Vanilla Cupcake using Vege Oil

I am still in my search of the perfect Vanilla Cupcake.

Thought I wanted to experiment one night upon returning home from work so I concocted an impromptu recipe.

Vanilla Cupcake (using Vegetable oil)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tbs baking powder
3 eggs (I used Grade A)
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk (I used powder milk + water. Didn't have fresh milk with me)
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
1/2 or 1 tsp max salt (I used 1 3/4 tsp and the saltiness became too strong)
A drop of almond extract

Methods

1. Beat the eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Mine somehow didn't go fluffy. I admit my eggs weren't fresh. Maybe that's the reason.

2. Sift together the flour and the baking powder.

3. Add the wet ingredients and the dry flour mixture to the batter alternately. Mix till incorporated. (I used electric hand mixer at the time)

4. Pour into cup and bake till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

This is what happened.

The cupcakes were quite flat!

The batter didn't look good actually. I had expected flat cakes from it.

I got the dense texture I wanted. However, the cakes were a bit tough.

The Taste

Since I overdosed on salt, it was a bit difficult to judge the actual taste. Also, I regretted putting the almond extract as it overwhelmed the vanilla. The 3 eggs were actually more than enough to give the cakes volume but they didn't at this particular trial. So, that's why people use fresh eggs for baking. Mine were not very fresh.

However, when I piped some Peanut Butter on top, the cupcakes tasted pretty good.
The PB took over everything I wasn't happy with the cupcakes.

Lesson learned

Next time I definitely will change a few things.

1. I'll use self-raising flour.
2. Use fresh eggs.
3. Use heavy cream or fresh full cream milk
4. No almond extract.
5. I'll be careful with salt.
6. I'll beat the eggs and sugar till really fluffy high up. I know how this should look like as I have done it before.
7. Use spatula or 'manual whisk' to incorporate the flour especially if it's all-purpose. I believe I had overmixed the all-purpose flour. That's the problem with AP. It can still develop gluten. I went through this disaster once before. Overmixing the AP. The resulting cake could cause a dog to die of a major trauma if you threw it at one.
8. Peanut Butter will always save the day :-)

Till the next adventure :-)