How time flies. Half of the year has passed and before we know it, everyone will be doing his or her Christmas shopping.  Before we welcome the ‘ber’ months, let us learn from more basic questions sent by our readers.  We are featuring questions on cupcakes and muffins.  Read on.

Q: What is the reason why my cupcakes spread out and result in a flat cake, instead of forming a nice dome on top?  (Lyn Carpio of Quezon City)

Adoree:  Hi, Lyn.  I think the culprit is the oven temperature.  Get yourself an oven thermometer to ensure the accuracy of your oven.  If the oven temperature is quite low, like 300 to 325 F, your cupcakes will just spread out instead of puffing up and coming up with a dome top.  Also, fill you molds two-thirds to three-fourths only so the batter does not overflow and turn flat on top.

Jun Jun:  Make sure that the recipe you are using has been tested well and you have the correct measurements.  The flattening of you cupcakes may be due to this.  Did you also make your cupcake batter rest a long time? The air incorporated might have been lost while it was waiting.  This could be another reason.  Try your best to get recipes from reputable cookbooks as well as from classes where you saw the baked item being made. 

Q:  Hi, Jun Jun and Adoree.  Why is it that my banana muffin came out soggy with big holes.  It did not rise as much after baking.  What could have possibly gone wrong?  (Janice Wenceslao of Pasig City)

Adoree:  If your banana muffin uses a simple mixing method, meaning the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients were just stirred together, you solely rely on the chemical leavener in your recipe to leaven the item.  The proper oven temperature will also help in the rising; you should set your oven to 375 to 400 F.  The sogginess could also be attributed to the amount of liquid in the recipe since too much of it will really make your muffin soggy so, check your recipe also.  Good luck!

Jun Jun: I hope that you also put the required amount of banana in the recipe. Don’t put more than what is written in the recipe.  You might have less than the amount of flour in your recipe, and that will cause it to be soggy.  Again, don’t make your muffin batter wait that long before baking. Make sure you have preheated the oven before you commence the preparation of ingredients. 

Q:  I would like to ask why my vanilla cupcake’s bottom was sucked in after baking?  Also, do I fill my cupcakes up to the rim to create nice cupcakes that are full after baking?  Thank you in advance.  (Asia Cipriano of Mandaluying City)

Adoree:  Asia, just fill your cupcakes two-thirds to three-fourths full.  With regards to the sucked up bottom, I think you have to make sure to fill the cup properly, avoiding air space in it.  When filling the molds, pack the batter into the mold firmly but gently.

Jun Jun:  That’s right, Asia, don’t fill your cupcakes to the top part of your muffin. The amount of your baking powder and baking soda is also one reason why it goes up to the brim.  Improper mixing may cause the sucking up of your cupcake bottom so make sure to mix fully but don’t over mix. 

Q:   I know that most baked products should be transferred to a cooling rack at once to cool completely.  Does this apply to muffins as well?  What do I have to do if I do not use any paper cups?  How do I treat the molds?  (Florence Jimenez of Makati City)

Adoree:  Muffins can be left to cool on the pan for five to 10 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack to cool completely.  The reason for this is because the cupcakes are too fragile to be transferred the moment you take them out from the oven.  Let them ‘harden’ a little as they cool down before transferring them, for better handling.

Jun Jun:  If you don’t have muffin liners, put shortening on your pan and dust it with flour.  I usually cool my cupcakes in the pan so that I don’t get to mess up how they look.  However, I put the whole pan in a cooling rack so it cools faster than normal and no condensation occurs between the muffin or cupcake and its container.