How can I turn my basic cupcake recipe into a maple version?
Hi
I have a vegan cupcake recipe (Chloe Coscarelli's) that I've been using to make cupcakes with good results. I've turned it into chocolate, coconut, lemon versions etc and not had any problems. However, last night I thought I'd try a maple version. I kept the sugar unchanged and subsituted half the soya milk for maple syrup. When I went to check on the cupcakes I was horrified to see they were bubbling and looking very crazy. By the time I took them out they'd sunk so badly and spilled over the liners, resembling Yorkshire puddings rather than cupcakes!
I did wonder whether adding a syrup on top of the sugar would result in the sponge tasting too sweet, but didn't know how much sugar to swap out and I was worried that if I took out some sugar, I wouldn't have enough batter to go round. I was making a half-recipe (6 cupcakes) so I didn't think that taking out just 3 tbsp of soya milk and swapping it for maple syrup would cause such chaos with a recipe that had behaved perfectly every other time!
I have the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World book, but I''m reluctant to have to start using a new recipe just for one flavour variation, so I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who's made a successful maple version of their normal recipe. (PS I'm in the UK, so we don't have maple extract or maple sugar, just the syrup.)
Many thanks!
Too much sugar will cause your cupcakes to sink. Also, too much liquid will do the same! When making a substitution from a dry sweetener to a liquid, you're going to have to change the measurements of flour and other things in the recipe to make sure that the dry to wet ratio is the same, and that the acid levels in the recipe remain sound. Maple syrup is also heavier than sugar, so I use 3/4 cup of maple syrup in place of the sugar, and I've had good results doing so. You'll also want to reduce the other liquids in the recipe by about 3 Tablespoons. I don't think this will give you a heavy maple flavor, though. You'll need maple extract to get the job done right, unless you're doing a maple frosting as well.
Thanks for your reply. I gave it a go tonight and while I've not tasted the cakes yet, they all rose perfectly normally (and the batter was nice!) so thanks for the suggestion - it seems to have done the trick!
You are most welcome. I'm happy to give any assistance to help people achieve cupcake deliciousness. Let us know how they taste!
The sponge was still pretty moist and as you said, the maple flavour was quite subtle. I've put them in the freezer for now, but when they come out they'll be paired with some kind of maple frosting so they should be just right - cheers!