Cupcakes are proof that good things really do come in small packages.  Perfect for every occasion from Birthday Parties to School Bake sales, they can be a finely crafted artistic expression, a playful addition to a party, or just a yummy treat for the family.  The individual portions are blissfully convenient, and simply require a sweet tooth and the willingness to get icing on your fingers.

Whipping up a batch or two sounds like child’s play, but even simple baking requires a little extra care.  We’re not saying cupcakes are the hardest to bake, but are yours as good as they could be?  Here’s our 5 top tips to bake up a batch of perfectly crafted cupcakes.

1. Don’t use cold ingredients or skimp: Cupcakes are meant to be quick, but for best results let your eggs, milk and butter come to room temperature.  The taste of your ingredients count, so spend a little extra on real vanilla and high quality chocolate.
2. Don’t over-mix or over-fill your batter: Mix batter on low speed until the ingredients are just combined so as not to crush the air bubbles that help make cakes light and fluffy.  Be mindful your cupcakes will rise, so don’t over-fill the liners as the batter will spill and make a mess.
3. Pre-heat the oven and don’t peek: If you put cupcakes into a cold oven and expect them to come out fine you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!  Once in the oven don’t peek, leave them to bake for roughly 12 minutes before opening the door and checking them.  Opening the oven door releases heat and interferes with the baking time of the cupcakes.
4. Don’t leave in the tray or frost too soon: Once out of the oven, gently remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan and place on a cooling rack.  If you leave the cupcakes in the hot pan, they’ll continue to cook and dry out.
   It’s hard to resist the urge to eat hot, but if you try to frost them before they’ve had time to cool you’ll end up with melted frosting and an epic cupcake fail.
5. Store cupcakes carefully: Store your cupcakes properly to prolong freshness and prevent from going stale. Frosted and unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days, but if you want to store them longer unfrosted cupcakes can be wrapped in plastic and frozen.

Although there’s nothing better than enjoying the fruits of your hard effort, we can sometimes already feel like a superhero with no time to spare.  If you’d like Gourmet Catering to deliver you perfectly crafted cupcakes just email us!