Thursday, December 21, 2006
cupcakes!
because i'm visiting FAST tmr,
i thought i'd bake. yes. again.
obsessed? yeah. you can say that.
this entry's mainly for shaz. :)
i'm no expert on cupcakes
but this one's easy (at least, it gets easier and easier each time i bake)
here's the recipe for the cupcakes.
got it off yus's home ec book.
you'll need:
100g self-raising flour OR 100g plain flour ( i used super fine flour)
1 level tsp baking powder
50g frozen butter chopped finely
50g caster sugar
1 egg + 1/4 tsp vanilla essence - beaten together
milk to mix
method:
- grease patty tin or use cake cases
- sift flour & baking powder together
- rub butter into flour with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (it's important that the butter's not melting, it's gotta be right out of the fridge coz the mixture won't resemble breadcrumbs if the butter's all gooey)
- add sugar & fruit, if used.
- beat egg & vanilla essence. stir into mixture with wooden spoon. add enough milk to mix to a dropping consistency. for chocolate cupcakes add 1 tsp of chocolate emulco and another 1/4 tsp vanilla essence into egg & vanilla essence. (using an electric beater helps make the mixture smoother) stir in chocolate chips once mixture is smooth.
- fill cake cases until half full. (the actual recipe says 3/4 full, but when it's 3/4 full, the cupcakes overflow out of the cups. tak cantik)
- bake for about 15 - 20 min at 180 degrees.
the recipe is for 5 to 6 cupcakes, using a size 50 cupcake cup. ( i don't know how they measure it, but that's what i asked for. size 50. )
to make the icing, this recipe was what yus googled off the internet, and i've been using ever since. you need:
450g icing sugar
1 egg white (large)
50g / 2oz liquid glucose
food colouring and/or flavouring (optional)
method:
- sift icing sugar into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre
- add egg white and liquid glucose into well. beat with a wooden spoon, gradually pulling in the icing sugar from the sides of the bowl to give a stiff mixture
- knead the icing thoroughly, mixing in any remaining icing sugar in the bowl to give it a smooth and manageable paste.add colouring and flavouring as desired and extra sifted icing sugar if necessary. for this batch, i used yellow colouring, and vanilla essence. adding flavouring helps lessen the *eggy* smell of the icing.
- spread it out or pipe it out onto the cupcakes!
icing is the more time and effort consuming compared to baking. the icing can be used for about 10 to 25 cupcakes, depending on how much icing you use per cupcake. icing hardens a little while after being piped. according to the recipe you don't have to throw extra icing away because the icing can be stored in a tightly-sealed polythene bag or a plastic container in a cool place for 2-3 days before use.
to shop for baking products, you should head to tanjong katong complex. don't know the shop name, but here's the directions to get there. (HA!)
head towards shop and save. if you're standing facing shop and save, head to the exit doors on your left. you should be able to see a main road. turn left and the baking shop is next to a hardware shop. the shop's got most of what you'd need. emulco, cupcake decorations (flowers, hearts...) the shop owners are very helpful.
and... that's it. :) enjoy cupcake baking!
oh.
here are the pics from the bbq i had with my npcc squadmates.was great catching up with them, after almost 6 years of not hearing from most of them.food was good. company excellent.*love*
11:57 PM
