Tutorial

We go through the basic steps of baking a Vanilla cupcake with two types of frosting: butter cream frosting

and chocolate ganache frosting.

Recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes: (Makes 12)

1 ½ cup (150g) Flour
½ cup (110g) butter
1-cup (200g) castor sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180° C.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with a whisk until they become light and fluffy. The sugar will

not melt entirely because of the ratio of sugar to butter. Add the vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture.





Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, whisking after each addition, until completely incorporated.

Add the baking powder to the flour. Whisk this mixture so you don't get lumps of baking powder in your batter.






Now add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and finishing with the flour. Whisk the batter

after pouring each alternate ingredient. The sequence will be flour-milk-flour-milk-flour.Adding the

flour and the milk alternately stops the cupcakes from becoming chewy or dense, instead you will end

up with perfectly moist cupcakes.




After you finish whisking the batter pipe it into a lined cupcake mould until they are ¾ full.
Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Test to see if your cupcakes are ready by using a skewer. Insert the skewer into a cupcake; if it comes out clean they are ready.






Butter cream frosting:
Ingredients:
4 cups icing or powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

Method:

In a bowl, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Beat in the vanilla extract. Slowly add in the sugar to the bowl and gradually beat the sugar into the butter. If using a mixer, put the mixer on low speed.Add the milk or light cream and beat frosting for about five minutes until its light and fluffy.
Add food coloring to the frosting after beating. If you are not using the frosting right away cover it with a plastic wrap to prevent the frosting from drying out.


Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
Ingredients:
250 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
125 grams heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter


Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl and set in aside.
Heat the cream in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow the combination to stand for five minutes

so that the chocolate melts into the cream.

Use a whisk to slowly stir the chocolate into the heavy cream. Small wrist movements will get the right

texture.





Add the butter to the heavy cream and chocolate mixture and whisk until well incorporated.

The final product of the two frostings.

Put the butter cream in a piping bag and create a frosting design on your cupcakes.
Use a palatte knife to spread the chocolate ganache frosting over the cupcakes.






For aesthetics add a sprinkles over your cupcakes. And Voila!

Ameesha Mansukhani is a freelance food writer who recently moved to Bombay from New York. You can contact Ameesha at [email protected].

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Video of how to make a chocolate cupcake...

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