Baking experts - sponge for cupcakes

Unless they're packed full of preservatives and other nasties a la Mr Kilping cakes are never going to stay fresh more than a day or so. And why would you want them to?

The recipe I use is:

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Chocolate Cake

100 g softened butter (or margarine)

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

100g SR flour (sifted)

1tsp vanilla extract/essence (vanilla flavouring will do but is not as good)

Cream butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy

Beat in eggs, adding 1 tbsp flour with each one

Gently fold in remaining flour

Add vanilla essence and stir to combine

Transfer to cake tin and smooth top gently

Bake for 25-30 mins gas mark 4

Leave in tin(s) for 3 mins before turning out onto wire cooling rack

This makes two 7 inch cakes suitable for a sandwich, or about a dozen cupcakes.

(For choc cake, use 75g flour + 25g cocoa powder.)

Well, that is a good point. They were so sweet though that I really couldn't eat more than one at a time and I am quite good at eating cakes.

I think the recipe I used had a bit more flour than that so I might try yours instead. Maybe I should only give her half a dozen rather than a dozen.

Thanks LG

I use Nigella's cupcake recipe. I made the tweeest cakes in the universe on Friday (did I tell you that? ?) and ate the last one last night, and it was still absolutely fine - had been kept in a tupperware box.

I saw the twee cakes, FtG - they looked lovely! I've got Nigella's book so will try her recipe.

What you need is Nigella's cupcake recipe then add in some good cocoa powder and grated dark chocolate then you need one of these:

Then you can keep them for a good few days - I even left one in it by accident a while ago and weeks later it stil hadn't gone mouldy or hard. I didn't eat it though, tempted as I was ?

It's one of the best things I've ever bought - I had mine imported from Canada a few years ago as there were no stockists in the UK and none of the US stockists would ship to here but I bet they are much easier to get hold of these days!

I'm lusting after this one now ?

I love making cupcakes, the best recipe I've tried is this

• CUPCAKES:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 2 cups sugar

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ICING:

• Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

5. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

I'm not sure how to adapt this for chocolate - I'm working on it at the moment but so far end up with a dry crust.

They are moist and dense and keep for at least 5 days, probably more but they don't tend to last that long. Let me know how you get on.

I've always used a recipe from my Gran's WRVI book and it's fab;

• 150g caster sugar
• 150g margerine
• 3 eggs
• 200g self raising flour

Mix them together in the order they're listed and pop in the oven at 180C for 15mins or until nice and golden coloured.

I think they're best when fresh out of the oven as they're all soft and fluffy inside but have a crispy sugary top, however Mr FigJam prefers them made into butterfly cakes with lots of butter icing! If we're being restrained, they last a few dyas if stored properly in an airtight box (like the ones shown above) but it's very rare they last that long! ? For chocolate cakes, I substitute some flour for cocoa powder (about 20g I think?!).

My favourite chocolate cake recipe - modified from one my mum used to use - is:

1) Weigh eggs (I would do a two egg mixture for 12-15 good sized cupcakes)

2) Cream egg weight of real butter and sugar (weight of two eggs for butter, then sugar)

3) Add egg yolks and stir in

4) Weigh out one egg-weight of self raising flour and one of ground almonds (Ie weight of one egg for flour, same again almonds)

5) Whisk up egg whites

6) Melt 100g of good quality choc (I sometimes use half dark and half milk)

7) Stir in flour, almonds and choc to butter mix, with a half teaspoon of vanilla extract

8) Fold in egg whites

9) Bake in cases on gas 5

10) When cool, make icing: melt about 70g of butter on a low heat and add 3/4 tablespoons of good cocoa. When this is melted into a paste, take off the heat and slowly add icing sugar in tablespoons until you get a thick, fudgy icing (you might need to add a bit of water to get the amount you need). Pipe on to cakes.

If you do not get super-fudgy, moist cakes out of that, I will eat your mixing bowl. They won't keep for longer than about two days without beginning to dry, but as Lumpy pointed out, they generally don't.

Thanks ladies! I am going to spend the weekend experimenting and will doubtless end up fat and on a sugar high on Monday.

you couldent tell me what company you got these from could you?, i have a a quick google but nothings coming up (but im not v good at googling)

bxx

Hi Catgirl, they have them here..

http://www.thecupcakecourier.co.uk/

oh cool thanks, off to have a look now. think it might be a good job i get paid at end o the week lol

Oooh BAD Mariets - I've only been holding off ordering one of those because it was hassle, when I last looked I couldn't find a UK stockist but now.............

Sorry...