Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
Overview
These are plain vanilla cupcakes with a marbled chocolate pattern piped over the top of the batter before baking. No country is named and none is implied: a creamed vanilla sponge in paper cases is a Western baking format that has spread everywhere. The technique that gives them their appearance is worth explaining, since the source's ingredient list obscures it badly. A small portion of the finished batter, two or three tablespoons, is set aside and mixed with cocoa powder and a little milk. That darker batter goes into a piping bag and is used to draw a pattern over the pale batter in the cases, so the two bake together into a marbled top. The ingredient list in the source has section headings tangled into it, so quantities have shifted out of place. It has been reconstructed against the method here. The rest is straightforward creaming: eggs and sugar beaten until fluffy, oil and vanilla in, then sifted flour, baking powder and milk. It sits in Worldwide Recipes with its URL unchanged.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat for 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, then add the oil and vanilla essence and mix well.
- 2
Add the sifted flour, baking powder and evaporated milk, and mix well together.
- 3
In a separate bowl, put 3 tablespoons of the batter you have just mixed, and add the cocoa powder and the extra tablespoon of milk.
- 4
Mix to combine and pour the chocolate batter into a piping bag.
- 5
Grease a cupcake mould pan with oil and a little flour.
- 6
Divide the plain batter between the moulds.
- 7
Use the chocolate batter to pipe a pattern over the top of each.
- 8
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from B-NAZZIES KITCHEN EXPERIENCE- Set aside the chocolate batter portion before filling the cases, not after. Once the pale batter is in the moulds it is hard to take any back out cleanly.
- Beat the eggs and sugar until genuinely fluffy. That aeration is most of the lift and the reason the cupcakes stay moist.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together. A tablespoon of baking powder in a single cup of flour is a lot, and unsifted it leaves bitter pockets.
- Fill the cases about two-thirds full so they rise without spilling over the edges.
- Pipe the pattern lightly. Pressing the chocolate batter down through the pale batter gives a muddy result rather than a marbled one.
- Paper cases are easier than greasing the tin and give a cleaner finish.
Questions cooks ask
Why is some batter set aside?
To make the chocolate pattern. Two or three tablespoons of the finished batter is mixed with cocoa powder and a little milk, put into a piping bag and drawn over the top of the pale batter in each case. The two bake together into a marbled top.
Is a tablespoon of baking powder correct for one cup of flour?
It is what the source specifies and it is a generous quantity, roughly three times a conventional ratio. It will give a strong rise and a very open crumb. If the result tastes soapy or metallic, reduce it to a teaspoon and a half, which is nearer standard for this amount of flour.
Can I use fresh milk instead of evaporated?
Yes. Evaporated milk is thicker and slightly caramelised, which adds richness, and it is a common pantry staple in many African households where fresh milk is less convenient. Fresh whole milk works with no adjustment; the crumb will be marginally lighter.
How do I know when they are done?
A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean, and the tops should spring back when pressed lightly. Fifteen to twenty minutes is the range given, and smaller cases will be at the shorter end. Overbaked cupcakes dry out quickly, so check at fifteen.
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