[1]With no end in sight to the over-the-top cupcake craze, it seems like even accomplished home bakers have thrown in the towel. Why even try to impress and dazzle when you're competing with countless eye-popping monstrosities readily available? The reliable province of novices and experienced alike, pity the fool who'd now offer up the sweet cupcakes of youth. Formerly reliable reactions of unmitigated delight – "Oh how wonderful, you made these from scratch?" have been replaced with dark looks and quietly scornful mutterings of unmasked disappointment. Like you'd made a batch of turds in paper cups.
IT'S TIME TO RECLAIM THE HOMEMADE CUPCAKE! And these Simply Spectacularly Delicious (SSD) guidelines are just the thing to counteract the dark times we live in.
In disputably, taste-wise homemade trumps the Gobi Desert-dry Magnolia Bakery offerings, churned out by the millions for the hordes on Sex and the City tour busses clogging the formerly quiet streets of the West Village. Crumbs has its share of worshippers, enrapt with the Snickers bars rising out of mudslides of mediocre icing.
But now that gloppy monstrosities are more common that hog tracks in Arkansas, I promise you a homemade batch of beauties will forever cement your cupcake cred.
[2]No denying the bar has been raised. So access to top-notch decorating accessories resource is essential. In NYC we have the dazzling Chocolate Gallery on West 22nd St., but there are plenty of excellent sources online too.
These pics are from a recent baby shower we had at the office. The cupcakes (a delectable yellow cake recipe enhanced with shavings of dark chocolate), tucked in flower-shaped fluted papers, were brought in unadorned. Pastry bags filled with a variety of icings (thick, rich white chocolate and silky butter creams tinted with soft yellow and brazen periwinkle) were loaded into piping bags. While we set up the surprise, everyone got a chance to get in on the decorating. If you think the half-second it takes to open a box from a bakery can even begin to compare with the fun of an express yourself group decorating party, think again.
[3]Choose your own favorite cake recipe. I found two excellent icing recipes in my trusty Good Housekeeping Baking Cookbook. As GH always meticulously calculates the calories per serving for all their recipes, my versions below take more liberties with the amount of sugar. Sweet Enough doesn't quite cut it in my book, I'm a Really Sweet guy, so I've upped the sugar content somewhat.
SILKY VELVET BUTTER FROSTING
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1 1/3 c. milk
2 sticks butter (1 c.), softened
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. confectioners sugar
Stir together the regular sugar and flour in a sauce pan, whisk in the milk to make a smooth mixture. Bring to a low boil, stirring all the while, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
In a mixer beat softened butter 'til creamy. Beat in cooled milk/sugar/flour mixture, and when well mixed, add the vanilla and gradually beat in the confectioners sugar. Add a bit more milk a teaspoon at a time, in needed, to achieve a fluffy, light consistency.
Divide into batches and tint with food coloring as desired. Load into pastry bags fitted with small star tips.
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WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTER FROSTING
1 stick butter, softened
1 T. + 1 t. milk
1 c. confectioners sugar
3.5 oz. bar white chocolate
Beat softened butter 'till creamy, then gradually add the confectioners sugar and the milk. Beat again 'till well mixed.
Carefully melt the white chocolate until fully softened, taking care to not overdo it (it separates easily). I do it in the microwave on low power (3); 15 seconds at a time. Give it a stir at each interval, You'll get a fully smooth, melted consistency that's barely warm. It's easy.
Add the melted white chocolate to the stuff in the mixer, beat on low at first to mix thoroughly, then have at it with the mixture on high to bring it to an estimable consistency.
I didn't tint this batch; instead I we used the white chocolate icing as the base coat to top each cupcake, then embellished liberally with colorful pipings of the other recipe.
And with plenty of sugar violets and roses, and other baby shower appropriate do dads, our Spectacularly Delicious cupcake extravaganza recipes for success was a delight in every sense.