Red, White, and Blue

Cupcakes
This is a real dandy. It would be a great addition to your July 4th celebration
spread. The amusing effect of the swirled frosting can be duplicated using any
colors for any occasion. It makes a fun Christmas cupcake using red and blue or
a pretty spring cupcake using pink and blue.

History

In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name cup cake or
cupcake. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were
often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the
cups they were baked in. This is the use of the name that has remained, and the name of
"cupcake" is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. While English
fairy cakes vary in size more than American cupcakes, they are traditionally smaller and
are rarely topped with elaborate icing.

(Wikipedia, n.d.)

Ingredients
 White Cake  Vegetable cooking spray
 1/2 cup butter, softened  1 1/2 cups strawberry or blueberry jam
 1 cup shortening  Vanilla Frosting
 2 cups sugar  1/2 cup butter, softened
 4 large eggs  3 to 4 tablespoons whipping cream
 2 3/4 cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour  1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
 2 teaspoons baking powder  1/8 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon salt  1 (16 oz.) package powdered sugar
 1 cup buttermilk  Toppings
 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract  Red jumbo sprinkles, edible glitter stars, red
 1 1/2 tablespoons almond extract candies, star picks (optional)
 Paper baking cups
Preparation
1. To prepare White Cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with
an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until
blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and
ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.
3. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups,
filling two-thirds full.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire
racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
5. Fill each cupcake with strawberry or blueberry jam. To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or
dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling. Use
scissors or kitchen shears to snip about 1/4 inches from one corner of the bag; insert bag into the hole in the
cupcake. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake.
6. To prepare Vanilla Frosting, beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until
creamy. Make 3 cups. Divide frosting into three bowls. Tinet1 bowl of frosting with desired amount of red
food coloring and 1 bowl of frosting with desired amount of blue food coloring.
7. Insert a metal tip into a large decorating bag; spoon 1/4 cup each of red, white, and blue frosting into
bag. Pipe a generous peak of frosting onto each cupcake. Top each with sprinkles, glitter stars, 1 red
candy, and, if desired, 1 star pick.

Jan Moon, Dreamcakes Bakery, Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes, Oxmoor House 2011

Bibliography
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cupcake