Funfetti, Family, and the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July! 

We were so glad that Travis's parents were able to join us for this holiday weekend. His dad came up and helped Travis build a pergola for our back patio/yard. It's beautiful! More on that to come later...

Travis's mom bought me some new silicone cupcake liners from World Market to try. I've never tried them myself, and I've heard mixed reviews so I was pretty interested in seeing how they worked. The reviews I found were all over the place - people either loved 'em or hated 'em.

At our grocery store, some patriotic sprinkles were on sale. I picked up a french vanilla cake mix (scandalous! - but I don't enjoy baking much from scratch...). Time for some DIY-funfetti!

DIY "Funfetti" Cupcakes

   After mixing the batter (box instructions), mix in about 3-4 tablespoons of sprinkles. Most "recipes" for DIY-funfetti use about 2 tablespoons, but add more for a bit more color.
   Place the silicone liners on a cookie sheet (no muffin pan needed). Grease if desired.
   Using a cookie scoop (similar to this one), spoon an equal amount into each liner. Using a cookie scoop assures that an equal amount of batter is poured into each liner so the cupcakes will be the same size. Bake according to package directions, adding about 5-8 minutes when using the silicone liners.
   Let the cupcakes cool slightly until they can be handled. Then, slowly work the silicone liner away from the cupcake. Flip them upside down and tap lightly on the bottom. The cupcakes should pop right out!
   Let them cool on a rack, and then they can be put back into the liners to serve and ice. Enjoy!

Based on the reviews I read I thought it might be good to try some experiments. 

Myth 1: The cupcakes stick!

Some people swore they didn't do anything to the liner while others said they greased the liners. I decided to try half and half. In the picture below the six cupcakes on the left were greased with a floured cooking spray while the six on the right were put straight into the liners without greasing. 

The only weird thing I noticed about the cupcakes in the ungreased liners was that half of them overflowed. I'm sure it had something to do with the liners or user error, but none of the others did it.

In the picture below, the left/center liner was greased and the right one was ungreased. You can see the extra bits of cupcake left on the bottom and sides of the ungreased liner.

I also think under-cooking can contribute to the cupcakes sticking to the liners. Remember to add 5-8 minutes to your bake time when using these. Letting the cupcakes cool slightly but not all the way can make them easier to release, too. 

Myth 2: The cupcakes are impossible to eat out of the liners. 

People said cupcakes were popping out and flying everywhere. I tried taking the cupcakes out to cool and then putting them back into the liners to serve. This allowed everyone to pull the cupcakes out of the liners completely without breaking them.

The cupcakes in the greased liners came out beautifully. The ones in the ungreased liners came out with a bit more manipulation, but were still intact. 

Myth 3: The silicone cupcake liners are difficult to clean. 

I had no problem cleaning these, even the ones that dried out. All I did was flip them inside out and use a dish brush and soap to wash. 

Hope you have a great Fourth of July!