We’ve learned how to make cupcakes delicious and moist with our Test Kitchen. The owners and expert bakers of Georgetown Cupcake, Washington, D.C., Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, gave us the inside scoop on their beautifully crafted cupcakes. Here are some expert tips to make your cupcakes fluffy, moist and delicious every time.
Cupcake Tip 1: Use the best ingredients
Your taste buds should be in bliss when you bite into a delicious cupcake. The sisters say that if you want to learn the secret to making cupcakes perfect and moist, then spend more on the best ingredients. Make those 3-4 bites count. Exceptional flavor is essential for something so small as a cake. LaMontagne says that Plugra butter and Valrhona chocolate make a big difference to the taste.
Cupcake Tip 2: Never overbake a cupcake
Kallinis says that it is always better to underbake a cake. If you overbake cupcakes, it’s impossible to salvage them. It won’t even be moist inside.” Georgetown Cupcakes’ team of bakers set up two timers so that the cakes would be ready to come out of the oven in time. To get even better results, use an oven thermometer and determine the temperature of your oven. LaMontagne believes that your cupcakes are done correctly if they look a little sunken instead of peaked. If you are unsure, test them with a toothpick.
Cupcake Tip 3 : Use a light hand to mix the batter
LaMontagne says that if there is one thing we have learned as bakers about how to make cupcakes perfect and moist, it is to be gentler. She says that the key to baking fluffy, moist cakes is creating air bubbles within your batter. These expand when baked. If you mix your batter too much, the bubbles will collapse and you’ll end up with a bricklike cake. To avoid this, mix the batter at a slow speed and stop mixing just before all ingredients are blended.
Cupcake Tip 4: Bring all ingredients to room temperature
Kallinis says that all ingredients will incorporate much easier into the batter if they are at similar temperatures. It takes a little more planning to prepare eggs and butter 15 to 20 minutes in advance, but it is worth it for the perfect cupcake. This is one of the easiest baking tricks.
Cupcake Tip 5: Freeze your creations
If you are baking ahead of time, you can ensure that your cupcakes will be perfect for the event by freezing. LaMontagne says that if you are going to consume them immediately, it is best to store cupcakes at room temperatures. If they are for tomorrow, however, freezing will help retain moisture better than leaving them out on the counter overnight.
