How About A Thread To Seriously Discuss Making Cupcakes?????
Baking By Cookies4kids Updated 11 Dec 2020 , 12:18pm by -K8memphis
Melissa, too funny!!! Now, when that little one comes and is all a flitter about chocolate, you can never yell at him "No more chocolate!" You did it to him!!!
Aside from all the great stuff on here, I had to let you all here this...one part of this post said something about a $50 cake or something. Well, let me tell you...
I got a catalog from a Popcorn Factory company the other day and they now have a dozen cupcakes (6 yellow and 6 chocolate) with just plain bc frosting on them. No design, just frosted. No nothing!
FIFTY BUCKS FOR A DOZEN CUPCAKES!!!! PLUS SHIPPING!!!!!
Had to share my cupcake of the day. Banana cupcakes with peanut butter filling. Dark chocolate frosting with a peanut butter cup on top. I also want to share my recipe for dipping chocolate that I used for my HighHat cupcakes. I know some people don't like the paraffin idea, but half of the chocolate on the market has it in the candy. This gives you a deep, dark coating that does not show fingerprints, and it has a snap to it when you bite into it. Lots of times, I will add a bag of candy melts to this recipe as an extender, but it makes it a bit softer.
Lily"s Chocolate Coating
12 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips (just the regular Nestles as the high cocoa content ones make it too soft)
1 square of unsweeted chocolate
1/2 bar of food grade paraffin wax
I have one of those antique candy double boilers (just love the thing) and I put the wax in first, then the chocolate. I stir it carefully so the wax doesn't splash up the sides and stick there!!!! This is really easy to work with because it is on the thin side. Even if you add the bag of candy melts to it, it is still thinner than most.
LONG LIVE CHOCOLATE!!!!!
Lily
lilybird .. I keep looking to see if your going to post the recipe for Banana cupcakes with peanut butter filling,Dark chocolate frosting with a peanut butter cup on top! They sound delicious ! Please !!! Also the picture if available ? Thanks ! I also use paraffin in my choc for dipping candy! It gives you that nice little crunch/snap when you bite it!
This is more of a question to all of you...I had to make cupcakes after reading all of these posts, but was more interested in trying out the Lorrann Cherry oil as well as trying the swirl topping. Yumm!! I made cherry chip cupcakes with a cherry cream cheese flavored frosting, which I forgot to measure since I was talking to my daughter, but turned out yummy.
Now the question is: what am I doing wrong on the swirls? They just don't look like the beautiful roses that some of you make. I'm just going around the cupcake top starting in the middle and using my wrist to swirl around. Is this right? Any opinions and help are greatly appreciated. I won't get my feelings hurt, so please criticize them!!! Thank you!
After hearing about the Appltini Cupcakes, I had to experiment. So I made Strawberry Margarita cupcakes today. They are really yummy! I topped them with Vanilla SMBC. and a sprinkle of colored sugar for that needed margarita crunch.
They look wonderful!! I made those appletini cupcakes for an event last night and I was approached by a guy who owns a really nice bar in town about doing specialty drink mini cakes for his high end special events!! Whoo hoo...
All these cupcakes are making me fat...LMAO.
vickymacd
maybe try going in the opposite direction ! If your going clockwise now, go counter clockwise and see if that works ! Thats the right tip and just moving your wrist not your whole hand should do it ! Maybe have to just practice , Im sure it works just a touch different for everyone ! they are pretty though !
Vicky- those look fantastic!! I know what you mean though about how some people can make them look like a flower! I *THINK* it's the way they turn their hand as they go around in the cirle, it's like they turn it in on itself a little bit. It's wrist action... I'm pretty sure! Someone pop in and explain it in a way that makes sense, please? I'm starting to sound stupid!! 
Fiddlesticks---I am afraid the banana cupcakes, etc. is a pretty simple recipe. I just put banana flavoring in my basic yellow doctored mix that I posted a while back. The peanut butter filling is in the recipe forum from Shirley W. Use your basic favorite chocolate frosting recipe and I stirred in some of my melted dipping chocolate for good measure. I cut the Reeses peanut butter cup in half and put it on top. Can't post a picture because my intelligence hasn't expanded to that level yet. Hope to get some help from a neighbor one of these days.
Ok just pretend this isn't off the subject, but I tasted my new cake bites today and they are really soooooo good. I used the recipe I posted for Dark Chocolate Banana Nut cake ( I was disappointed because it only got 4 stars--boo hoo) and my binder was the above peanut butter filling. Dipped in my chocolate coating, they were just the best!!! Ok so I could have shaped them like cupcakes like Bakerella did on her web site.
Give them a try, ladies, you won't be sorry. When are we going to start our diet club????
Lily
Thanks, Melissa! I'll keep plugging away at it!
What's this about a diet club? I'm in....I think. Melissa, you're out for awhile kiddo! That new little one will need you to keep up your cupcakes, I mean, strength!
Don't think about a section! Think natural. It'll be better for you and faster recovery to get back to the baking!!
You bunch of wenches 
. I tried to not look at all of those beautiful cupcake pictures but now I can't hold back any longer. My mouth is watering for cupcakes and I don't have any eggs 
. You all should be ashamed of yourselves for making me do this. I'm going to have to drive 50 miles to get eggs and spend the rest of the night baking.
Should I thank all of you now or later 
.
Melvira those pictures are priceless. It reminds of the time I was 41 weeks pregnant and it was my birthday and both of my sisters bought me cakes. I ate BOTH OF THEM with the same look of happiness you had on your face. Did I mention they were 1/2 sheet cakes 
?
Ok my mouth was watering too for the earthquake cupcakes! Thanks for the recipe. Now I have the flu and have spent the entire day in bed or on the couch. My DH is at a conference and cannot come home. My poor 12 year old son has had to take care of me all day! I just know my taste for cupcakes wil come back but I was so looking forward to today and baking
Oh you guys... you really do want to make those earthquake cupcakes! They will shake your world!! They are SUPER good with just a dollop of whipped cream on top! Or naked! (Um... I mean the cupcake is naked... what you wear when you eat it is totally up to you!) (I'm not ruling out naked... it makes for easy clean up!)
I got the cutest little ribbon flowers today... I can't wait to decorate some new cuppies with them! (The outside I mean!) I also bought some of the BIG paper nut cups... they are 5.5 ounce! The biggest I've seen thus far. They should be super cute with ribbon and flowers! Yay! I have SO many cupcake orders in May!! They are the big hit this year for graduation!
Thanks, Melissa! I'll keep plugging away at it!
What's this about a diet club? I'm in....I think. Melissa, you're out for awhile kiddo! That new little one will need you to keep up your cupcakes, I mean, strength!
Don't think about a section! Think natural. It'll be better for you and faster recovery to get back to the baking!!
I agree....think positive!
But, of course - the important thing is that everybody is OK! My second son turns 1 next month and I keep thinking back to last year at this time being very pregnant. Then I read your posts and see your ticker, Melvira, and get very excited for you!!!!
Sorry so late w/this reply. (also, I have never posted on cake central before, so here goes.....sorta shy)
I read at the beginning of the thread that some were having troubles with cupcakes not doming how they wanted them to. I did not read the entire thread to see if it had been answered, so sorry if I am repeating.
The solution is extremely simple. There are two ways to accomplish it. First, set oven to around 325 depending on your altitude. Second, either prepare your batter a day ahead and refrigerate it or add less water. Either way you end up with a thicker batter. Fill as usual and bake as usual.
I was ending up with such a mess with my cupcake icecream cones and I sat and eyeballed them for awhile. Then I eyeballed my muffins and tried to figure out the differences. I first tried high heat and then decreasing. Only changed things a teensy bit. The other difference was the thickness of the batter. Decreased my liquid and it has been a thing of beauty ever since.
I hope this helps someone out there.
Another thing I do (if you like to do the cone cupcakes) is take a dixie cup and use a cream horn tube to pierce a hole in it from the bottom. (I use the small sugar cones for my cakes). I make the hole big enough for the cone to fit. Then I set it upside down and nestle the cone in snug. Fill it. Set it on a tray and pop in the oven. To transport, I do the same to the top or bottom of a cake box and with the top and bottom together it is sturdy enough and transports like a dream.
Thank you for all of the great ideas and photos and recipes that I have gotten these past months. I just wanted to chip in and contribute a little bit.
Take care!
The solution is extremely simple. There are two ways to accomplish it. First, set oven to around 325 depending on your altitude. Second, either prepare your batter a day ahead and refrigerate it or add less water. Either way you end up with a thicker batter. Fill as usual and bake as usual.
Take care!
Welcome, and don't be shy.. we won't bite 
Now, let me understand what you are saying 
Doing this will result in domed cupcakes? ( like the dq ice cream cones) What kind of recipe do you use? Thanks for your input 
tiggerbounce.. Welcome and thanks for the tips!
But my batter is really thick already... especially the devil's food! It's super thick! And I have the same problem with muffins... they dome more than the cupcakes, but not enough. I just think I need to turn the heat up!
But Tiggerbounce, thank you for your input, and we're glad to have you here! Can't wait to get more advice from you, as you are obviously a problem solver!! 
I'm being very positive about the delivery! I can't wait! I have a meeting with the doc on the 29th to find out if they feel I am a candidate for VBAC or if they want me to schedule a c-section. I am hoping they'll at least let me start naturally and then watch from there to see what happens. With #1 I went through 17.5 hours of labor before I had to have a c-section because his heartrate dropped when they gave me pitocin to make the contractions closer together. Oh... and technically this is still on the sunject of cupcakes, right? He's my little cupcake!! hahahaha!
Melissa,
On the subject of your 'cupcake in the oven' (tee-hee) good luck! I'm sending my 1/2 hour labors (I mean cooking times) to you!!!
Tiggerbounce--
Welcome!! This is such an addictive site and you will love it! Thanks for your input and don't be shy! I've asked what I thought was many a stupid question till I found someone else that I thought asked a dumber question only to realize that it wasn't a dumb question, it's just that I now KNOW the answer all due to the tons of informative people on here!!
And if that didn't make sense, it's because I have cupcake crumbs for brains!!
Melvira.. Think postive , you can do it ! Any idea how big the baby might be yet ? Maybe like the giant cupcake pan ! ( want to stick with the thread)!
Oh, congrats on the baby! Yes, still on topic, hee!
Thank you for the warm welcome.
For the white ones I use Beranbaum's White Chocolate Whisper Cake
For chocolate cake/cupcakes this is a recipe that is so good it should be illegal. (For making the cake it makes a big difference if you bake it and let it cool covered with plastic wrap overnight before removing from pan. sooooo moist and dense. ) Here it is --- this is a VERY thin batter so do not be surprised, but if you refrigerate a day or two (god how I love the usefulness of that) and/or use a bit less liquid it's all good for cupcakes. And for both cupcakes and muffins even though "they" say not to, I get absolutely fantastic rise from both when I refrigerate or freeze the batter in premeasured portions. The cold of the batter gives the batter time to rise without setting up to fast - but make sure you have double acting baking powder if you are using it. ( I do everything in metric with a scale, btw. If you are not using a scale, even getting a cheap one from wallyworld will change your life. One bowl measuring and always consistent results. Convert your recipes and you will never never go back to imperial measure again. I promise. Increasing and decreasing recipes becomes a dream. What is 10% of 1 cup of cake flour vs what is 10% of 120 grams of cake flour. See? Your increasing and decreasing options are now virtually unlimited. How often do you need just a little bit more? Ok, not all recipes are adjust friendly unless you know the proper ratios, but most are really friendly towards it.)
Double Chocolate Layer Cake .....Gourmet | March 1999
This old-fashioned chocolate cake made our staff swoon! Chef Ed Kasky uses Callebaut semisweet chocolate for the cake and Guittard French-vanilla chocolate for the frosting, but any fine-quality semisweet chocolate will produce a wonderful result in either.
Serves 12 to 14.
ingredients
For cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot drip brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (ok, I decrease this by 1/2)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk or milk w/1T vinegar added to curdle it
3/4 teaspoon vanilla ---- see my note following the recipe
For ganache frosting
1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut-milk choc is divine too by the way....
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
Special equipment
two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans
preparation
Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper. (for home ovens 325 degrees might be better and hopefully will not dome to much for you)
Chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.
The customers at the store go wild for this cake. It is divine. And the shelf life is amazing. (note, I use like 3T pure homemade vanilla and alcohol acts as a preservative, so that most likely contributes to the shelf life of mine. My vanilla is not sweetened and so not as overwhelming as storebought. Adjust to your own tastes or use plain vodka or rum instead)
Regarding the ganache frosting......just keep it simple. Ganache often gives people fits. Chocolate has a magical way of melting on its own when you just gently heat it. Heat in one minute intervals just for about 2 minutes. Then add gently warmed liquid to it. Allow it to set without stirring for a few minutes. If you get the liquid or chocolate to hot and try to stir it while it is hot, you may (high probability) see the cocoa butter/fats separate from the mass. This is a bummer. Let it get to around 100 degrees before stirring. Then start stirring gently from the center out. It will homogenize easily from the center out. If you do end up with it separating gently warm again and add a little bit of liquid. Wait until completely cool to add butter to avoid the fat separation here also.
I am a chocolatier trying desperately to get out of the business because 100 hour weeks are not my idea of a good time. July 31 is my final day of my lease. But if you have any questions on conversions or anything else, I would love to share my experience.
I have really, REALLY enjoyed this site for inspiration and smiles. My most recent adventure last week was a carved mallard duck cake from memory. It turned out ok, but I would have loved to use printed wafer paper for the feathers. Client was not paying enough for that level of realism though. Cupcake bouquets have made people stop and stare. They always think they are bouquets of silk flowers setting on the counter.
Hope you can find some use from these recipes. And a note on the White Chocolate Whisper Cake, if you are doing the scoop method rather than using a digital scale, go light on the amount of flour you use or you will end up with a dry cake. Cake flour should weight 120 grams per cup vs about 100 grams for a/p, when you are scooping/dipping/etc make sure you are sifting twice or you can easily end up with 150 to 160 grams per cup and will not get the velvety texture that is so wonderful when using cake flour. I really want your first experience with the Whisper Cake to be as wonderful as mine was if you are not used to cake flour. That has to be one of my favorite cakes filled with homemade blackberry or raspberry preserves and vanilla or rasberry IMBC . Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
Gotta deliver 100 boxes of chocolates and some cheesecakes and sauces to a bridezilla, so I gotta get going.
I hope you are having a fabulous weekend!
Thank you again for the warm welcome.
Take care,
Diana[/u]
Diana.... where have you been hiding hon?? You are a wealth of knowledge, and a chocolatier to boot 
Who needs books........ we have Diana Thanks for all that info.. I actually have that chocolate cake recipe on the top of my pile of recipes to try...... really~! Now I can't wait to make it...
Thank you for joining in....... and don't be gone long.... hurry back
heh, jes noticed, you want cupcakes as high as a dq icecream cone???
I think if you want that you might want to try wrapping foil around the outside of the cone to build "walls" and then fill the cone more full. Address labels hold up great in the oven if you need some sticky tape sort of thing. I often bake my products with the necessary labeling already attached to the container. Keeps the items easily recognizable when doing batches of multiple things and helps them to adhere great when they cool. Plus my packaging is done as soon as I remove from the oven. AND, get this, I bake my cupcakes in paper cups. Like dixie cups, ya know? White are my favorite but the decorated ones look nice too. If you can drink hot coffee from them they are equally food safe for baking. These work perfectly for stability for cupcake bouquets. I place the hole by the edge rather than the center of the cup and let the sturdy edge of the cup provide support.
I am inherently lazy though and on a large order would definitely not have the ambition to do that. (wrap foil around the cones.) You must be a very hard worker!
If you try, please post pics, would love to see.
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