Halloween cupcakes and a great new cupcake recipe

New: Halloween cupcakes and a great new cupcake recipe

What's up: Dark Table Restaurant: Dining in the Dark, The Perfect Thanksgiving gravy and Thanksgiving Desserts

 It’s almost time for Halloween and of course another opportunity to search for the perfect cupcake recipe. In comparison to the previous recipe I tested out, this recipe uses only egg whites. 

This perfect cupcake recipe checks off on every factor on my perfect cupcake checklist. It has a fluffy, springy texture, a wonderful, non-eggy, non-floury taste and yes, it uses one more egg than I really want it to use, but it’s just the egg whites so it’s not so bad. It’s a bit sweeter than I would like it to be, but that can be remedied by decreasing the sugar a bit.

This recipe is also great for baking cakes, which is what the original recipe intended it to be for. However, you can’t argue with these fantastic cupcake results. I got this recipe from Bakerita and included a few of my own little changes.

The perfect white cupcakes

Ingredients

5 large egg whites

3/4 cup 2 per cent milk

2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of sifted cake flour (Don’t have cake flour? Try this substitute)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp and 1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)

Directions

Line your muffin tins with liners or grease, flour and line your cake pans with parchment paper (8-inch pans work well). Cube the butter.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in the butter and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix on low until just combined, then increase the speed gradually to medium speed for about 90 seconds.

Stir together the egg whites, 1/4 cup of milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Slowly begin to add the egg-milk mixture in three separate additions. Beat for about 20 seconds after each addition.

Remember to scrape down the sides and don’t over beat!

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes depending on your oven. Cakes should spring back if you gently press it.

I also tested out her Vanilla Frosting and it turned out quite nice.

Vanilla Frosting

1 1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

3 cups of sifted icing sugar

2 tbsps of 2 per cent milk

2 tsps vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 5 minutes on high speed). Slowly add the sifted sugar and salt.

Then add the milk and vanilla, and finally, add in the salt.

Beat on high for another 5 minutes.

Icing

I made orange and purple frosting for a Halloween theme. To make the spider web effect, I used a regular round tip and piped a simple spiral around the cake ending on the outside.

Then, take a toothpick and make lines to the centre (take a look at the picture it’ll give you a better idea). You can also add little Halloween decorations like gummy spiders or pumpkins.

This frosting and cake combination also works very well as a cake. I tested it out by baking a mini two layered cake. Once with a light whipped cream and strawberries and once creating roses all over the cake.