Cupcake recipes and cooking tips | Australia's Best Recipes

A good base

You don’t need a special cupcake recipe to make a great cupcake. Instead, choose your favourite cake recipe and simply adapt it to suit. Like all cake recipes, don’t overbeat the mix to ensure the cupcakes come out light and fluffy. The first time you make them, keep a close eye on them to ensure they don’t overcook and check after about 20 minutes.

Add a lining

Choose to line your cupcake pans with papers, use silicone cupcake liners or grease the pans. You can easily find a range of pretty paper liners to use, which will help the cupcakes maintain a beautiful shape and help with transporting them. If you choose foil liners, remove the paper liner between each one, as these are just to protect the foil. If you opt to forgo the paper liners, use a non-stick spray to lightly grease the tray. Otherwise, opt for silicone cupcake liners, which are dishwasher safe, cut down on waste and release the cupcakes with ease.

Fill them up

The easiest way to fill up your cupcake liners is by using an ice cream scoop. Don’t overfill the liners, instead fill them to 2/3 full to avoid them spilling over the top of the pan, and leaving a gooey mess to clean up.

Into the heat

To ensure a perfectly cooked cake, only cook one tray at a time and place the pan in the middle of a preheated oven. Bake the cupcakes for the minimum time suggested, then use a skewer to test them in the middle to see if they’re done.

Cool it down

When the cupcakes are done, place the tray on a cooling rack and leave in the tray for 10 minutes before removing. Let them finish cooling on the rack before icing.

Patience makes perfect

Don’t try and rush things, especially when the cupcakes are cooling. Make sure they are completely cold before you ice them or the frosting will slide off the top and make a huge mess.

Eat them up

Cupcakes are best eaten either the same day they are made, or within 24 hours. Otherwise, you can freeze your un-iced cupcakes in a well-sealed container for up to three months.