How to Choose The Right Oven For Cupcakes

Getting cupcakes right would mean you need to get the right equipment, and getting the right oven for cupcakes (or the right oven for baking anything) is one of the most important things that you need to get.
And believe it or not, there will seem to be many different oven for cupcakes, each having their own specialty. And if you're just a beginner, all those different functions can give you a massive headache.
But really, all you need to know are a few tips in order to get the right oven for cupcakes. And you might be surprised that getting a suitable one can well cost less than a hundred dollars.
Tip 1 - Get A Convection Oven
That's right. Don't go for a microwave oven or toaster oven. Don't even go for them even if they claimed to have a convection function.
Convection ovens offer even heat distribution, ensuring that you get great looking cupcakes every time.
And if you're looking to sell your cupcakes from home, you might like to consider convection ovens that circulate heat using fans. You'll be able to tell when you see a fan at the side or back of the oven. And if you're not sure, you can always check with the manufacturer.
The reason why a convection oven with a fan would suit you when you sell cupcakes from home is because you can bake many trays of cupcakes at one go, without worrying if the oven heating elements would be blocked by the other layers.
Because heat is distributed evenly via a fan, such an oven for cupcakes will help to save you time and electricity.
Tip 2 - Consider A Big Oven if You Have The Space
If you're starting out, getting a small oven will cater to your needs. But a big oven will serve you much longer.
When I started out, I outgrew my tiny oven within a couple of weeks, and I had to spend money on a bigger oven.
So if finances and space at home permits, try getting an oven for cupcakes that has at least 60 litres of space. Then that would ensure you have enough space for baking.
Tip 3 - See If You'd Want A Steam Function
Have you tried very moist cupcakes before? If you did, chances are they are baked in ovens that have steam functions included.
What the steam function does is keep the oven interior moist during baking, and that ensures very moist cupcakes at the end of the baking process.
The only downside to moist cupcakes is that they grow mouldy more easily, but if your customers love moist cupcakes that would be consumed on the day of baking, then an oven for cupcakes with steam function included would be lovely.
I hope that I've given you an insight on the type of oven for cupcakes that you can decide on. And if finances don't permit, the least you should go for would be a convection oven with an upper and lower heating element that allows for temperature adjustments. That would serve you well for a start.

And if you've benefited from my article about oven for cupcakes, you'll be pleased to know that I offer more tips and tricks about cupcake baking at my site at CakeACup.com.
You'll be able to learn not just tips about oven for cupcakes, but about anything that has to do with cupcake baking. So I hope to see you at my site where we can learn from each other.

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How To Present Cupcakes

Cupcakes have always been everybody's favorite. They are liked and admired by all ages. You won't be able to recall any party that didn't have cupcakes in the dessert section. This is because they are so delicious that no one can resist them and the host takes the best shot on them to satisfy you, but when it comes to attracting children, you have to make efforts in the presentation also and merely making delicious cupcakes won't work.

Presentation is the key to success in every field, then why would cupcakes be left behind. When it comes to presenting cupcakes, you need to consider four main things namely, cupcake stands, cupcake boxes, cupcake wraps and cupcake decoration. Of the four things, the last one gets most of the attention while the other things are usually overlooked, but you should give importance to the other ones as well.

As far as cupcake decoration is concerned, there are many things that you can use to enhance the look and feel of cupcakes like edible glitters, sprinklers, colors and luster sprays. You may also add attractive fondants of different shapes, fruit pieces, chocolate chips and gems to your cupcakes.
Now, we come to cupcake stands and cupcake wraps. The two things should be selected so that they go with each other. For instance, you can use brown colored wraps on a white cupcake stand. It will add a classy touch to your dessert stall. The most important thing to consider while buying cupcake stand is the type of material. The cupcake stands come in a variety of materials like acrylic, glass, plastic, metallic and cardboard. You have to choose according to your needs and requirements. For instance, if you want a one-time-use stand, you should buy a cardboard stand; they come really cheap and you can dispose them off after one usage. If you want a durable stand that you can use for a longer time, acrylic or metallic stand would be a better choice, but as these stands come quite inexpensive, budget can be an issue. In this case, you may prefer to buy a simple stand and use some DIY techniques to decorate it on your own. For instance, you may use laces or florist tapes to give it vibrant look.

Cupcake boxes are usually required when you want to transport the cupcakes or gift the cupcakes to your loved ones. Cardboard cupcake boxes are always the best option. They come in a variety of designs to choose from. If budget is an issue, you may choose to buy a simple cupcake box and decorate it on your own and believe me, it's more fun than a task. There are many ways to decorate the boxes. For instance, you may buy a simple white colored cardboard box and paste colored glazed papers on it. Then, you may decorate it further using sparkles and tie it with a colorful ribbon. Be sure to make the knot properly else it will look really awful. You can also add some message to the box like "Happy Birthday".

There is no end to creativity and you can do a lot with your cupcakes and its accessories.

Author is a professional writer as she is writing articles on various topics from the last three years. With this post she wants to share information on Cupcake Stands

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Tips for Creating Cupcakes

A cupcake is a delightful single serving treat that everyone loves. It is a popular dessert or snack that is commonly served at parties. They come in very handy and versatile. You can present your cupcakes in several ways. You can create colourful icings or add toppings for additional taste and style.
Homemade cupcakes are easy to bake and design. This literature will give you valuable tips on how to create your own cupcakes.

Follow the Recipe
There are different cupcake recipes scattered on cooking books and online. Try to browse and scan for great cupcake recipes. Select the recipe you would like to create and take note of the ingredients and techniques used. Make sure you copied the precise and accurate measurement of the ingredients to prevent any mistake.

Baking Equipments and Ingredients
Gather all necessary ingredients and baking tools needed. Make sure that they are clean and dry. When baking cupcakes, you will need muffin pans, cup liners, decorating tools such as piping bag and nozzles, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups.
For your ingredients, consider to buy good quality flour and eggs. Good quality ingredients will definitely yield into delicious cupcakes. When preparing your main ingredients, consider to sift your flour. This will keep your flour fine and helps in mixing the batter more easily.

Mixing the Batter
Add all ingredients into your mixing bowl - milk, sifted flour, eggs and shortening. Mix all ingredients well by stirring them under one direction. Remember not to overly mix the batter. It will result to chewy cupcakes and taste flat or bland.
Plating
Once the batter is completely mixed, pour the batter into the muffin pan. Fill the pan approximately 2/3 of batter. This will create perfectly baked cupcakes. Over filling the muffin pan with the batter will get your cupcakes burn.

Baking
Make sure to pre-heat the oven for baking. Set the temperature of your oven based on the instructions given on the recipe. Place the prepared muffin pan into the oven and give an effort to check your cupcakes often. If you're cupcakes seems cooked, apply a cake tester or a toothpick in the cupcake. Once the cake tester is pulled out and there are no crumbs included, the cake is already baked.
Set aside the muffin dry and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan. Apply icing or toppings for added decor and taste.

Baking cupcakes on your first attempt may not yield into a good result. It will surely take time and practice to perfect one. Once you have mastered the basics, you can be inventive and try other shapes, ingredients, decor and recipe. This will make your cupcake baking experience worthwhile.

The author writes about giving valuable tips on baking homemade cupcakes for starters and beginners.

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Baking Cupcakes - Tips to Get It Just Right!

Baking can be a joyful task but it can turn out to be quite a nightmare as well. Cupcakes are amongst the easiest items to bake and keeping in mind some simple tips can go a long way in bringing out the perfect cupcakes. Read on to know more about these tips which have been endorsed by people from all over the world and compiled together into this single article.

To begin with the most important thing is to get the right implements involved in the process. This includes a good oven and baking tins as well as the ingredients to be used. The baking tins or muffin moulds must be a little on the heavy side and it is a good idea to get a medium sized one. This ensures that the pan heats well. Foils or greaseproof paper used must be of a good quality to ensure that the cupcake comes off without sticking to the paper. Make sure to fill the mould only till 1/2 the capacity. This gives the cupcake space to rise and get a nice fluffy appearance.

Coming to the most essential part of the cupcakes-the ingredients! It is necessary to keep all the ingredients at room temperature or to bring them to room temperature (in case of the cream which is usually refrigerated) prior to mixing the batter. This makes certain that uniform mixing is possible and avoids the formation of any lumps. While mixing it is good to remember to mix according to instructions on the recipe. If a blender needs to be utilized do so for the right amount of time. Over mixing the batter can lead to the muffins becoming rather dry and chewy.

Pre heating can be quite an important step in baking since it assures the proper complete cooking of the batter at a uniform temperature. Different types of cupcakes may have different cooking temperatures and period of baking time. Rotating the baking pan half way through the cooking time is also a good idea. The rear of the oven receives maximum heat and that side of the pan may get over heated if the turning is not done. The completion of the baking must be checked periodically after the minimum set time. Using a fork or a needle to test is a good practice.

The best ways to eat cupcakes are to bake them and eat them the same day. They remain fresh and extremely tasty and make for great tea time or after dinner bites!

You can find more about cupcake recipes from internet resources. Try our amazing gourmet recipes at http://www.cupcake-recipes.com

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Cupcake Equipement | Cupcake Stand

Cupcake stands have become increasingly popular due to the fact that there are a number of boutique cupcake shops popping up all over the country with the ever increasing rise in popularity of decorative and gourmet baking and cupcake baking competitions both locally and regionally. There are a number of different types of cupcake stands that you can choose from, but one of the most common types is known as a flat tier cupcake stand.

These are generally the most universal and versatile types of stands that are out there for cupcakes, and they come in various different types of tiers.
3, 4, 5, and 6 tier cupcakes displays are available and each level has a flat surface for the cupcakes to rest on. If you intend on getting a number of uses out of the stand that you're buying, this is the type of model to go with. Since these tiers are flat, they are a lot more flexible when it comes the amount of cupcakes they can actually hold at one time. You can either load them up completely, or you can leave a little bit of space between them while filling in some decorative ornamentation.

Another kind of cupcake stand is known as a wire stand. These particular stands look really cool and has a sort of pseudo tiered look at is made to resemble a Christmas tree of sorts. Whatever you want to call them, they fall into a more particular niche of the category mentioned previously. These particular types of stands are made to hold the very specific amount of cupcakes due to the nature of their design. These particular type of stands can usually hold anywhere from a dozen cupcakes all the way up to 100 or more depending on what type of occasion you're looking to cater to.

Lastly, We have another type of stand known as the Styrofoam cupcake stand, these particular types of displays are an acquired taste mainly due to the fact that they tend to be the most breakable, and therefore they are not terribly practical for use with large or numerous cupcakes. The primary reason why these particular types of scans are popular to begin with is the fact that they can be very affordable and can also be recycled as well. But if you aren't ecologically conscious person, you might want to go with cardboard cupcake equivalents instead of going with Styrofoam models.

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Piping For Cupcakes - Things You Will Need

Learning the correct techniques in piping for cupcakes will take you a lot of practice, and the many talented chefs and bakers you see that have nice piping skills didn't get them overnight.
Believe me, piping for cupcakes will take a significant amount of practice, but there's something else that you'll need in order to get nice piping patterns on your cupcakes.
And that's the right equipment.
Believe it or not, your equipment does play a part in your piping for cupcakes, and here are 2 major classes of things that you will need to start piping your cupcakes.

Item Class 1 - Piping Nozzles
There are several notable brands in the market, but I stick to Wilton, which is by far the most reliable, affordable and usable brand I know of.
Wilton has an extensive range of piping nozzles, and they too have some publications of piping patterns that each of the nozzles can achieve, so you have a reference on what nozzles to buy to get your desired cupcake decorations.
Also, Wilton piping nozzles make use of quality materials that's meant to be food safe and it last you a lifetime. I have bought cheaper brands out there that rust or oxidize within months, and they are anything but non-toxic and lasting.

Item Class 2 - Piping Bags
Now, depending on what you prefer to use in piping for cupcakes, you have many options when it comes to piping bags.
In my opinion, there isn't the best piping bag in the world. Different types work for different people, and here are 3 major kinds that you can use in piping for cupcakes.

Ready Made Piping Bags
These are convenient plastic piping bags that you can use, and the reason why you will want to use them is that they are reasonably priced, easy to fill with cream or ganache, and easy to control.
The only downside is that they need proper washing each time you use them, and you'll need to buy many of them when you need many colours ready at one time.

Self Made Piping Bags
And that's using greaseproof paper.
When you use these in piping for cupcakes, you can double up your greaseproof papers as piping bags. The downside is that they get soaked up with oil (when you pip melted chocolate) or get wet (when you pip cream) quickly, so they will burst easily.
Also, they can be difficult to make if you don't know how. So use this option only when you're more experienced.

Disposable Ready Made Piping Bags
This option is by far the best in piping for cupcakes in my opinion. They work the same way as ready made piping bags, except that they come in clear plastic sheets that you can dispose off after each use.
And I love them because not only do I not have to wash them, they don't soak up oil or water and burst easily like self made piping bags with greaseproof paper, making them really clean and easy to use.

The downside is that you'll need to keep buying them because they tend to run out pretty fast.
Again, let me mention that there isn't a best piping bag, and it's really up to your own personal preference. So instead, I recommend that you try them all out for yourself, and see which suits you more.

Then stick to what you like, and practise and get your techniques in piping for cupcakes well so you can get beautiful cupcakes overtime.

And if you've benefited from this article about piping for cupcakes, you'll be pleased to know that I offer more tips and tricks about cupcake baking at my site at CakeACup.com.
You'll be able to learn not just tips about piping for cupcakes, but about anything that has to do with cupcake baking. So I hope to see you at my site where we can learn from each other.

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