How to make cupcakes moist

Usually, you can mask the dryness of a cupcake with more frosting than you would normally put onto the cupcake, or by using a frosting that has a more liquid texture to it, as this will counteract the dry cake aspect of the cupcake.

“Baking fluffy, moist cupcakes is all about creating air bubbles in your batter that expand in the oven,” she says. “If you over-mix your batter, you collapse those bubbles and end up with a brick-like cake.” To avoid this, always mix on a low speed, stopping just as all ingredients blend.

Why it happens:

Too much of a dry ingredient (like flour or cocoa) leads to dry cupcakes. Over baking can also create dry cakes because the moisture in the cupcakes bakes out.

You‘re overbaking them

If you over-bake a cupcake, there’s no way to save it. And it won’t be moist on the inside.” While the temperature of the oven should still be whatever the original recipe calls for, the baking time will change. You‘ll bake the cupcakes one-third to one-half less time than you would the cake.

Congratulations: your cupcakes cooked evenly throughout! Cakes (including cupcakes) typically get a dome when the outside edge of the cakes cook faster than the middle, leaving the middle more time to rise while cooking.

But really what’s happening is that the overmixing of flour activates the gluten. Gluten is a protein that gives baked goods firm and elastic structure, but overdoing it can mean a chewy pastry, and that’s no good. Use the lowest speed possible for mixers or hand mix when adding flour to the batter.

Reason #2 Your Cupcakes Are Sinking In The Middle: You over-mixed your batter. When mixing your batter, you are incorporating air into it. If you over-mix, you incorporate too much air. And when those cupcakes bake, that air will escape creating that sunken effect.

When baking cupcakes, especially in large amounts, make sure to keep your cupcakes all the same size to ensure they bake evenly in the oven. That way, they look much more professional. Try using an ice cream scoop to fill your cupcake liners approximately 2/3 of the way full with batter.

Place your cupcakes into a preheated 400 degree F oven, no matter what temperature the recipe calls for. Most cupcake recipes suggest 350-375 degrees F, which results in a flat top. When you increase the temperature, the edges of the cupcakes will solidify first, allowing the center to rise, creating a domed top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Check for doneness at 30 min. by putting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with only a few drums attached, it is done.

If cakes are peaking during baking it is usually because the oven temperature is a bit too high. The outside edges of the cakes bake quickly, forcing the centre upwards and into a peak. As ovens vary you may find that you need to turn your oven down a little more, especially if it is a fan oven with a strong fan.

Cupcake Baking Temperature: Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees F. Be sure to read the recipe for exact instructions as the batter density may vary. If you are baking in a pan with a dark or non-stick surface, you should lower the recommended recipe temperature by 25°F to avoid over-browning.

Stick a toothpick into a cupcake. If it comes out dry, the cupcake is done. If it is still wet, return the cupcake tin to the oven for another five minutes and test again. The second way to tell is simply to touch a cupcake and see if it springs back.

BAKE IN THE CENTER OF YOUR OVEN.

When you‘re ready to bake, set cupcake pans on the center of a rack set in the very middle of your oven. This will ensure good airflow and help even out heat distribution, preventing overcooking on any one side of the cupcake.

For this test I took the exact control recipe but baked it in a 325°F oven for 22 minutes. I peeked through the oven window to watch these cupcakes as they baked and they domed up surprisingly high during baking but proceeded to collapse slightly during the last minutes of baking and during cooling.