I get pissed off every time I make cupcakes. It's true.
Why? They aren't hard to bake--usually, that is, when my oven isn't shutting itself off in the middle of baking. No, it's the little details that I can't ever master that frustrate me. I am annoyingly type-A, and I always have this vision of beautiful cupcakes in my head. Like these. Or these. Big, beautifully rounded tops covered in icing, or the gorgeously piped creations of my fellow bloggers.
What I end up with, invariably, looks like it belongs at a third-grade bake sale. Flat tops, no domes in sight. Paper cups gone translucent from the butter during baking. Frosting that never looks like it should.
Which pisses me off.
Maybe it's the recipes I am using, that are made for cakes and never get that perfect domed top. Although this may have more to do with incorrect leavening and improper oven temperatures. Whatever it is, that's the first part of the problem. Flat cupcakes. Or even worse, mushroom-shaped cupcakes that spill onto the baking sheet.
Second problem? The liner. I have made cupcakes with paper liners and also with the party cups that Cupcake Bakeshop uses. I love the look of the party cups but I can't ever get the amount of batter right, and they either spill over or come up short. Paper liners always have that dorky, bake-sale look. And yes I know Sprinkles uses them, but they must have access to grease-proof ones, because mine always end up looking oily.
Piping the frosting is less of a problem. Use a good buttercream, and a little practice, I can get some nice swirls. But that too is an ongoing process to master, as I have never had a decorating class in my life. Hit or miss, sometimes depending on the frosting recipe, if I have the gumption to whip up a proper buttercream. I still have to learn the proper way to make them smooth if I'm not piping.
I want to know how to bake and decorate create really pretty cupcakes.
I know there are dozens of books out right now. Martha's is huge, but between you and me I never have good results with her baking recipes, so I won't be investing in that one unless it has some really great decorating tips.
These cupcakes were a little project I did recently. My husband went back to work, so I made some "It's A Boy" style cupcakes, wanting to practice my piping. I suppose they were pretty enough to leave the house, but I still am not satisfied with the rise. I just used my current favorite basic cupcake recipe (as far as flavor and texture it's my favorite) and Joe Pastry's Swiss Meringue Buttercream with a vanilla bean tossed in.
I'm experimenting, and we'll return to this topic soon. In the meantime I have plenty to do--BBA Challenge is ongoing, Daring Bakers and Cooks, Suger High Friday, and Bread Baking Day are all the events I plan on doing this month, as well as the weekend Treats for my husband. I am hoping to keep up with the blogging, as well as the housework and my children...not an easy feat!