Never Fail Cupcakes

[korrick]

I made these tonight - great, easy recipe but I found I had to add another tablespoon of milk. It still didn't achieve a pouring consistency, but it did make 2 doz cupcakes. I replaced some of the flour with 20gm cocoa. I opted to make up an icing of 350gm icing sugar and 50 gms marj, enough boiling water to achieve a spreadable consistency. I added red food colouring for a lovely pink girly icing. I used the butterfly for approx. 10 secs, scraped, then another 5 sec. I thought as it was a fairly forgiving recipe I would play a bit and it seemed to work. Waiting for them to cool.....

[luel]

I made these the other day and they really do live up to their name - Never Fail because I forgot to put the marg in!  There it was sitting in the microwave all softened nicely when I went to heat up some food for the kids.  I had them in the oven baking so was past the point of no return.
They turned out great  and healthy too!
I sent them the next day with my son to daycare and got the comment from one of the kids in the arvo that I make the best cupcakes (yes!!).

My variations to the recipe were:
no butter!
some milk to make it runnier (obviously not enough liquid seeing as I'd forgotten the butter)
50gm dessicated coconut
1tsp vanilla essence
1 MC frozen blueberries stirred in at the end reverse sp 2 5 secs

So Never Fail Cupcakes are winners in this house - a very forgiving recipe!
rapadura instead of the caster sugar ground for 1 min sp 9 as a very first step.

[runnybabbit]

Okay, so, drum roll please --

My Never Fail Cupcakes FAILED. I used the same amount of plain flour, and used 2 tsp of baking powder. After 10 minutes at 200 deg (fan forced), they all domed really asymmetrically and the tops cracked, too.

Troubleshoot, anyone?

[runnybabbit]

Here they are. Failed.

[dede]

Oops. Ok maybe they are 'sometimes fail cupcakes'  lol.
I can't answer that one for you sorry.
Did you open the oven at all during cooking time? Did you let them sit to long before putting them in the oven?
Is your oven temp correct?
I really don't know. Maybe someone else can help more

[dede]

Here they are. Failed.

Oops alright. Not quiet perfect
Bet they still taste good though

[runnybabbit]

Did you let them sit to long before putting them in the oven?

I assume oven temp is alright because I haven't had too much trouble with other stuff so far.
I did let the batter sit for about 15-20 min (baby needed resettling) before I divvied it into the patty pans and popped them in the oven. How does that make a difference?

[Bonsai]

Hi runnybabbit - I wonder if 2 tsp of baking powder was a bit too much (although that is the amount it says to use on the baking powder container I have). The eggs in the mix will make it rise quite a bit already and the cakes almost look like they rose really fast then collapsed in a spectacular fashion.

Maybe try again with 1tsp of baking powder   

[runnybabbit]

Thanks Bonsai, I will try it again -- the Thermie EDC book's recipe for SR flour is 150 g plain flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder with an option 0.5 tsp cream of tartar, which I didn't have.

I'll give it a go with less baking powder!

[Cornish Cream]

MJ has a pattycake recipe as well,how do they compare

[dede]

I read somewhere that cupcake or muffin batter should be placed in the oven as soon as possible from mixing the batter. I think the batter starts to work once all the ingredients are mixed together. I will have to double check on that one for you though as it was awhile ago when I was having trouble making these kind of things so I googled some tips.

[Depome]

Dede, as soon as baking powder (or bicarb) gets wet, it is activated. It starts to dissolve and produce carbon dioxide bubbles. It's those bubbles that we try to capture in baking to work particularly with the gluten that's created in a lot of our flours when they get wet. We get air pockets and stretchy glutenous walls. Additionally a hot oven excites gaseous molecules very rapidly which results in some expansion of those air pockets/bubbles. If we leave batter too long then the bubbles will peak before we can use them.

I use my batters quickly! But I sometimes have cupcakes leaning over too. I have thought it might be a batter that is too runny. I don't seem to have the problem when I turn the fan off, which I prefer to do for baking.

[Amy :-)]

Dede, as soon as baking powder (or bicarb) gets wet, it is activated. It starts to dissolve and produce carbon dioxide bubbles. It's those bubbles that we try to capture in baking to work particularly with the gluten that's created in a lot of our flours when they get wet. We get air pockets and stretchy glutenous walls. Additionally a hot oven excites gaseous molecules very rapidly which results in some expansion of those air pockets/bubbles. If we leave batter too long then the bubbles will peak before we can use them.

Thats really helpful to know Depome! Thanks for posting

[dede]

Well that all makes sense, thanks for that info

[fundj&e]

i always try and add my  baking powder at the last min and straight in to the oven