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      Before you begin it’s a good idea to check that you have all of the right tools for the cakes you plan to bake and decorate. Included here is the equipment that you will need in your basic tool kit to make and decorate any cupcake. The more specific tools used in each project are included in the ‘you will need’ section at the start of each project.

      1 Scissors: these are useful around the kitchen in general, but you will occasionally also need them for cutting modelling paste.

      2 Paintbrushes: a range of sizes and weights for painting and dusting.

      3 Cocktail sticks: handy for those little details, such as eyes.

      4 Spacers: roll your paste out between them to ensure an even thickness.

      5 Dresden tool: to create markings on paste.

      6 Palette knife: vital for lifting and cutting sugarpaste.

      7 Rolling pin: for rolling out different pastes. Non-stick are ideal.

      8 Wire cooling rack: to rest your cupcakes while they cool before decorating.

      baking equipment

      Cupcake pans and cupcake cases are obviously essential requirements before you begin. It is important that the cases fit snugly inside the pans to ensure that they are supported while baking, otherwise your cakes will lose their shape and end up flattened.

      pans

      There are a range of sizes and shapes available. When choosing your pans select the size that you would like to bake, and then look at the shape of the cup – some have almost vertical sides, while others are much more angled. The difference, although not that visible when looking at a pan, makes a huge difference when decorating a cupcake – generally, the more angled the sides of the pan the more surface you have to decorate, while the more vertical sides leave you with less decorating area.

      In this book I have used two different standard-sized cupcake (muffin) pans, and two different mini cupcake muffin pans.

      cases

      When choosing your cases it’s important to consider the quality of the cupcake and the effect you are wanting to achieve. Cupcake cases are simply circles of paper, or foil-covered paper, that have been fluted to form a cup.

      If you use thin cupcake cases (the type that you find in most supermarkets) you’ll find that the cases turn translucent when baked. This can be used to good effect, but it is frustrating if you are using a patterned case and you want the design to be clearly visible. One way around this is to use a double or triple layer of cases. Alternatively, spend a little more money and buy foil-covered cases, or cases that are made from thicker, higher quality paper. Re-usable silicone cupcakes are also available in various colours.

      Size is another factor to consider when choosing your cases – it is very much personal choice, but it does affect the amount of cake batter that you will require. The chart opposite will help you to estimate the number of cupcakes you can bake from the recipes in this book using various case sizes.

      cupcake quantities

      The number of cupcakes you can bake from a given recipe varies according to how much you fill your cases. If you want your cakes to rise above the cases you will naturally use more of the mixture than if you prefer the cakes to stay below the case tops.

      cupcake recipes

      Cupcakes should be fun! First of all choose your cases (see baking equipment for guidance on types) and then choose a recipe to use. The recipes in this book are there to help and inspire you, but most cake recipes will work so please don’t be afraid to experiment with flavours to create something unique to you.

      tips for successful cupcake baking

      • always use only the finest ingredients

      • accurately measuring your ingredients is vital to cupcake success

      • bring all your ingredients to room temperature before mixing your cupcake batter

      • ensure your cupcake pan is thoroughly clean before adding the cases

      • fill your cases by pouring or piping if the batter is thin or by using a spoon if it is thick

      • preheat your oven and bake your cupcakes at the correct temperature. Oven thermometers are a useful check

      • if your know your oven heat is uneven, rotate your pan halfway through the baking

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