If you are anything like me, you sometimes have trouble making the perfect cupcake, right? Fear no more!

There are many mysterious questions in life that plague us…

Do fish sleep?

Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?

What came first: the chicken or the egg?

Why do donuts have holes?

And most important, why do cupcakes sink?

We’ve all been there. Baking for a class treat or birthday party. You picture the perfect round cupcake emerging from the oven, that will then be beautifully frosted and decorated. Everyone smiles and says they’re delicious.

Except, once you snap out of your daydream, you pull your muffin tin from the oven to discover your wonderful cupcakes have caved in and look as though your child made them in their Easy Bake Oven instead.

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Why does this happen??

• Over-beating the batter: By doing so, it can cause too much air to get into the batter. The air then collapses, along with your cupcakes.
• Oven temperature: If your oven temp is too high, this can cause the cake to rise too rapidly. A good idea is to buy an oven thermometer and keep an eye on it.
• Opening the door: In the early stages of baking, opening the door to check on the cakes before the batter has set can cause them to sink. Keep it closed!
• Chemical reaction: Make sure your baking powder and/or soda are not too old. Baking powder typically expires within 3 months after opening. To test it, you can take a small spoonful and put it in a little water. If it’s good, it should fizz up rather quickly, otherwise, it’s time to buy some new baking powder! Baking soda will typically begin to clump up, letting you know it’s time to replace it. You can sometimes get away with still using it by adding a small amount of vinegar to your recipe to help.
• Loco Cocoa: The type of cocoa powder you use in baking chocolate cupcakes is equally important. Dutch or alkalized unsweetened cocoa powder is treated to neutralize its acids. Because of this, it does not react with baking soda, so it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is an acid and should be used in recipes calling for baking soda.

Now that you know the tips, go back in there and conquer those cupcakes!!