One would think that a Food Scientist would be good at baking but one should also know that I am not the true Food Scientist. Maybe it’s the fact that I have never enjoy sweets as much as the common Joe, Mary or Bob. Wait, I do have a new found love for frozen yogurt, especially with rainbow sprinkles or “jimmies” as they call them in some parts of the US. I do love a good Oatmeal cookie, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, heck even Linzer cookies, alright in general cookies. Then there are French tarts, like fresh Blueberry, Strawberry and even an Apple galette in the Fall. How about the old standard Vanilla Ice cream with a Chocolate brownie and hot fudge? Oh, and cupcakes, I just recently discovered Red Velvet, love them. Nevermind then, how can anyone not like sweets?
I decided to make Cupcakes for a friend’s birthday recently and spent days doing research. From reading cupcake blogs to scouring baking books and searching through friend’s recipes, I took a combination of my food science knowledge and just plain street smarts to create a Chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and various impromptu toppings.
During this cupcake escapade, I learned a few things.
I decided to make Cupcakes for a friend’s birthday recently and spent days doing research. From reading cupcake blogs to scouring baking books and searching through friend’s recipes, I took a combination of my food science knowledge and just plain street smarts to create a Chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and various impromptu toppings.
During this cupcake escapade, I learned a few things.
1. The addition of a cup of coffee to any chocolate cake recipe carries it's flavor a long way.
2. Correct oven temperature and calibration is crucial to baking anything.
3. Overmixing has a deep effect on the overall texture of the cake.
4. Remove cupcakes from hot pan immediately or the product will continue cooking.
5. Chocolate butter cream is messy.
5. Chocolate butter cream is messy.
The Verdict: Cupcakes turned out to be not so bad, at least for the second time (first time was a disaster, turned out like bricks, due to the above). I used a Chocolate French Buttercream which was not my ideal icing, way too much butter, sad to say. My oven is about 25 degrees F higher, hence, my cupcakes baked a little longer than I wanted. As far as decorating skills, WIP (work in progress)! I think a few more times, I could have the perfect cupcake, for now, I’ll just stick to the savory side of things.
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