From the Bakery

A Guide to Perfect Cupcakes

How to make perfect cupcakes every time!

At Lola’s we want every cupcake we bake to be absolutely perfect, every time, no exceptions. But, in order to create cupcakes that are always up to scratch, we’ve had to test and test and test our recipe again and again and again. Along the way, we’ve learned some tips and tricks and we wanted to share them with you, so you’ll never make a bad batch!

In this blog, we troubleshoot some of the most common things that go wrong when you bake cupcakes at home, and the easy fixes that’ll make sure they never happen again.

So, without further ado - here we go!

Problem 1 - Your cupcakes are often different sizes and uneven.

Without painstakingly measuring exactly how many grams of batter you’re putting into each cupcake liner, it’s often difficult to make sure you’re cupcakes are all going to be the same size. However, if you use a small ice cream scoop you can easily make sure you’ve got exactly the same amount of batter in each case. We always recommend filling up your liners to about two thirds full, so work out how many full scoops go in one liner - then repeat!

Problem 2 - You never really know if your cupcakes are baked.

There are two ways to test if your cupcakes are baked all the way through. Firstly you can test with a skewer, or even a toothpick. Stick it in the middle of the cupcake and pull it out. If it comes out clean then the cakes are baked. If you can still see batter, then they need to go back in the oven for a few more minutes.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a skewer or toothpick knocking about, then you can use the bounceback test. Prod one of the cupcakes with your (clean!) finger. If it returns to its original shape then congratulations they’re baked! If you leave a dent in your cupcake then they need to be baked for longer.

Problem 3 - Your cupcake cases keep peeling off your cupcakes.

This is because you’re cupcakes are releasing too much moisture as they cool. The best way to avoid this is to take your cupcakes out of the cupcake tin about 10 minutes after they’ve come out of the oven, and put them on a wire rack to make sure that the air can circulate freely all around them.

Problem 4 - Your cupcake mixture is lumpy and you have to mix it for ages until it combines smoothly.

One of the most important things to remember when you’re baking is to make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start. This is especially important for eggs, and butter. This will make sure that your mixture combines smoothly and you won’t have big lumps of butter in your cupcakes that someone might bite into!

Problem 5 - Your cupcakes are unevenly baked.

Fun fact! Most ovens are hottest in the back left corner. Weird right? The best way to make sure your cupcakes are baked evenly is to cook one batch at a time and place them in the centre of the oven. If you’re still finding that your cupcakes are being baked unevenly, then turn them around half way through the bake to ensure they’re getting the same heat treatment the whole way round.

Problem 6 - Your cupcakes always come out with pointy tops instead of flat ones

A pointy cupcake points to one thing - too much leavening agent. This will be the fault of your bicarbonate of soda or baking powder. Try adding less next time you make a batch of cupcakes. If the recipe you are following calls for self raising flour, then try baking them at a temperature 10ºC lower than the recipe recommends. This should stop your cakes from rising too much in the oven.

Problem 7 - You’re cupcakes are fine… but you’re icing skills always let them down.

This is a problem we’ve all faced time and time again. Not all of us can be blessed with the steady hand that’s needed for expert piping. But we have a way to decorate gorgeous looking cupcakes that requires no skill at all! Grab some buttercream, and a butter knife and spread the icing all over the top of the cupcake. It doesn’t matter if it looks messy! Then fill a shallow bowl with sprinkles or nuts and dip your cupcakes into the bowl so that the icing is completely covered. Beautiful cupcakes every time!

Problem 8 - You’ve added chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts to your batter but they sank to the bottom.

This could be a result of an over mixed batter. Batter that has been mixed too much becomes too thin to hold the weight of the additions.

However, if you haven’t over mixed it then there’s a simple hack to combat the falling fruit! Coat your additions in self raising flour before you add them to your mix. Just a light dusting will do the trick, because you don’t want to have huge lumps of flour in your mixture. This thin layer of flour provides some friction during the bake and helps your additions to stay buoyant!

Still struggling to get perfect cupcakes every time? We have a solution - just buy them from us! Our gorgeous cupcakes can be found in all our stores and online! Plus we have over 30 flavours to choose from. Check out our range of cupcakes here.