Cupcake Corer Giveaway

Update:  The winner is Robin from Little Pat of Butter!  But, Jenny from the beautiful food blog Purple House Dirt has generously offered her cupcake corer as a second prize.  Jenny has never used it and wanted it to have a good home.  Joy from Pastries by Joy won that corer (it's just the corer, not the whole kit)!  Congrats to both of you!!

When I first heard about the cupcake corer, I thought that it had to be the most gimmicky product imaginable. For years now,  I've been happily coring cupcakes without ever using the term or the tool -  I just used a small paring knife.  But, as a recent convert to apple corers, when I was offered a free sample of the cupcake corer, I decided to give it a go.

How to Crack an Egg + A Giveaway of The Book That Taught Me

I should know how to crack an egg.  Let's look at approximately how many eggs I have cracked just making cupcakes for this blog:

Approximate years of blogging	3
* Number of weeks per year	52
= Approximate number of weeks of blogging	156
Approximate cupcake recipes baked per week	1
* Average number of eggs per cupcake recipe	2
= Approximate number of eggs used per week	2
Approximate number of cupcakes used for weekly blogging (approximate number of eggs used per week * number of weeks blogging)	312
Number of weddings for which I have baked cupcakes	3
* Average number of eggs used per wedding	50
= Approximate number of eggs used for all weddings	150
Approximate number of eggs used for cupcakes on this blog (approximate number of eggs used for weekly blogging + approximate number of eggs used for weddings)	462

I know that all of that math was a bit geeky. But, it only seems appropriate since my free review copy of Cooking for Geeks is where I learned how to crack an egg.

It turns out that I cracked all 462 of those eggs incorrectly - my skills with eggs weren't all they were cracked up to be.  Way too often, I found myself playing the game of "Try to remove the eggshell bit from the cracked egg" (the baking version of the kid's game Operation). 

So what's the trick to the perfect crack?

Cupcake Decorating Supplies - What You Need to Make Cute Cupcakes

I asked you what cupcake decorating supplies you would put in a tool box and without even realizing it, your over 200 comments have created the ultimate cupcake decorating supplies list!  Rather than making you read through the comments, I've created a cupcake decorating supplies CliffsNotes list for you.

Baking with Tea - How To Get the Flavor of Tea Into Your Baked Goods

I'm officially hooked on baking with tea.  I'm craving baked goods with chamomile, oolong, and chrysanthemum. Why?  I learned the trick to getting a vibrant tea flavor in my baking and I'm itching to experiment.

I've tried baking with tea before, but I couldn't get the tea flavor to come through strongly enough.  I've tried:

• Grinding tea and putting it directly in the batter.  This doesn't release the tea flavor and people don't like finding leaf bits in their cupcakes.
• Steeping the tea in milk and using the tea-infused milk. I imagine that this could work, but not all recipes contain milk - and if they do, it's not always enough to strongly affect the cupcake flavor.
• Steeping tea bags in butter.  The butter boiled, the flavor never changed, and the tea bags disintegrated.  People like pieces of tea bag in their cupcake far less than they like leaves.

So what's the best way to bake with tea?

How to Transport Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

I love frosting cupcakes with simple whipped cream frostings. When I need to transport the cupcakes in the summer heat, I always worry about the whipped cream becoming a big, melty mess.

What's a cupcake baker to do?

One option is to make the whipped cream frosting on site, which is messy - and who wants to shlep ingredients along to the party?

A better option is to use a cream whipper.



A cream whipper is an aluminum canister with a nitrous oxide charger that makes whipped cream on the fly. With a cream whipper, you can keep your cupcakes at room temperature and only worry about keeping the cream whipper cold (easily achieved in a small cooler). It's basically like making your own fresh Reddi-Whip.

The only downside of the cream whipper is that you can't put anything in it that isn't liquid or easily dissolved in liquid - so whipped cream with pieces of fruit, zest, or chunks of anything is out.

I was lucky enough to receive a free Liss Dessert Chef Cream Whipper to try out. But, they really aren't as expensive to buy as you might think. Liss is offering an awesome deal just for Cupcake Project readers. You can get one directly from them for $35.95.

Once I figured out how to use the cream whipper (the instructions were quite confusing), I really loved the product.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Lis Dessert Chef Cream Whipper

1. Begin by putting in your ingredients. A basic whipped cream frosting contains 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Add to that whatever flavors you like. For example, I made a lemon ginger whipped cream by adding 1/2 t lemon extract and 1/2 t ground ginger to the cream and sugar.

2. Put the rubber ring seals on top of the canister.
3. Screw on the top.

4. The charger (the thing that looks like a little bullet) comes in a separate box. Place a charger in the charger holder and screw it on to the lid. It may make a hissing sound. Do not fear. Note that you can only use a charger one time.

6. You are now ready to shake.


7. Shake the whole thing four or five times. It doesn't have to be miles away from your body like in the photo - I was just being dramatic about it.


8. Remove the charger holder. Replace the charger with the black nubby circle. Screw one of the two tips included with the cream whipper onto the the lid.

9. Frost away. I haven't yet mastered the art of pretty piping with the cream whipper, but it sure is fun!! You can even let your guests do their own frosting. Kids will LOVE it!

An Experiment in Crockpot Cupcakes

When I posted about how to make cupcakes in a steamer, Michelle from Michelle and Corey's Recipe Book commented and asked if cupcakes could be made in a crockpot. I decided this was worth a crockpot cupcake experiment!

Crockpot Inspiration

For inspiration, I checked out A Year of Crockpotting. This blog is run by yet another Stephanie (as you can see, she's a ph-ie Steph). Steph decided to make a new crockpot dish every day for a whole year. I am in awe of that determination. I bake cupcakes and blog roughly once a week. I can't imagine cupcake baking and blogging every single day. I'd be HUGE.

Steph had a recipe for crockpot banana bread. I figured if you can bake crockpot banana bread, you can bake cupcakes in a crockpot, too.

How To Make Cupcakes in a Crockpot

1. Prepare your favorite cupcake recipe. (I made mimosa cupcakes. The post about the non-crockpot version is coming soon.)
2. Fill 6 cupcake wrappers - if you have a large crockpot - 3/4 full with cupcake batter. (The steamer cupcake method only made four cupcakes at a time. Score 1 point for crockpot.)
3. Put cupcakes in the crockpot and prop the lid open slightly with a chopstick. (Michelle and Steph both had that suggestion.)
4. Cook on high for 4 hours. (I used the same setting Steph used on the banana bread.)

The Results of Baking Cupcakes in a Crockpot

I left the cupcakes alone in the crockpot while I went out to dinner. I returned 3 hours later and:

• The edges of the cupcakes were burnt.
• When I removed the cupcakes, I noticed the bottom of the cupcakes were also a bit burnt.
• The cupcakes had also become a bit blob-like from not being in cupcake tins.
• The cupcakes were generally less soft and fluffy than the ones baked in the oven.

Ideas To Bake Better Crockpot Cupcakes

The best thing (well really the only good thing other than not having to use an oven) about baking in the crockpot is being able to leave the house and come home to an amazing smell. This alone might inspire me to try this again. Next time I might try:

• Using the low setting instead of the high setting. Maybe it wouldn't burn?
• Baking in party nut cups instead of cupcake wrappers. Clara of I Heart Cuppycakes suggested that I try this with the steamer cupcakes. It would help the cupcakes keep their shape. The downside is that I like sucking on cupcake wrappers and party nut cups are a bit too stiff for optimal sucking. I wonder if I'll get any funky Google search hits from using stiff and sucking in a sentence?
• Baking in silicone baking cups for the same reason as above. Silicone baking cups are sold on Amazon in a set of 6 and as noted above, large crockpots fit 6 cupcakes. Coincidence?

Do you have any other ideas?

Steamed Salted Caramel Cupcakes, or Salted Apam Gula Hangus, or Werther's Original Cupcakes: How to Make Cupcakes in a Steamer

Q: What do you do if your oven is broken and you need to make cupcakes?

A: Steam cupcakes, of course.

My oven was not broken, however I decided that it would be fun to try to make cupcakes in the steamer. For those who might be interested in trying alternative ways of making cupcakes, I present to you my report on reasons to and reasons not to make cupcakes in the steamer:

Advantages of Making Cupcakes in the Steamer

1. Steamed cupcakes have a nice, spongy texture.

2. If your entire oven is in use (or you don't have a working oven), you can still make cupcakes.

Disadvantages of Making Cupcakes in the Steamer

1. Unless you have a giant commercial steamer, you can only make four cupcakes at a time. Note: I told Bride and Groom 2.0 that I will not be making steamed cupcakes for their wedding. It would take forever!

2. Because the cupcakes are not in a cupcake tin, they spread out and don't have as nice of a shape.

Verdict: To Steam or Not To Steam, That is the Question

I do not plan on steaming cupcakes again. It could happen, but it just doesn't seem worth the effort. If you have steamed cupcakes or have any good reasons why you would steam cupcakes, please let me know in the comments.

It All Started With Fleur de Sel

The steamed cupcake began its life with a comment by Food Vagabond on my post about dulce de leche. The Vagabond suggested an alternate way of making dulce de leche that involved fleur de sel. I had actually never heard of fleur de sel. It turns out that it's a very expensive kind of salt ($15 for a tiny bag at the two stores I found it in). The Vagabond's email review of it, however, had me sold:

"I prefer fleur de sel for almost any use (other than salting the pasta water maybe!) since I discovered it, because I love the taste and the 'crunch' - doesn't dissolve immediately like normal salt but doesn't remain rock hard like, well, rock salt. "

I had to buy some! Since I had just made dulce de leche, I wanted to use it for something else. I decided to opt for salted caramel.

Steamed Caramel Cupcakes - Apam Gula Hangus

In doing my research on caramel cupcakes, I found that steamed caramel cupcakes are popular on the streets on Malaysia. According to Inside Nyanya's Kitchen, the actual name is apam gula hangus - literally translated: burnt sugar steamed cupcake. I added the fleur de sel to mine to make it a salted steamed caramel cupcake or a salted apam gula hangus. Cultural insensitivities aside, saying that name out loud makes me laugh. Go ahead, say it.

Where's the Frosting?

None of the recipes I found for apam gula hangus called for frosting. This simply would not do. There has been much debate about what makes something a cupcake. I posted about the difference between a cupcake and a muffin very early on in the project. More recently, I Heart Cuppycakes and Quirky Cupcakes posted something about the difference. Even more recently, Tempered Woman's husband called my beer cheese cupcakes into question as not being cupcakes (this post is
definitely worth a read, btw, as it's hilarious.) I did not want these cupcakes debated.

The short of it is, I thought these cupcakes had better have some frosting or I was going to get lots of crap.

I opted for a salted caramel frosting. I used it in two ways. I poked holes in the cupcakes and drizzled lots of caramel inside of them. Then, I put the caramel in the fridge until it hardened more and spread it on top. It still ended up looking more like a glaze. Whether glaze counts as frosting is up for additional debate. I say, "Yes!"

The Steamed Salted Caramel Cupcake (Salted Apam Gula Hangus) Review

These cupcakes tasted exactly like Werther's Originals.


I had to go for the Asian commercial since these are Asian-inspired cupcakes. I have no idea what these people are saying, but if the candy makes you smile like it does this child, you would surely love these cupcakes. Bride 2.0 even said it was like the candy in cake format and I didn't even prompt her for the quote.

The Steamed Salted Caramel Cupcake (Salted Apam Gula Hangus) Recipe

I got the recipe for this cupcake from Pusiva's Culinary Studio. I have reprinted the recipe below. The only change from the original was to add the fleur de sel. A VERY important point about this recipe is that it did not state how many cupcakes it would make. As it turns out it, it only made 6 cupcakes. Definitely double it if you would like more than 6.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1/2 t fleur de sel or any salt of your choice
• 1 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup milk

Melt the sugar on very low heat. When the color turns golden brown, immediately remove from heat and pour in the boiling water. (Note: This takes 10-15 minutes) Return to the heat and stir until the caramelized sugar dissolves in the water. Stir in fleur de sel. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Mix cooled caramel syrup, egg, sugar, melted butter and milk. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Combine the wet ingredients to the sifted flour mixture. Whisk gently until it is lump free. Pour the batter into cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Steam on high for 15 minutes. (Note: Be careful not to burn yourself when removing the cupcakes from the steamer. I used tongs.) Let the cupcakes cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe

I got this recipe from Vanilla Garlic. He used it on Apple Cardamom cupcakes which make me drool just looking at them.

• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 3/4 cup of sugar or vanilla sugar
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (I used fleur de sel)

1) Melt the butter in a large, deep heavy-duty saucepan. Stir in the sugar and and stir until golden brown. (Note: Do this on low to medium heat. The first time I did it, I did it on high and everything burnt. This should take about 10 minutes.)

2) Take off the heat and pour in half the cream and whisk like a crazy person until the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the rest of the cream and the salt.

Cupcake Assembly

As noted above, I poked holes in the cupcakes and drizzled copious amounts of the caramel into them. I then chilled the rest of the caramel in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once it was thicker, I spread the caramel over the cupcakes.

Another Way to Bake Cupcakes Without an Oven

For another way to bake cupcakes without an oven, check out the crockpot cupcake experiment.