“I love you more than cake” I proclaimed to Mr B the other night. A bold statement, I know. But I do. Do I? Yes of course I do. But cake? Oh how I love cake.
If I’m having a bad day, it reminds me that there are good things out there.
I love how the soft, squashy sponge surrenders so easily when I bite into it.
I love the squidgy, carby comfort.
I love the rainbow of icing and cute decorations.
I love that it is so so so right when chocolate is added.
I love the fact that you can even add vegetables to cake and it still tastes delicious.
I love cake with cream; with fruit; in fact with anything.
So it’s lucky for me that cup-cakes are making something of a comeback. At one time only destined to be packed full of e-numbers and shoved with grubby fingers into podgy little mouths at children’s birthday parties, these delectable mini-cakes are now to be seen on dessert menus of fashionable restaurants everywhere.
In fact, not far from my flat (exactly a twelve minute and thirty four second walk. Erm roughly. Not that I’ve ever timed it in case of cake-fix emergencies...) there is an entire shop dedicated to cup cakes. A. Whole. Shop. I only have to peer into the window at the dainty displays and pretty parcels of deliciousness and my heart beats a little faster.
But sometimes, there’s nothing nicer than the warm glow of satisfaction that oozes out of the oven along with the smell of cakes baking happily in your very own kitchen. Be warned though; there’s not many a worse thing than badly made cake. Soggy, flat or stale? Yuck, no thanks. If you fancy making your own slice of cup cake heaven, then these are my tips for a perfect rise every time.
- Choose a reliable and well tested recipe. My grandmother is the cupcake queen, and she swears by weighing two eggs (raw and still in shells) and then measuring out exactly the same weight of flour, sugar and butter. Mix them all together and it’s as easy as that. And it really works, I promise!
- Don’t over mix the batter or you’re cup cakes will be chewy and not pleasant. Mix until the batter is fluffy and light, and not a moment longer.
- Don’t fill your cake cases too full, or the mixture won’t cook. But don’t be stingy either. About half to two thirds full is about right.
- Put the cases (or alternatively use a good quality, heavy and non-stick pan) on a cold baking tray and place in the middle of the oven, rotating half way through. Only cook one tray at a time, and make sure the oven is heated to the correct temperature as you put the cakes in.
- Keep an eye on them while cooking. Little cakes should take no longer than twenty minutes to cook, but test them with a skewer or toothpick after 15 minutes. If, after inserting into the middle of the cake and holding there for ten seconds, the skewer comes out clean, then they’re done!
- Eat immediately! Sponge cakes are best eaten the same day as they are baked, but if you do have any kind of willpower and insist on keeping some of them until tomorrow, then store in an airtight container.
Get baking, get decorating, and of course, get eating! Enjoy!
