

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  • 3 months later...
Annie - would you be willing to part with your vanilla recipe? I haven't found a great vanilla cupcake yet.

For chocolate, I have two I use but the Epicurious one in the best of chocolate cakes thread works great for cakes, cupcakes, sheet cakes, etc. It's oil based and holds up very well. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101275 I have it in weights on my other computer. I can pm it to you later if you would like.

I'd love to see this recipe in weights too if you don't mind.

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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