I’ll
be honest; I cannot make a pretty cake to save my life. No amount of leveling and frosting adjustment
can churn out a slice I’d be proud to serve to others. However, my cupcakes are a different story. With their widespread popularity, cupcakes
are a delicious mix of classic and trending and are a great dessert, special
treat, and party go-to. There are,
however, some tricks to turning these treats into more boutique than boo-hoo.
There’s
nothing wrong with a shortcut-taking box of cake mix and tub of frosting. The flavors seem nearly limitless, and they
really are finger-licking good. The
trick is to ensure you have the right cake-to-frosting ratio. The next time you add a box of cake mix to
your shopping cart, add two tubs of frosting.
I have decided that a 1:1 ratio is just not enough, and it leaves me
short the closer I come to frosting the end of the 24 cupcakes. Why scrimp and save when you can allow one
tub to frost 12 cupcakes instead of 24?
You
can additionally think outside the box and mix mixes. Want to serve pink lemonade cupcakes at a
baby shower? Mix one box of strawberry
and one box of lemon mix before adding any wet ingredients. If you do not intent to then bake 48 cupcakes
at once, spoon out half of your blended cake mix into an airtight container and
store for another day. You can come up
with any number of custom combinations all your own. You can also mix tubs of frosting to match
your new combination by stirring them gently together, or you can buy one of
each of two selections and have 12 frosted one way and 12 frosted in another
flavor.
When
it comes to the mixing bowl, you can add a touch of homemade flavor to your next
batch by adding a splash of pure vanilla extract. Some think substituting milk for the water
requested on the box instructions can make for fluffier cupcakes. When you start filling your cups in the
muffin pans, decide if paper or foil cups is the way to go for this batch. Paper cups come in a variety of styles and
colors, and foil cups are hardier and – side note - also make great holders for
single serve portions of a variety of side dishes. To spread out your batter evenly and aim for
the most uniform cupcakes in size, use an ice cream scoop, melon baller, or
measuring cup to ladle the batter into each cup instead of a regular
spoon. You can better apportion out even
levels. Make sure to not overfill; 2/3
full is a good rule of thumb.
After
the cupcakes are baked and completely cooled on a rack, don’t get out the knife
to start frosting; use a homemade piping bag instead for a more professional
look. Use either quart or gallon plastic
baggies, depending on the quantity you’re using of one frosting flavor. Snip off one corner tip, starting small, as
you can always go bigger but not smaller.
Push a piping bag decorative tip through the hole, ensuring you’ve got a
good, snug fit. To hold the decorative
tip in place, tape it to the corner of the baggie on the outside. When filing your piping bag, fold the baggie
edges over the outside, exposing the bottom of the bag more readily and keeping
the zipper top clean and clear. Use a
spatula to put the entire tub or tubs of frosting inside, roll the edges up,
press out the air, and seal securely.
Always keep your frosting moving toward the bottom of the bag to avoid
air bubbles that can disrupt your piping style.
And don’t beat or whip store bought frosting; it may make your quantity
“grow” a little, but it’s made my cake levels slide before. Trust me; it’s not
a pretty sight.
Since
you have plenty of frosting, take your time piling it high to your desired
look. Leave a little cupcake showing
between the cup edge and the frosting; it’s neater when you pick them up out of
your storage container. I like to make a
slow spiral that outlines the top, fills in the center, and then mounts in a
little dollop or spike on top. Finish
them off with decorative sugars, sprinkles, sugar pearls, or candy pieces. Get creative if you have a theme going. Those pink lemonade cupcakes mentioned above
are adorable with a candy lemon wedge and short piece of plastic straw perched
on top.
However
you top them, turn everyday cupcakes into homemade masterpieces worthy of show!
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star September 22nd.
