I am a professional pastry chef and I have made literally thousands of cupcakes. All of that baking has given me lots of insight into how to bake the perfect cupcakes. If you want to bake like a pro, learn every one of these 17 cupcake-baking tips. You will instantly be a better baker after reading this!
1. Don't Alter the Recipe
Go to the recipe: Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes
Baking is a science and needs precision. There isn't really a grand baking secret to moist cupcakes; you just need to follow reliable recipes exactly. Cupcake recipes are put together in a specific way, with specific ingredients and instructions to achieve optimal results (i.e., deliciously moist cupcakes).
If you tweak the recipe and make swaps with butter substitutes or egg substitutes without thinking it through, there will be consequences. Check out my Baking 101 guides to learn more about this topic.
2. Weigh the Ingredients
Go to the recipe: Nutella Cupcakes
Baking is a science and requires precision. Using a system where you measure by volume, like the US cup system, is not precise enough. What's more, cup volume is not standardized worldwide! We always recommend weighing ingredients by gram using a digital scale for the best moist cupcakes.
3. Use High-Quality Fat
Go to the recipe: Cinnamon Cupcakes
The quality of your ingredients matters. And as we know, fat is a tenderizer that keeps cupcakes moist. So if a recipe calls for milk, use whole milk. Buy better quality butter. Use good quality cream or sour cream with high fat content. This will improve both the taste and texture of your cupcakes.
4. Use In-date Ingredients
Go to the recipe: Apple Pie Cupcakes
Did you know that baking powder and baking soda (which, incidentally, are not the same thing, nor are they interchangeable) have an expiration date? Use ingredients within their shelf life to keep cupcakes moist.
5. Don't Over Mix the Batter
Go to the recipe: Tiramisu Cupcakes
Once the wet ingredients hit the dry ingredients, gluten will start to form in the batter. And if you overmix cupcake batter, it can become hard and dry. Mixing with an electric hand whisk or even by hand with a rubber spatula can help, as it is much easier to overmix using a stand mixer or KitchenAid.
I know it's tempting to simply pour everything into a stand mixer, but it isn't always the best way to keep cupcakes moist.
6. Use the Secret Ingredient
Go to the recipe: Biscoff Cupcakes
We share this cupcake baking tip with my readers all the time, so it isn't really a secret anymore! Seriously though, not everyone knows this expert tip, and it will really help you keep cupcakes moist when baking.
What you have to do is mix ½ teaspoon of white vinegar with ½ teaspoon of baking soda and then quickly fold it into the cupcake batter before baking. Your cupcakes will be super airy and much lighter than ever before.
7. Don't Overfill
Go to the recipe: Pink Cupcakes
Fill liners to ⅔ full and no more so that they bake evenly and the top doesn't spill over and dry out. It can help to use a cookie scoop to fill cupcake liners to ensure even distribution of the batter.
8. Bake at the Right Temperature for the Right Time
Go to the recipe: Strawberry-Filled Cupcakes
Bake cupcakes in a preheated oven for the specified time until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Use a digital oven thermometer and a timer, and then cool cupcakes completely on a cooling rack to avoid them sitting on a hot tray which can continue to dry them out with residual heat.
9. Decorate Cupcakes
Go to the recipe: Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes
Fillings, frostings, and syrups are all some of the best ways to keep cupcakes moist. And they add flavor and look pretty, too! It's a win-win. A tasty filling like this caramel filling for cupcakes will certainly do the job of keeping cupcakes moist.
10. Store Cupcakes Correctly
Go to the recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
Do not store cupcakes on a plate in the open air; they will definitely dry out. To keep cupcakes moist, store them in an airtight container.
Depending on whether or not you use a frosting, cupcakes may need to be stored in the fridge where cold circulating air will dry them out even faster, so this is very important. For more information, read our full guide on how to store and freeze cupcakes.
11. Prep Your Pan First
Go to the recipe: 4th of July Cupcakes
After you turn on your oven to preheat, get your pan ready with cupcake liners and baking spray. You want the pan to be completely ready when your cupcake batter is done so you can scoop and bake right away.
The chemical leaveners in the batter start working right away so you want the batter to start baking as soon as possible to make the cupcakes light and fluffy.
12. Use Cupcake Liners
Go to the recipe: Strawberry Cupcakes
Baking cupcakes right in the tin is a mess waiting to happen. Cupcakes need to be baked in paper liners or they will stick to the pan and make a huge mess.
Make sure you use high-quality liners that won't rip or tear. Your cupcakes will not only look better in good liners, but they will also be easier to eat. That little piece of paper is the perfect cupcake holder inside and outside of the pan!
13. Pick The Perfect Frosting
While cupcake frosting is typically mix and match, some frostings just don't go well with certain cupcakes. You don't want a super dense cupcake paired with an equally intense frosting or your cupcake will just be overly indulgent. You also don't want to put a crazy rich frosting on a light and airy cupcake or it just won't match.
Take your recipe suggestions and use a frosting that matches your cake both in flavor and in texture.
14. Under Bake Just a Little
You want your cupcake to be soft and fluffy all the way through. When the edges start to brown, the center may still be a tiny bit wet. But, if you keep the cupcakes in for too much longer, the edges will get crispy and bad.
It is okay if the very center is still slightly soft when you remove your cupcakes from the oven. They will continue to set and "bake" for a few minutes after you remove the pan from the oven. That carryover cooking will keep the cupcake fluffy and not overbaked. Under is better than over!
15. Use a Good Frosting
Go to the recipe: Peanut Butter Frosting
You may have baked the most perfect cupcakes ever, but if you top them with a bad, store-bought frosting, they may be completely ruined!
Homemade frosting is not hard to make and will help make your cupcakes truly incredible. Try my strawberry cream cheese frosting or a rich Nutella frosting. Make sure you pipe the frosting on with a piping bag so it looks nice and neat as if a professional made it!
16. Use a Toothpick
If you are wondering if your cupcakes are baked, you can check using a toothpick. Stick a small toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out of the cupcake covered in batter, the mini cakes are not baked. If the toothpick comes out cleanly, they are fully baked.
Do not use a larger pairing knife to check the cupcakes as you would do with a cake. The mini cakes are too small for that! A toothpick will do.
17. Use Room Temperature Eggs
Have you ever added cold eggs to your creamed butter and sugar and watched as they caused the batter to break? Cold eggs will not blend into your creamed butter and sugar at all. This will ultimately ruin your cupcake batter and the texture of your baked cupcakes. Room-temperature eggs will blend right in, giving your batter a smooth consistency. Room-temperature eggs are essential!
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Here are the best potluck desserts that will make you the most popular guest at a party! When friends and family come together to share a meal, it's always nice to contribute. I've gathered together all the best potluck dessert recipes to please a crowd for every occasion.
Go to the recipes: Potluck Desserts
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These are the best ricotta desserts to make with this deliciously soft and creamy Italian cheese. My list of ricotta dessert recipes has delicious cakes, cookies, and more; you'll be spoilt for choice.
Go to the recipes: Ricotta Desserts
This article was originally published as How to Make Cupcakes Moist at Spatula Desserts.
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