Recipe Versus Boxed Cupcakes

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CUPCAKE METHODS

Recipe versus Boxed Cupcakes

Caity Nielsen

Southern Utah University

Abstract

Is a cupcake from a recipe better than one made from a box mix? By using the same type of cupcake and frosting I hoped to eliminate any biases based on flavors and find out which is the preferred method of preparation. Both cupcakes used a devil’s food cake recipe or boxed recipe and both had a buttercream frosting. Both types were sampled by 12 individuals and given a rating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The cupcakes were rated on taste, texture, and the participant’s overall satisfaction. The results found that on average the boxed recipe was preferred in each category by twenty percent. This finding concludes that boxed recipes are the preferred method for preparing cupcakes.

Keywords: cupcakes, recipe

Recipe versus Boxed Cupcakes

Though the exact origin of the cupcake is up for debate there are many recipes and boxed preparations that claim to be the best. Smith (2007) found in her research that Betty Crocker had the best box mix. Alternatively, Tribionni (1998) found that his recipe with 6 eggs was the best among 7 other variations of recipes with different egg quantities. Now, this study sets out to find which would be the best of these two greats. The question remained, are the Betty Crocker cupcakes the best, or does the cupcake crown belong to the homemade cakes with 6 eggs? It is expected that the recipe from scratch will be preferred.

Method

(Instructor note: This section needs appropriate subheadings) Each set of cupcakes was made with the same pans and type of liners. Each was baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, until a toothpick in the middle came out clean. The homemade recipe produced more samples than that of the box mix, but the surveyed were both limited to 12 to keep numbers even.

For the cupcakes, the box mix used was Betty Crocker Devil’s food cake mix with the called for amounts of water, vegetable oil, and eggs. For the homemade cupcakes the following recipe was used: ¾ cup butter, 1 ½ cup flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate (melted), 6 eggs, 1 ½ cups sugar, ½ cup sour cream, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla.

For the frosting on the box mix cakes a can of Betty Crocker buttercream frosting was used. On the homemade cupcakes a buttercream from the following recipe was used: ½ cup shortening, ½ cup butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar, and 2 Tbsps. milk.

Each batter filled half of a cupcake liner in a 12 cake pan and was baked for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until a toothpick inserted in a center cupcake came out clean. After cooling for 2 minutes all of the cupcakes were place on a cooling rack until completely cool and ready for frosting. Each cupcake receive one tablespoon of frosting applied evenly over the top. To allow for differentiation blue sprinkles were applied to the homemade and green were applied to the box mix so there wouldn’t be bias from participant’s knowledge of the methodology.

The participants included 4 college students, and 8 employees of a local corporation. A survey sheet and pen was placed with instructions for the participants to grade each cupcake with frosting based on the taste, texture, and overall satisfaction it gave them.

Results

The results showed that the homemade cupcake and frosting had and average rating of 5.6 out of 10. The box mix resulted with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 (see Table 1). This shows a twenty percent preference of the box mix to the homemade recipe.

Table 1

Survey results

Discussion

The initial hypothesis that the homemade cupcakes would be preferred proved to be incorrect. In contrast, there was a significant preference for the box mix and canned frosting. There were some comments that the homemade cake was dry but the frosting was great. Additionally some wrote that the box mix cake was wonderful but the frosting was only satisfactory.

This study was limited in its survey group as well as in the options given to participants. Next time this study is preformed it should include some different samples including homemade cake with canned frosting and other variants. This way the study could further pinpoint what the preference is.

Overall the experiment showed that participants preferred the cupcakes prepared with a box mix by twenty percent more that they enjoyed the recipe cupcakes. This is significant to know so when one is debating making cupcakes from scratch or saving the time with a box mix Often times the extra effort will go unnoticed and a box mix is often favored (Smith, 2007). The findings showed that box mixes are preferred not only in taste and texture, but in overall satisfaction.

References

Smith, S. Q. (2007). Study to find the best box mix cupcakes. New York: Random House.

Tribionni, J. P. (1998). What quantity of eggs is best for cupcakes from scratch, Journal of Cooking Sciences, 134(17), 599-650.