Taking up on a new cooking challenge: in order to help a fundraising bake sale, I’m getting back into baking. High altitude baking. That said, after having a long conversation with my [American] stove/oven, we came to the agreement that we’d become friends, not rivals.
If I’m able to get my mini cakes out, not deflated, nice looking, and attractive to someone else’s mouth, both of us would win: I’d promised to throughly clean it after I was done.
Both of us [the oven and myself] smiled at the agreement [or at least I did, and maybe, in my crazy mind, my oven’s alter-ego did the same].
Moving on to the preparations. Simply followed a regular yellow cake recipe [oh, you, Martha Stewart!], as well as, a simple lemon pound cake recipe, and a fantastic recipe for strawberry cupcakes, from Yummy Cakes from Lynn, discovering [through extensive online research] a few tips/adjustments for baking at high altitudes [that’s why I’m calling this post ‘getting high (altitude) on cupcakes!].
La Paz, Bolivia, can be a great example of how frustrating it might be for a rookie baker! In order to remain in good terms with my kitchen oven, ‘we‘ decided to go for this ‘new & improved first-timer’ cake (batter) step-by-step: 😮
Flour: Increased by 2 Tbs per cup of batter
Baking Powder/Soda: Decreased by 1/4 tsp per tsp of mix
Sugar: Decreased by 2 Tbs per cup of mix [we’re always advised to go light on the sugar here, it’s healthier and better for the body’s blood pressure…]
Milk: Increased by 2 Tbs per cup of mix
Extra egg: added one more to the usual 3
Oven Temperature: Increased by 25 degrees
Baking Time: Decreased by five minutes per 30 minutes of baking time.
It looks like a lot of math, right? Adding this, subtracting that…. raising the oven temperature, decreasing the baking time… But it all makes sense – you’re looking for a less ‘runny’ cake mix/batter, and with hotter oven, it’s logical (!!) to leave your ‘lovies’ in there for less time. At the end, it’s all about a great deal of TLC! ♥
Curious about the results?
Take a look, and let me know how you think the bake sale went with the ‘highest cupcakes I’ve ever baked’!
baking the strawberry cupcakes
Cupcakes filled with ‘dulce de leche’ (very popular in Latinamerica, similar to caramel)
decorating the cupcakes
Below, strawberry cupcakes, filled with fruit (jam) and topped with ‘bubble gum’ frosting [just came up with this recipe today… let me know if you’re curious about it!]
cupcakes topped with caramel
and lastly, a new version of the ‘margarita cupcakes’: lemon cake recipe, with light lemon frosting and of course, the mini-straws for the final touch! [again, another ‘creation from my kitchen’… happy to share the tips along!] 😮
Related articles
- How to…Bake the Perfect Cupcake! (thepartypost.co.uk)
3rdculturechildren 
I love the evolution of cupcakes… from something simple to decorated. Sometimes, they’re too pretty; it’s difficult to eat them!
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Funny! Mine always tend to disappear after they’re made! Maybe, they’re still easy to eat!!! 😮 Thanks for stopping by and checking them out!
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nice! must be interesting baking at that altitude! 🙂 Looks like you had a great time! x
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I had a lot of fun, for sure! And it turned out not to be that hard… once you get a hang on it… it’s a cake walk!!! 😮
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Gorgeous & I bet they were scrumptious … very lucky people over there
I always remember the fun I had with the Miranda boys when we baked cookies, popped popcorn on the stove & etc
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Thanks, Cherise! And now, the Miranda boy I have over here, just sits back and waits for me to bake and feed him… 😮 Hugs from all of us!
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May I have the margarita cupcake recipe??? That sounds delicious, and perfect for my curling league treat night.
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Absolutely! Glad you liked it! Send me your email and you’ll have it in your inbox asap! (or as soon as I’m back from the bake sale! Easy, easy…!) Thanks for the stopping by and reading – and for being curious to learn about it! 😮 Greetings from La Paz!
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