Build a Better Cupcake

As a kid, I was possessed by a raging sweet tooth. When I finally kicked that addiction, I thought my days of lavish baked goods were behind me, but it turns out that's not the case. However, now I'm not sitting down to eat a bunch in one sitting -- I'm a slave to making them.

With 12 friends who all have birthdays in May, this is the busiest baking month for me. The requests for my tender, moist, yellow cake layered thick with dark chocolate ganache, toasted coconut or dulce de leche filling start coming in around the end of April.

So much of baked goods' appeal hinges on their visual charm. Since my Granny passed on her cake decorating kit to me this year, I thought I'd see if I could remember what she taught me, even though I'm not an ace with the pastry bag like she is. I found that decorating cakes isn't hard, and you don't have to be a pro like Granny to make something simple and gorgeous for the birthday guy or gal.

Read on for Jennifer's sweet, simple cupcake recipes and decorating tips.
It just takes some inexpensive decorating tips and bags -- about $5 for a small set. I avoid using artificial tints to color my icing because some food coloring is derived from coal tar and is suspected of causing hyperactivity in children. Yellow dye No. 5 has been thought to worsen asthma symptoms and in the 1970s the FDA banned red dye No. 2 after some studies found that large doses could cause cancer in rats.

Still, everyone I know, including myself, loves colorful, decorative icings so I've come up with ways to safely tint frosting without using a lot of artificial flavorings or colorings.

Light Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 1 1/2 cups of icing

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl. With an electric mixer beat until very smooth on high speed. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and coloring of your choice. Beat until well combined. Chill at least 1 hour before icing.

Colorings:

Bright Pink: 1 tablespoon beet juice from the can
Rose: 1 tablespoon concord grape jelly
Green: 1/2 teaspoon green tea powder
Yellow 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Chocolate Ganache

Makes 1 1/2 cups ganache

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half and half

Place chocolate chips and half and half in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt the chocolate 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the chocolate is smooth and well combined. Use a small rubber spatula, use immediately to ice cupcakes or cake.

Yellow Cake

Makes 12 cupcakes or a double-layer 9-inch cake

Nonstick spray
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup trans-fat-free margarine
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups skim milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers or coat two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In another large bowl, place the margarine and sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the sugar into the margarine until smooth. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract, and blend until smooth. In three additions, alternate between flour mixture and the milk, mixing well after each addition. Transfer batter to muffin papers or 9-inch pans. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and bake 15 to 20 minutes until the cake springs back to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes or cake from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.