By Nichelle Stephens
Cupcakes Expert, about.com
What are pull apart cupcakes? Pull apart cupcakes
have the look of a sheet cake but the ease of portioning. You don't
need a cake knife to divvy the cupcakes, just pull apart. Pull apart
cupcakes are great for kids' birthdays, bridal showers or any other
event where many people are celebrating. Some bakers may call them a
cupcake cake; but in my opinion a "cupcake cake" is a cake shaped like a
cupcake, not one made from cupcakes.
The benefit of pull
apart cupcakes is that you can easily take what you want without using a
knife. People like portion control when eating snacks and I think monkey bread
is gaining in popularity just like pull apart cupcakes for the same
reason. Another benefit to pull apart cupcakes is that baker have more
flexibility to get creative. They can make the cake into different
shapes other the rectangle of a standard sheet cake.
Baking the
cupcakes is the easy part. The difficulty comes in assembling the
cupcakes together and making a flat surface to put a layer of frosting
so that the it looks like a sheet cake.
First the cupcakes should be completely cool before
assembling. In fact, you could bake them a day or two in advance.
Second, the cupcakes should be the same height. It's important to
measure out the same amount of batter when the cupcakes so that the dome
of the cupcakes are the same. The frosting needs to be stiff, so it
Once you arrange the cupcakes into the shape you want, then the question
is how do you fill the gap between the cupcakes. You can stagger the
cupcakes to minimize the gaps in between.
After the cupcakes are
arranged, then you use frosting and a cake scraper to level the pull
apart so that the surface is flat. To keep the cupcakes stationary,
place a dollop of frosting on the bottom of each cupcake. You may need
to use an offset spatula for the corners and the edges.There are several
ways to do fill the gap. Some people place small cookies, like vanilla
wafers or sandwich cookies in the gap. Others have created an edible
bridge using small cookie, fruit or a couple of thin pretzel sticks to
float the frosting on. Jumbo marshmallows are also good to place in
between the cupcakes. Another option is make square cupcakes like
brownies which are pretty easy to handle.
Pull apart cupcakes
are a great way to be creative with cupcakes. It is more like cake art
and design, so it's fun if you are patient and fearless. Have fun!
