AI have went thru soo many scratch recipes for cupcakes. So far I cannot find any that receive the light and fluffy texture of a box mix. Yet I HATE using mix. What could I be doing to make my scratch cupcakes heavy and a consistent flour taste with each recipe I try? Is it possibly that I do NOT sift? Thanks!
AIncrease your flavoring. Or make sure your measurements are the same as the recipe's author intends them to be. Or find a recipe by weight, if you've not already done so. Change from bleached flour to unbleached or vice versa. Try a recipe that includes buttermilk. Make sure you are not tasting your cake too soon out of the oven. Change from creaming method recipe to reverse creaming or vice versa, to see if you like the results better. Be aware not all recipes translate very well to cupcakes. I just made some that i think are too light and fluffy for cupcakes. I bet if i iced them, they'd topple over. And...you may not find a scratch cake to duplicate the texture of a box mix....
AMaisie73 I was looking for a recipe to replicate a white cake
AI would love the recipe if you would share!
AHappy to. :-) 175g Self raising flour 175g caster sugar 175g butter 3 medium eggs
Optional: 1tsp baking powder 1 tsp of any extract you might like (vanilla, lemon, etc) Cream butter and sugar together til pale and fluffy. slowly add eggs, mix til well combined. Add extract if using. Fold in flour. Spoon into cases.
Or you can just bung it all in together with a tsp baking powder but I prefer the above method. Makes 12-20 cupcakes depending on size. This will also be enough for two 7inch sandwich tins. Another way (if you haven't got medium eggs for example) is: Weigh the eggs in their shells and use the same weight of butter, sugar and flour, that's what my gran used to do. Oops, forgot to say - 12-15 mins at 170 c fan.
AI use Dorie Greenspan perfect party cake for all my white/vanilla based cakes/cupcakes minus the lemon zest called in the recipe. I add extracts/fruits to taste according to what flavor I'm making. Also add another stick of butter bc to me it's dry without it & I always use buttermilk. Yields a very fluffy cupcake. Maybe one notch less fluffy as boxed mixes. Just type Dorie Greenspan perfect party cake in Google.
AIn this recipe yes you must sift the flour. When you measure your flour, make sure you use a scoop measurement & level off the top with a knife. Cream the butter & sugar for a while. Directions say 3 minutes but I often do 4 minutes.
Hi barefootlilly - years ago I did a cordon bleu cookery course and one of the things I remember making was an angel's food cake - it was totally white. I couldn't find my recipe sadly (two house moves and two kids later......) but I remember at the time it being difficult to get hold of cream of tartar! Here's a recipe I found which sounds very similar to how I remember it:
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cake flour, sifted
- 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice - I used vanilla back in the day (nobody had heard of other flavourings apart from almond essence!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.
By the way, I also use the same vanilla sponge recipe as Maisie73 - and it's lovely.
Kathy
AIt's soft and, well spongey. It's not dry, I don't think tender is a word we'd use to describe sponge cake (help me out if you're reading this nanny!) Everyone who tastes it says it's the best sponge they've ever had. I see you're in Australia, do you make/eat much sponge? As a nation I mean. I thought everyone in the world eats it but apparently not. The clue is in the name I suppose, Victoria Sponge!
AHere's an inside of dorie greenspan perfect party cake when I make it. This time I used it to make lemon meringue pie cupcakes. Totally moist fluffy & delicious. [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3206159/width/200/height/400[/IMG]
ASorry Maisie, help is on the way, ha ha, I go to cake Dec class on a Mon night.
Yes, isn't it strange to see how people in other countries make they're sponges, gotta be different no doubt,but this a typical Victoria sponge recipe thats just the best, well for me it is, just need to give it a try Danilou.
AHello nanny! Wouldn't it be good for us all to try a recipe from another country and compare notes? We've got Victoria Sponge, fruitcake and chocolate cake - that's pretty much the main ones isn't it? I'd like to try a mudcake (that's australian isn't it Danilou?) and an Australian sponge now as well! The American cakes confuse me, white cake, yellow cake, pound cake, they seem to have loads! It's interesting though isn't it. My favourite is Victoria sponge with raspberry jam and buttercream, have to go a long way to beat that I think. Have you ever done it the old fashioned way Nanny, weighing the eggs?
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