For as long as I can remember, I've loved to cook and bake. Only this past year have I really felt like my cooking has gotten better, where I can look in my pantry and fridge and from there, create something completely random but tasty.
The baking? A COMPLETELY different story.
Not that I don't know the process. And man, when there's a box with instructions and all I have to do is add the damn eggs and oil, well then there I have a MASTERPIECE.
Last week I was perusing the internet and thought if I want to start baking from scratch, I'm gonna need to get an electric mixer. So I did. Off Target online, not too expensive but oh so pretty and red!
It came to my door with a thump on Wednesday and immediately I looked online for a recipe to make easy vanilla cupcakes. The first recipe I find that looks easy enough is actually made for a cake but what the hell. Cupcakes are actually small cakes so I figure there isn't a problem. I whip up the dough while listening to Gayle King on OPRAH XM (I am such a housewife sometimes) donning my cute apron. I whistle happily as I pour the actually quite fluffy and light dough into the cupcake tray. In my mind I think the fact that its light and fluffy actually means that its much healthier for me. I put the tray in the oven, set my timer, and clean while I call C.
"Guess what I did today???"
"What?"
"I BAKED!!!"
"What did you make?"
"Such amazing light cupcakes!"
"Did you try them yet?"
"No... but the mixture tasted good and that's always a good sign, right?"
"Well, how do they look", he asked.
I realize it had been about 12 minutes since I put them in the oven so I opened it up to check.
"HOLY SHIT THEY EXPLODED!!!"
C freaked out. "What do you mean? Like, EVERYWHERE???"
"Ummmmm babe? I may need to call you back..."
My oven was COVERED in light fluffy dough crap. EVERYWHERE - and it was of a soupy consistency. It was pouring over the cupcake tray...drip drip drip and I didn't know what to do.
Cut to two hours later, where I was sweaty, COVERED in said crap, my cupcake tray was in the garbage, along with about 7 dish towels that were so incredibly caked (ha! no pun intended!) with cake mix they were stuck together. The kitchen was a disaster zone and my heart was broken.
SO what did I do yesterday? I found a new recipe, went out for the ingredients and started all over. This recipe had everything in oz and gram measurements (who does that??) so after trying to convert and putting the cupcakes in the oven - out came the biggest most embarrassing cupcakes of all time. They were flat and shaped like frisbees with absolutely no taste and hard as a rock.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???
Does ANYONE have a good cupcake recipe that wont me feel like SUCH A FAILURE???????
