Cupcake Top Tips

"Why do my cupcakes come out flat on top or slightly sunken in?" a friend recently asked me. Well I have to admit that I was wrong footed for a moment or two.

Recovering my wits I replied "Well, there are three main reasons why your cupcakes might deflate, over mixed batter, too much baking powder or soda or overfilled cups".

"Over mixing the batter leads to increased gluten production, ending up with a tight, dense final product. It is best to fold the ingredients with a light hand until they come together. Baking powder, when used judiciously, results in small pockets of air evenly distributed through the dough. These pockets are a result of the carbon dioxide producing reaction with acidic ingredients in the dough. If there is too much baking powder the bubbles of carbon dioxide expand too greatly and break, causing collapse. Overfilled cups mean that, when the cupcake rises, it won't have anywhere to go and will level itself out. This is easy to avoid, just fill your cupcake no more than three quarters full, so the batter can rise sufficiently. Now get out, I want to finish my shower in peace"