How do you know when your egg whites or whipped cream have reached the right texture? There will be no liquid left at the bottom of the bowl, and the foam will be quite stiff, holding the path of the whisk as it passes through. Electric hand-held mixers take a bit longer than stand mixers to achieve the same results. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. For this reason, it pays to cream for as long as the recipe specifies for a feather-light cake - even if it already looks mixed. When a recipe calls for creaming the butter with the sugar, it means not only mixing them together, but incorporating air, resulting in a light and fluffy batter. Place liquid measuring cups on the counter, and stoop down to read the markings at eye level to make sure the liquid is level with the line. Firmly pack down brown sugar into dry measuring cups. Food Network Kitchen tested the recipes in this collection by lightly spooning dry ingredients like flour or cocoa into dry measuring cups, then leveling off using the flat side of a knife or the side of a spatula. To re-create the recipe at its best, measure ingredients the way the author did. Precision in measuring gives you consistent results. Then pick up the sides of the paper, forming a big almost-tube, and let the ingredients slide right out one side into the mixing bowl. Shake or tap the strainer gently until all the contents work their way through onto the paper. The quickest way to sift: Spread out a sheet of parchment or wax paper, and place dry ingredients in a fine-mesh strainer. It may seem like a throwback in this era of presifted flour, but when a recipe calls for sifting, don't skip it - this eliminates any clumps and aerates the flour for a super-light cake. If you want to speed things up, put eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes, and cut butter up into small pieces and spread them across a plate. At the right consistency, for example, butter holds a thumbprint with a bit of resistance.

Take these items out of the fridge an hour or two in advance. The eggs separate more easily and whip up into more voluminous foams, while the butter more readily marries with sugar for a fluffy batter base. Butter and eggs often respond better when brought to room temperature before baking. Temperature makes ingredients behave differently, which is why it's good to pay attention to this information in the recipes.

Cautious substitution can lead to tasty discoveries - and the occasional inedible hockey puck - so experiment when you don’t mind unexpected results. Swapping oils, sweeteners, like molasses or honey, or types of flour can each cause different results. Swapping dairy or cocoa can be problematic too - baking powder or soda may not get activated. Cutting the sugar for less sweetness is tricky because that sugar is also responsible for producing a certain texture and moisture in the cupcake. Old flour is also suspect - replace your bag if it’s been around longer than eight months.Įxperienced cooks are sometimes the guiltiest of trying to fiddle with recipes, but this can cause problems in baking, where recipes are a bit like scientific formulas. All spices lose their potency after a while. It's best to replace them after six months of usage. And except for this rotation, keep the oven door closed at all times to avoid heat fluctuations.īaking powder and soda have expiration dates on them, after which they lose their lift. When baking two tins, place one on a rack in the upper third of the oven and the other in the lower third, and switch and rotate tins halfway through. Even a perfectly calibrated oven can have 'hot spots,' so plan accordingly: Place single tins on the middle rack and rotate halfway through baking. Some ovens can be off by 75 degrees F (any more than that and you will likely need repairs). If you've had suspicious results from past recipes (burned or still-liquid by the projected finish time), it's worth buying an oven thermometer. These basic strategies make the actual assembling of a cupcake much faster and easier. Preheat the oven, and assemble all ingredients and equipment before creaming, folding, baking and such. Read the recipe all the way through first.

Countertop cupcake baker recipes