Since welcoming the newest addition to our family last month, recipe posting has sort of taken a back seat to newborn duties such as diaper changes and feeding…and then there is entertaining my almost two year old as well. I have found that with two children, cooking, baking, taking photos, editing those photos and writing blog posts has become quite a task. There is just always something to do around here now that has to be done first!
That being said, we still need to eat! Okay, we don’t have to eat cupcakes, but it was a special occasion. So I figured what better what to try out these two products, than with a dessert! My husband’s birthday was at the beginning of the month, so I had an excuse to make some desserts. Given that I’ve just had a baby, I feel as though I need excuses to indulge in desserts now. Unfortunately I can’t maintain that, “I’m pregnant, I’ll do whatever I want” attitude any longer. Good thing there never seems to be any shortages of special occasions to bake for…
On to the mixers! I was sent a hand mixer and stand mixer to try out and review from Hamilton Beach. PLUS the lovely folks at Hamilton Beach have also generously offered to giveaway one of each to one lucky reader!
The main thing I like about the hand mixer is that it comes with this handy case that you can store the beaters in while they’re not in use. If you’re anything like me, you have a drawer full of baking spatulas, brushes, spoons, and such. It is somewhat organized, but I always have to kind of dig around for what I’m looking for. This mixer solves that problem by giving you the ability to store your beaters with it. Voila! A nice organization tool and time saver. The mixer also has these cool beaters that have a rubber coating on them. Making mixing more effective because they sort of scrape the bowl for you. They also cut down on that awful noise that other beaters will make against a glass bowl while you’re mixing…you know what I’m talking about.
The stainless look of both mixers is nice and modern. I thought the performance of both were good. The stand mixer is considerably lighter than my Kitchen Aid model. If you don’t keep your mixer out on the counter, this would make it much easier to move from countertop to cabinet when it’s not in use. It is just as loud as my other mixer, but I suppose there’s not much we can do about that, especially when doing heavy duty mixing. This mixer also has a “fold” speed, which is nice for mixing in those dry ingredients into a batter and to make sure you don’t over-mix.
Scroll down to the Rafflecopter link to enter!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Very lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a small bowl, sift together cake flour and 1/4 cup superfine sugar.
In a large bowl, beat room-temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup of superfine sugar while the mixer is on high speed, beating the egg whites to soft peaks. Blend in vanilla extract.
Fold in flour mixture, adding it in two or three additions, and fold in sprinkles when all other ingredients have been incorporated.
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins, filling them just about to the top.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and the cakes spring back when lightly touched.
Cool on a wire rack (unless you have a convenient way to flip the whole cupcake pan upside down). Cupcakes may sink slightly when cooled right-side up, but there is not a great difference between cooling them upside down and not with these small cakes.
Cool completely before using a butter knife to release the cupcakes from the muffin pan. Frosting recipe is below.
Adapted from Baking Bites.
https://www.theculinaryenthusiast.com/2014/05/19/angel-food-confetti-cupcakes-and-hamilton-beach-mixers-giveaway/Whipped Cream Frosting
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine ingredients in a bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment or use a hand mixer. Mix at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
