Who can resist a cupcake? These little cakes are loved by all and are the perfect treat to indulge in at any time.

This thread is for cupcake makers, devourers, admirers, wannabes and all whatnot.

Welcome!

This thread will feature ideas to treat yourself, family and friends, and even clients,in case you're in 'cup-n-cake' business

Yummy

Baking is a science as well as an art.

Good morning, cupcake lovers!
There is so much to explore from these ebooks that I almost don't know where to start.

Let's see... BASIC INSTRUCTIONS:
Almost all the recipes in the e-books are easy to make. Where you can't lay your hands on some strange-sounding ingredient, feel free to use a Nigerian equivalent!

ALWAYS preheat the oven for 10-15 minutes before baking.

It is important that ingredients are measured accurately,so it is worth investing in good quality scales & standard measuring spoons.

It is not necessary to sift flour unless you're combining several dry ingredients to facilitate even mixing.

Measuring spoons and cups like these will save you from guessing and making mistakes

LEARN THE HABIT of preparing your baking sheets, paper cases and tins BEFORE you start preparing the ingredients.

You know why,right?

Mixtures that contain self-raising flour start to activate once the liquid has been added to them and should therefore be baked as soon as possible after they have been prepared.

These are baking sheets/trays. If on a tight budget you could choose from these.

But the non-stick ones are worth the extra cost,seen below

These are paper cases for cupcakes

It is advisable to bake cookies on NON-STICK BAKING SHEETS or line them with baking paper but, unless specified in the recipe, DO NOT GREASE THE SHEETS.

You know why,right?

Greasing the sheets will make the cookies spread excessively,become too thin and brown too quickly around the edges.

freshlaw:
Baking is a science as well as an art.

Now, who goes learning science or art without books?!

After thorough research, I found these two that are needful.

I don't know about Nigerian bookshops where you can find this though.

This e-book goes for N800 only.

This second e-book goes for N400 only

freshlaw:
I don't know about Nigerian bookshops where you can find this though.

This e-book goes for N800 only.

Contents...you should know what you're paying for, right?

freshlaw:
This second e-book goes for N400 only

The second one is smaller,but you'll love it!

Contents...

Now for some homework!

For baking there are two modes of measurement available.
METRIC and IMPERIAL.

YOU MUST follow the same units of measurement throughout a baking process;never mix metric and imperial.

Your homework: find out what metric and imperial measurements mean.

If you're looking for ANY reason not to,then you're not serious.

BRB.

I'm back!


For now

Did I mention that the recipes in this thread, & even the e-books require little special equipment?

Besides, improvisation is allowed!

So I thought you should add the following to your knowledge base as a cupcake enthusiast:

--Feel free to use your hands. Just dampen them slightly when shaping cookies into balls.

Furthermore, a hand-held electric whisk is useful for whisking and beating mixtures together- not to talk of saving your upper arm muscles(biceps, right?) from that ache later.

What if you don't have an electric whisk? Well, use a balloon whisk!

And talking of whisks,here are some types I've come across in my baking adventures

First,the popular balloon whisk.

This is a French whisk

This is a flat whisk

And this is called a spiral whisk

A ball whisk

A coil whisk

Lastly(unless you've got more,feel free to post) this is a cage whisk

I've got to keep these whisks back in the rack where they should be kept.

Thanks for following & viewing.

I'll be right back.

It's better to use a food processor for rubbing butter into flour, but when the eggs or liquid are added make sure you blend them quickly, as OVERWORKED DOUGH WILL BE TOUGH.

Hi. Good morning!

freshlaw:
I don't know about Nigerian bookshops where you can find this though.

This e-book goes for N800 only.

Thank you for your enquiries and orders. Keep them coming!

Most of my e-book customers from other threads followed me here. I'm honoured.

Thread for children's books coming up soon

Okay,back to cupcakes:

Something about butter:

Don't use it hard the way it's sold.When butter or hard margarine needs to be softened before blending with another ingredient, either

A. Remove it from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about an hour,

OR

B. Cut into cubes,place in a bowl and microwave on High for 10 seconds only,until slightly soft.

Whatever you do be careful not to allow it to melt.