Golden Cupcakes

So I woke up this morning in the mood to make cupcakes. Yes, cupcakes. So I pulled out my trusty copy of How to Cook Everything and got to work. I chose to make Mark Bittman's Golden Layer Cake (Page 724). I made them in the Golden Cupcakes form.

I loved the batter. It was light and fluffy. I only made 12 and had plenty of batter left over. I easily could have made the 24 the recipes calls for. I followed the directions to fill each almost to the brim. I would like to suggest that you NOT fill each almost to the brim. They spilled over and formed one huge muffin top!!! As cool as this was, individual cupcakes would have been easier. So fill them 3/4 of the way (what I typically do for cupcakes).

NOTE: I did make one change to the recipe. Mark Bittman suggests liberally buttering the muffin tins prior to placing cupcake papers in each. I hate doing this. The papers get greasy and I have never seen the point. In my view it makes things messier with no gain.

I iced the cupcakes with a simple butter, confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder and milk frosting which I threw together.

Overall I was very happy with this recipe. The cupcakes came out moist and tasty. The big test for me is what they will taste like tomorrow. I have made cupcakes that were great the day of and dry the next day. Since I often make cupcakes a day in advance, this is the real test. I really enjoyed the taste of these golden cupcakes and could easily see myself making them again. **NOTE: I tasted them the next day and they were fine! Definitely a slight difference, but that happens when there are no preservatives. This recipe definitely made a great impression on me.

Awesome Sauce Says: "The cake part tasted very good. I like cupcakes that are light and fluffy and not too dry. And a little sweet."

Junky Monkey Says: "It's okay. It doesn't stand out to me as anything special."

Below are some photos:

Here are the cups ready to be filled. As you can see in the bowl there is plenty of batter.

Here I am filling the cups more. Don't do this!!!

They almost look like one giant cupcake!!!

I iced the HUGE tops anyway. Hey, any vehicle for more icing can be a bonus, right? I still don't recommend doing this on purpose, but hey, let's make the best of it.

Golden Cupcakes Rating:

The Clumsy Gourmet: 7
Awesome Sauce: 8
Junky Monkey: 6