Baking with an Emulsion

 
I like baking from scratch, but I also have a soft-spot for Duncan Hines cake mix. It seems to work a lot better for me as opposed to the other brands. Believe me, I've tried. I have cupcakes to make for my beloved's father's birthday, so I decided to go with a simple but tasty flavor: yellow almond cake. I would also mix almond flavor with white cake, if you wanted to go for a lighter, classier feel (wedding, perhaps?) Plus, adding extracts to cake mix is a fast and easy way to achieve a unique flavor without the fuss of trial and error.

So what is an emulsion? It is like an extract, except it is made with gum trag instead of alcohol. The flavor is much more intense, and its texture allows whatever your flavoring to maintain its consistency. For this recipe, I followed the mixing instructions, then put 2 tsp of almond emulsion in before I beat the batter for two minutes. I added about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until I tasted the right amount.

Adding almondy-delicousness
If you want to go super bold, go for a whole tablespoon. But beware! Adding too much can make your cake super overwhelming and have an odd berry/ cherry flavor.

My kitchen was filled with such an amazing smell when these came out!

I am debating between either making Michigan University cupcakes or golf-themed cupcakes. Michigan actually has a game going on tonight, so I don't want to make fail-cakes if they lose... that would NOT be cool... Plus, I think I have a cute idea for golf-cuppin' cakes anyway. I'll keep you posted!