What can we learn from making cupcakes?

Post on 13-May-2015

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There are so many lessons about cooking and baking that we can learn from taking a closer look at each step of the cupcake making process.

Transcript of What can we learn from making cupcakes?

What Can We Learn from Making

Cupcakes?

To find out...lets make some!Strawberry Peach

CupcakesPeach Cupcakes:1 box French vanilla cake mix2 tsp. cinnamon3 eggs 1/3 C. melted butter, cooled¾ C. buttermilk¼ C. peaches, peeled and pureed1 T. vanilla 1 C. peaches, chopped

Strawberry Buttercream: 1 C. butter, softened1/3 C. strawberry puree1 tsp. vanilla extract1 T. strawberry gelatin4-5 C. powdered sugar

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350 and line pans with

cupcake liners. 2. Sift cake mix and cinnamon into small bowl

—set aside. 3. In a large bowl combine eggs, melted

butter, buttermilk, peach puree, and vanilla until smooth.

4. Slowly add cake mix and cinnamon.5. Fold in chopped peaches. 6. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 17-20

minutes. Let cool completely. 7. For Strawberry Buttercream: Beat butter

for 2 minutes. Add strawberry puree, vanilla, and strawberry gelatin. Slowly add powdered sugar until buttercream is a good consistency.

8. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes.

Cast of Characters

Start by sifting together cake mix and cinnamon...

...Why do we need to sift dry ingredients such as

flour, baking powder, baking soda etc?

No one wants to eat a lump of flour or baking soda as they bite into their cupcake!

Next step, combine melted butter...

...pureed peaches...

...eggs...Functions and uses of eggs:

-add nutrients-coats food-acts as a leavening

agent-acts as an emulsifying

agent-improves color, texture,

and flavor-binder

...and buttermilk. But why not make things easier and just use milk…?

Buttermilk adds acidity to your baked goods which make it moist and tender. The acidity in the buttermilk breaks down tough strands of gluten in the flour. Buttermilk also gives a tangy and rich flavor and creamy consistency to your cake.

Easy buttermilk substitute

One C. milk + one tsp. vinegar =

buttermilkPour 1 tsp. of vinegar into a measuring cup, then fill the

remaining amount up with milk. Let mixture stand for 5-10 minutes. You will notice that your milk has curdled a bit. The acid in the vinegar will react with the milk over the 5-10 minute period and will provide the acidity necessary for moist and tender baked goods.

Blend the wet ingredients together...

...then add the dry ingredients. Why do we do this separately...?

Baking is a science!

“One of the primary reasons for separating wet and dry ingredients is that they interfere with each other during the mixing stage. If you take flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and drop them in a bowl containing milk and eggs, the ingredients won't be able to mix properly throughout the dough. If you take those same dry ingredients and sift them together before adding them to the wet ingredients, however, they'll be evenly dispersed and create a consistent flavor and texture throughout the finished product. The same holds true for liquid ingredients such as milk, honey and vanilla.”http://www.livestrong.com/article/555058-a-baking-mistake-of-not-separating-the-wet-dry-ingredients/

Next, we fold in the chopped peaches. But why do we fold them instead of mixing them...?

There are multiple reasons actually:

-we took all that time to chop the peaches—we want them to maintain that chunky shape that might be lost if we used the mixer

-at this time, the batter has been mixed so much that over-mixing it is very possible—no bueno

-folding is fun to do—it makes you feel like a pastry chef :)

Time to line the muffin tins! But why not fill them all the way to the top...?

...because cake does amazing things in the oven.

The baking powder in the cake mix acts as a slow acting acid. Once it is exposed to heat, leavening occurs and your cake will rise and be nice and fluffy!

Ding! They are done!

Strawberry Buttercream Cast of Characters

First, beat the butter for 2 minutes,but why make your hand so tired...?

We want to incorporate air into the butter to make it light and fluffy. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides!

Then add the strawberry puree, vanilla, and gelatin...why gelatin?

Gelatin is pretty much equivalent to a juice concentrate. It is packed with wonderful, potent flavor! Gelatin packets and pudding mixes are great in baking for this reason.

...mix until well incorporated...

...then add the powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

1 cup powdered sugar 2 cups powdered sugar 4 cups powdered sugar The recipe calls for 4-5 cups. I stopped at 4 because the peaks I made were stiff, but not too stiff. The perfect amount of powdered sugar!

Go ahead and frost them, and

voila! The finished product!