Somayya asks: Why do my cupcakes separate from the paper a day later? I have tried paper cups and foil cups and the same thing happens.
Baking S.O.S. says: I’m glad you asked this question. I have been baking cupcakes a lot recently, and I am having the exact same problem!
In my case, I assumed the reason the liners were separating from the cupcakes is that I was spraying the liners with cooking spray before I poured the batter into them. My guess is that the cooking spray was not only preventing the paper liners from sticking to the cupcakes–which is what I intended it to do–but also causing the papers to slip away from the cupcakes completely.
One of the very first lessons I learned in culinary school was the proper way to prepare pans for baking cakes: “Spray, Paper, Spray.” And I still use that method to this day. When making cupcakes, I always spray the paper liners with cooking spray because otherwise, you have the reverse problem, and the papers stick so much that when you try to peel them away from the cupcakes, they take half of the cupcake with them!
When you asked this question, I decided to do a little more research to see if there might be any possible remedies for this problem that other bakers have used. I found the following suggestions helpful:
- Be sure to fill the cupcake pans full enough so that the batter will stick to the top of the paper liner, keeping it adhered. Cupcake pans should be filled 1/2 - 2/3 full. (any fuller than that, and the batter will spill over the top, making a flat, messy cupcake top)
- Turn the cupcakes out of the pans as soon as they are finished baking. If cupcakes are left in the pan too long while cooling, steam will condense between the cupcake and the pan, causing the liner to loosen.
I hope these suggestions will be useful–both to you AND to me! Good luck!
And I forgot to say…
ALWAYS cream the butter and sugar for at least 2 minutes to let them BLEND together and NEVER use Squires dotty cases - they are useless and always peel straight away!
Thanks for all the tips, Lucy! Great suggestions!
Great forum. My son’s 1st birthday is coming up in a week and the plan is to build him a cupcake tower (i.e. cupcakes on a 3-tiered stand). My vanilla cupcakes ALWAYS peel away from their casings. But it’s never really bothered me since they taste so good, and I’m not a professional baker, so presentation is not crucial for me - UNTIL NOW!
So I do appreciate all the comments and tips from fellow cupcake enthusiasts, and I will try the method of making sure that the cupcake batter is piped around the edges of the case/liner rather than spooned at the center.
I was always under the impression that my cupcakes seperated because I cream the butter with sugar until it resembles dense whipped cream. I do this because I like my cake tasting light, like chiffon cake. But maybe too much aeration in the creaming process causes air pressure to build up between the cake and the liner? Just like how moisture builds up if the cupcakes are left in the pan too long to cool down. Hmmm… Or it could be the butter content of the recipe I always use? I really don’t know.
Anyway, it’s a good thing that the party guests are mostly kids who’ll probably be mostly interested in the M&M’s topping the cupcakes.
So true, Elaine! The kids will be more concerned about the taste rather than the presentation, but of course, we parents want it to look nice for the pictures.
If all else fails, remember the suggestions from other readers: place the finished cupcakes inside of a new liner after they have baked. You could use the foil liners sold in grocery stores, or I have even seen special cupcake “wrappers” in specialty cake supply stores.