Page 22 - Cupcakes

SPATULAS: You can’t have too many spatulas, both rubber spatulas for

scraping bowls of batter and frostings and for cleanups, and also flexible metal
spatulas for frosting cupcakes. Look for a short metal spatula called a cupcake
spatula. You can run it around the edge of the cupcake or muffin to release it
from the pan, then frost the cupcake easily. What’s really nice is that this size
spatula fits perfectly in a child’s hand.

VEGETABLE OIL MISTER: Unlike the commercial vegetable oil sprays that

contain propellants and cause the outside of your cakes and cupcakes to darken,
this mister is an empty pump that you fill with fresh vegetable oil. Pump it eight
or nine times and it’s ready to spray oil into the bottom of muffin cups.

MIXING THE BATTER AND FILLING THE PANS

The method for mixing most of the cupcakes in this book is the same as I have
used in my Cake Mix Doctor books. Use the ingredients in the order they are
listed, and follow the recipe instructions. Blend first with an electric mixer on
low to incorporate the ingredients, then on medium for the batter to smooth and
lighten. You can also prepare these cupcakes with a wooden spoon, using about

150 strokes.
For the muffins, however, the methods change a bit. If the batter calls for soft
butter, place it in a mixing bowl with the sugar and cream it by blending with an
electric mixer on low speed until the two ingredients come together and are
creamy. You then add the egg (or eggs), blending it in with the electric mixer as
well. Once the wet ingredients are blended together, the dry ingredients, like the
muffin mix or the self-rising flour, should be folded into them with a wooden

spoon or rubber spatula so the flour is only lightly beaten and the batter does not
toughen.
For muffin batters in which oil is the fat, you begin by placing the dry
ingredients, like the muffin mix, self-rising flour, sugar, and spices, in a large
bowl and making a well in the center. You fold in the combined wet ingredients
or you dump the egg and other wet ingredients into this well, depending on what
the recipe suggests. Muffin batters only need 20 strokes of a wooden spoon to
come together. The batter should still appear lumpy; these lumps will disappear
in the oven and the resulting muffins will be moist.