Cupcake Diva Offers Baking Tips

Lori Schmidt knows a thing or two about the impact of a great presentation.

Not only does she work in marketing at a major insurance firm, she's also a weekend baker whose creative cupcakes creamed the competition for two years in a row at the Morean Arts Center's Great Cupcake Contest.

In case you missed it, her Key Lime in Paradise Cupcakes won the novice division in the 2nd annual cupcake contest sponsored by the Morean. Her goat cheese and fig cupcakes won the People's Choice category, too.

This gal certainly knows how to bake with panache. While Schmidt, who lives in the Old Northeast, keeps her recipes secret, she offered to pass along some of her hard-won baking tips. Here they are, from Schmidt's kitchen to yours:

1. Patience really is a virtue. I have learned over the years of baking (through many disastrous attempts at a recipe) that each step of a recipe is just as important as the next. Be sure all measurements are exact and that each step is followed precisely. However, don’t let this prevent you from experimenting with a recipe that you feel needs a little extra of something or a little less of something else.
2. The best of what’s around. Most of the time, desserts only have a few ingredients that create the flavor you are aiming for. Each little morsel of fine chocolate or fresh fruit zest can really make all the difference. Be sure you are using the most fresh dairy products, best extracts, finest chocolates, etc. for all of your recipes. I have noticed that buying the better quality chocolate or extract really does make a difference in the taste. Instead of reaching for the store brand try using a more upscale brand. It might cost more but the taste will be richer.
3. Less is more. Regardless of whether you are making cupcakes, brownies, cakes or muffins, it is always best to bring all of your ingredients to room temperature prior to mixing your batter. In doing so you can assure that your batter will mix well and evenly. Cold ingredients could result in a lumpy batter which may provoke over mixing. A big no no for any recipe!
4. Too much of a good thing! If you are baking cupcakes or a cake you want to be sure to evenly divide your batter among the cupcake wells or pans. For cupcakes, I usually fill the wells up to about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way full but it also depends on the batter. I would suggest trying a test run for this. Put two cupcake liners in the tin and fill one 1/2 way and the other 2/3 full to see and bake to see what works best. Some batters may rise more while baking than others.
5. Slippery slope. For me, baking was and still is a learning process. I am thankful for all of the baking mishaps I endured along the way because they have taught me in the long run. A particular mistake I made was not waiting for the finished product to be completely cool prior to piping the frosting. As I began to pipe, I watched in slow motion as the frosting began to slide off the top of the sweet little cupcake I had just slaved over the oven for. I was left with a melted mess! Make sure your desserts are cool prior to beginning the most fun part of baking…the decorating! If you are like me and simply can’t wait, you can put the cake in the refrigerator to speed up the process.