Ever had a batch of cupcakes turn out as hard as stone or perhaps as soft as mush? Ever struggled with cupcakes that didn’t rise properly or flooded over like lava from a volcano? Every home baker has, at one time or the other, had a couple of cupcake catastrophes. To avoid these cupcake snafus, take a look at these tips that will show you how to make perfect cupcakes every time.
First, bring all the cupcake ingredients to room temperature before mixing the batter. When the ingredients are all at room temperature, they will blend well without overmixing, which is one of the most common cupcake errors.
Any standard cake batter can be used to make cupcakes. Enough batter to make an 8-inch round layer cake typically makes two dozen cupcakes. One of the benefits to using a familiar cake batter is the ability to experiment with cupcake recipes.
Next, learn the characteristics of a good cupcake pan, which is not the same as a muffin pan. A good cupcake pan is shiny and sturdy, and will cook either 6 or 12 cupcakes at a time. There are also pans to make mini cakes as well. Always purchase two cupcake pans at a time so that one is available while the other is in the oven. That way it will not be necessary to let one pan cool before going on to the next half of the batch. Two pans with 12 wells each are sufficient for one batch of cupcakes.
To avoid the mishap of stuck cupcakes, coat the cupcake wells with nonstick baking spray or line them with paper or foil cups. Always coat or line the wells, even if using the new silicone-coated cupcake pans. There’s nothing sadder than a broken cupcake that got stuck to he pan.
Once the pans are prepared and the oven is preheating, mix the batter carefully and gently. Above all, don’t overmix! Overmixing results in chewy cupcakes. Check the recipe in advance to see if it calls for using a hand mixer or a standing mixer. If the recipe specifies a hand mixer, but a standing mixer is used, reduce the time to avoid overmixing. That’s because standing mixers beat faster than hand mixers. An owner’s manual should help with information on how to adjust mixing times.
Fill the cupcake wells, paper or foil wrappers one half to two thirds full. Less than half a cup will result in midget cakes that will require extra icing to look full, while overfilling causes that volcanic overflow mentioned earlier.
Always be sure to preheat the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe before putting cupcakes in to bake. It also pays to know how the oven operates; for example, some ovens cook food faster at the rear of the rack, and all ovens cook food quicker when the rack is at the top, as heat rises. If faster rear cooking is an issue, rotate the cupcake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even baking.
Bake only one cupcake pan at a time, placing the pan in the oven center. If it’s necessary to cook both pans at once, switch the location of pans in the oven, rotating the top pan to the lower rack, and vice versa. This will help the cupcakes bake evenly.
As with cake batter, cupcakes can be tested for doneness by inserting a cake tester or toothpick into the center. When the pick comes out clean, the cakes are ready. Let them cool and then go wild with cupcake decorations.