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Original poster

Making cupcakes, some tips required please?

36 replies

ClaireDeLoon · 13/05/2009 22:33

OK I fancy making some pretty cupcakes this weekend and I have a few questions please.

Firstly - how do you get the tops level?

Secondly (and yes I know it is minor and picky) - the cake cases I have are more for fairy cakes yet when you see them done professionally they have straight sides

so like this

www.grandmasecrets.com/pages/cupcakes.jpg

Where do I get those cakes cases and what sort of tin do I bake them in.

Thirdly - has anyone got a nice frosting recipe please?

Finally - is I wanted to make the cakes raspberry flavour would you just puree and seive the raspberries to get a seedless puree and add that to the recipe do you think?

Hopefully someone can answer at least one

OP posts:
dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 22:35

you should take a tour of the receipes section, there are LOADS of cupcake tips there

will try and find you a few links as well

SOLOisMeredithGrey · 13/05/2009 22:38

Don't know about straight sides, but you can get silicone cake cups from Adsa living which are fab for baking and reusable! £2 for 12.

A good fairy cake rises, the shop ones are not good, so are flat and boring(IMO of course)

dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 22:38

online supplier here and splat and cakecaftshop

another good one is Jane Asher website for decorating/cases etc or you could also look on ebay

SOLOisMeredithGrey · 13/05/2009 22:39

Oh and you place them on a flat tray as opposed to placing the paper ones in a cup cake tin.

dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 22:42

good thread here for ideas

Original poster
ClaireDeLoon · 13/05/2009 22:45

ooh thanks SOLO I like the sound of the asda silicone ones I will have to go look (thogh the asda here is only small and doesn't stock loads so not holding out much hope!!)

My fairy cakes always rise a fair bit and I think it makes icing them tricky - have you any tips?

Thanks for the links dizzy and I will have a look in the recipe section. It looks like if I want disposable cases I need to get special cup cake ones to get the desired effect? I wonder if anywhere in central London sells them instead of mail order? Do John Lewis?

OP posts:
Original poster
ClaireDeLoon · 13/05/2009 22:47

ooh that is a fab thread, yes, thank you!!

OP posts:
dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 22:50

am also a fan of the ASDA silicone ones for baking stuff in the house BUT the paper cases are great when baking for people

if you want to ice them you could try popping them in the fridge for half an hour first, makes it a bit easier

am in north of scotland so have mine delivered, my nearest John Lewis would be 2hrs away am sure there must be somewhere or one of those sites would have them, they seem to have everything

SOLOisMeredithGrey · 13/05/2009 23:04

No tips for flat tops! unless you trim them... wouldn't show I suppose once iced!

dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 23:07

either cut off the rounded top OR you could try taking a dip out of the middle of the mix before you bake them maybe?

dizzydixies · 13/05/2009 23:11

would these work for your straight sides?

StirlingTheStrong · 13/05/2009 23:19

Shall post this recipe again - The cupcakes are lovely and they have flat tops!!

Cupcakes

120g Plain Flour
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
45g unsalted butter at room temp
120ml whole milk
1 large egg (free range obviously)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Put flour, sugar, baking powder, butter and pinch salt in bowl and, using hand held electric mixer on slow, mix till it looks like sand. Gradually pour in half the milk and mix.
In another bowl whisk egg, vanilla and the rest of the milk, then pour into creamed mixture and beat until incorporated ans smooth.
Divide between 12 cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 mins at 180/160 fan/gas4.

Vanilla Frosting

250g icing sugar
80g butter at room temp
25ml whole milk
couple of drops of vanilla extract

Beat icing sugar and butter till it comes together. Turn mixer down to low and mix together the milk and vanilla in another bowl, then add to creamed mixture. Continue beating till light and fluffy.

fillmore · 17/05/2009 12:46

I came accross this site the other day:

www.cupcakestyle.co.uk/cupcakestylerecipes.html

They have some nice recipes and the wrappers look interesting, I've not tried them myself but would make even my cakes look good I'm sure!!

Original poster
ClaireDeLoon · 17/05/2009 16:09

Stirling have just taken the cupcakes out of the oven, they have lovely flat tops!! Thank you for the recipe, I substituted a tablespoon of flour for cocoa to make chocolate ones. Will ice them once cool and report back. Thanks again

Thanks for the link fillmore - I will take a look now.

OP posts:
StirlingTheStrong · 17/05/2009 16:41

So glad they turned out well - I made some more yesterday for my ds's birthday and they turned out lovely again.

micku5 · 17/05/2009 17:03

Oh those wrappers in your link fillmore are just what I am looking for for dd1 party next month.

thank you

dreamylady · 17/05/2009 18:27

err is this really mumsnet?!! I am a relative noob here but I thought I'd stumbled on an altogether more wholesome site.

I am a bit scared of the cupcake thing though, why are they suddenly sweeping the nation? I like a good old fashioned fairy cake me, or even just a big cake you cut up into bits. What an old fuddy duddy.

They're an American thing aren't they? So is it the Obama effect I wonder?..

DorotheaPlenticlew · 17/05/2009 18:41

Naah, I reckon the cupcake/fairy cake thing is all part of one big trend that has been around for ages (as far as trends go). See Nigella et al -- that domestic goddess book with the fairy cake on it sparked a craze back in, oh, 2000 or thereabouts. Then the US chimed in with cupcakes in major TV programmes. Has not really gone away since.

Original poster
ClaireDeLoon · 17/05/2009 19:56

Well I'm proud of my cupcakes, then again I've always liked baking and cooking and I don't see anything wrong (or un-mumsnet) with that.

Stirling they most definitely passed the taste test they are delicious, am gonna save that recipes, thanks!

OP posts:
LyraSilvertongue · 17/05/2009 21:35

I find, the hotter the oven when you put the cakes in, the more they peak in the middle. My first batch is always nice and flat, the second batch always peaky.

thell · 18/05/2009 01:56

Cake Shops usually stock rigid sided cake cases, which I've seen an acquaintance use.

Also, I use a muffin tin instead of a bun tin - the deeper sides give the cakes more support as they rise.

Will try the recipe, sounds good

toddlerama · 18/05/2009 10:29

Straight sides are all about the tin you put the cases in. Muffin tins are deeper and hold them upright. I'm with thell on this one. Although last time I made cupcakes I coloured them a lairy pink and DD barfed after one.

Original poster
ClaireDeLoon · 18/05/2009 10:37

Yeah I'm going to go shopping for a muffin tin today - I didn't organise myself until Sunday and the only shop in town that sells that sort of thing is Asda and it turns out it doesn't sell that sort of thing! I just used a couple of extra cases to support them but they were a bit wonky

OP posts:
Ninjacat · 18/05/2009 11:26

Muffin Tin and Muffin Cases. Fairy cake cases are just too small.

freakorunique · 18/05/2009 11:46

I carefully slice the top off to leave a flat surface for icing. Have to be careful of crumbs spoiling the icing effect, but it doesn't pose too many probs to just shake crumbs off before icing.

Added bonus: I then have to eat recycle the bits I have sliced off.