Cupcakes!

I. Love. Cupcakes. End of story.

One evening during rush workshop I was bored at home so I decided to make cupcakes. I made devils' food with my home-made butter cream icing that I got from the almighty Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. I have altered it a bit, I've done it a couple times, including on my dad's birthday cake. But it's very fluffy and yummy!

Here's what I do....

Cupcakes:
-- I just simply use the boxed cake mix. Its super easy and you don't have to by excess of ingredients.
-- I do make sure to make it super fluffy. I don't beat it with a whisk, weird I know. I use a fork and beat it with a wide/high stroke for a while, making sure it gets enough air into it.
    -- I really don't know how long I do it, I just beat until it looks very fluffy
-- I fill the cupcake pan with cupcake cups and then fill them between 3/4 and the rim of the cup. Sometimes I don't make 24 cupcakes, but if they're just for the house, it doesn't really matter anyway.
-- Cook as instructed.
-- I take them out and cool them on a wire cooling rack so that the bottoms don't get soggy.


Icing:
- Before I even begin making the cupcakes, I take out all of my ingredients for the icing. It sucks to realize you don't have enough eggs or butter and have to go to the grocery later. The butter also needs to soften, so it's good to put it on the stove/by the oven while the oven is preheating.


This is my modified recipe:
-- 4 large egg whites
-- 1 1/4 cups sugar
-- 2 to 2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into chunks
-- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


-- Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Set a heatproof mixing bowl on top of the saucepan and combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl. Whisk them constantly until everything has dissolved and the mixture is warm. It won't get clear, but it you will see a consistent murky white color without random dots of undissolved sugar.
-- If you have a standing mixer, attach the bowl to the mixer. If you don't, you can use a hand mixer. Use the whisk attachment (if you have one). Beat the egg white and sugar mixture on high until it is white, fluffy and makes hard peaks. Note that you don't want it to be stiff, but you want the peaks to somewhat stand for a second. (The recipe says this takes about 6 minutes. It depends on what mixer/attachment you have).
-- Switch to the paddle attachment (if you have one; if you're using a handheld, you can keep on the same pieces) and add the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time with the mixer on medium-low. Be sure you beat all of the butter in after each addition.
    -- Sometimes it will appear to separate - that's okay. Just set your mixer on high and beat until it is smooth again.
-- Once all of the butter is in, beat in the vanilla. If you're adding color, add it now.
-- Reduce to the lowest speed to get rid of any air bubbles. Then stir with a rubber spatula until the frosting is smooth.

Once your cupcakes are cool and your frosting is made, you're ready to ice! I usually put the icing in a plastic bag with one of the corners cut off. I "pipe" the icing on in a spiral/circular motion, starting on the outside, working inward and finishing off with a little peak in the middle. 

-Soo Coco