If you think you can only have gourmet-quality cupcakes by heading to the bakery and paying gourmet prices, think again. Real people designed those gourmet recipes, and real people bake perfect cupcakes every day. If you’d like to boost your cupcake-baking prowess, read on for a guide on baking cupcakes so good, people will think you’re hiding a pastry chef in your pantry.
Always use the freshest and highest quality ingredients. You can only create amazing cupcakes if you start with amazing, fresh, high quality ingredients.
Use the right flour. For most cupcakes, all-purpose flour will do, but you can also use pastry or cake flour to make your cupcakes light and tender. Whole wheat flour is heavy and grainy and will give you a healthier, but less than desirable cupcake.
Use the exact amounts of the ingredients. Many a would-be chef has botched the execution of a perfectly good recipe by using bad measuring techniques. (Actually, for many people who can’t bake, this is their real problem. They don’t take the time to measure accurately.) Follow the recipe and measure your ingredients correctly. It’s important for the ingredients to come out in proper proportion to one another based on the recipe. Also, don’t forget: When a recipe calls for eggs, it usually means large eggs unless otherwise specified.
Mix the batter correctly. Mix just long enough that the ingredients combine well. Otherwise, you can end up changing the texture of your cupcakes; over-mixing the batter usually makes the cupcakes tough.
Use paper liners in your cupcake tin. This makes removing the cupcakes from the pan easy and prevents the cupcakes from drying out while waiting to be served or eaten.
Watch your baking time and temperature. Use a good, reliable oven thermometer and check that the oven is at the correct temperature before you bake your cupcakes. Also, set your timer to a few minutes less than the recommended baking time Once the timer goes off, check the cupcakes to see if they are ready or actually need the rest of the baking time. This will help you avoid overcooked cupcakes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack.
If you’re going to decorate your cupcakes, make sure they have cooled completely. Warm cupcakes can melt your decorations or icing and give them an amateur look. The sky is the limit when decorating your cupcakes. Multi-colored sprinkles or dressage give a festive look without taking much time. Use your imagination and let your creative juices flow when decorating. You may surprise yourself.
With these tips as your trusty companions in cupcakes baking, your cupcakes are pretty much guaranteed to improve. Practice makes perfect, so make plenty of cupcakes to test these tips out. It will all be because you’re on a quest to bake the perfect cupcake, of course. Cupcakes are really popular these days so knowing how to bake and decorate your delicious cupcakes will give you star status with your friends and family!