What makes a cupcake a cupcake?

[CKatCook]

I have been experimenting with cupcakes lately and using just a cake recipe (various ones, not any one in particular), baked in cupcake pan. But they always turn out a little dry for some reason. So I am wondering this, formula wise, how is a cupcake different than a cake? Can the baker's percentage apply like in bread? (so I can do the math on several recipes and then see if the fat content is higher, which is my first guess...) Is it the foil paper cups I use, I used white paper last time and the same thing happened. A bit on the dry side.

thanks!

[Chris Hennes]

How are you determining the cooking time? For me the biggest difference between a cake and a cupcake is just a change to the time and temp.

[Lisa Shock]

If you are weighing your ingredients, they should scale up or down just fine. Old recipes used to give warnings about cake size to offset some of the errors inherent with volume measurements.

I use RLB's chocolate cake (the american style one) from the Cake Bible as cupcakes all the time.

[maggiethecat]

How are you determining the cooking time? For me the biggest difference between a cake and a cupcake is just a change to the time and temp.

Bingo!

[Stephanie Brim]

If the recipe I'm using for cupcakes was meant to be made as a regular cake, I watch them instead of looking at the clock. Watching the clock instead of the cupcakes tends to have disastrous consequences.

My favorite test for whether they're done is the finger poke: poke gently with a clean finger - when done, they'll be nice and springy, but still have a slightly moist squish to them.

[CKatCook]

I always watch the cupcake, bake @ 375. Take them out when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Should they be left slightly under cooked? The recipes I use are the ones listed in the King Arthur Baking Companion.

Now I hunted down some of the cupcake shop "sprinkles" recipes, they have a lot more fat I noticed....Just an observation..

[emmalish]

My understanding is that once the toothpick comes out clean, it's overcooked. The toothpick should come out with crumbs on it, but not wet batter. Does that make sense?

[Stephanie Brim]

I poke. It isn't that I don't trust the toothpick test, but I can tell better if I just poke the things. That way I get an actual feel. Since I started doing so, my cupcakes are always perfectly cooked.

[Lisa Shock]

I think your temperature is too high. Most cakes recipes call for 350°. Do you have a thermometer in your oven to confirm the temp?

Also, you have to remember that there's still some carryover cooking going on even after they leave the oven. They will be firm to the touch after they are overcooked and beyond.