♪
OFTEN FROSTED
AND ADORNED WITH SPRINKLES,
A CUPCAKE IS A SUGARY
INDULGENCE
THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHARE.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
WHO INVENTED THEM,
BUT CUPCAKES HAVE BEEN AROUND
FOR A CENTURY OR MORE,
MUCH TO THE SATISFACTION
OF THOSE
WHO WANT A LITTLE CAKE
ALL TO THEMSELVES.
THESE MINICUPCAKES
ARE THE SWEETEST LITTLE THINGS
AND THERE'S PLENTY FOR
EVERYONE
BECAUSE THEY'RE MASS-PRODUCED
IN A FACTORY.
THE DAIRY AND NUT-FREE RECIPE
STARTS WITH CANOLA OIL.
A WORKER POURS A MEASURED
AMOUNT
INTO A HUGER MIXER BOWL.
A BLEND OF BAKING POWER,
SEA SALT,
AND OTHER MICROINGREDIENTS
IS NEXT.
HE THEN ADDS
A BIG BAG OF SUGAR.
THEY'LL BE MAKING 15,000
MINICUPCAKES IN THIS BATCH.
PASTRY FLOUR FLOWS INTO
THE MIXER FROM A SILO NEARBY.
HE ADDS COCOA,
FOR CHOCOLATE FLAVORING,
THEN, ACTIVATES THE MIXER,
TO BLEND IT ALL TOGETHER.
NEXT ARE THE EGGS.
THEY'LL ACT AS A BINDING AGENT
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BATTER
AND WILL HAVE A LEAVENING
EFFECT DURING BAKING.
A QUICK MIX FOLDS THE EGGS
INTO THE CHOCOLATEY BLEND.
A PUMP NOW TRANSFERS THE
BATTER
TO THE NEXT STATION.
THE BAKERY'S TEMPERATURE
IS CRITICAL DURING PUMPING.
TOO WARM, AND THE MIXTURE
WILL BE TOO THIN TO PUMP.
TOO COOL,
AND IT WILL BE TOO THICK.
THE PUMP DELIVERS
THE BATTER TO A HOPPER.
DOWN THE LINE A BIT, A
CONVEYOR
MOVES BAKING TRAYS FORWARD.
A MACHINE USES
SUCTIONING DEVICES
TO PICK UP PAPER LINERS,
FLIP THEM RIGHT-SIDE-UP,
AND INSERT THEM
IN THE BAKING TRAYS.
VALVES OPEN AND DISPENSE
THE BATTER IN THE HOPPER
INTO THE CUPCAKE LINERS
IN THE PANS.
THE SYSTEM CONTROLS
THE FLOW OF BATTER,
SO IT ONLY FILLS THE LINERS
ONE-THIRD OF THE WAY.
THIS LEAVES ROOM FOR THE CAKE
TO RISE DURING BAKING.
THE PANS MOVE THROUGH
DIFFERENT LEVELS,
WITH A RANGE
OF TEMPERATURE ZONES
OVER A PERIOD OF 25 MINUTES,
FINALLY EMERGING
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
DURING BAKING, THE CUPCAKES
HAVE RISEN ABOVE THE LINERS.
THEY NOW HEAD
INTO A COOLING CHAMBER.
THEY STAY IN HERE
FOR 20 MINUTES,
WHILE FANS BLOW AIR ONTO THEM
TO COOL THEM DOWN.
THE COOLING FIRMS UP THE
CAKES.
A ROBOT PLUNGES PINLIKE
TENTACLES INTO THE CUPCAKES
TO LIFT THEM OUT OF THE PANS
WITH THE PAPER LINERS
ATTACHED.
IT TRANSFERS THEM
TO THE PACKAGING CONVEYOR
LINE.
WORKERS PACK THEM IN CLAMSHELL
PLASTIC CONTAINERS,
A DOZEN TO EACH ONE.
THEY LEAVE
THE CONTAINERS OPEN
BECAUSE THEY STILL NEED
TO DECORATE THESE CUPCAKES.
AHEAD, FLUFFY
CHOCOLATE ICING FLOWS
OUT OF A HOPPER
INTO APPLICATORS.
THEY DEPOSIT THE ICING
IN A SWIRL ONTO THE CUPCAKES,
ADDING NEARLY AN INCH OF
HEIGHT
AND A LOT MORE SWEETNESS.
DOWN THE LINE,
WORKERS LOAD SUGARY SPRINKLES
INTO ANOTHER HOPPER.
A FEEDER DISPENSES
A FEW MORE OF THE SPRINKLES
ONTO EACH
OF THE FROSTED CUPCAKES.
THE CONTAINERS THEN RIDE BY
A RAIL THAT FOLDS THE LIDS
OVER.
A PUSHER DEVICE PRESSES DOWN
ON
THE LIDS TO CLOSE THEM
TIGHTLY.
THE CONTAINERS OF MINICUPCAKES
THEN MEET UP WITH A ROLLER
THAT APPLIES THE
ADHESIVE-BACKED LABELING.
BEFORE THE CUPCAKES
CAN LEAVE THE FACTORY,
A TECHNICIAN TESTS A SAMPLE
FROM THE PRODUCTION LINE.
HE CRUMBLES SOME
OF THE CAKE INTO PODS
AND PLACES THEM IN A MACHINE.
THE MACHINE PROBES THE WATER
CONTENT AT A MICROSCOPIC LEVEL
TO DETERMINE IF THE CUPCAKE
IS MOIST ENOUGH.
ANOTHER TEST EVALUATES
THE CUPCAKE'S TEXTURE.
WHEN THE SAMPLES PASS
THIS TECHNOLOGICAL SCRUTINY,
THE CUPCAKES ARE READY
FOR HUMAN TASTE BUDS.
