Secrets

 

 

Rachael's "Tip-Off" show gets off to a sweet start when Buddy Valastro shares his top tips for making the perfect cupcakes. Watch the video above to see his basic recipe for vanilla cupcakes, and see how he turns those into delicious PB& J cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes!

Buddy's Cupcakes Tips

• If you're making cupcakes at home, always use a paddle attachment with your mixer, not a whip. If you use a whip, you're going to aerate it and you want a nice, tight grain.

• Though Rachael usually eyeballs measurements, Buddy advises to always measure your baking powder: "You don't fool around when it comes to baking powder, because that's our leveling agent."

• Add your eggs slowly to the mix because you don't want to lump your batter.

• When filling your cupcakes, always go three quarters of the way up.

• As you mix your icing, put the mixer on a slow setting. As you pour in your cream, it's going to make a nice creamy, dreamy, buttery icing.

• Once all the ingredients of your icing are incorporated in the mixer, you're done. You don't want to mix it too much because the icing will get too soft.

• To make a hole in your cupcakes for filling, stick a knife point down into the middle of the cupcake and take it out, then turn the knife 90 degrees and repeat.

• Use a squirt bottle (like those used for ketchup or mustard) to fill your cupcakes with jelly.

• You can make yourself a "cupcake sandwich" by taking the bottom of the cupcake off, putting it on top of the frosting and eating it with two hands. Buddy calls it, "Hoboken style"!