Q: With the cupcake craze continuing, we would like to add additional varieties. Do you have a unique formula?
- D.H., Manhattan, Kan.

A: Try this variety.

Spiced cupcakes

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metric	Bakers %
Brown sugar	1		450 g	22.23
Vegetable shortening	1		450 g	22.23
Whole milk	2		450 ml	22.23
Molasses, light	2		450 ml	22.33
Pastry flour	4	8	2.025 kg	100
Baking soda		1	28 g	1.39
Eggs, whole (3)		3	85 ml	8.34
Cinnamon, ground		1	28 g	1.39
Ginger, ground		0.5	14 g	0.70
Cloves, ground		0.25	7 g	0.35
Mace, ground		0.5	14 g	0.70
Lemon, juice and rind		0.75	21 g	1.05
Golden raisins	2		900 g	44.46
Hazelnuts	1		450 g	22.33
	18		5.372 kg	269.53

Method: Cream the sugar and shortening. Add the juice and the rind of the lemon, then add the molasses in small increments. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to the mixture. Sift the flour with the spices, add to the batter, and mix well. Add the eggs, then the raisins and the nuts. Deposit the batter in wellgreased cupcake tins or in corrugated paper cups. Baking time and temperature will vary depending on the size of your cupcakes.

Q: We baked a lot of gingerbread during the holidays. During baking, the dough rose, then sank in the center. What were doing wrong?
M.B., St. Hazelwood, Mo.

A: Bake the gingerbread in a cool oven, about 320°F (160°C). If the oven is too hot, the gingerbread rises too much, sinks in the middle after cooling and is too brown.

Q: We are having problems with our chocolate tempering. At what temperatures should we be tempering?
P.H., Kalamazoo, Mich.

A: The different tempering curves, which I have listed below, work well for me.

	White Chocolate	Milk Chocolate	Dark Chocolate
Temper to	104°F	104°F	113°F
Cool to	75°F	79°F	80°F
Temper to	85°F	84°F	90°F
Use at	68°F	68°F	68°F

Q: What is the best way to proof croissants to keep the butter from melting out?
A.L., New York City

A: Short- and medium-chain fatty acids are responsible for butter melting in the range of 82°F to 97°F (28°C to 36°C). To avoid butter from leaking out during proofing of the laminated dough, your proofer should not be above 86°F (30°C).

Q: We want to add a flourless cookie to our assortment. Would you please provide a formula?
E.C., Chicago

A: I scale these drop cookies to 4 ozs., and when baked, they are chewy yet crisp. This formula yields about 10 dozen cookies.

Flourless drop cookies

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metrics
Egg whites	3	12	1.7 L
Salt		2.5	70 g
Vanilla		2	55 ml
Cocoa Powder	1	14	850 g
Confectioner’s sugar	14	5	6.5 kg
Hazelnuts	8	13	4 kg
Total appr. wt.	29	0.5	13.175 kg

Method: Combine all the ingredients, except the hazelnuts, in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for three minutes. Add the hazelnuts, and combine well. Deposit on sheet pans, allowing space for the cookies to spread, and bake at 375°F for 12 minutes or until the center is just set.

Q: What are the most common food allergies we have to be aware of in a bakery environment?
H.W., Alpharetta, Ga.

A: The top eight most common food allergies are: peanuts, tree nuts, milk (dairy), eggs, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. These eight foods make up 90 percent of all food allergies.

Q: We make fruit filled pies once a week, freeze them and bake them off as needed. However, the tops of the pies are cracking. How can we avoid this?
D.M., Valley Stream, N.Y.

A: The cracking of the top is probably due to internal stresses during freezing. You can minimize this by avoiding long mix times of the pastry dough, creating minimal gluten development. Freeze the pies quickly in a blast freezer and use stronger flour in the pie dough.

Q: Do you know how many calories are in 50 lbs. of granulated sugar?
J.F., Urbandale, Iowa

A: Sugar has 15 calories per teaspoon, 90 calories per ounce, 1,440 calories per pound and 72,000 calories per 50-lb. bag.

Klaus Tenbergen is certified as a Master Baker in Germany, South Africa and the United States. He is currently an Assistant Professor at California State University in Fresno, teaching classes in Culinology(r)-the blending of culinary arts and the science of food. For more information about a degree in Culinology(r), call 559/278-2164 or contact Klaus Tenbergen at ktenbergen@csufresno.edu.