1. Posted by Joan on Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 11:33 AM (EST):
My favorite cupcake recipe!!!What kind of icing did you use??? I still make this recipe after 27 years.
Simply Cake
Posted by Danielle Bean in Food on Saturday, September 13, 2008 9:35 AM
It seems I’ve been doing a lot of baking these days what with all the birthday-ing going on around my house. Whose idea was it to have all these kids in the late summer anyway?
For birthday cakes, I usually use a cake mix and focus my energies on decorating the cake to the birthday child’s specifications. Ambrose’s recent birthday, for example, brought an “eagle clutching a fish” request. That’s trouble enough without fussing over the cake recipe too.
At two years old, however, Daniel is too little to make complicated cake decorating requests. I took advantage of the situation and decided to make cupcakes for his recent party using a simple recipe.
I don’t know about you, but when things get complicated in my kitchen, I like to think back to the old days when a mom used to make a cake by mixing a few simple ingredients in a bowl and then baking them in a pan. No cake flour. No separating eggs. No exotic ingredients.
In honor of old fashioned baking, I did some searching for a simple cake recipe. I was pleased with the results I got from this easy recipe that makes 24 simply good cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.
Happy Birthday!
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Filed under baking, birthdays, cupcakes
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2. Posted by Danielle Bean on Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 2:04 PM (EST):
I used this chocolate frosting but was disappointed with its consistency. It seemed a little rubbery and not quite sweet enough. Next time I’ll go with my tried and true butter cream.
3. Posted by Emily on Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 2:17 PM (EST):
In our family all cakes are simple ones made from scratch (only fancified cake I make is angel food caker) but if a kid wants fancy decorating, they’d better be willing to do it themselves.
My favorite icing is ‘pudding icing’ because the only thing you can do with it is slather it over the cake. : -)
The only birthday cake so far that I don’t make is my birthday cake (my husband is responsible for it). However, two days ago my ten year old daughter made a scrumptious ‘fool proof’ chocolate cake so I might be able to share cake making in the future.
4. Posted by Barb Szyszkiewicz. sfo [website] on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 6:44 AM (EST):
Wow, you don’t even need cake flour for these! Sounds like a keper to me.
5. Posted by Joan on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 7:37 AM (EST):
Danielle, can you publish your recipe for buttercream icing? My specialty nowadays is mocha. I’m a “thrower together” when it comes to icing. A little butter, a few spoons of cocoa, enough coffee to bring the butter and cocoa together and about a half pound of powdered sugar. Yummy on my gluten free brownies.
6. Posted by Michelle on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 1:03 PM (EST):
Can you post your buttercream recipe?
Also, what type of “tools” do you use to decorate your cakes? My dear husband is the cake decorater and I’m the cake baker. Typically, we make a pan cookie and then he decorates that. He was very impressed by your eagle clutching the fish and was interested to see what tools you used.
7. Posted by Aileen on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 1:27 PM (EST):
Here is the recipe that I use for chocolate frosting. We all love it. Everyone loves it. It makes me seem to be a much better baker than I am. It’s made with unsweetened Hershey’s Cocoa - it’s the recipe from the cocoa box. I’m one of those people who do stuff like that...make recipes from boxes of food. But sometimes it actually works out. ( I copy and pasted this from their website...the cake recipe is really good too).
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184
“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
8. Posted by Danielle Bean on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 10:07 PM (EST):
Oh for heaven’s sake.
I was going to post my butter cream recipe, but Aileen’s chocolate goodness has left me speechless.
Hers is a great recipe. I’ll let it stand alone and just do a separate post later about the loveliness and the perfection of butter cream.
9. Posted by Robin on Monday, Sep 15, 2008 11:05 AM (EST):
I can’t wait to try Aileen’s recipe. When you have softened butter and have to whip powdered sugar in, it “puffs” all over my counter and makes me froth around the mouth.
10. Posted by Aileen on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008 12:03 PM (EST):
hahahaha - you are all so sweet - but let me reiterate. It’s from the label on the container for the Hershey’s cocoa. It is so good though. One time, I just made that frosting and we sat there and at it. Just the frosting. The whole bowl. 
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