Friday Review: Lakeland Cupcake Maker

When cupcakes became trendy the market soon became filled with lots of cute and fun things to use to make and decorate them. Everything from fancy cake cases and sprinkles to nifty gadgets to use in the kitchen became available. Chief among these gadgets are the Cupcake Makers!

These gadgets work in a similar way to a toasted sandwich maker, only they have holes in the base rather than a sandwich plate. There are many versions of these appliances available from a whole host of suppliers, and this review is for the one available from Lakeland.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/15861/Lakeland-Electric-Cupcake-Maker-Purple

So what do I like about it?
What I love most about the cupcake maker is the fact is it quick, when I use it I can have a batch of 6 cakes ready in about 20 minutes. No oven required, so it’s better for the environment. I know this because we have one of those fancy Smart Meters that tell you how much electricity you are using, and this really doesn’t use very much at all. I find the fact that it makes 6 cakes at a time is ideal if like me you want to experiment with new flavours, it’s much easier to experiment with small batches and the cakes are always light and springy. I also like how small it is, it doesn’t take up much storage space which is very handy if you have a small kitchen.

And it’s extremely easy to use; you just turn it on and leave it. The power light turns green when it’s warm enough, and mine makes a click noise when the light comes on so even if I’m not looking at it I know when it’s the correct temperature. Cleaning it also easy because of the non-stick coating, if I spill any cake mix on to it I can just wipe it off with no problems.



The power indicator is good and clear to see



So what don’t I like about it?
Well it is a bit tricky to get the cakes out of it; I used to use a fork. (I just stabbed the top of the cake and lifted. Result? Holes in the top of your cake!) However I’ve now solved this problem, I use a pair of bamboo tongs. They are gentle enough to get the cake out without damaging the surface of the cake and also there is no risk of them damaging the non-stick coating. I like the “Toast Tongs” also available from Lakeland: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/14236/Magnetic-Toast-Tongs

See very pale but they are cooked

The other downside is the fact that your cakes come out very anaemic looking. They are cooked but are such a pale colour they don’t always look it! However this problem is solved by simply icing the cake or adding some food colour to the mixture. Because it doesn’t colour the cakes much, it is ideal for making coloured cakes.



However some food dye solves the problem!



And my major issue with it? It’s called a “cupcake” maker, but the cakes it actually makes are NOT cupcakes, they are too small. The cakes are actually more like fairy cakes. But I think that is more down to the fact that many people don’t know the difference between cake sizes so I won’t hold that against it.

So how do I rate it? Overall I give it 5/5 stars.
Yes there are some negative aspects to it but they are easily overcome and in my mind the positives out way the negatives. I’d love to hear your opinions on cupcake makers if you have one!