How to Baking a Pull-Apart Cupcake Cake.
If you’re looking to get creative with your baking, a cupcake cake is a great way to start! Cupcake cakes look great, but only require a regular cake recipe, some gluing with frosting, and a creative mind. You can carve a giant cake into cupcake shape or arrange lots of small cupcakes into a unique shape or pattern for any occasion. No matter what kind of cupcake cake you choose, your taste testers will love the shape and flavor of this delicious dessert.Ingredients.
Makes 20-25 standard-size cupcakes.
2 cups (470 mL) flour.
1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt.
2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) baking powder.
1⁄2 cup (120 mL) softened butter.
3⁄4 to 1 cup (180 to 240 mL) sugar (add more if you want sweeter cupcakes).
2 eggs.
1 cup (240 mL) milk.
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) vanilla (optional).
Icing.
Makes 10-12 servings.
2 cups (470 mL) butter.
6 cups (1,400 mL) powdered sugar.
2 tablespoons (30 mL) whipping cream.
2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) vanilla or almond extract.
A few drops of food coloring (optional).
Steps.
1. Decide on a pattern. This will depend on what occasion the cake is for! If you’re celebrating a child’s birthday party, think about doing a simple rendition of their favorite animal, like a turtle; cartoon character; or activity, like an airplane. For a holiday, go with a simple symbol, like a Christmas tree or a dreidel.
2. Calculate the number of cupcakes you’ll need. Lay out cupcake liners in your chosen pattern on the large plate or piece of clean cardboard you plan to arrange your cupcakes on. Make sure they can all fit snugly, adding or subtracting cups as needed. Your final number of cups will be the number of cupcakes you’ll make.
This recipe makes 20-25 standard-sized cupcakes. If you need more or less than that, adjust the measurements accordingly.
For example, if you want to make 40 cupcakes, use 4 cups (950 mL) of flour, 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt, 4 teaspoons (20 mL) of baking powder, etc.
You could also use mini cupcakes. A recipe that makes 20 standard cupcakes can be used to make about 60 mini cupcakes.
3. Preheat your oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and line the pan with paper liners. If you’re making mini cupcakes, preheat to 350 °F (177 °C).
4. Mix your batter. Stir your butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or a mixer on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy. If you’re using a mixer, this should take 2-3 minutes.[4] Stir in one egg at a time, then add the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in your milk and stir well, then add your vanilla (optional). Stir until smooth.
Soften the butter by leaving it out for a few hours before you start mixing your batter.
Use a mixer if possible, as the batter will be much harder to stir with a wooden spoon.
Vanilla will add a sweeter flavor, which is a great way to sweeten up your typical boxed cake mix.
5. Pour the batter into the tray. You can use a large measuring glass with a pointy lip to get a neater pour. Fill each cup about halfway, making sure to divide the batter equally so you get an even bake.
6. Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes. Check on your cupcakes after about 10 minutes to make sure they’re rising but not burning. They shouldn’t be darker on top by the time you pull them out. Then, let them cool in their pans for about 10 minutes.
You can check if your cupcakes are done by sticking a toothpick into the center of one cupcake. Pull it back out and check to see if there is wet batter on it. If so, your cupcakes need some more time. Put them in for 5 more minutes, then check on them again. When the toothpick comes back dry, your cupcakes are ready to go.
If you’re making mini cupcakes, bake for 10-15 minutes.[9]
7. Make your icing. Microwave your butter for 10-30 seconds or leave it out for a few hours, until it’s slightly soft but not melted. Mix it with sugar in a large bowl, using a mixer on medium setting or a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Mix in the whipping cream, vanilla, and any food coloring you want and stir until the frosting is thick but spreadable.
If you want to use different colors in your pattern, separate the frosting evenly into different bowls, then add your desired food coloring to each bowl.
8. “Glue” your cupcakes to your plate with a swirl of frosting. Transfer your frosting to a piping bag, or make your own by poking a small hole in the bottom corner of a resealable plastic bag. Squirt a circle of frosting onto the bottom of each cupcake, directly onto the paper liner. Place each cupcake firmly back onto the plate or cardboard.
Make this squirt of frosting roughly circular and slightly smaller than the bottom of the cupcake, but don’t fill it in.
9. Push your cupcakes together for a tighter fit. Gently press the cupcakes together with your hands so that each one is pushed flush against its neighbors. This will prevent too much icing from slipping into the cracks between cupcakes.
10. Ice the cupcakes smoothly for a cake-like look. Use your piping bag to put a small dollop in any remaining diamond-shaped holes between cupcakes. Outline the outside edge of your pattern with frosting, then fill in the rest. Smooth it over with an icing scraper or a flat plastic spatula. Decorate with other colors of frosting or sprinkles.
11. Ice the cupcakes individually to make different frosting patterns. You could do rose-style icing or simple swirls with your piping bag. The cupcakes may feel like less of a cohesive cake, but this method could be best for some patterns. If you’re making a large flower out of cupcakes, for example, you may want to frost the cupcakes individually to make them look like individual petals. You also might wish to create a certain illusion of texture, for cakes in the shape of animals or birds.
Things You’ll Need.
Cupcake liners.
Cupcake or muffin pan.
Large plate or piece of cardboard.
Mixing bowl.
Mixer or wooden spoon.
Large measuring glass.
Toothpick.
Piping bag or ziplock bag.
Icing scraper or flat plastic spatula.
