From pink lemonade to peanut butter cup, you can buy cupcakes in just about any flavor nowadays. Even better than buying your favorite cupcake is baking it yourself! If you want to bake a batch of cupcakes, check out these tips to make sure your recipe turns out great!
Don’t Over Mix or Under Mix the Ingredients
Of course you want all ingredients mixed so the wet and dry ingredients are combined, but be careful not to over mix your batter. Over mixing can result in dense and heavy cupcakes because it can cause the gluten to over develop and form elastic strands, which can also reduce the amount of air bubbles that help make cupcakes light and fluffy. Our cake paddles are great for making the perfect cupcakes.
Correctly Fill Cupcake Pans
Generally, fill each cupcake liner about ⅔ of the way full. This should help prevent your cupcakes from rising too high over the pan or being too far below the rim of the liner. In order to make sure all of the cupcakes are the same size, try using a spring-handled scoop, this will ensure you have the same amount of batter for each cupcake.
Bake the Cupcakes in the Center of the Oven
In order to evenly cook cupcakes, bake only one pan at a time and place the rack in the center of the oven. Doing this allows proper air circulation so that the heat can reach the pan evenly.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature before combining them. By doing this important step, your batter will be more smooth. If your ingredients are too cold, it may result in denser cupcakes. If the recipe calls for butter, it is especially important for it to reach room temperature before mixing it in.
How to Tell if the Cupcakes are Done Cooking
Make sure your cupcakes are not over or under baked. You can poke the center of a cupcake with a toothpick and if it comes out clean (with no batter on it), then your cupcakes are baked through! You can also try pressing down in the center of the cupcake with your finger. If the top of the cupcake bounces back, it should be done! If you press down on the center and it leaves a dent, they probably need more time.
Allow the Cupcakes to Properly Cool
Trying to frost cupcakes before they cool is always a bad idea. The frosting will melt and slide off of the cupcake or you’ll end up tearing the cupcake. You can let them cool at room temperature for about an hour, or if you need them to cool a bit faster, let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes and then place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. They’ll be ready to frost in no time!
Frost the Entire Cupcake
In order to prevent cupcakes from drying out, try frosting the entire top of the cupcake (once it is cooled). This will help the cupcake retain moisture better than if you simply place a dollop of frosting in the center.
Follow the Recipe
Many sweet treat recipes have some wiggle room when it comes to following the recipes, such is not so with cupcakes. When it comes to cupcakes it is always best to stick as close to the recipe as possible to ensure the best taste and texture results! We do have some great tips for gluten-free baking if you do decide to make changes.
Speaking of recipes… Here are a four fun cupcake recipes for you to test these tips on!
Salted Carmel Cupcakes
Light Lemon Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing
Thanks to our Parent site for sharing! |
you’ll end up tearing the cupcake. You can let them cool at room temperature for about an hour, or if you need them to cool a bit faster, let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes and then place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. They’ll be ready to frost in no time!
