By: Amanda Bumgarner of Breathing in the Wind
Hello, readers of The Pen and Whisk! I’m excited to be talking to you today
about one of my favorite things…cupcakes! I could eat cupcakes all day long if
I could. I blog over at Breathing in the Wind, and Katie asked me to post about
my experience baking cupcakes from scratch. I’m hopeful that you can learn from
my mistakes and start baking delicious desserts in no time!
I believe there are three types of people:
I learned from my mother how to bake mouth-watering chocolate chip cookies. They are my specialty and often requested from Jordan. That small exception aside, however, I am much more of a cook than a baker. I love making potpies and stews and casseroles, but I often wish I could master the delicate intricacies of baking.
Part of the problem is that baking is so precise, much more so than cooking. When you’re cooking, you can adjust the recipe—add this and that to taste. When you’re baking, I, at least, don’t have that liberty. The slightest change could go horribly wrong—and has, in fact.
I recently bought a cookbook called The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, which contains recipes from a famous New York bakery. I justified the $20 with the thought that this cookbook would hold the secrets to a successful, homemade cupcake. I was delighted to find that the first section was titled “Tips.”
Just what I need, I thought. After reading and rereading the tips, I discovered a few interesting facts:
1. Eggs and butter and milk need to all be at room temperature before starting the recipe.
2. Creaming the butter and sugar together really does need to take at least 3 minutes, which seems like a terribly long time but is apparently one of the most important ways to create a fluffy cupcake.
With these tips in mind, I began making vanilla cupcakes. I followed every instruction to a T and spent the next 30 minutes glued to page 57. The batter was crazy good, and I applauded my own success. Then I spooned the batter into muffin tins and set the timer for 15 minutes. I waited and watched, and when the timer went off I pulled the cupcakes from the oven and could barely wait to pop one in my mouth. I took one bite and immediately wanted to throw the whole lot of them out. My cupcake was horribly dry. “This is why I don’t bake!” I shouted. Then I swore off Magnolia and their stupid cupcakes forever.
My ban on homemade cupcakes lasted approximately a month, during which time I convinced myself that all I needed was more practice. Never one to entirely give up, I decided to try again.
I reread the directions and tips I’d read half a dozen times already, made sure my butter and eggs were at room temperature (you can put the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for a 10 minutes to accomplish this), and set off. In the end, my second attempt turned out much better, and it was largely in part to a few minor adjustments, which I hope you will find helpful.
A) I think the most important was the fact that I turned my oven down about 25 degrees.
B) Then, even though the recipe said to cook for 15-20 minutes, I set the timer for 10 and then checked the cupcakes every two minutes.
C) I took them out when a toothpick came out with just a bit of batter sticking to it and then let them sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes or so to finish cooking. They were not brown at all on the top.
After eating 10 cupcakes, I will say I did a better job the second time around. There is still room for improvement, though, which I suppose is just the hazard of being a baker. The next time I attempt cupcakes I will beat the batter less while adding flour. I will also turn the muffin tin halfway through cooking so the front cupcakes bake evenly with the back. There’s no doubt I’m improving, and based on my first attempt, I think it’s safe to say that if I can do it, anyone can. Staying positive is important if it doesn’t come out right the first time, and always be willing to try again. After tasting my dry cupcakes, I’m sure you would agree that there’s nowhere to go but up!
I believe there are three types of people:
1. Those who bake.
2. Those who cook.
3. Those who wish they could bake
and cook and sit around eating the food of the bakers and cookers.
I learned from my mother how to bake mouth-watering chocolate chip cookies. They are my specialty and often requested from Jordan. That small exception aside, however, I am much more of a cook than a baker. I love making potpies and stews and casseroles, but I often wish I could master the delicate intricacies of baking.
Part of the problem is that baking is so precise, much more so than cooking. When you’re cooking, you can adjust the recipe—add this and that to taste. When you’re baking, I, at least, don’t have that liberty. The slightest change could go horribly wrong—and has, in fact.
I recently bought a cookbook called The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, which contains recipes from a famous New York bakery. I justified the $20 with the thought that this cookbook would hold the secrets to a successful, homemade cupcake. I was delighted to find that the first section was titled “Tips.”
Just what I need, I thought. After reading and rereading the tips, I discovered a few interesting facts:
1. Eggs and butter and milk need to all be at room temperature before starting the recipe.
2. Creaming the butter and sugar together really does need to take at least 3 minutes, which seems like a terribly long time but is apparently one of the most important ways to create a fluffy cupcake.
With these tips in mind, I began making vanilla cupcakes. I followed every instruction to a T and spent the next 30 minutes glued to page 57. The batter was crazy good, and I applauded my own success. Then I spooned the batter into muffin tins and set the timer for 15 minutes. I waited and watched, and when the timer went off I pulled the cupcakes from the oven and could barely wait to pop one in my mouth. I took one bite and immediately wanted to throw the whole lot of them out. My cupcake was horribly dry. “This is why I don’t bake!” I shouted. Then I swore off Magnolia and their stupid cupcakes forever.
My ban on homemade cupcakes lasted approximately a month, during which time I convinced myself that all I needed was more practice. Never one to entirely give up, I decided to try again.
I reread the directions and tips I’d read half a dozen times already, made sure my butter and eggs were at room temperature (you can put the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for a 10 minutes to accomplish this), and set off. In the end, my second attempt turned out much better, and it was largely in part to a few minor adjustments, which I hope you will find helpful.
A) I think the most important was the fact that I turned my oven down about 25 degrees.
B) Then, even though the recipe said to cook for 15-20 minutes, I set the timer for 10 and then checked the cupcakes every two minutes.
C) I took them out when a toothpick came out with just a bit of batter sticking to it and then let them sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes or so to finish cooking. They were not brown at all on the top.
After eating 10 cupcakes, I will say I did a better job the second time around. There is still room for improvement, though, which I suppose is just the hazard of being a baker. The next time I attempt cupcakes I will beat the batter less while adding flour. I will also turn the muffin tin halfway through cooking so the front cupcakes bake evenly with the back. There’s no doubt I’m improving, and based on my first attempt, I think it’s safe to say that if I can do it, anyone can. Staying positive is important if it doesn’t come out right the first time, and always be willing to try again. After tasting my dry cupcakes, I’m sure you would agree that there’s nowhere to go but up!
Great tips! All things I do when baking. But each recipe is different. The first time you make any recipe you have to make room for failure. :)
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