The Wimbledon Championships are being broadcast through July 3rd, so there is still time to pull together a celebration party. The London Candy Company party that I attended earlier this week was actually a combination launch of their Knock-Offs cake line and a celebration of the start of Wimbledon. Since Wimbledon has its origins in England, I really liked the ideas of a British-themed party. Below are five takeaways that can be applied to your own home party.

1. Food: Platters of tasty finger sandwiches were put out for guests to enjoy at their leisure. Along with the hors d’ oeuvres, The London Company’s new “Knock-Offs” cakes were served. (Alice’s Tea Cup also has some great sandwiches and desserts on their menu that you could replicate at home. Their cookbook actually contains the recipes for some of their top sellers.)

2. Drinks: Pimm’s and Lemonade (you can find the standard recipe at www.viewlondon.co.uk), wine, champagne and candy-inspired drinks were served.

3. Entertainment: That is easy – the tennis matches are the entertainment. (If you don’t have a large television, you might want to consider renting one.) You can check the schedule of play at wimbledon.com

4. Parting Gifts: Small bags of British candy sends guests home on a sweet note.

5. Special Touches: You can request that guests where “white dress” in honor of Wimbledon, but definitely don’t require it – especially in New York!

One last thing to consider is the people attending the party. All of the things that I mentioned above can be fabulous, but the party won’t be a lot of fun if you don’t have a great mix of people. I think that was the thing that I liked about The London Candy Company’s party the most. There were a variety of media invited – from mainstream media to bloggers. I also appreciated the fact that I could bring a guest. (It can be intimidating for people to go to a party where the only other person that they know is the host – who is usually busy for most of the party.)

Most importantly, the owner, store manager and employees were very warm and engaging to all of the guests. Howie, the manager, took the time to answer my questions and share fun facts. Lamont, an employee, made me laugh with his various tennis poses and quips (i.e. “I’m the sweetest thing in the store.”) Last of all, I was impressed by the owner. As he talked about his plans for opening another NYC location of the candy shop, he said something to the effect of “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it all the way.” My sentiments exactly…

Kate’s Breakfast Example

Breakfast is one of the easiest, and cheapest, meals to prepare. There is no reason to eat out for breakfast, unless it is a treat. Eggs are a wonderful meal. They are low in calories, high in protein, and contain good cholesterol HDL. They also contain Vitamin A and Iron.

Wheat or whole grain bread (1 slice), no butter. Use peanut butter or a touch of olive oil (if using it for a sandwich).

A small amount of cheese is ok for a breakfast sandwich, but always use block cheese or organic, raw block cheese. Do not use deli sliced cheese (or meats for that matter). They are loaded with saturated fat, bad cholesterol LDL, and sodium. Keep your serving of cheese low, but do keep in mind that it is a protein source, and contains vitamins A and C.

I don’t recommend any bacon, but if you must have it, try turkey bacon. It is leaner and better for you than pork bacon. Definitely limit your portions.

Slow cooking oatmeal. Do not use microwave oatmeal, and never eat the flavored oatmeal. Compare the nutritional labels. Whole oatmeal contains whole, rolled oats. That’s it. The ingredients in microwave oatmeal are many and unhealthy.

Wheat bran cereal is ok, but be aware of the serving size and sugar. Try to buy a cereal that has ½ – 1 cup as a serving size, and no more than 6-8 grams of sugar per serving. Never buy cereals with raisins in them. They are loaded with sugar. Instead, buy whole raisins separately, and add a few to your low sugar cereal or oatmeal.

Coffee and tea are fine. If you would like to have a small glass of ¼ to ½ portions of juice mixed with ½ portions of water (this cuts back on sugars) at breakfast that is fine. You are better off eating a piece of fruit though, and I think it will make you feel better too! Not to mention, the health benefits that come from eating fruit far exceed that of processed juice.

You also might want to read the following two articles that Kate shared with us:

1. Women & carbs: your relationship with carbohydrates is complex, profound and completely different from a man’s

2. Daily Calories & Macronutrients

I took the nutrition class as part of a Mom Bloggers Weekend Retreat sponsored by TheMotherhood and Congress Hall in Cape May.

A few general rules (from Kate):

1) Anytime you leave your house to eat somewhere where you did not prepare the meal/food you are eating, you are eating fast food/eating out. Some people do not make the connection between fast food and some stores or restaurants. McDonald’s and Burger King are not the only fast food places. WaWa is fast food. Subway is fast food. Coffee Bistros are fast food. Even nicer restaurants, like Lucky Bones, serve a majority of fast, unhealthy food.

Therefore, eating outside the home should be a “treat” that you indulge in no more than 2-3 times per week. All other meals should be prepared at home, or, if purchased out, should be whole food such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

2) Look at nutritional labels. Always look at “serving size”, then continue down to “calories” per serving size, and mostly look at “sugars”. You want to keep sugar intake to a minimum every day. The recommended amount per day for a non-diabetic person is 40 grams. This refers to “added sugar”. Fruit has natural sugar, and is not included in the recommended daily allowance. However, definitely do not overdue natural sugar. Excess sugar intake which not only comes from added sugar cane or high fructose corn syrup, but can be disguised as white bread, pasta, bagels, and other white flour foods that do not necessarily taste sweet. Also, watch for saturated fat and sodium. Those should also be kept to a minimum. Sodium is in virtually everything, and you must be careful with pre-packaged foods, especially canned foods.

Never eat baked, sweet foods! With that said, your obvious chuckle of disbelief leaves me to believe that that is not happening. So, try limiting your consumption of cookies, cakes, danishes, etc. to once or twice a week. Just like fast food, baked goods are a treat, not a necessity in your diet. There are nutritious alternatives that I will list for you.

3) Don’t drink your calories. No, I am not talking about wine. We all know that wine is essential for health! Right? Yes! Let’s quickly move on. Juice, soda, and sports drinks are loaded with added sugar. One serving of any one of these drinks will have you close to, if not exceeding, your whole days allowance of sugar.

4) Stay away from food and drinks that say “diet”, “sugar free”, “low fat”, or advertise as being a diet product in any way. Most of these products contain more chemicals than a teenage girl’s hair on prom night! And the effects of chemicals such as mannitol and sorbitol (sugar alcohols often found in diet foods) are bloating! They also tend to leave you feeling more hungry.

Were any of these “rules” surprising to you? (The baked and “low fat” product warnings came as a surprise to me.)

I took the nutrition class as part of a Mom Bloggers Weekend Retreat sponsored by TheMotherhood and Congress Hall in Cape May.

Not only did Kate lead an exercise class, but she also led a nutrition class. A lot of information was covered, so I will break it down in three posts. The first portion was about nutrition basics.

Nutrition Basics:

*Proteins are essential for lean muscle mass. Eggs, fish, meat, and nuts are prime sources of protein. Eat protein with every meal and for a snack. Higher calorie and healthy fat proteins, such as nuts, should be eaten in moderation throughout the day do to their calories.

*Complex Carbohydrates are essential for energy. I recommend eating
something light within an hour before and after exercise to refuel your body and help build and recover muscle. A red apple (complex carbohydrate) with a little peanut butter (protein source) are a perfect pre and post-workout snack. Unrefined grains like oat, brown rice, quinoa, wheat, etc., are the only grains and flour you should be eating.

*Dietary Fat, especially monounsaturated fats from almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and macadamia nuts can actually help you lose unwanted body fat! Nuts are also packed with omega-3 and help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Studies show that healthy fats from nuts even lower your risk for heart disease! Other healthy fats are oils such as olive, flax seed, and coconut. Use a little oil and balsamic vinegar with your salad and stay away from pre-packaged dressings (especially diet and fat-free dressings).

*Combine Proteins and Carbohydrates at every meal for maximum results. Be sure portions are sufficient; a handful of Protein, and a fistful of Carbohydrates. For weight loss, Significantly lower carbohydrate intake from grains and flour after AM hours. Lunch and dinner, and any healthy snack in between, should contain mostly lean protein sources (nuts, chicken, fish, eggs, beans) and vegetables as the complex carbohydrate source.

*Fruits are essential for energy and your immune system because they are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Lower sugar fruits are oranges, apples, and melons. Eat fruit in moderation and in the earlier part of the day.

*Vegetables cannot be stressed enough. Everything your body needs is in vegetables. Like fruit, they also contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, but vegetables have virtually no effect on blood sugar and are very low in calories. So eat them up anytime, and as much as you want. Yellow-orange and green vegetables are loaded with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, B, C, and K.

I took the nutrition class as part of a Mom Bloggers Weekend Retreat sponsored by TheMotherhood and Congress Hall in Cape May.

On Saturday, I was limping when I came home from Congress Hall in Cape May. My husband laughed as I explained that my soreness was a result of a circuit training class that I had taken on Friday morning. My initial thought was that my friend “Z” was right. (She had mentioned that the Zumba workout that I have been doing lately isn’t “really” exercise.) Then, I remembered that it is usually painful whenever I switch up my workout routine…simply because I’m working my muscles in new and different ways. Thankfully, the pain subsides after a few days!

Anyway, I asked Kate, who led the fitness and nutrition classes, if I could share some of her exercises and nutrition information with you. She said “yes”, so below is an abs exercise challenge. (I will share her nutrition information in future posts.)

Kate’s Exercise Challenge (Abs)

1) Side Lunge Jumps w/Touch Down – Stand with feet hip-width apart. Lunge right leg out to right side and touch left hand to right foot. Push off with foot and step right leg back in. Quickly do a little shuffle to the left and lunge left leg out to the left side. Touch right hand to left foot and bring left leg back in. Repeat shuffle and alternating side lunges with hand touch down for 30 sec.

2) Core Twist - Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold one medium-heavy weight in both hands. Keep shoulders back, abs tight, and quickly rotate weight and core from side-to-side for 30 sec.

3) Crunches – Keep hips and feet flat on floor, hands behind your head. Crunch up for 20 reps.

4) Scissors Kicks – Lie on back and place hands behind head, or, place hands on the floor and on either side of you (or under lower back for support). Raise legs straight up to a 45° angle. Quickly lower and raise right and left leg in a kicking motion, alternating right up with left down and left up with right down. Both right and left kick counts as 1 rep. Complete 20 reps.

*Repeat exercises 1-4 for 10 minutes.

6/15 Update:
Kate was kind enough to share the workout that left me a “hot mess”!

Kate’s “Hot Mess Circuit”

Round 1
-10 Alternating Side Lunges w/Opposite Hand-to-Foot Taps (shuffle to right side lunge and touch left hand to right foot {1rep}, then come up and shuffle to left side lunge and touch right hand to left foot {2 reps})

Round 2
-10 Alternating Side Lunges w/Opposite Hand-to-Foot Taps
-10 Back Lunges w/Overhead Press (lunge left leg back and press hands or any weighted object overhead – step left back in and stand erect as you bring weight back down to chest -repeat for 10 reps – switch to right leg lunge back and press for 10 reps)

Round 3
-10 Alternating Side Lunges w/Opposite Hand-to-Foot Taps
-10 Back Lunges w/Overhead Press
-10 Squats (with weights at shoulders or without any weight)

Round 4
-10 Alternating Side Lunges w/Opposite Hand-to-Foot Taps
-10 Back Lunges w/Overhead Press
-10 Squats
-10 Burpees (in a standing position, bring hands flat to the ground in front of you – hop feet out so that you are in a push-up position – hop feet back in towards hands and power up – jump up into the air and clap hands overhead {1 rep} – you can modify this by walking feet out and in in stead of hopping them out and in – power up without jumping up – clap hands overhead)

Round 5
-Round 4 +
-20 Alternating Single Leg Lifts w/Toe Touch (lie on back with legs straight out – arms straight behind your head and hands together w/palms facing up and touching the ground {as if diving into water) – lift right leg up overhead and crunch abs as you lift arms up to touch hands to right toes – lower leg and arms back to starting position {1 rep} – lift left leg up and crunch abs to touch hands to left toes {2 reps})

I took the circuit training class as part of a Mom Bloggers Weekend Retreat sponsored by TheMotherhood and Congress Hall in Cape May.

Recently, I ate a slice of sweet, juicy watermelon. It’s amazing how food (much like music) can transport you back in time. Eating that watermelon took me right back to spending time at Big Mama and Big Daddy’s house as a little girl.

When I was young, I had a fake grandmother and grandfather – Big Mama and Big Daddy. (It’s very common down south…close family friends take on family roles.) They would help my mom out by watching me and my two sisters during the summer months. They were pretty strict (especially Big Mama) and we could rarely leave their fenced-in home but we had a lot of great times there. I remember during the summer, the fruit truck would come by. It was a big old truck filled with a variety of fresh fruit. The owner would yell out “Water-melon, straw-berries, can-ta-loupe…” as his driver came down the street. Big Daddy would always get us some nice, juicy watermelon. He would cut it open and give us each big chunks. Then, we would sit on the back porch enjoying its juicy sweetness. Life was safe and good behind the fence…

Well, those days are long past and both Big Mama and Big Daddy passed away many years ago. However, I will always hold on to the memories of that special period of time…as well as my love of watermelon! Anyway, I just love to eat watermelon plain. It’s so sweet that it really doesn’t need anything else. Sometimes, I’ll sprinkle a little salt on it in order to get that salty/sweet taste combination, but mainly I just like it plain. Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen some really good looking (and simple to make!) watermelon recipes floating around on twitter though. I might try one (or more) of these over the next few months:

-The Family Kitchen’s Watermelon Agua Fresca (Fruit Water)
(They also have a Watermelon Sorbet recipe that looks tasty. It just takes more work to prepare.)

-Recipe Girl’s Watermelon Salsa : (We have people over a lot. Tortilla chips and salsa are a staple, so this would make a nice summery change.)

-Healthy. Happy. Life.’s Watermelon Frosty! …or Margarita: (This is another super-easy recipe.)

Do you have a favorite watermelon recipe or do you just like to eat it plain?

The Upper West Side is my favorite part of Manhattan. I think that it’s because it was the first part of the city that I was introduced to almost 20 years ago as a college freshman. Over the years, I have noticed that most of my friends who went to Columbia feel the same way while my friends who came to NYC to attend NYU prefer the Greenwich Village area of the city. I just like the vibe of the area – it’s a mixture of college students, educators and local families. It’s not too “stuffy” or pretentious. I just love it!

Last Friday, I attended the Comfort Classics night of the New Taste of the Upper West Side. It was a great way to celebrate and contribute to the Upper West Side and to eat some of the best “comfort” food ever. I intended to sample a bit of everything, but it was not possible. I was full before I was even halfway through. The space was full, but moving through the various stations went really smoothly. The only station with a super-long line was Luke’s Lobster, so I skipped it. (It was because they were serving lobster sandwiches!) I took a gazillion pictures, so that I could be inspired to make some of the dishes in the future. They had practically all of my favorites…except fried chicken. (Perhaps I’ll get Reggie to show us how he makes it.) Anyway, take a peek at the photos and let me know which dish(es) appeal to you the most.

My top 10 favorites (before I was “stuffed” to capacity) were the following:

1. The pastrami sandwiches from Artie’s Delicatessen. (I have been to that restaurant before. It is very family-friendly. There are a mixture of patrons, including the elderly who dote on the little ones.)

2. Vahlrona had the most amazing s’mores. My kids want to go camping this summer, so I’m keeping their recipe (which you can find here on their site).

3. The “brookie” (half brownie/half cookie) from Alice’s Tea Cup was delicious. They are already being sold in their restaurants and the recipe will be found in the next version of their cookbook.

4. Ditch dogs gave out some mini hot dogs with macaroni and cheese on top…double (tasty!) trouble.

5. Magnolia Bakery is known for their cupcakes, but it was their banana pudding that left me wanting more.

6. The pulled pork sliders at Recipe were wonderful.

7. The grilled pizza with ramps and bacon from Accademia Di Vino was worth waiting for (and it was served with a big smile).

8. Virgil’s Memphis Pork Ribs were so good that I was really disappointed that I was too full to eat the entire rib. (Virgil’s is my favorite midtown Southern food spot anyway. I take my tourist friends there.)

9. 5 Napkin Burger’s slider had me at “caramelized onions”.

10. Big Daddy’s 4-cheese grilled cheese pushed me to the “no mas” point. It was the very last tasting that I could handle. (I must take Sean, who loves grilled cheese sandwiches, to Big Daddy’s.)

While I was at the cupcake class, several of my fellow students asked our teacher for a red velvet cupcake recipe. That wasn’t part of the class, so I told them that I would post my favorite one. I am very fortunate in that I have several friends who are excellent bakers (both home and professional ones). When it comes to red velvet cupcakes, a church friend named Anneil makes the best ones that I have tasted. Fortunately, he was kind enough to allow me to share his recipe with you!

I apologize in advance to those who have adverse reactions to food coloring. I have tried to find equally good substitutes for the “bottle of red food coloring” ingredient. Beet juice has been suggested as an alternate. Personally, I haven’t especially liked the end taste with that substitution. However, if you’re unflinchingly adverse to food dye, you could try that switch. (I also have two friends who have alternative restaurants that they are trying to find for me. If they taste as good when I make them, I’ll definitely let you know.) Meanwhile, below is Anneil’s delicious recipe in my words.

Anneil’s Amazing Red Velvet Cupcake
Yields 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcake
2½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup milk
1 (1 oz) bottle red food coloring
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 – 2½ cups confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
Cupcakes
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set these dry ingredients to the side.

3. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl for 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

5. Mix in the sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla.

6. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is just blended. Be careful not to over-beat the ingredients.

7. Spoon (or scoop) the batter into a muffin pan cupcake paper-lined muffin pan.

8. Bake the cupcakes for 20 – 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

9. Cool the cupcakes for 5 minutes.

10. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to finish cooling completely.

Frosting
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla.

3. Gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar until the frosting is smooth.

That’s it. If you follow the tips from the cupcake and frosting posts, it should be pretty simple. Are you a red velvet cake fan? If so, have you been able to find an adequate substitute for the red food coloring ingredient?

Yesterday, I wrote about the cupcake recipes. Today, it’s all about the frosting…

VANILLA FROSTING
Yields frosting for 36 cupcakes or a three-layer cake

Ingredients:
1 lb of butter
4 oz cream cheese
7 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 splash of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl and mix on a medium speed for 5 min.

*Cream cheese works as a thickening agent. It allows you to use less sugar and the fat in the cream cheese causes the frosting to be fluffy and creamy (rather than a more candy textured frosting).

*We used the mixer setting “6”.

2. Add vanilla bean and mix for one more minute. While mixing in at low speed, add sugar. Once combined, add a splash of vanilla extract and mix on a medium to high speed for 3 min.

*We turned the mixer to “2” for this section

*You actually add the seeds of one vanilla bean. (You can usually find them at Whole Foods markets.) It gives a nice look to the frosting by adding little flecks that you can see. The vanilla extract is also used for its strong flavor.

3. Then, mix everything on a high speed for 1 min. until smooth and fully combined.

*We turned the mixer to “8” for one minute to complete the frosting.

4. Frost and enjoy!

After the various class groups split and made the basic frostings (vanilla, chocolate and cream cheese), we all learned how to make three specialty frostings together. They were Raspberry Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter Chocolate. Please refer, to the frosting recipes in the booklet below for the cream cheese and chocolate frosting “batch” recipes before making the specialty mixtures.

Raspberry Vanilla Bean Frosting
-Add 1 ½ tablespoon of raspberry preserves to half of the vanilla frosting batch and stir until the preserves and frosting are thoroughly mixed. That’s it!

*Be sure to buy high end preserves, because they contain less sugar than mass market preserves.

*Since the raspberries are pigment rich, they give the frosting a pretty pink coloring.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
-Add 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon to half of the cream cheese frosting batch and stir until the cinnamon and frosting are thoroughly mixed. (Are you starting to see a trend?)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting
-Add ¼ cup of creamy peanut butter to half of the chocolate frosting batch and stir until the peanut butter and frosting are thoroughly mixed.

*If you crumble up a few peanuts and sprinkle them on top of the peanut butter and chocolate frosting, it will make it easier to mix the two together.

Of these four frostings, my favorites were the vanilla and the raspberry vanilla. They tasted great on all three different cupcakes – vanilla, chocolate and banana. Do any of them appeal to you?

Anyway, there was this little frosting technique that our teacher Joe used that I really wish was captured on video. (After a bit more practice, I might add one of my own!) Basically, this is how it goes…

Hold the cupcake in your non-dominant hand. With your dominant hand, use a cake icing spatula to smooth out the frosting. Clean off the spatula. Form a mound of frosting on the top of the spatula.
Tap the frosting on the cupcake as you turn it into a circle. It will form a slight mound in the center. Clean off the spatula. Place the icing spatula on the top of the frosting mound and turn the cupcake around 360 degrees. That will make a nice circular pattern at the top of the cupcake.

Now, I’m hungry for more cupcakes!

At the Butter Lane Cupcake Class that I participated in last week, I was placed with the group who prepared vanilla cupcakes. The thing that I appreciated the most about our teacher Joe was that he started out by saying that cake is one of the easiest things to make – approximately 80% of cake recipes start out the same. I can “do” easy !

I am simply going to go through the Vanilla Cupcakes recipe and share some tips that I picked up from Joe.

VANILLA CUPCAKES
Yields 36 cupcakes (or a three-layer cake)

Ingredients:
½ lb Butter
2 ½ Cups granulated sugar
5 Eggs
Splash of vanilla extract
12 oz of sour cream
1 Tbs baking powder
1 Pinch of salt
3 Cups of cake flour

Directions:
1. Combine butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Mix until sugar and butter forms a cream.

*We used a KitchenAid stand mixer during the class. Joe said that the settings are pretty consistent on most mixers thought. We started off on setting “2” and then turned it up to “4”.

*It is important to thoroughly scrape the sides and bottoms of the mixing bowl with a spatula add the end of each step.

2. Crack eggs into a separate bowl, add a splash of vanilla extract to the eggs, and then add the eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until mixture becomes light and fluffy.

*Some students wanted to know what the measurement equivalent of a “splash” was. Even though Joe insisted that we should not measure it because there was no right or wrong, he finally relented and said that a splash is approximately a tablespoon.

*Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on setting “2”. Pause 15 seconds between adding each new egg. After all of the eggs have been added, quickly stir off the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to “4” and mix for 30 more seconds before scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

3. Combine baking powder and salt with flour. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, and then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until combined, but be careful not to over-mix.

*You want to be careful not to over-mix so that the batter doesn’t turn into dough. To prevent that, don’t turn the mixer setting past “stir” when using a hand mixer. Also, don’t take more than 2 minutes – 1 ½ minutes is usually fine – to complete this entire portion of the recipe. (In order to help with timeliness, pre-measure your ingredients.)

*Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl once everything is combined. Then blend everything for 10 more seconds.

4. Scoop cupcakes and bake for 23 minutes at 300 degrees.

*We used muffin tins with cupcake liners.

*Use a medium scoop (which is equal to 50 mm/3-tablespoons). We used a Vollrath one during the class.

*The trick to scooping is to keep the bottom of the scoop constantly facing up.

*Fold the batter after scooping every 5 to 6 cupcakes. (“Folding” the batter is easy to do, but hard to explain. You basically fold the batter into itself. I know – I’m explaining a phrase by using the word! If you’re still not clear, you can find a better explanation over at cooking.stackexchange.com.)

*The baking instructions are for a convection oven. If you don’t have a convection oven, “buy one” according to Joe. As an alternative, cook the cupcakes in a conventional oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

That’s it. It was pretty easy. On a related note, if you plan on baking cupcakes a lot in the future, you might want to invest in Vollrath scoops and a KitchenAid stand mixer. The mixer is now on my “wish list”!