well, that wasn't what I was expecting....

M

marilynfl

Moderator
We just had our holiday luncheon and the theme was the movie "ELF."

I stole this "snowball-smashed elf" idea from the Internet and wanted my cupcakes to be very flat since I would be adding a half-mound of icing to them. To achieve this I blended a boxed cake mix with a boxed brownie mix, because doesn't that concept SEEM to imply the cupcakes would end up nice and dense and flat?

But NOOOO! These ended up the most perfectly domed cupcakes I have ever made.

EVER!

On Monday, before trying out this idea, I asked the online Betty Crocker ("Ask Betty!") figuring I'd go right to the source: "Can I blend a cake mix with a brownie mix to make dense cupcakes?"

Just received their answer this morning...a bit LATE since I baked them Tuesday night for yesterday's event.

"Thank you for visiting Ask Betty.

Many consumers request help with specific recipes. The only method of offering solutions for preparation questions is to test these applications in our Betty Crocker Kitchens. This would be a long procedure involving home economists, staff members and home testers. Unfortunately, time does not allow us to do this. Unless the recipe specifically refers to alternate directions, we would not be able to make any recommendations. We want you to have the best possible cooking experience.

Our recommendation here would be to bake the two products separately."

hmmm...I wonder if Betty Crocker Inc realizes they have the answer to perfectly domed cupcakes right in their own little boxes?

PS: It's a fair bet I was the only person in my department Tuesday night making little striped amputee legs, marshmallow shoes & elf ears.

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/Finer_Kitchens/2016_Marilyn/BuddyElf.jpg

 
Never considered mixing brownie with chocolate cake mix!

I have both and can imagine how tasty that will be - thanks for sharing your success! Colleen

 
That IS interesting. My neighbor is a former Betty Crocker test kitchen

person!! I'll tell her about this.

That cake is really darling, and is there a better movie than Elf!!

 
Well, those mixes are made to be mess-up free. . . (more)

And the two mixes made a perfect cupcake--even when you didn't want one, or at least did not want a perfectly domed one! Nice cupcakes! smileys/smile.gif

Next time you could try this: If you have an old "beater" cotton bath towel, you can get this soaking wet, place it flat on a rimmed cookie sheet. Then place your filled cupcake tin and carefully pull wet towel up between all the rows and columns; tuck up any extra towel on the cookie sheet. This will keep the metal the cupcakes are sitting in cooler and will allow for more even cooking, side to side. The cup cakes should be flatter. The towel will not burn because it is wet and the oven is below its burning point.

The towel may smell like you have been over-ironing some stuff. Doesn't affect the taste of the cake though.

The above method works when I want a flat cake. I place the cake on a wet towel, push it up, all around the cake and bake. Tops of the cake come out pretty flat.
Baked goods in pans (cakes and cupcakes) tend to be domed because the sides cook faster than the edges.

Of course a flat top on my cakes means that I notice the lopsidedness of my oven/oven racks. . Sometimes I just cannot win.

 
The cupcakes came out great! Did you saw off the cake domes,

or just use less frosting? Either way they're perfect. I bet you never ever get such perfectly domed cupcakes as long as you live.

 
Speaking of cake mixes, Aldi's are very good

They taste very homemade. Tighter crumb. Not so airy, puffy, overly sweet and strongly articially flavored as a lot of them are, plus the mixes are still full size, not ridiculously small.

 
WOW, they look great! I am always in awe of your baking talents. I hope your co-workers

appreciate all of your efforts!

 
I left the domes on the cupcakes and scooped out some icing from inside the ice cream scoop.

Otherwise, the icing scoop would have sat too high.

 
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