When time is not really on your side.......

......... you can still come out with delicious yummy looking cupcakes.

Most of the Malaysian bakers, or rather, homebakers, dislike the idea of making cakes from cake mixes. The impression of cake mixes to us is that they are lack of flavour, too much of leavening agent, chemical added, etc etc. I used to have the same thought but began to like cake mixes ever since I got to taste some of the cake mixes available commercially to the bakeries, they were actually pretty tasty. Cake mixes are also life savers when I need to bake in bulk for class purpose. I am not 'ashame' of cake mixes anymore, in fact, started telling my students about the convenience of them.

Betty Crocker's cake mixes are pretty expensive in Malaysia. If I need only a few small cakes, I normally go for Pillsbury's, especially it's Devil's Food Cake. When baking in bulk is required, I will go for my regular cake mix supplies. This time round, I had a few packets of Betty Crocker's Super Moist Devil's Food Cake Mix, brought back all the way from Canada by my lady boss. They have been sitting inside the cabinet for months until they were rediscovered during my housekeeping.

Verdict:

Overall, this cake mix is average. The lack of aroma and the strong raising agent smell are the two set backs of this cake mix. The strong point of it is that it is not sweet, most suitable for the Asian palate. To increase the aroma, replace vegetable oil suggested in the direction with melted butter.

Dressed the cupcakes a little and they were our breakfast today.

Quick Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

80g Krimwell/Crisco shortening

80g butter

370-400g icing sugar, sifted (please adjust to your liking)
100ml milk

100g dark chocolate, melted
3 tbsp cocoa powder, sfited

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream both fats with mixer to lighten them up.
2. Gradually add in sugar; beat well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
3. Add milk; beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add in melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Mix until just blended.
   

Notes:

DO NOT ever beat your buttercream icing on high speed as this will incorporate too many air bubbles into the icing. Rough bubbly texture will make your decorating difficult, often results in jaggled decorations.

To decorate cupcakes:

Place a dollop of icing at the centre of cupcake. Using a spatula (I like to use angled), spread icing on cupcake, pushing towards the edges. For fluffy look (as shown in picture), lightly touch the icing with spatula and lift up to create short sharp peaks. Place some chocolate curls at the centre of cupcake. Sieve some icing sugar to give the cupcakes a final touch.