Tuesday, 22 January 2013
ARE
CUPCAKES A POPULAR TREND AT WEDDINGS?
These
days couples get creative with everything, even down to the cake. Many couples
are opting to have cupcake tress instead of a traditional wedding cake on their
wedding day. This way one can have lots of different flavours for your guests
rather than having to pick from one set of flavour. When wedding cupcakes first
became a trend, they were touted as a great way to save money. Cupcake wedding
cakes can add a conversational touch to an already enjoyable event. Your guests
will appreciate the originality and if the bride chooses, the various flavours
to choose from.
The cupcake wedding cake is used, instead of a regular wedding cake.
Sometimes a traditional cake is used for photos while the cupcakes are served
to the guests.
However, in a true cupcake wedding cake there’s usually at least
one cake tier (or a separate cake) that is used for the cutting of the cake.
Although this is not a completely new idea, it is becoming much more popular
and for a few very good reasons:
ØA cupcake wedding cake is usually a cheaper option than a traditional cake.
Ø Cupcake wedding cakes are easier to handle
and not as messy.
Ø Transporting cupcakes is a lot easier than carrying a large cake with
multiple layers.
Ø
Since there are so many little cakes,
you can
actually have a lot of different
flavors!
Ø
Because they’re individually wrapped,
the reception staff doesn’t have to deal with cutting and plating up slices for
each guest.
Ø
The cupcakes don’t even have to be
served. Each guest can pick a cupcake from the tower or “cupcake bar”.
Ø
Cupcakes are also easier to carry
home for the guest who would love a piece of cake, but would rather not eat it
at the reception.
Ø
They could also be boxed up and used
as favours.
Using cupcakes at your wedding allows you to offer a variety
of flavours and you can even accommodate special dietary needs, such as sugar
free for diabetics. So, don’t be afraid to offer multiple flavours and colours
as well as different types of icing.
If u want your cupcakes to be very decorative use “Cupcake Caps”. Cupcake Caps are
pre-made, sturdy yet sumptuous cupcake toppers, that feature a variety of
wedding-friendly designs and easily stick to the top of your cupcakes with just
a smear of frosting. That’s right; with these Cupcake Caps, you do not even
have to worry about decorating the cupcakes. Just dab on a bit of icing, press
the cap down, twist slightly and your done!!
Monday, 21 January 2013
HEALTH
How do cupcakes made with sugar alcohols affect blood glucose?
Sugar alcohols are a type of
reduced-calorie sweetener. On average, sugar alcohols contain about half the calories
of regular sugar. They are often used to partially or completely replace the
sugar in low-sugar and sugar-free products.
Examples of sugar alcohols that you might see on the ingredient list are:
Examples of sugar alcohols that you might see on the ingredient list are:
·
erythritol
·
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
·
isomalt
·
lactitol
·
maltitol
·
mannitol
·
sorbitol
·
xylitol
Sugar
alcohols do not have the same affect on blood glucose as other carbohydrates
like starch and simple sugars. However, the effect that they have on your blood
glucose can vary depending on the sugar alcohols used. So, it is difficult to
know how sugar alcohols will affect your blood glucose levels every time.
Because
there is less of an effect from sugar alcohols than either sugar or starch, you
can use the following tip to estimate how much carbohydrate to count in your
meal plan from a food that has MORE than 5 grams of sugar alcohols per serving.
If a food
has more than 5 grams of sugar alcohols:
1.
Subtract ½ the grams of sugar alcohol from the
amount of total carbohydrate.
2.
Count the remaining grams of carbohydrate in your
meal plan.
You can use
this rule since one serving has 12 grams of sugar alcohol.
For Example:
Let’s say
you eat 1 cupcake and each cupcake has 25 grams of total carbohydrate and 12
grams of sugar alcohols.
One cupcake
counts as 19 grams carbohydrate in your meal plan. (25 – 6 = 19)
Low-sugar
versions of baked goods can be a good option to satisfy your sweet tooth.
However, be aware that sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect or can cause
other gastric symptoms in some people, especially in children.
If you are
sensitive to sugar alcohols, you can still fit in a small serving of regular sweets on occasion. Some people prefer to
use the regular version of a food and cut back on the serving size instead of
buying the sugar-free version.
STRANGE FACTS ABOUT CUPCAKES
Ø Cupcakes (and other baked goodies) are banned in New York City’s schools as a way of curtailing
rising obesity rates.
Ø Cupcake liners do more than make it easy to remove them
from the pan. Traditionally, sides of tins are greased for easy removal, but
also floured because the batter needs to have something to cling to. A cupcake
liner takes care of both.
Ø Suzanne Rutland claims to have eaten over 50,000 Hostess cupcakes and even founded a Hostess Cup Cake
Club. This iconic cupcake has been around since 1919, but became hugely popular
with the addition of a creamy filling in 1950.
Ø Several attempts have been made to create the World’s
Largest Cupcake. However, by definition, these would indeed just be large cakes
iced together mimicking the classic fluted shape of the true small stature of a
cupcake. The current holder of the record: GourmetGiftBaskets.com for their
1224-lb., 2 million calorie creation baked on August 15, 2009.
Ø If giant cupcakes are imposters, then the World’s Smallest
Cupcake is a sure winner. Baked in Great Britain in celebration of National
Cupcake Week, this mini-mini measured 1.5 centimeters high and 3 centimeters
wide.
Ø While not edible, the $25,000 cupcake car featured by
Neiman-Marcus in 2009 is perhaps the oddest cupcake. Cupcakes will be custom
made to match your favourite flavours and toppings.
Ø 29 cupcakes in 30 seconds is the record for eating the
little treats.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
CUPCAKE BUSINESS
How to start a cupcake business from home?
Cupcakes
are the new cake. Everywhere you turn, pastry chefs are turning cupcakes into
works of art, even creating much larger cakes out of tiny ones. If this is
something you know how to do, or are willing to dedicate some time to learning,
then starting a cupcake business of your own could prove to be lucrative and
fun.
Step 1:
Develop your recipes and your
decorating skills. Take classes in decorating if you haven't already, and look
online and in books to inspire yourself with new and interesting designs. Your
cupcakes must look amazing to get people to order them, but they also must
taste great, so be sure that your recipes are interesting and unique. Don't
rule out classic varieties, as sometimes a chocolate cupcake with white
buttercream frosting is a perfect treat.
Step 2:
Check with your local department of
health as well as your state department of health or agriculture and find out
if your state allows you to sell things baked in a home kitchen. You might have
to rent a commercial kitchen to bake cupcakes for sale. Churches and schools
often rent out kitchens inexpensively if you can't find a restaurant willing to
rent you some time in their kitchen.
Step 3:
Create a variety of cupcakes, take
pictures and then create your promotional materials. Come up with a name for
your cupcake business and design a logo around it. Place the logo on your
business cards, in a brochure and on your website. Engage an experienced web
designer who can translate your culinary vision into a website. Use your
pictures to tell the story of your cupcakes, but also describe them well.
Step 4:
Find sufficient packaging materials.
You will need to make sure your cupcakes get where they are going safely. If
you are selling locally, make sure you offer boxes and bags people can carry
themselves easily. If you are selling online, find a source of boxes that you
can use to ship your cupcakes safely. Be sure to place a label with your logo
and contact information including website address on all of your packaging. Be
clear, also, as to what ingredients are in the cupcakes and whether your
equipment comes into contact with nuts as this can be a potentially deadly
allergen to some.
Step 5:
Launch your business. Whether you are
opening a simple online business, or are taking your cupcakes to fairs,
festivals and farmers' markets, launch your business with a party and lots of
free samples. No one will be willing to spend up to $4--as some bakeries
get--each on your cupcakes if they haven't seen and tried one yet. Get folks to
give you a testimonial about how wonderful your cupcakes are. You can use these
quotes on your website to help persuade those who haven't been able to try one
yet to buy.
Step 6:
Promote your business. Use social media outlets, such as Facebook,
Twitter and Linked In, to update friends and customers on new recipes, new
ideas, promotions and more. Offer gift certificates or gift baskets as prizes
for local organizations' charity events and raffles. Word-of-mouth is key to
building a business with a good reputation. Don't be stingy when it comes to
helping out good causes.POPULARITY OF CUPCAKES
HOW CUPCAKES BECAME AMERICA’S FAVOURITE SWEET TREAT ?
Sprinkles
Cupcakes in Beverly
Hills, CA. was the very first cupcake bakery in the world. Candace Nelson, the
owner and founder of Sprinkles
Cupcakes, says she is following in the tradition of her
great-grandmother who made distinctive desserts in San Francisco in the 1930's.
How many times have
you heard the words "Red Velvet Cupcake" in the last few years? If
you live in New York City, you probably have heard of (and ate) them more than
desired.
Slowly, these moist little goodies
have taken over dessert menus and cupcake stores are popping up at every street
corner. In Manhattan alone, there are over 200 cupcake factories.
The cupcake industry impact over the past 15 years is remarkable. Magnolia, one of the most popular cupcake brands in
Manhattan, opened in the summer of 1996 in Greenwich Village, New York.
Fourteen years later, Magnolia has changed ownership and added five more
locations in New York City.
And the madness of cupcakes has expanded to reality television too. There
are so many t.v shows which is based on cupcakes and TWO BROKE GIRLS is a new t.v
series which is based on this.
Friday, 18 January 2013
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