Read Online Bakers on Board by Sheryl Berk - Free Book Online Page A

Lucy.
    â€œYour camera? I can’t! I almost destroyed it!”
    â€œWhich means you’ll be much more careful with her now—especially since I’m giving her to you to keep.”
    â€œTake it.” Jenna nudged Marisol again.
    Kylie nodded. “Marisol, we could really use someone to shoot pictures for our new PLC website.”
    Marisol beamed and pointed her camera at the cupcake club for one last shot from the cruise. “Say ‘cupcake!’” she said with a clic k !

The first prez would have flipped over these flavorful cupcakes!
    Cherry Cupcakes
    Makes 24 cupcakes
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (I prefer Plugrá), room temperature
    4 egg whites, room temperature
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 cups cake flour
    1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 1/3 cups buttermilk
    10 ounces (1 jar) maraschino cherries, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice (leftover from the jar)
    Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.
    2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer set on high speed, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
    3. Reduce to low speed, and slowly add the egg whites one at a time. Add the vanilla, and mix until combined.
    4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating at low speed for approximately two minutes until the batter is smooth.
    6. In another small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and cherry juice. With the mixer on low, slowly add this mixture to the batter in the large bowl.
    7. Add the chopped cherries, mixing slowly until they are blended into the batter.
    8. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
    9. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, about 15 minutes, before frosting.
    Pink Perfection Frosting
    Here’s how to make a cotton candy–colored shade of icing to top off your cherry cupcake.
    3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
    1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    4 to 6 drops red food coloring
    Directions
    1. In a bowl combine sugar, butter, and salt. Beat until blended.
    2. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat for an additional three to five minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
    3. Add 4 to 6 drops of red food coloring. (Six will give you more of a bubble gum color, while 4 will be more pastel.) Mix until fully blended, then frost your cupcakes. Can you say “Yum”?

A rich yet delicate chocolate cupcake that feels fancy!
    White Chocolate Cupcakes
    Makes 24 cupcakes
    6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
    2/3 cup sugar
    4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), room temperature
    2 eggs
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup milk
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.
    2. Ask a parent to help you melt the white chocolate, either in a double boiler or (the easy way!) in a microwave oven. Set your microwave at 50 percent power so you don’t scorch the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, then remove and stir. Careful! The bowl will be hot. Continue heating in 30-second intervals, stirring as needed, until the melted chocolate is smooth and creamy.
    3. In the large bowl of a mixer, cream the sugar and butter together on low speed to combine, then on high until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
    4. Reduce the speed to low, and slowly add the eggs one at a time.
    5. Beat in the melted chocolate.
    6. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
    7. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla.
    8. With the mixer on