15 Tips For Perfect Cupcakes

Baking your own cupcakes at home doesn’t have to be tricky. All you need is to follow some tips so you can learn how to bake perfect cupcakes. Learn some cupcakes 101 with these 15 tips for perfect cupcakes.

Be sure to read the rest of the cupcake 101 baking series posts:

Cupcakes 101: 6 Reasons Why Your Cupcakes Are Sinking In The Middle

Over the years on this blog, it’s the cupcake recipes that are the most popular. You guys seem to love your cupcakes. And I’m so glad, because I do too. When I worked at a bakery, my job was to whip up batches of perfect cupcakes every day. Basically heaven. Since then, I still love when I get an opportunity to bake cupcakes for someone’s special day like a wedding or a shower. And isn’t that what we bake cupcakes for? All those special events! So I wanted to help you to be able to learn how to bake perfect cupcakes for all those special events in your life by giving you my 15 tips for perfect cupcakes.

Forget calling the bakery. And move away from the boxed cake mixes at the grocery store. It’s time to learn how to bake perfect cupcakes.

So I put together a list of 15 tips for perfect cupcakes.

15 Cupcake Tips

1. Prepare your pans ahead of time

Be sure to prepare your pans with cupcake liners before you begin making your batter. Your leavening agents go to work right away which means if your batter is sitting around while you prepare your pans you are losing some of that precious carbon dioxide which could result in flat cupcakes. my favorite cupcake liners are these greaseproof cupcake liners. 

These are the cupcake pans I own and love as well.

2. Pre-heat your oven.

After you prepare your pan, the next thing you need to do is pre-heat that oven! You want your oven hot and ready to go when you are done making your batter so your cupcakes can bake immediately and properly. Your leavening agents- baking powder and baking soda- react to heat- so if not properly heated your cupcakes could bake unevenly.

For more oven 101 then give this post a read.

3. Use The Best Possible Ingredients

Invest in quality ingredients when baking your cupcakes like good quality butter. Cheap butter actually contains more water and air, so that means less flavor. My preferred brand of butter is Cabot, and I always make sure to use unsalted butter. Unsalted butter means you can control the amount of salt you add to your cupcakes.

I also make sure to buy and only use pure vanilla extract. My favorite vanilla extract is Nielssen-Massey, but if that’s not available to you. McCormick pure vanilla extract is a fantastic grocery store brand. Just remember, quality fresh ingredients means a quality cupcake in the end.

4. Use Room Temperature Ingredients

Be sure your butter, eggs, and other ingredients like your cream cheese, yogurt, and/or milk are at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are easily incorporated with each other and are able to trap air. That air when inside your oven, expands helping to create a light and fluffy cupcake.

To soften your butter, you want to bring it to room temperature by letting it sit on your counter for about an hour.  Here are 3 ways to soften your butter quickly if you forget to take it out ahead of time.

To bring your eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. This is one my baking secrets that will help you save time. You can download the rest of my time-saving baking secrets below 🙂