Tips for Baking Cupcakes

Tips for Baking Cupcakes

Theres something so whimsical about homemade cupcakesthe fluffy cake, the beautiful frosting, the delicious taste. Although picking out cupcakes from a bakery is always a treat, making homemade cupcakes is festive, fun and creatively invigorating. Thats why weve put together 8 tips for making the best cupcakes, combined with an assortment of our favorite recipes, to ensure that you get moist and tender homemade cupcakes that taste great every time. Keep reading to say farewell to dry and boring homemade cupcakes once and for all!

8 Tips for the Best Cupcakes

From spring-handled scoops to room temperature ingredients, heres how to make the best homemade cupcakes.

# 1 Use a Spring-Handled Scoop to Fill Cupcake Liners

It might be tempting to eyeball the cupcake liners when you fill your batter. But save yourself the stress (and the mess) by opting for a spring-handled scoop instead. Not only is dealing with cupcake liners easier this way, but it makes all your cupcakes the same size and gives them a uniform look

# 2 Start with the Best Ingredients

The best cupcakes come from the best ingredients. Use a premium-quality flour like Bobs Red Mill Super Fine Unbleached Cake Flour or Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Opt for whole milk or a dairy free milk, fresh organic eggs, high quality butter and pure sugar (like Fine Cane Sugar). From there, incorporate whatever additions youd likeshaved chocolate, fresh berries or colorful sprinkles.

# 3 Dont Overmix the Batter

It can be tempting once you get on a roll, but its important not to overmix your batter. Mixing too much can actually crush some of the air bubbles in the batter, which means its harder for the batter to expand (resulting in flatter cupcakes with cracks).

# 4 Bake in the Center of the Oven

Its a simple trick that often goes overlooked, but make sure to bake your cupcakes in the center of the oven (and the center rack of the oven) to evenly distribute the heat to both the top and bottom. This will allow the air to circulate properly and allow your cupcakes to cook evenly.

# 5 Frost the Entire Cupcake

Sometimes, the look of a simple dollop of frosting straight in the center of a baked cupcake can look so whimsical and pretty. If youre eating the cupcakes right away, this poses no problem. However, if youre making your mini cakes for a birthday or a gathering (where they may need to sit for a bit longer) make sure you frost the entire surface of the cupcake. Frosting helps the cake retain moisture, so your cupcakes wont dry out if they need to be on display for a while before guests dive in.

# 6 Use Room Temperature Ingredients

This is probably a tip youve heard time and time again. Bringing your eggs, butter and milk to room temperature before beginning your baking bonanza really does make a difference. It allows all the ingredients to combine smoothly and ensures that your cupcake isnt too dense. Perhaps the most important of all when it comes to room temp ingredients is the batter. A good rule of thumb is to take the butter out the day before baking and set it on the counter so it gets nice and soft.

# 7 Follow the Recipe

This tip is a bit harder for the creative bakers out there: follow the recipe (unless youre a prothen do your thing). Altering recipes by way of reducing sugar, taking out eggs or trying to use baking soda instead of baking powder can result in disappointing results. We like to suggest following a tried and true cupcake recipe the first time through. If you love it, great! Use the second or third time around to get wildly experimental.

# 8 Use an Oven Thermometer

Have you noticed that different ovens set at the same temperatures cook differently? Its frustrating, we know! But its likely that your oven is a bit off, which can result in cupcakes that dont quite have the texture you were envisioning. Luckily, an inexpensive oven thermometer can solve all your problems. Just place it in the oven so you know the correct temperature and voila! Cupcake perfection.

10 Recipes for Beautiful Homemade Cupcakes

We all have our favorite or best cupcake recipe we gravitate toward time and time again. At Bobs Red Mill, were fools for the perfectly crafted homemade cupcake. Here are some of the best.

Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

If youre looking for a simple staple cupcake recipe, try this one for Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes. It incorporates our Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour with raw sugar, unsalted butter, egg, vanilla extract, milk and more. The frosting is a simple mix of room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of sea salt and the best part: blood orange juice (or cream or milk).

Champagne Cupcakes

Is a celebration in order? If so, then look no further than these festive and fun Champagne Cupcakes. Made with our Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour and rose champagne in both the batter and the frosting, these light and fluffy cupcakes are a perfectly delightful way to celebrate any occasion.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla

If its a classic cupcake youre in the mood for, these Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla are rich, decadent and amazing to eat. As the recipe headnote states, pair them with a chocolate stout or a cup of cold milk and youre in for a real treat.

Carrot Cupcakes

These Carrot Cupcakes are especially fun at Easter, but theyre incredible any time of year. The addition of grated carrots and crushed pineapple makes them moist and wonderful for an afternoon pick-me-up or an after-dinner dessert with guests. Plus, we love the addition of Organic Coconut Sugar and Whole Wheat Pastry Flour in the batter.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Frosting

These Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Frosting are made with room temp butter, lightly packed brown sugar, egg, buttermilk, molasses, baking powder, salt and our Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. The addition of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice and vanilla pudding mix makes them moist, flavor-filled and reminiscent of the holidays.

Matcha Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting

Tips for Baking Cupcakes_Bobs Red Mill These Matcha Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting are the perfect go-to for St. Patricks Day--or for the birthday of someone who loves all things green. To give them their signature look, make sure to measure the flour into your measuring cup by spooning flour from the bag into the cup (and then leveling the flour with the back of a knife or other straight edge). The recipe calls for our Super Fine Cake Flour in the cupcakes and Irish cream liqueur in the frosting as an added bonus.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

These Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes are not too sweet and are topped with a super light frosting made with mascarpone and cream cheese, whipping cream, lemon curd and powdered sugar. Our favorite part is the optional blueberry sauce, made with just blueberries and granulated sugar, which is cooled and then added to the cream cheese frosting.

Pink Lemonade Flamingo Cupcakes

These Pink Lemonade Flamingo Cupcakes are beautiful and taste great, made for everything from birthdays, to pool parties, to cook-outs. The batter is made with Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, softened butter, sugar, eggs at room temperature, lemon extract, salt, and milk. The lemon frosting adds an extra touch of tartness and the pink flamingos quite literally take the cake (or rather, the cupcake).

Raspberry Orange Cupcakes

These Raspberry Orange Cupcakes have a filling of homemade raspberry cream and topped with orange buttercream frosting. If youre looking for all the flavors of spring in one amazing recipe, look no further. Pair these with a mug of raspberry tea and eat them outdoors in good company and sunshine.

Peppermint Cupcakes

Cupcakes often take the backseat to cookies and breads in the cooler winter months and during the holidays. Luckily, these Peppermint Cupcakes are a game changer. The batter includes coconut oil, which makes for a fantastic texture, and the frosting is topped with crushed candy canes and silver sprinkles for an extra festive flair. Feeling ready to take the plunge, put on that baking mitt and dive into creating the very best homemade cupcakes ever? Use these 8 tips and 10 recipes as your guide and get creative! Have any favorite homemade cupcake recipes or tips for baking the best cupcakes? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below! Were always on the lookout for flavor-filled, artistically inspired baked goods.
Bob's Red Mill
September 21 2018

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