Making cupcakes can be fun, but there are a few tips that will help so I have included them below.
Cupcake Baking Tips:
• Every pan, liner, and oven are different so you should monitor your first batch of cupcakes closely. Check after 10 minutes of baking time to insure that your cupcakes are cooking evenly. You may need to turn the cupcakes halfway through baking time to guarantee even baking if your oven cooks faster towards the rear of the oven.
• Do not overfill your liners. Filling liners 1/2 to 2/3 full is plenty for regular size cupcakes. If you overfill, the batter will spill out on top of the pan, and you will have a sticky, gooey mess to clean up.
• Bake all of our cupcake recipes on the middle rack of your oven unless otherwise noted.
• It is a personal decision whether or not to use cupcake liners when you prepare cupcake recipes. If not using liners, you will need to butter and flour the individual sections of your cupcake pans. Store bought sprays that combine butter and flour work well for this purpose. Even if you use this type of spray, you still run the risk of having your beautiful cupcakes stick to the edges of the cooking pan.
• Cupcake liners are inexpensive and easy to use. They not only make cleanup easier, but they add to the decoration of your cupcakes. You may use paper or foil cupcake liners. The choice is yours.
Insanely Good Devil's Food Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2.Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
3.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Check to see how done they are with a toothpick, (done when it comes out clean). Do not over bake! Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4.To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Chocolate Curls, for decorating (optional)
Ingredients:
Makes 4 cups
• 1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
Directions
1. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
2. Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir).
3. Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring).
