Baking Perfect Cupcakes

Hopefully you are using your holiday to bake up some delicious treats for our 4th of July recipe contest. Since you will obviously be spending so much time and creativity on that project, we decided to help you in other ways... Like teaching you how to perfectly bake cupcakes every time, no matter what the recipe. And giving you a recipe to test your new skills. These specifically are so you can have a interesting and unique cupcake display this summer, no matter what the occasion. These corn on the cob cupcakes add fun and whimsy. I think you will thoroughly appreciate the white chocolate buttercream frosting recipe included.

Foolproof Cupcake Plan of Action

Martha Stewart is a favorite of ours at KaTom. When I found her "Corn on the Cob Cupcake" recipe on her site, I stumbled across an article that gives a basic formula for baking cupcakes, no matter what the ingredients. I thought that this could help you in your own cupcake adventures.

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees. Put paper cupcake liners of your choice into muffin/cupcake pan. In one mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a separate mix all wet ingredients excluding butter, sugar, and eggs.

Cream the butter and sugar with your KitchenAid stand mixer until it is completely combined and fluffy. Add your eggs next, one at a time, beating and combining after each addition.

Reduce speed to low. In 3 additions, and alternating wet and dry ingredients, mix in remaining ingredients. Scrape the sides of bowl and divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

I first saw these on the Martha Stewart website, and thought that they were perfect for outdoor celebrations. You can even make these with different colored jelly beans and taffy to color coordinate with themes and decorations.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs

Follow foolproof cupcake plan of action instructions. Prepare white chocolate buttercream frosting while cupcakes are cooling.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Microwave white chocolate and cream in medium bowl on high for 1 1/2 minutes until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until white chocolate is completely melted. Cool to room temperature. With mixer, beat butter and sugar gradually into cooled mixture on high speed until light and fluffy.

Decorating Cupcakes

Here are a few thing you will need for decorating:

• 3 1/2 cups small yellow, cream, or white jelly beans
• 4 pieces yellow fruit chew, such as Laffy Taffys or Starbursts
• 1 tbsp black decorating sugar
• 1 tbsp white decorating sugar
• 1 recipe white chocolate buttercream frosting
• Yellow food coloring

Color the frosting pale yellow with food coloring.

Working with 3 cupcakes at a time, frost cupcakes with yellow frosting. Arrange 5 rows of jelly beans, close together, on each cupcake. Place the 3 cupcakes side by side on a corn dish or serving platter to resemble an ear of corn. Repeat process with remaining cupcakes, frosting, and jelly beans.

Cut the fruit chews into eight 1 inch squares. Soften the edges slightly by hand so that they look like melted butter. Place 1 square on top of each ear of corn. Sprinkle with sugars. Insert a corn holder in the end of each ear of corn. Serve