A few weeks ago, I was at Barnes & Noble across from the Burlington Mall with Jordana on one of our Friday Night Movie excursions. While browsing the bargain section of the store, we came across a cupcake cookbook.
"That's ridiculous!" I yelled, for the benefit of most of the store. "You don't need a special cookbook to make cupcakes! You just make a regular cake and pour the batter into a muffin tin!" A man on the other side of the display pretended not to listen. Jordana put the cupcake cookbook back on the shelf and we scurried away to the games section (there are now about eight different versions of Scrabble—who knew?).
It's true, though—you don't need special recipes for cupcakes. Any cake batter from a birthday-ish cake will do. By that I mean a fairly simple sponge cake, yellow cake, chocolate cake; something you'd probably bake in layers and frost, not a loaf-like cake or something closer to quick bread.
I proved this by baking cupcakes at Jordana's two days later during one of our "football parties." Read: Get together and cook large meal with football on in the background. Every so often, one of us will wander over to the TV and announce with great authority, "The Pats have the ball!" or "It's second and four!" or "I think that's Randy Moss!" Sometimes we'll sit in front of the TV and eat and say things like, "I think that was an interception."
"Yeah, I think so."
"I mean, what else could that have been?"
"Right, that was totally an interception."
Anyway. For cupcakes, you'll need a muffin tin or two and some cupcake wrappers (the package I have says "baking cups"). The colored paper ones are more festive and easier on the eyes than the foil ones, I think, but the foil ones allegedly don't require a muffin tin, so use your best judgment. You'll want a spreadable frosting, and if you're into it, sprinkles and other decorations—football themed or otherwise—to up the Festive Level.
The recipes below are are adapted from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. The cake recipe is my mom's adaptation, and the frosting is mine. I own the Fannie Farmer Cookbook but not the Baking Book, and I have to say that I don't use it terribly often. The recipes are solid, but a lot of them are very old-fashioned and just odd. They're not the kind of food I usually think to serve. The instructions and advice are good, though, and worth reading.
Mom's Birthday Cake or Cupcakes
This is one of my mom's classic birthday cake recipes from when I was little. It makes one eight-inch square cake, two eight-inch round layers, or one dozen cupcakes.
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup boiling milk
2 tbs unsalted butter
1.5 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If making a cake, line the pan(s) with wax paper. Cut to fit and adhere with cooking spray or shortening. If making cupcakes, just drop the wrappers into the muffin tin.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt three times until blended and airy. It is important to use cake flour in this recipe. You can buy it in fairly small boxes, but if you can't find it or don't want to buy it, there are conversions for using regular flour instead. You don't need a sifter to sift. I usually just use a mesh strainer and a large metal spoon to stir the flour through the holes. I speak from experience when I say that this is easier than using a crappy sifter (although maybe not as easy as using a good sifter).
Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan just until boiling.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs for one minute at fast speed. Use a bowl that will be large enough to accommodate the milk, flour, and sugar later on. A small electric hand mixer is all you need for a recipe like this. If you don't already own one, ask an older relative if they have one kicking around that they're looking to get rid of, because those things last forever, and you'll gain major street cred with an avocado-green 1970s hand mixer. No packrat relatives? The mixer I linked to costs 20 bucks at Target.
Gradually add the sugar and keep beating for a while until the mixture becomes light-colored and thick. When you're mixing, it's important to move the mixer around the bowl and get the stuff on the sides of the bowl every so often. Don't be afraid to be a little aggressive with the mixer—it needs your help to do its job.
Add flour to egg mixture and beat until just blended on low speed.
Slowly add milk and beat until blended on low speed.
Add vanilla. I've become very attached to Penzey's vanilla extract. OK, and the rest of their product line, but the vanilla is one of the gateway drugs. Use it once, and you'll never be able to go back to the supermarket stuff. If you don't have a Penzey's nearby, you can order online or from their catalog (which is written in a rambling, gregarious Midwestern style and makes great bedtime reading).
The batter will be fairly thin. You can mix with a spatula at this point. Pour into the pan(s) or muffin tins. A ladle or scoop of some sort is helpful for this step. Fill the wells of the muffin tin about three-quarters full. You want enough batter for the cupcakes to puff up pleasantly but not look freakish or cause some kind of oven disaster.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.
Cool cake layers in the pan three to five minutes, flip out onto a wire rack, and peel off wax paper. If making cupcakes, cool three to five minutes and then just lift out of the muffin tin and place on a wire rack. Cool until closer to room temperature before frosting (otherwise the frosting will melt!).
Katy's Zesty Lemon Frosting
This is a simple frosting recipe that doesn't require boiling anything (I'm terrified of such frosting recipes). The lemon flavor is my personal twist, but you can make it without and use food coloring for color if you want. The flavor will be creamy and vanilla-y. Make the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling and spread it as soon as you can. It'll solidify a bit and become less spreadable if you let it sit around.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup cream (maybe a splash more)
1 tsp vanilla or rum
Approx. 2.5-3 cups confectioners sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. I always use unsalted butter, but for baking it's especially important because the salt can alter the flavor of the baked goods. I mean, do you really want salty frosting?
Mix butter, cream, and vanilla with the electric mixer. I recommend heavy cream, but light would be fine. You really can use rum in this recipe. In fact, you can substitute it for vanilla pretty much across the board. But see Penzey's vanilla addiction above.
Slowly beat in the sugar a bit at a time until the frosting is thick and creamy. This is a great example of a non-scientific moment in cooking. You'll know when the texture is right. It will be thick and spreadable but not dry or stiff. Stop adding the sugar when you reach this point (I think it happens at about 2.5 cups). If you've added too much sugar, you can fix the frosting by throwing in another splash of cream and beating it into the mixture. The last time I made this frosting, I had to do this, and you know what? I think I liked the results better.
Beat in zest and lemon juice. You can zest the lemon directly over the bowl of frosting and then squeeze in the lemon juice in the same manner (just use a strainer or something to grab the pits). A zester is a nice thing to own, but you can just use a grater with small holes and no one (OK, most people) will be none the wiser.
Taste the frosting for flavor and consistency. You'll have more than enough for a two-layer cake or a dozen cupcakes.
Spread the frosting on the cake or cupcakes with a spatula or knife. There's no real art to this, if you ask me—I mean, you're a home cook, not a pastry chef. No one will be expecting perfectly smooth frosting. Just make it look presentable.
The finished cupcakes will keep for two days or so in an airtight container before they start to go stale. I doubt they'll last that long, but if they do, they'll be fine—just a bit dry as they age.
1 comment:
Now see, I'd go to that kind of football party!
Mmm. Cupcakes. We will have to try these and report back!
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