Page 23 - Cupcakes

Sometimes It Just Depends on the Batter …

If you are working with a thinner batter, it is best to underfill the cupcake
cups because the cupcakes will spread as they rise and can make a mess on
the top of the pan. Thicker batters will bake up tall and are less likely to
spread, so you can be more generous when filling the cups. It’s logical that
four-egg batters will rise more than those with fewer eggs. And it makes
sense that batters with a lot of added ingredients will yield more cupcakes
than those batters that have nothing added to the cake mix except eggs,
water, and oil.

HOW MUCH BATTER SHOULD GO IN THE PAN?

Follow the recipe, looking both for how much batter to use and how full the cups
should look before the pan goes into the oven. Use an ice cream scoop—or a
smaller scoop for smaller pans—or a large spoon to scoop or spoon the batter
into the cups. See Do the Cupcake Math (page 10) to better understand cupcake
yields.

LET’S BAKE

Your oven needs to be preheated before baking, and all the recipes will direct
you to do this. Depending on the oven, the preheating process takes from 10 to

20 minutes. Make sure an oven rack is placed in the center position.
Cupcakes bake best at 350°F, which is a moderate and all-purpose temperature
for baking. The exceptions are those recipes in which the batter needs to bake up
quickly to encase a filling, and these recipes call for temperatures of up to 400°F.
Muffins, on the other hand, need the higher heat to rise and set and to form a
crust around the edges. Bake them all at 400°F.

If your oven is wide enough, place two pans side by side, allowing a bit of
space between the pans, and the sides of the pans and the oven. If not, place one
pan on the center rack and the second pan on the rack above. Rotate the pans
midway through the recipe.

Cupcakes and muffins are done when the top springs back when you lightly
press them with a finger. To determine this, open the oven door, carefully reach