Sponge Cupcakes with Sparkling Apple Juice

Sponge cake may not be for everyone.

The reason I make such statement is based on observations that I’ve gathered from my friends who are self-confessed cake connoiseurs. :P  They usually prefer their cakes to be dense, moist and rich – so rich that makes you float on cloud nine and wish that this moment will stay forever. I, on the other hand, prefer cakes to be light and airy and for health reasons, I’ll try my very best to keep the frosting  to a minimum (the key word here is “TRY” :P).  Unless there is a special occasion like birthday or potluck where I’ll go all out, on normal days, a simple sponge cake would be my preferred option to appease my sweet tooth.

I’ve made sponge cakes many times before this and  my most frequently-made cake is without a doubt pandan sponge cakes.  I used to think the pandan cake is quite easy to make, as long as you get the whisking of the egg white right and not over-folding the stiff egg white mixture into the batter, you’re set to get a super airy and spongy cake.  That said, I’m hoping to find a recipe which omits these steps and ideally, one mixing bowl solves it all.

Cooking with carbonated drink may not be to everyone’s liking, in fact some people may find it appalling. A  friend has taught me a chicken dish with coca-cola and although I kinda enjoyed it, not many people find it appealing. That didn’t discourage from trying out this recipe though. If you scroll down the this cupcake recipe, you’ll realise it’s so simple that it makes it difficult not to test it out. In addition, this recipe allows you to get creative with the combination of carbonated drink and nuts, dried fruits and essence. My version includes sparkling apple juice and desiccated coconut for texture.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe, and Happy Friday!

(By the way, it’s common for office people to have their Friday-afternoon drinks. Just an idea, how about beer with beer nuts topping for cupcakes if you want to get a little boozy? I’m just throwing out some ideas here. :P)

Sponge Cupcakes with Sparkling Apple Juice

(tweaked slightly from Romancing with Cakes by Connie Leaw)

Makes about 9 medium-sized cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 eggs

150g sugar

100g sparkling apple juice (or any soft drink of your choice)

180g cake flour (sifted)

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup desiccated coconut ( or any nuts/food essence/chocolate)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Whisk eggs and sugar until fluffy and light over high speed.

3. Add cake flour and baking powder and whisk until just mix.

4. Add sparkling juice and mix well.

5. Add desiccated coconut. Mix well.

6. Pour the mixture into paper cups and baked for about 25 minutes. Alternatively, these cupcakes can be steamed for 25 minutes over medium heat.