Bake me I'm Yours... Cupcake Celebration. Lindy Smith

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      introduction…

      Cupcakes are taking the world by storm, and I think I know why – put simply, baking and decorating cupcakes is fun, rewarding and not too time consuming. On my travels around the globe I’ve seen cupcakes in all shapes and sizes, in tiny little boutique cake shops and large supermarkets. I have also been given them as welcome gifts – everyone loves a cupcake!

      I’m completely hooked on making cupcakes, and you probably will be too after reading this book! I’ve included some fabulously tasty recipes that are easy and straightforward to make, and I hope you enjoy experimenting with them as much as I have! Most cupcake recipes only take 20 minutes to bake, so by the time you’ve washed up and put everything away the cakes are ready – now that’s what I call perfect timing.

      Cupcake decorating is all about personal taste, imagination and suitability for the occasion. There are endless possibilities, so I hope that the cupcakes I have created on the following pages will inspire you to have a go or to be a little bit more adventurous. I have used different types of coverings to appeal to all palettes, and have really pushed the boat out when it comes to the actual decoration.

      I want to put the humble cupcake at centre stage to show the world just what it can be – a beautiful, ‘collectable’, miniature work of art that is a true taste sensation and not just a fashionable cake to bake!

      Have fun

       www.lindyscakes.co.uk

      basic tools and equipment

      Before you begin it’s a good idea to check that you have all of the right tools for the cakes you plan to bake and decorate. Included here is the equipment that you will need in your basic tool kit to make and decorate any cupcake. The more specific tools used in each project are included in the ‘you will need’ section at the start of each project.

      1 Scissors: these are useful around the kitchen in general, but you will occasionally also need them for cutting modelling paste.

      2 Paintbrushes: a range of sizes and weights for painting and dusting.

      3 Cocktail sticks: handy for those little details, such as eyes.

      4 Spacers: roll your paste out between them to ensure an even thickness.

      5 Dresden tool: to create markings on paste.

      6 Palette knife: vital for lifting and cutting sugarpaste.

      7 Rolling pin: for rolling out different pastes. Non-stick are ideal.

      8 Wire cooling rack: to rest your cupcakes while they cool before decorating.

      baking equipment

      Cupcake pans and cupcake cases are obviously essential requirements before you begin. It is important that the cases fit snugly inside the pans to ensure that they are supported while baking, otherwise your cakes will lose their shape and end up flattened.

      pans

      There are a range of sizes and shapes available. When choosing your pans select the size that you would like to bake, and then look at the shape of the cup – some have almost vertical sides, while others are much more angled. The difference, although not that visible when looking at a pan, makes a huge difference when decorating a cupcake – generally, the more angled the sides of the pan the more surface you have to decorate, while the more vertical sides leave you with less decorating area.

      In this book I have used two different standard-sized cupcake (muffin) pans, and two different mini cupcake muffin pans.

      cases

      When choosing your cases it’s important to consider the quality of the cupcake and the effect you are wanting to achieve. Cupcake cases are simply circles of paper, or foil-covered paper, that have been fluted to form a cup.

      If you use thin cupcake cases (the type that you find in most supermarkets) you’ll find that the cases turn translucent when baked. This can be used to good effect, but it is frustrating if you are using a patterned case and you want the design to be clearly visible. One way around this is to use a double or triple layer of cases. Alternatively, spend a little more money and buy foil-covered cases, or cases that are made from thicker, higher quality paper. Re-usable silicone cupcakes are also available in various colours.

      Size is another factor to consider when choosing your cases – it is very much personal choice, but it does affect the amount of cake batter that you will require. The chart opposite will help you to estimate the number of cupcakes you can bake from the recipes in this book using various case sizes.

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