Frosting Cupcake Techniques

Frosting the Cupcake

There are many different ways to frost a cupcake, and I know known. I have always loved the way people put art onto food, and it is time that I too become a food artist. On the side bar of page 211, in the book "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book:Essential Recipes for Today's Home Baker", it gives you some tips on how to ice a cupcake with the frosting recipe in the page next to it (tried out the recipe earlier). 

What I first did was I filled up a pastry bag with the frosting and made sure to twist the top of the bag so none of the frosting would leak out as I was squeezing the bag. There are many different types of the pointers that direct the frosting

on the cupcake. On the first cupcake, I did a typical swirl and made little flowers/dots of frosting with the pointers.

I used two different sizes of the same shaped pointer, as shown on the left. On the right we can see the difference between both outcomes. Even though you can cover much more surface using the larger sized hole, I believe the smaller one gives you more control, as said in the book, for more control and smaller chance of a mistake,  use the smaller sized pointer (p 211). I also decided to have more fun with the frosting, and added some food coloring into the frosting and squeezed on a fresh cupcake. The first one turned out okay, but I love the second one I made (bottom
 left). The color mixed very well with the white frosting and made the color softer. I decided to make more designs on the other cupcakes with the white frosting and found the cupcakes more appealing, but I do need much more practice on frosting cupcakes, or making designs on them. 

 Have you ever thought about the skill that goes into the appearance of food? Do you think you will ever make some designs the next time you frost some cupcakes? 

Making the Frosting

Vanilla Frosting

Frosting is a key element to cupcakes and other baked good like cupcakes. I am most comfortable using store bought frosting, one reason because its much easier than whipping some up. But on my journey through the baking world, I have realized how important frosting really is, so I decided to use a recipe and make some homemade frosting. The recipe, on the side bar of page 210 in the book "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, the Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker", requires:

• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I whisked the milk into the flour in a small bowl until it turned smooth, so that it'll thicken. While I was doing this, I missed a key step. "Heat and stir until it boils and thickens" (210). Because of this, my frosting did not turn out as intended, but I continued on. I beat the butter and added in the milk mixture and continued to beat it in. This is when my mistake is clearly represented. I was not able to reach my goal and my outcome showed it. Because the milk was not mixing in with the butter mixture, I drained it and added 6 tbsp of flour and sugar, and managed to get it to stick together. 


In the end, I learned that patience and attention is a key factor in baking, because of the severe consequences it could lead to if you miss a single step. 

Have you ever missed a step while cooking and ended up with a bad outcome? What approach did you take to solve it, or did you start over? 

Orange you glad I said chocolate?

 Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes

I remember seeing oranges made of chocolate, and tasted a lot like oranges as well. That's what i thought of when I saw this recipe, on page 173, in the book "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, the Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker". The recipe calls for which makes 12 cupcakes:

• 3 tbsp dutch-process cocoa powder (or just regular cocoa powder)
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 orange
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled at room temperature

Frosting Recipe:

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar

I first mixed the cocoa into the hot water until it dissolved and set it aside, and sifted the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. I then used the fine rasps of a handheld grater and grated the zest into the bowl. 
In another bowl, i whisked together the eggs and the granulated sugar until it was well combined, and whisked in the vanilla extract and buttermilk. After that, I poured in the dissolved cocoa from before.

Once the melted butter was cooled, i poured it into the egg mixture and then added in the flour mixture. 

I then poured the batter into the cupcake tins and popped that into the oven for 15-20 minutes and let them cool for 5 minutes before I started on the frosting. The recipe calls for melted chocolate, but instead of melting the chocolate I cooked it. Since i didn't have anymore chocolate to melt, nor the patience, so I substituted the melted chocolate with chocolate syrup. Once I       mixed all the ingredients with the chocolate 
syrup, I put it into the pastry bag and piped it on the cupcakes. The butter didn't mix well with the chocolate syrup, but the frosting still worked out.  

The cupcake was pretty dry, and the zest particles were too big, so I would recommend to use a finer handheld grater. But with the chocolate syrup instead of the melted chocolate, the frosting was much better with the dry cupcake. In the end, I wouldn't recommend this recipe unless you love orange flavored chocolate. 

Do any of you guys like chocolate flavored with something else, such as orange flavored chocolate? And would any of you guys try out this recipe? 

Classic Birthday Cake Cupackes

Classic Birthday Cake Cupcakes

With my last cupcake, I went the chocolate route, but today I decided that I'll go on the other end of the spectrum and go with the vanilla. This recipe is used for cakes, but I used the batter to instead make some sing serve cupcakes. On page 206 of the book "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, the Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker", the recipe calls for:

• 2 3/4 cups of all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• Vanilla frosting

Recipe for Vanilla frosting:

• 1 cup room-temperature unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy (double) cream
• 2 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Flour Mixture

Firstly, I whisked together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. In another bowl, I used an electrical mixer to beat the butter until smooth, but I over beat the butter which caused the cupcakes to turn out spongy in the end, so a piece of advice is to make sure you beat on medium speed and stop sooner rather than later. I then slowly added in the sugar and continue beating until well blended 

Batter

and fluffy. After, I added the eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg. I then beat in the vanilla followed by the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in two additions, and beat on low speed. 

Cupcakes baking

After I beat the mixture well, I poured 
the batter in the cupcake tins and pop
them into the oven for about 15-20, or until the toothpick I put in the 
cupcake comes out clean. I let them cool for 5 minutes before I started making the vanilla frosting. 

Cupcakes out of the oven

Frosting

I put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat it until well mixed and fluffy. I put the frosting into a pastry bag and piped the frosting onto the cupcakes. 

Piping out frosting onto
cupcake

 In the end, I think           there was too much   butter needed, so I advise if you are   making these cupcakes, you use less   butter than required. These cupcakes   were good, as are any cupcake, but I   would not use this recipe again or retry after I have more experience baking. 

If you have ever made any cupcakes, have you ever made any mistakes during the process? Or if you haven't baked any cupcakes yet, do you plan to? What flavor? 

Devil's Food Cake into Cupcakes



Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes

This recipe is used to make a cake, but I just poured the batter into some cupcake liners and popped them into the oven to make some yummy chocolate cupcakes. The recipe comes from the book, "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, the Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker" published in 2010. On page 152, the recipe requires:

• 2 1/3 cups of all purpose (plain) flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For the frosting (I just used frosting bought from the store):

• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups heavy (double) cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Flour, cocoa, baking powder,

baking soda, and salt mixture



First, I sifted together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl and set it aside. In another large bowl, I used an electric mixer on medium speed and beat the butter until smooth. I gradually added the brown sugar into the butter and continued beating it until it turned smooth.





Butter with brown sugar

Adding in the flour mixture

I then beat in the vanilla extract and added the eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. After I beat in the last egg, I added the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions. I mixed them in on low speed. When I was done mixing the batter, I poured

Finished batter

Cupcakes in the oven

the batter into the cupcake tins and popped them into the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until when you poke a fork into the cupcake it comes clean. When the cupcakes were done, I took them out and let them cool for 5 minutes before I frosted them (a mixture of vanilla and chocolate frosting for the right amount of sweetness).

This baking experience has made me more knowledgeable on baking cupcakes, and it made me realize I need a lot more practice before I can master the art of making cupcakes. The cupcakes in the end turned out great, and I'm looking forward to making more favorable cupcakes.

What is your favorite flavor of cupcake/cake  flavor and would you guys ever dabble in the baking world?