Saturday, April 18, 2009

Cupcake Rescue




Now that Passover has come to an end for another year, it's time to refocus on the wedding. For Seinfeld lovers, I'm thinking the planning of this wedding is starting to sound like the episode where friends keep talking about their baby. Remember that one? Jerry keeps saying, "it's all about THE BABY" (Psychgrad's note: I believe they keep saying, "you gotta see THE BABY". Giz's note: I stand corrected - as usual :) Clearly it's not stopping me from sharing some of the trials and tribulations of attempting to create exactly what Psychgrad would like to see.

Today I'm trying a new recipe for cupcakes. Actually, I took a recipe from the Canadian Living "The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book" called Glazed Lemon Cake, cut the recipe in half and baked it as muffins. Half the recipe netted 14 muffins.

Here's the whole recipe:
Glazed Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk

Topping:

1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice
I didn't make the glaze - wasn't sure if covering the muffins with icing would make it too goopy (technical culinary term)

Method:

1. Grease 13x9 inch (3.5L) metal cake pan, set aside
2. In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time beating well after each. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using wooden spoon, stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top.
4. Bake in centre of 350 F (180 C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean - 35-40 minutes. (22-25 minutes for muffins) Place pan/muffins on rack.






Topping:

In a bowl, whisk together icing sugar, lemon rind and juice. With skewers poke holes at 1 inch (2.5 cm) intervals, all over top of cake. Spoon sugar mixture evenly over top, smoothing with back of spoon. Let cool.

Note: The texture and flavour of these muffins are perfect.

So here's where the "Rescue" part comes in. What I want to create now has to look like this:



Psychgrad's note - Mom - I'm not so convinced that this is the best design. I actually think I like some of the other designs more.
Giz's note: Hey!!! This is my post - other designs can go in your post ...love Mommy Dearest :)
Psychgrad's note: So I guess it isn't really all about the baby then, is it?

For all the accomplished bakers in our blog world:
1. What kind of icing would you use for mid June warm weather?
2. What Wilton tip would you use to create this design?
3. I'm trying to achieve a burgandy colour - what tints of colour would you use to get the right colour - not too dark but not too pinky?

Any other suggestions, ideas, direction would be hugely appreciated.
Also, most of the paper cups I'm seeing are really boring - does anyone have a source for really nice cups? StumbleUpon

29 comments:

Dewi said...

Delicious looking cupcakes. And they look beautiful too.
Have a wonderful week end.
Cheers,
elra

OhioMom said...

First I love the idea of lemon cupcakes, and I have not a clue how to do that wonderful decorating .. but I was thinking "daisies" (?) for the frosting.

Steph said...

Those cupcakes look really fluffy! Where did you buy those different cupcake liners? I usually go to Loblaws and get those plain Reynold's ones, but yours are so nice.. even though you think they're boring.

giz said...

Steph: The cupcake liners are from Michael's. I just don't think they fancy enough for a wedding :)

Recipe man said...

YUM! looks great i love muffins

thanks

Steph said...

Hi Giz, thanks for getting back to me so soon about the liners. I don't think I've seen them at Michael's, but I'll check again.

Hershey's chocolate cake recipe is always a hit because it's so moist since it's oil based and is really easy to make. It also makes a lot because there is so much liquid! The only thing is, it says to use natural cocoa and the only natural cocoa I could find was bulk barn, which I would not recommend. It was tasteless. I can only find dutch processed cocoa at the supermarkets. I've subbed dutch processed in other recipes before and it worked so it might work for this one too.

Ricki said...

I'm afraid I can't help with the frosting bit, but the cupcakes sure do look nice! I'd probably go for something that would remain solid at room temperature. . . does shortening stand up better than butter?

Beth said...

Alas, I’m of no help to you with your questions but I do love the idea of serving cupcakes at a wedding! My Mom used to make glazed lemon cake – great choice.

Peter M said...

I hope your Passover was spiritual, good food and drink at the table, spirited conversation and not too much guilt!

The capcakes are reaaaally good looking...flick one my way, s'il vous plait.

Bunny said...

Hi Giz! I found this link to some pretty nice looking cupcake liners/wraps. They are so pretty!

http://www.paperorchidstationery.com/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/775/page/2/page/1

All so Rose from All About Cakes has a video up on her post all about decorating cupcakes! It looks like a pretty simple way to do it, well she's making it look simple anyway. Plus there's a buttercream recipe for the frosting that the person in the video is using to decorate with. The video is from a culinary school and very good. Hope this helps!

Proud Italian Cook said...

I know the cupcakes will turn out beautiful, with your determination and talent how could it not! I hope you both had a wonderful Passover!
Hugs,
Marie

Bunny said...

Sorry Giz but now that I'm looking at the cuppies, I think that the tip to make that design might have been a small leaf tip like they used in the video....maybe.

Elle said...

Lovely looking cupcakes...I love lemon!
For the cupcakes, consider the swoop of icing that leaves a little of the cake by the paper un-iced. Peabody has some nice ones on her blog Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. For the color, I would go with either white or pale pastel for the icing and use a topper with the burgundy color.
For the Daring Bakers challenge last May I tinted some white chocolate yellow and used it to pipe treble clefts notes...looked really pretty as a topper. Same idea was used with a dark red for the whisk (I think) on DB Red Velvet Cake challenge. You can melt the white chocolate or even meltable discs for candy making, tint it (paste food color works best), then pipe it onto parchment or waxed paper. Once it hardens, you have your toppers. Hearts would be pretty, but flowers work, too, also wedding bells...you are creating chocolate 'lace'. Hope that helps. xoxoxo Elle

Elle said...

You may want to try this site for the cupcake papers...they have burgundy stripe, hearts and solid gold. http://cooksdream.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=BAKING_CUPS

giz said...

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'm reading, reading and reading...it's after 2 a.m. and I'm still reading and loving every minute of it.

Anonymous said...

That was a funny episode. Big Seinfeld fan here :)

noble pig said...

Yep, the wedding takes on a life of it's own.

Dragon said...

I love lemon cupcakes. Yum!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I am balong challenged to a certain degree so can't help you with design there mom, but I would sure welcome some of these lemony tarts. Lemon to me is THE flavour!!

Anonymous said...

OH YUM!! :)

grace said...

excellent seinfeld reference, awesome cake/muffins. unfortunately, my frosting skills leave soooo much to be desired, so i guess i can't be of much help on that front. :)

kat said...

As for frosting in warm weather. My cupcake baking group suggested a meringue buttercream holds up well if chill it well before serving. The other suggested option was to substitute the butter with shortening in a buttercream.

To get a good color definitely buy the good coloring gels.

What's Cookin Chicago said...

What a great cupcake recipe! 1. I would use a raspberry buttercream which you can flavor with raspberry extract or keep with a lemon buttercream and use a fresh raspberry as the middles of each flower. For that flower, I would use tip #81 which has a slight curve. To achieve a burgandy colour, maybe try a bit of brown to darken and yellow to lighten?

giz said...

Kat, Joelen: both great suggestions. Someone else also told me that shortening will hold up much better than butter in warm weather - does make sense. Joelen - I only use the Wilton colouring gels - I'm assuming they're very good quality.

Maria said...

Great minds think alike:) Love your cupcakes!

Anonymous said...

Adorable cupcakes! They sound just scrumptious!

Jeanne said...

Those look fantastic. Sadly, as a non-accomplished baker, I wouldn't presume to advise you on the ising issues, but I do hope that you acheive the look you are after. It's all about the CUPCAKE!!

Margot said...

Delicius looking cupcakes.
Ummmmm;))
Margot

Maris said...

So pretty! These look perfect, I wish I could decorate that well!

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