How to bake the perfect cupcakes

Beverly Hills Bakery, which offers bespoke cupcake delivery in UK, Europe & North America, outlines several tips and tricks to follow in order to bake the perfect cupcakes, no matter what the occasion.

Probably one of the most important points when attempting to bake the perfect cupcakes, is to ensure that you measure your ingredients out precisely, using a kitchen scale, each and every time. 

The budding chefs amongst us might be used to throwing in a dash of this and that to their meals, or using a rough estimate when adding ingredients, but these methods certainly don’t apply when it comes to baking.

Measurements must be completely accurate, otherwise, you could end up with an overly dry batch of cupcakes just because you’ve added too much flour.

The quality of your ingredients is one of the key factors that contribute to how your cupcakes taste. While it might be tempting to purchase a cheap vanilla additive, instead of using a proper (but pricier) vanilla extract, this will only negatively affect the flavour. 

Instead, always seek to purchase the best ingredients you can get your hands on, even if it ends up costing you a little more – your loved ones will thank you for it.

Whenever you are baking a set of cupcakes that you haven’t made before, be sure to follow the recipe word-for-word. Recipe creators and professional bakers spend a significant amount of time perfecting their craft, which means that each step and ingredient is there for a reason. 

Those who try to skip a step, or substitute one ingredient for another, tend to find themselves disappointed with the results. Instead, abide by the book, and once you think you’ve got the hang of it, you can then start experimenting and coming up with your own unique recipes.

Key ingredients, such as eggs, butter and flour, should be kept at room temperature so that all the ingredients can combine effortlessly. If one ingredient is cold, it can create clumps and may also result in a set of dense cupcakes, as opposed to ones which are moist, fluffy and light. 

When finished, refrain from putting your cupcakes in the fridge, even if they aren’t being consumed until tomorrow. The cold temperature will cause the sponge to dry out quickly, resulting in a loss of flavour. Let’s face it, nobody wants to eat a dry cupcake.

There is nothing more disheartening than removing your tray of cupcakes from the oven, only to find that half of them have perfectly risen, and the other half are still quite raw inside. 

The simplest way to ensure an even baking time and a uniform set of matching cupcakes is to use an ice cream scoop, which helps you fill the cupcake liners with the same amount of batter.

Remember, if your cupcakes don’t turn out flawlessly right away, that’s okay. It only takes one small imbalance, such as an over-measurement of an ingredient, or an oven that is too hot, to mess up your batch. 

As with everything in life, practice makes perfect, and the more times you try, the better you’ll become. Even Mary Berry surely has her off-days!