Crazy for Cupcakes!

Every cooking magazine of late seems to be having a love affair with cupcakes.

Giant cupcakes, mini cupcakes, two-flavored cupcakes, even cupcakes for weddings instead of a wedding cake!

There’s no denying their newfound popularity.  Of course, I've always believed that there is nothing new in food, just different ways to arrange it.

True,the cupcakes of my youth have undergone a change; no more just vanilla, yellow, or chocolate ones. Now there are marble cupcakes, carrot and ginger cupcakes, spiced cupcakes, banana and peanut butter cupcakes, even healthy cupcakes!

And they have gourmet frostings to match!

Cupcake sales are hot on the web and bakeries dedicated to the little bites have sprung up everywhere. But here’s the thing . . . cupcakes are so darn easy and cheap to make, there's practically no reason to buy them somewhere else.  And when they're homemade, they taste even better.

I have seen many beautiful looking cupcakes, BUT they can often disappoint with a taste that's dull and a texture that's dry and crumbly.

So what to do? Follow these simple rules:

• Use your favorite cake batter recipe for cupcakes. Don’t over-mix the batter because this could cause the texture to be dry.
• Use the right size pan and make sure it is a shiny, heavy duty one.
• Never bake more than one pan at a time for even heat circulation.
• Fill the cupcake pans 1/2 to 2/3 full.
• Try using buttermilk based cake recipes.  The  result is outstandingly moist cupcakes.
• In general, batter for an 8-inch layer cake will yield between 20-24 cupcakes.
• And one last bit of advice: cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made, but if you have to, you can freeze some for future cravings.

Comments

[Tiffany Longo]

Using buttermilk in the recipe is a grand idea! I love the site, especially the food posts. I have a blog dedicated to raising an Italian-American family in today's culture (quite a task, I know) Do you think you could do me the honor of commenting (or referring people) to my blog? Thanks for keeping Italian-American culture and cuisine alive!
www.unamammaitaliana.blogspot.com
Thanks,
Tiffany (Pusateri) Longo

[The Ciao Italia Team]

Tiffany,

Mary Ann is in Italy at the moment, but when she gets back we'll ask her to take a look at your site.

Thanks,

Your Friends at Ciao Italia

[Tiffany Longo]

Thanks so much for the response, Ciao Italia! Any input is greatly appreciated! Mille grazie,
Tiffany Longo
"Una Mamma Italiana"
www.unamammaitaliana.blogspot.com