8 Best Baking Tips & Tricks | Cupcake Baking

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Learn eight baking tips and tricks from professional cake decorator Amanda Oakleaf in this Howcast video.
Hi, my name is Amanda Oakleaf. I am owner, head baker, decorator of Amanda Oakleaf cakes in Winford, Massachusetts, where we do cupcakes, custom cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes, anything you can think of, we can make it into a cake. And today, I will be talking to you about baking cupcakes. There’s also a few tips to keep in mind while the cupcakes are in and after they come out of the oven. First of all, you want to have your oven preheated. Usually, it’s 350, sometimes 325. Make sure the oven’s preheated before the cupcakes go in, that way they can start baking evenly right away. You don’t want to fit too many pans in the oven, usually just center with lots of space around it. If you have to put two pans in the oven, make sure you give them a couple inches of space between each other, that way the air and the heat can circulate. You don’t want to overbake the cupcakes, so make sure you set the time for about 12 to 15 minutes. They’re done when you insert a toothpick into the middle of the cupcake and it comes out either clean or with a few small crumbs. You don’t want it to come out with gooey batter on it. If it’s gooey, it’s still raw, so put it back in the oven for another three, maybe five minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean. Once the cupcakes are done, you want to let them cool completely. I like to leave them in the cupcake pans. That way, they hold their shape nice while they’re cooling. Plus, when they’re right out of the oven, they’re too hot to touch and they’re too soft, it’ll just break apart if you try to take them out. So let them cool in the pans. Once they’re cool completely, cool to the touch, then you can start butter creaming them. If you butter cream them too soon, they’re just going to be too hot, and it might melt your frosting. And then, if you’re not going to frost them right away, just keep them in an airtight container for up to three days.