Cupcake help

[LongDuckDong]

I need to make 60 cupcakes for later in Feb. I am thinking that I can make them in batches and freeze them, would this be right?

If so does anyone have proven recipe for vanilla and for chocolate sponge?

Secondly I want to top them with chocolate frosting and cream/gold frosting. Does anyone have a great recipe and I am guessing that I can't frost them until the day I want to eat them?

Thank you for your help.

1. You can definitely freeze them. I would get them out an hour before icing them

1. You could ice them the day before if you had to but they would be slightly fresher on the day. I'd do it the day before though if I were making 60!

1. What sort of icing do you want - water based icing that sets flat or buttercream icing that you would spoon or pipe on?

I would like icing to pipe.

Icing to die for

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamcheesefrosting/

Add cocoa (and a pinch of salt) for a chocolate version. Avoid eating too much as you work or buy extra quantities.

I like to layer the decoration,

vanilla sponge (with chocolate chips ) chocolate icing swirled on top and a light sprinkle of icing sugar, a chocolate chip and edible glitter.

Chocolate sponge, white chocolate pieces, vanilla icing, dusting of cocoa, white chocolate chip, edible glitter.

sigh

Enjoy.

Swiss meringue buttercream (lots of recipes if you Google) all the way - even people who say they don't like icing seem to like swiss meringue icing as it isn't as sweet as traditional buttercream and has a lovely smooth texture. It's easy to pipe as well, can be coloured and flavoured any way you like.

I make many many cupcakes - and honestly the best recipe ever which works every time is a nigella one for fairy cakes which is in her how to be a domestic goddess book (page 40).

Fairy Cakes: Nigella's How To Eat
Ingredients
125 grams Self-raising flour
125 grams Unsalted butter, soft
125 grams Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking powder
Milk
Method
1.Throw all the ingredients in a food processor except the milk.
2.Leave to blend for a few mins until its all mixed together, then drip in a few teaspoons of milk, so it becomes more of a cake batter consistency.
3.Put into cases, bake at 200°C for about 10/15 mins (until they look nicely brown, and a skewer comes out clean)

Personally for my oven I set it at 180 fan. The mix I find makes about 9-12 cupcakes (rather than smaller fairy cakes). They can be frozen as well.

I have honestly make these about 1000 times (I do bake semi professionally) and they have never not worked.

For the icing, I always do a butter icing. Double the amount of icing sugar per butter. For chocolate you use cocoa powder - good quality and maybe about 50g per 200g icing sugar? I used to blend in real melted chocolate but honestly I find good quality cocoa powder to be the best.

You can also add a bit of philadelphia soft cheese to butter cream to make it less sweet, not too much as it then looses it's stiffness and doesn't pipe too well.

Also for cupcakes I like to core out the middle with an apple corer and add other things, like caramel, raspberry Jam or curds (passion fruit or lemon). Obviously the icing colour and type needs to match the middle addition.

Good luck!

For vanilla cup cakes I use 2 large eggs, 4 ounces sugar, 4 ounces butter and 8 ounces flour plus 1tsp baking powder and 1tsp vanilla paste (or essence) and milk to loosen. For chocolate I substitute 1 oz flour for 100% cocoa. It makes a cupcake robust enough for heavy icing but I wouldn't make them ahead myself, 24 hours is ok.

For icing there's lots of recipes, but I use simple buttercream with melted chocolate - icing sugar, butter and melted 70% dark chocolate. It pipes fine and will harden a little overnight if you want to do a day ahead

Tips for buttercream - I use half salted and half unsalted butter. The unsalted makes the colour lighter as it tends to be less yellow than salted, but on its own can be too sweet, so I like a mix. Had big compliments on it this weekend!

Double the weight of icing sugar to butter, leave the butter out overnight or if it’s cold chop it into cubes and put it into tepid (hand temp) water. Leave for 10 mins and drain off water, butter is soft ready to beat. Add lots of vanilla extract.

Beat for aaaages!! You’ll see it start to change colour and go lighter when it’s nicely whipped. You’ll need a big piping tip to do nice swirls, so if you only have those little ones that come in a set, look online or ask at your local baking supplies shop for advice on the tips you need to make big roses or swirls on top of cupcakes. You can also buy disposable piping bags to make clearing up easier!

I use a regular cake recipe - 6oz of marg, sugar and SR flour, and 3 eggs, makes about 12 cupcakes. I sub out a tbsp of flour for cornflour and add half a tsp of baking powder (not bicarbonate of soda, that’s gross!) for extra springiness. I use a squirt of lemon juice and a splash of milk to loosen the mix.

I wouldn’t freeze them tbh, the paper cases can peel off and the cakes will still need to be left out for a couple of hours to defrost so you may as well just make them late the night before, frost then and then box them up, they’ll be fine the next day.

Sorry that amount makes about 18-24 cupcakes, depending how full they are!

I use this recipe which is foolproof - it's never failed me: www.glorioustreats.com/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe/

60 cupcakes is 5 trays. They take less than 15 minutes per tray so if you've got a free morning, that should be enough time to bake them the day before (I would, for freshness). Cool and put the icing on in the evening?