How to Make Cupcakes

Co-authored by Quynh La

Cupcakes are a delicious and rich dessert, and they're perfect for almost any occasion. Whether you want to host a fun party, celebrate a birthday or another special occasion, or if you just want to enjoy a delicious treat for the fun of it, then cupcakes are the food for you.

Prep time (Classic): 20-25 minutes
Cook time: 17-20 minutes
Total time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients

Classic Cupcakes

1 3/4 flour (not self-rising)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
4 sticks unsalted cubed butter
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk.
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Black and White Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups chocolate milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 19.5-oz. package dark chocolate cake mix
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1.5 7-oz. jars marshmallow cream
1 10-oz. bag dark chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
Half 12-oz. can whipped vanilla frosting

Tiramisu Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 cup milk
1 halved vanilla bean
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly brewed strong coffee
1 oz. marsala wine
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Five-Ingredients Cupcakes

125 g. butter
122 g. sugar
130 g. flour
4 g. baking powder
2 eggs
Icing or frosting, if desired

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Baking Classic Cupcakes

1
Preheat your oven to 325ºF (162ºC).^{[1]
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Research source}
2
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Set the pan aside.

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3
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Combine 1 3/4 cups of cake flour (not self-rising), 1 1/4 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 cups of sugar, and 1 tsp. of baking powder together in a bowl. Mix the ingredients until they're combined, for about 3 minutes.
4
Add 4 sticks of unsalted cubed butter to the mixture. Mix it in until the butter is just coated with flour.
5
Add 4 large eggs to the mixture, one at a time. Add the eggs one by one until each egg is incorporated into the mixture.
6
Add 1 cup of whole milk and 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract to the batter. Mix the ingredients together until they're completely mixed, taking the time to scrape down the bowl so no ingredients are stuck.
7
Fill each baking cup 2/3 full with the batter. This will give the cupcakes enough room to expand.
8
Bake for 17-20 minutes. After 15 minutes, start inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes. Once it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done and should be taken out of the oven. Check back every 2 minutes until they're ready.
9
Make the frosting. You can do this while the cupcakes are cooking. To make the frosting, just cream 2 sticks of softened butter, 3 cups of confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract together. Beat the mixture with a paddle until it's smooth and gradually add the other 3 cups of sugar until it's rich and creamy.
- Test the texture of the frosting on a spoon, if the frosting is holding together in the spoon it means the frosting mixture it's good enough to use.^{[2]
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  Quynh La
  Professional Baker
  Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.}
10
Cool the cupcakes. Cool them for at least 3-5 minutes so they don't melt the frosting.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.}
11
Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting. Use a spoon or paddle to place the frosting generously over the tops of the cupcakes.
12
Serve. Enjoy these tasty cupcakes any time at room temperature.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Baking Black and White Cupcakes

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).^{[4]
X
Expert Source

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Expert Interview. 11 March 2022.}
2
Line 24 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper baking cups.^{[5]
X
Research source} Set them aside.
3
Combine the chocolate milk, oil, eggs, and cake mix in a large bowl. Combine 1 1/3 cups of chocolate milk, 1/2 cup of canola oil, 3 large eggs, and 1 19.5-oz. package of dark chocolate cake mix together in a bowl.
4
Mix the ingredients. Mix them together with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture on medium for 2 more minutes.
5
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Spoon the batter so the cups are 2/3 full, which will give the cupcakes enough room to expand.
6
Bake the cupcakes for 18 - 24 minutes. After 15 minutes, start inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes. Once it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done and should be taken out of the oven. Check back every 2 minutes until they're ready. Then, remove the cupcakes from the tins and leave them to cool on wire racks.
7
Make the marshmallow filling. You can do this while the cupcakes are baking. Microwave 3 tablespoon (44.4 ml). of unsalted butter in a microwave-safe covered bowl. Then, stir in 1 1/2 7-oz. jars of marshmallow cream to the butter. Then, microwave the crème and butter for 1 more minute. Cool this mixture for 2 minutes and then beat it with an electric mixer for at least 1 minute, until it's nice and smooth.
8
Make a 1/2-inch slit in the bottom center of each cupcake. Spoon the marshmallow filling into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the filling into the slits in the cupcake.
9
Combine 2/3 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml). of light corn syrup in a small saucepan. Cook the ingredients over medium heat until they're boiling. Then, pour 1 10-oz. bag of dark chocolate chips into the mixture and stir it until it's completely smooth. Let the mixture cool until it thickens, for 4-5 minutes.
10
Dip the cupcake tops into the chocolate mixture. Smooth out the tops with a knife if necessary. Then, place the cupcakes into another paper liner and let the chocolate harden a bit.
11
Spoon the vanilla frosting into a pastry bag. This bag should have a small round tip. Pipe a line of small loops around the center of each cake -- the loops should all intersect a bit. Then wait a few minutes for the chocolate mixture to set.
12
Serve. Enjoy these tasty treats on their own or with a glass of milk.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Tiramisu Cupcakes

1
Preheat your oven to 325ºF (162ºC).^{[6]
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Research source}
2
Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
3
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift 1 1/4 cups of sifted cake flour (not self-rising), 3/4 tsp. of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. of coarse salt.
4
Halve one vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and save them.
5
Heat 1/4 cup milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat it just until bubbles appear around the edge. Then, remove it from heat.
6
Whisk in 4 tablespoon (59.1 ml). of unsalted butter until it's melted. Then, let the mixture stand for 15 minutes to thicken.
7
Strain the milk mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the vanilla-bean pod.
8
Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Use an electric mixer set on medium to whisk together 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, and 1 cup of granulated sugar.
9
Place the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the ingredients by hand until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Then, remove the bowl from heat.
10
Whisk the mixture with an electric mixer on high heat. Continue to whisk it until the mixture is pale yellow, fluffy, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for a few seconds when the whisk is lifted.
11
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches. First, stir 1/2 cup of the batter into the milk mixture to thicken it, then fold the milk mixture into the rest of the batter until you've just combined all of the ingredients.
12
Fill each cup 2/3 full with the batter. This will give the cupcakes enough room to expand. Distribute the batter evenly among the cups.
13
Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. Rotate the tins halfway through. Continue to cook the cupcakes until the centers are solid -- you can test them by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cupcakes -- and the edges of the cupcakes are light golden brown. Then, transfer the tins to wire racks to cool the cupcakes completely.
14
Make the syrup. To make the syrup, stir together 1/3 cup of very strong coffee, 1 oz. of marsala wine, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let this syrup cool.
15
Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the syrup. Continue to do this until you've used all of the syrup. Let the cupcakes stand to absorb the liquid for 30 minutes.
16
Make the frosting. Set an electric mixer on medium speak and whisk together 1 cup of heavy cream. Whisk together 8 oz. of mascarpone cheese and 1/2 cup of sifted confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth. Then, fold the whipped heavy cream into the cheese mixture until it's blended.
17
Dollop the frosting onto the cupcakes. Refrigerate the cupcakes overnight in airtight containers to settle them.
18
Serve. Dust these tasty treats with cocoa powder and enjoy them at any time.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Five-Ingredients Cupcakes

1
Gather your ingredients.
2
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
3
Put in your butter and sugar. Mix until fluffy and well stuck together. You may want to start with a wooden spoon because butter gets stuck to the hand mixer very easily.
4
Pour in your eggs in small portions and mix every time you pour them in. The batter should get a little more runny than before.
5
Put in the flour mixed with baking powder in small portions and mix. When you're done the batter will get chunky. Don't worry about that, just make it a little more soft by mixing it on a faster speed.
6
Put the prepared batter in small sized cupcake shells and leave it to bake in the pre-heated oven for around 20-25 minutes.
7
Spread icing or frosting over the cupcakes and serve.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Other Kinds of Cupcakes

1
Make chocolate cupcakes. Make these tasty simple chocolate cupcakes with a healthy dose of chocolate chips.
2
Make vanilla cupcakes. Make these yummy vanilla cupcakes with eggs, flour, a few other ingredients, and the frosting of your choice.
3
Make vegan cupcakes. Make these delicious vegan cupcakes if you're a vegan with a sweet tooth. By substituting soy milk for regular milk and making a few other adjustments, you'll have vegan cupcakes in no time.
4
Make Smore cupcakes. If you love the tasty ingredients of Smores, such as chocolate and graham cracker, then you'll love making this cupcake. A rich marshmallow frosting tops it off.
5
Make unicorn cupcakes for a fun children's party. These cupcakes are a lot of fun, filled with a rainbow of colors and topped with a unicorn horn.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I make the perfect cupcake?

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Quynh La is a Professional Baker and the Owner of Sugar Bakery & Cafe in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in baking cakes, cookies, croissants, and bread. Quynh holds an AAS in Culinary Arts from South Seattle College and a second AAS in Specialty Desserts & Bread from Seattle Central College.

Quynh La

Professional Baker

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Make the frosting the right consistency! When you make frosting that is too soft, it won't show the design when you pipe it onto the top of the cupcake.
Question

Can you do a recipe for lemon cupcakes?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer.

Sure, just refer to the wikiHow: How to Make Lemon Cupcakes.
Question

I am just 12 years old. Is this a good age for making cupcakes?

Community Answer

It's perfectly fine for you to make cupcakes with adult supervision.

Troubleshooting Problems: Trying to Fix Your Cupcakes

My cupcakes turned out flat... Be sure you have added the baking powder into the batter, baking powder is a cupcake's agent to rising. Make sure you adding enough batter in the cupcake tins, not enough batter into each hole cause the cupcakes not to fluff up. Also, make sure you don't over-mix the batter. Mixing too much beats out the batter too much and prevents it from rising. Once the ingredients are mixed stop mixing.
My cupcakes are too dry... Next time, check how much flour you add to the mix. The wet ingredients might soak in the flour when you add too much flour, making your cupcakes taste dry. Your cupcakes can also be dry if you don't add enough butter or eggs in the mixture as well. Don't forget to double check your oven temperature as well, baking too long causes cupcakes to dry out since the heat sucks up all the batter ingredients.
My cupcakes turned out greasy... Insure you added the right amount butter, too much causes cupcakes to be greasy. Another tip would be to blend the butter well, butter clumps in your cupcakes turn out to be very greasy and disgusting.
My cupcakes keep falling apart... Remember to have the cupcakes cool before you start slicing up. If it's still falling part, try mixing frosting or icing together with the cupcakes so it can stick like glue. In the future, trying adding more water in the batter. Adding walnuts in the batter can also help the cupcakes hold together.
My cupcakes are raw... You might have taken the cupcakes out too soon. Place the cupcakes back in the oven. Poke a toothpick in one of the cupcakes to check if they are ready. If the edges are browning but the middle is raw, cover the edges with foil. In the future, check to be sure you are preheating your oven correctly, or have the cupcakes bake an extra 5 minutes in the oven. All ovens are different so baking is not always exact.
My cupcakes are burnt...' Be sure you baked your cupcakes for the time prescribed up top. If you did, you might need to check your oven's thermometer accuracy and usage to see if it is right. Another tip: Dark colored pans usually cause cupcakes to brown faster so try using pans that are light in color.
My cupcakes are stuck to the pan... You can still get your cupcakes out thankfully. Run a knife over each cupcake and gently flip over the pan. In the future, make sure you use non-stick greasing spray if you didn't use cupcake wrappers before hand. If you did, you might have not put much. Another good tip: Try using cupcake wrappers when making cupcakes; the paper helps the batter not stick and get stuck to the pan.