We have all had our share of cupcake disasters. The batter looks amazing, but when you take them out of the oven the only thing to be found is a sunken, goey mess of a fail. I’m here to go through some problems, find out why it happened, and give you guys some solutions!

Problem #1: My cake didn’t rise!

Cause: Your leavening agent did not work, probably because it is expired.

Solution: Buy new baking powder/baking soda. To test and see if your baking powder/soda is still good, drop a tsp of it into warm water. If it does not react (bubble/sizzle), it has gone bad.

Problem #2: My cake came out lopsided! What?

Cause: Uneven heating or flour not fully incorporated.

Solution: A lot of ovens run hotter or cooler than the indicated temperature. I keep an oven thermometer on the center rack in my oven, that way I have a more accurate reading. Also, make sure your batter is mixed together completely. When the flour isn’t dispersed evenly it can cause issues.

Problem #3: My cake looks beautiful, but the bottom of it is burned!

Cause: Baking pan too thin or dark, or poor placement of pan in the oven.

Solution: Use good quality bakeware. Some darker pans can have this issue, in this case decreasing the oven temperature can help. Make sure you check the oven during baking .

Problem #4: The tops of my cupcakes are burning before the rest of the cake is cooked!

Cause: The oven is probably too hot.

Solution: Keep an oven thermometer on the shelf your baking on in your oven to make sure it is the accurate temperature. Try reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Problem #5: The fruit in my batter sinks to the bottom!

Cause: The fruit was not dusted with flour 

Solution: Dusting the fruit with flour before adding into the batter helps prevent it from sinking into the batter.

Problem #6 : My cupcakes are overflowing out of the cupcake pan!

Cause: Too much batter in the pan or there is too much leavening agent.

Solution: Most recipes say fill the pan about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Never fill it up to the top! It needs room to grow, like a little plant 🙂 . If you made sure the pan was only filled about 2/3 – 3/4 full, then there might be too much baking powder/baking soda in the batter.

I hope this helps you guys with some of your baking mishaps for the future! Feel free to share your tips and advice on baking in the comments below 🙂

Madeline