Making cupcakes/buns/fairy cakes

GAAngster

I call them buns;)

Anyway, I am always making cupcakes/buns for my family but recently they haven't risen properly. They appear flat when I take them out of the oven which is very disheartening, and most of all, leaves question marks over my cooking:(

What is the cause of this? I have been using breakfast eggs(do you know the big ones you get in dunnes?) Perphaps the mixture is too wet?

Also, does anybody have a recipe for FLUFFY, BEAUTIFUL, DELICIOUS cupcakes???:)

Thank you all:)

Oh and is there such a thing as over-creaming butter and sugar?

Acoshla

What's the recipe, how much raising is there in proportion to the rest of the ingredients?

SBWife

I use many of the recipes on the Martha Stewart website. In general I look for a recipe where there is more than one rising agent (baking powder and baking soda) and I find that those which use buttermilk are moister.

Sigma Force

Try a different recipe maybe, some are better than others trick is also not to over mix the mixture so you don't knock the air out. You can always just pipe butter cream over it anyway if it's a bit flat. There's a few tutorials on you tube one where you pipe a little swirl in the center of the cupcake, then start piping from the outside in, and continue piping on top of the bit you pipe first so it looks more raised.
Sometimes filling the paper cases a bit more will help give them a lift.

I use a fairy cake recipe for the choc chip ones and I find it easier to pipe icing on them if they are flat, muffins tend to be more raised than fairy cakes/cupcakes. But there's lots of opinions on what a cupcake is but it is basically a fancy small bun.

I tend to beat the butter and sugar for ages, my recipe says until fluffy but not sure I've managed fluffy but I just beat until smooth and paler.

shinikins

As Sigma Force said, try a different recipe, plenty of recipes on All Recipes, they've never steered me wrong! Also, how much filling are you putting in the cases? This is a handy guide for perfectly risen fairycakes!

Regarding over creaming butter and sugar, yes, it can be done, but you'd really have to be creaming it for ages for it to seperate and turn lumpy. I always use room temperature butter to make my butter cream, much better results than if its straight out of the fridge.

datk

Could be the size of the eggs, got this from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/15/victoria-sandwich-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall

No, I'm following in the path of that quintessentially Victorian figure Mrs Beeton, who laid out the classic recipe for the Victoria sponge in her 1861 Book Of Household Management. In her recipe, the cake is made from equal quantities of eggs, butter, sugar and flour. You simply weigh the eggs in their shells and then measure out the same amount of butter, sugar and flour. So if the eggs just happen to weigh 250g, then you want a 250g block of butter and 250g of everything else. They won't, of course, but you must do what the eggs tell you – that's the fun of it.

Not saying you start weighing eggs but when they say medium eggs it's probably because they usually weight around the same - some of those large eggs are huge and would probably mess up the ratios.

D

cobear

I use this recipe anytime i make cupcakes and it usually works great
-Makes 12
4 oz castor sugar, 4oz self raising flour, 4oz margarine, 2 eggs and some vanilla essence.
Mix all the ingredients together until pale and creamy (that's the real trick for these - a quick beating won't do - they should be a very pale yellow)
Divide into bun cases and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for about 12-15minutes or until golden brown - it depends on your oven!

fitzcoff

The way I was shown by mammy and have followed the pattern since is
4oz Caster Sugar
4oz Butter
2 Egg
6 Self Raising Flour and a dash of Vanilla

Then depending on how many I want just work it up using a ratio 1:1:1/2:1 1/2
ie,

6oz Caster Sugar
6oz Butter
3 Egg
9 Self Raising Flour and a dash of Vanilla
or
8oz Caster Sugar
8oz Butter
4 Egg
12 Self Raising Flour and a dash of Vanilla
4

GAAngster

Ye are all sweetie hearts!!:):):):):):):):):)

Thank you so much!!:)

I will try all of them!