Tips for Baking Cupcakes
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Let's talk about baking cupcakes with a brief guide for getting the most out of your cupcakes.
Start by thinking about batter amounts, muffin pan size, and baking time. For a regular muffin pan, you'll use about quarter or third of a cup (maybe a bit less) of batter per cupcake. You can expect about 20 minutes of baking time, maybe a little less, and you're getting about two dozen cupcakes. If you're using a big muffin pan, you'll use half or two-thirds of a cup of batter per cupcake. You'll have a longer baking time of about 22 minutes (maybe less), and you're getting about a dozen cupcakes. |
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As for a mini muffin pan, the batter per cupcake is only about a 1-2 tablespoons. Baking time is only around 10 minutes and these pans typically produce around five dozen mini cupcakes. Regardless of your pan size, you'll be cooking things at around 350 degrees.
Be sure to use quality ingredients, if your cupcake budget can handle it. You will get a lot of bang for your buck if you go in for really good cocoa and pure vanilla extract.
Before creating your batter, let all your (correctly measured) ingredients come to the same temperature, aka room temperature. Make especially sure that your butter has time to get to room temp.
As you mix your ingredients to create the batter, make sure not to overmix or undermix if you want your cupcakes to come out nice and fluffy without being flakey. Basically, you want to mix just long enough to fully combine the wet and dry ingredients together. Put your stand or electric mixer on a low setting and pay attention to when those ingredients are just combined, then stop.
Decide beforehend whether or not you're going to use baking cups. If you are, you won't need to grease the muffin pan to prevent sticking. If you aren't, use a non-stick muffin pan or apply a vegetable non-stick spray to your pan before adding the batter. If you're using baking cups, make sure they are fully and evenly inserted into the muffin slots.
Remember your batter amounts per cupcake slot. For a standard muffin pan, you're going to be using a quarter to a third of a cup of batter, which will come about two thirds of the way up the space for the cupcake.
Preheat your oven to 350 (or whatever temp your recipe calls for before adding the cupcakes. Make sure not to put the pan in the oven while it is preheating. As far as baking times, use whatever recipe guidance is available, but if you are cooking with a regular muffin pan at 350 degrees, you're looking at about seventeen to twenty minutes of cooking.
While the muffins are baking, avoid opening the oven. The movement of air, particularly cooler air, can affect how the cupcakes cook and rise. Only open the oven the minimum amount necessary to test whether your cupcakes are done, starting at the minimum cooking time. To test, you can insert a wooden toothpick (or other testing implement) into the middle of the cupcakes, then take it out. You're looking to make sure there isn't any batter sticking to the toothpick.
When the cupcakes are done, remove the pan and let it cool on a wire rack or whatever cooling surface you have available. You want to let the cupcakes cool inside the muffin pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them with a knife, etc., to let them cool the rest of the way. Once they are cooled completely, you can add your icing.
Be sure to use quality ingredients, if your cupcake budget can handle it. You will get a lot of bang for your buck if you go in for really good cocoa and pure vanilla extract.
Before creating your batter, let all your (correctly measured) ingredients come to the same temperature, aka room temperature. Make especially sure that your butter has time to get to room temp.
As you mix your ingredients to create the batter, make sure not to overmix or undermix if you want your cupcakes to come out nice and fluffy without being flakey. Basically, you want to mix just long enough to fully combine the wet and dry ingredients together. Put your stand or electric mixer on a low setting and pay attention to when those ingredients are just combined, then stop.
Decide beforehend whether or not you're going to use baking cups. If you are, you won't need to grease the muffin pan to prevent sticking. If you aren't, use a non-stick muffin pan or apply a vegetable non-stick spray to your pan before adding the batter. If you're using baking cups, make sure they are fully and evenly inserted into the muffin slots.
Remember your batter amounts per cupcake slot. For a standard muffin pan, you're going to be using a quarter to a third of a cup of batter, which will come about two thirds of the way up the space for the cupcake.
Preheat your oven to 350 (or whatever temp your recipe calls for before adding the cupcakes. Make sure not to put the pan in the oven while it is preheating. As far as baking times, use whatever recipe guidance is available, but if you are cooking with a regular muffin pan at 350 degrees, you're looking at about seventeen to twenty minutes of cooking.
While the muffins are baking, avoid opening the oven. The movement of air, particularly cooler air, can affect how the cupcakes cook and rise. Only open the oven the minimum amount necessary to test whether your cupcakes are done, starting at the minimum cooking time. To test, you can insert a wooden toothpick (or other testing implement) into the middle of the cupcakes, then take it out. You're looking to make sure there isn't any batter sticking to the toothpick.
When the cupcakes are done, remove the pan and let it cool on a wire rack or whatever cooling surface you have available. You want to let the cupcakes cool inside the muffin pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them with a knife, etc., to let them cool the rest of the way. Once they are cooled completely, you can add your icing.