Tips
There are a ton of old wives tales when it comes to baking, like baking soda and powder never go bad, or only use a glass bowl/blender to make yorkshire pudding. These are some of the tips and tricks that have worked for me, and sure, maybe some of them are old wives tales, or all in my head, but they work for me. Old wives tale or not, I figure if it works then roll with it.
Whipping Egg Whites
I recently tried a cupcake recipe with directions to separate the eggs and whip the egg whites. I had never heard of this, but the recipe explained that it makes the batter lighter. I decide to give it a try and I'm so glad that I did. They were the lightest, fluffiest cupcakes I have ever made. Now, whenever I make cake or cupcakes I whip my egg white. My posts will give directions to whip your egg whites, but unless specified, it's really just my personal preference. You can whip your egg whites, or just add the egg as normal.
Applesauce as a Butter or Margarine Substitute
There are a ton of healthy substitutes that you can find online now a days. The only one that I have tried is replacing butter or margarine with applesauce. I got this tip from my aunt, who recommends only replacing part of the margarine/butter with applesauce if it's your first time with a recipe. She's a smart lady, so I say follow her advice!
Cornstarch in Buttercream
Have you ever made buttercream for a cake or cupcakes and wished it wasn't so sweet? I have, so I did some digging, and I found that cornstarch can really help with this. You can substitute some of the icing sugar with cornstarch and still end with the same consistency of icing. The only thing is you need to be really careful when doing this, otherwise your icing can taste off, almost metallic. My buttercream recipes will have the quantities that I used, however; if you like it sweeter then just replace the amount of cornstarch with icing sugar.
I recently tried a cupcake recipe with directions to separate the eggs and whip the egg whites. I had never heard of this, but the recipe explained that it makes the batter lighter. I decide to give it a try and I'm so glad that I did. They were the lightest, fluffiest cupcakes I have ever made. Now, whenever I make cake or cupcakes I whip my egg white. My posts will give directions to whip your egg whites, but unless specified, it's really just my personal preference. You can whip your egg whites, or just add the egg as normal.
Applesauce as a Butter or Margarine Substitute
There are a ton of healthy substitutes that you can find online now a days. The only one that I have tried is replacing butter or margarine with applesauce. I got this tip from my aunt, who recommends only replacing part of the margarine/butter with applesauce if it's your first time with a recipe. She's a smart lady, so I say follow her advice!
Cornstarch in Buttercream
Have you ever made buttercream for a cake or cupcakes and wished it wasn't so sweet? I have, so I did some digging, and I found that cornstarch can really help with this. You can substitute some of the icing sugar with cornstarch and still end with the same consistency of icing. The only thing is you need to be really careful when doing this, otherwise your icing can taste off, almost metallic. My buttercream recipes will have the quantities that I used, however; if you like it sweeter then just replace the amount of cornstarch with icing sugar.