Here are 3 more of the tips I like to use to decorate cupcakes and cakes. They’re lots of fun to use, so play around and be creative with your designs!
This is a very lemony cake made with polenta, grounds almonds, and ricotta. A lemon syrup is then poured over the warm cake to give a sweet lemony tang and moistness. More lemon flavor is added with the buttercream and even more lemon sweetness is added with the sugared lemon zest on the top.
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs, beaten
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1½ cups Ground Almonds
½ cup Polenta
1 tsp Baking Powder
– Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 9″ springform pan.
– In a mixer, cream butter and sugar.
– Mix in eggs.
– Mix in ricotta, almonds, polenta, and baking powder until well combined.
– Scrape into lined pan and bake for 1-1½ hrs or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cake will be a golden brown on top.
– While cake is baking make Lemon Syrup and Sugared Lemon Zest.
– Once cake is cooked, remove from oven and leave in tin. Pour or brush cake with Lemon Syrup while cake is still warm. Leave to cool completely.
– Remove cake from tin and spread or pipe Lemon Buttercream over the top. Garnish with Sugared Lemon Zest.
Lemon Syrup:
½ cup + 1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Lemon, juice and zest
2 Lemons, juice
100ml water
– Place sugar, lemon juice (3 lemons total), and water into a saucepan.
– Heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Boil for about 5min. or until slightly syrupy.
– Remove from heat and add zest. Set aside until cake is ready.
– Brush over warm cake.
This is a great pumpkin spice cake recipe. I’m making mini cupcakes, but you can also make a cake, loaf, standard size cupcakes – just remember to adjust the cooking time.
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
4 eggs
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
– Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line mini muffin tins with paper cases.
– In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
– In bowl of mixer, stir sugars together. Add shortening and mix until combined.
– Add eggs and mix.
– Add pumpkin and mix well.
– Mix in vanilla extract.
– Stir in flour mixture.
– Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake for 10-15min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
– Cool in tins for about 10min and then cool completely on wire rack.
For the caramelized pecan topping:
1 cup pecans
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
– Cook pecans in a saucepan until lightly toasted and fragrant.
– Add sugar and syrup and stir constantly until caramelized.
– Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and cool completely.
– Pulse in mini chopper/food processor until desired coarseness. You can also chop nuts by hand with a knife.
For the buttermilk buttercream icing:
2 sticks butter
1 lb confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
– Mix together until light and fluffy.
– Pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with pecan topping.
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups rice flour (or all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded apple
– Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
– Line 2 x 12 cup cupcake pans.
– In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
– In a mixer, combine brown sugar, eggs, and oil until well mixed.
– Add in flour mixture. Mix on low while slowly adding buttermilk.
– Mix in vanilla and shredded apple.
– Divide evenly into cupcake pans and bake for 20-25min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
– Cool on wire rack.
Ingredients for icing:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp water
– mix butter, sugar, spices, and vanilla in a bowl. Add water to obtain desired consistency.
– Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes.
Enjoy!
This is my one-bowl vanilla cupcake recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF-islIWwV8 adapted to be gluten-free. Adding a little more moisture from the milk, shortening and blueberries helps keep the cupcakes moist while using rice flour.
Vanilla Cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups rice flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs
1 heaping cup of fresh blueberries
– Preheat oven to 350 F.
– Place cupcake cases in pan.
– Measure all ingredients, except blueberries, into the mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment.
– Mix at low speed until ingredients are combined.
– Scrape down bowl once.
– Mix on high speed until smooth and fluffy (about 2 min).
– Stir in blueberries.
– Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pans.
– Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate pans in oven. Continue to bake for another 5-10 min. until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.
– Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Blueberry Puree:
1 heaping cup of fresh blueberries
– place blueberries in a mini chopper or food processor and puree.
– strain/press through sieve.
– Place vegetable shortening in mixer and beat until fluffy. Add blueberry puree and mix.
– Add confectioner’s sugar and beat on low until combined, then high until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix.
This video shows you how to decorate cupcakes with 3 different Wilton tips – 1M, 2D, 2A. The recipe for icing is great for adding color or flavoring and you can easily change to consistency to suit your needs by varying the amount of water added.
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 lb icing/confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract, or to taste
2 tablespoons water (add more to achieve desired consistency)
Directions:
1. Mix shortening and sugar in bowl. Add vanilla and water.
2. Mix until creamy and desired consistency is achieved.
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