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!
I have an addendum to make to this answer. Even after trying the suggestions I made here, I am STILL having problems with the paper liners separating from the cupcakes a day later. So I decided to test a few other techniques to see if I could find a solution once and for all!
This is what I did: I baked the cupcakes without any cooking spray on the papers. I baked 2 trays of cupcakes from the same cake batter. I used both decorated cupcake liners (as for a child’s birthday party) and plain white cupcake liners. On one tray, I used no cooking spray at all—just dry paper liners. On the other tray, I sprayed the pan lightly before I placed the paper liners in the pan.
Here is what I found:
1) When the cupcakes were still fairly fresh out of the oven, it was very difficult to remove the paper liners from the cupcakes because the papers stuck to the cupcakes when there was no spray on the papers. The cupcakes crumbled to pieces when trying to remove the papers—what a mess! However, the next day, the papers were still neatly attached to the cupcakes, but they were much easier to remove from the cupcakes without any mess at all. Apparently, the cupcakes have to sit for quite a while before you can peel the papers off neatly.
2) The plain white paper liners adhered better to the cupcakes than the decorated liners. The decorated papers still had a tendency to pull away from the sides of the cupcakes, though not nearly as badly when they were dry as opposed to when they were sprayed with cooking spray. My guess is that the decorated papers are a little bit “waxier” than the plain paper liners, and the slightly greasy texture of the decorated papers makes them pull away from the cupcakes.
3) I filled the cupcake pans only ½ full, and that seemed to be exactly the right amount so that the cupcakes baked just up to the top of the pans without spilling over. There was no difference in the way the cupcakes baked between the pan I spray first and the pan that was not sprayed at all. On both pans, the paper liners stayed attached to the cupcakes. The only reason to spray the cupcake pan first would be to make it easier to remove the cupcakes from the pans IF the batter spilled over the top. Filling the cupcake pans with less batter eliminated that problem.
So in summary, I achieved the BEST results when I did not spray the cupcake pans or liners with any cooking spray, I used plain, undecorated cupcake liners, and I filled the cupcake pans half full with batter. It also helps to remove the cupcakes from the pans shortly after removing them from the oven. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Also, the paper liners will peel away from the cupcakes easier when allowed to sit for a long while. Do not attempt to eat the cupcakes right away or they will crumble.
Well I never spray my paper cases and they always separate a day later 🙁 Can any one else help?
Thanks for your comment, Paula. I consulted my “Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor” cookbook by Anne Byrn which includes an entire chapter titled “Cupcakes 101.” This chapter addresses everything you need to know to bake cupcakes successfully, from pans to liners to mixing, baking, storing and transporting cupcakes. The one thing the book does NOT address is our question: How do you prevent cupcake liners from separating from the cupcakes a day later?
I am beginning to wonder if this issue is the “elephant in the room,” so to speak? Meaning: this is a common problem we all experience, but no one has a solution, so we just don’t talk about it. I’m going to put the question out to the baking community on twitter and see if I get any other suggestions that we haven’t yet tried.
Thanks to Ava of Sugar Inc. Cupcakes and Tea Salon in Dublin, OH for responding to my twitter call for help! Ava says: “Due to the slight waxiness of decorative liners, they will stick less (to the cupcakes) than plain paper ones. The plain paper liners absorb & stick better (to the cupcakes).”
I found this to be the case, too, in my own experiment (described above). So I’m glad to hear that a professional cupcake baker has the same experience as me. Perhaps the answer is as simple as using plain paper liners! (and NO spray!)
I have been baking cupcakes for quite sometime now and today was the first time I have ever had the cupcake liner separate from the cupcake!
I do recall rinsing out the cupcake pan and I dried it before I used it.
I am thinking maybe it truely was not dried all the way and the moisture during baking was just enough to cause the paper liner to separate.
I will pay attention to that when I make cupcakes later this week and let you know if my idea has any marit.
Otherwise … I have No Clue, what I did different either !
Hi – I am new to baking and have the same problem. My cupcakes stick to the paper, when you un-peel them they paper takes half the cupcake. It is almost as if the cupcake is to light?
Another issue I appear to have is the sponge is really light but the top of the cupcake is slightly hard. Is there a reason for this?
I would be grateful for any tips.
Karen
I’m having the same problem with the paper liners coming off. Has anyone experimented with different types of liners i.e. parchment, dry waxed, plain paper glassine? I’ve tried all the other things, like taking them out of the pans immediately etc. I have noticed it seems to be worse the more moist the cake is. This probably means moisture condensation, but who wants a dry cupcake?
I agree with you, Kay: Who wants a dry cupcake? I have found that the paper liners will stay adhered to the cupcakes for a couple of days IF they are dry (not sprayed) when the cake batter is poured in. I think the key to success is to eat all the cupcakes within a day or two so that the papers don’t have time to separate from the cupcakes!
Hi Karen- I have found that if you allow the cupcakes to cool completely before removing the papers, then this is not as much of a problem. The cupcake will stay (mostly) in-tact. However, if I try to eat a cupcake when it is still warm (which is so very tempting!), that is when the paper takes half the cupcake with it.
As for the top of the cupcake having a different texture than the bottom, this is normal with most baked goods. Because the top of the cupcake is exposed to the direct heat of the oven, it will form a smooth “crust”, if you will, on the exposed surfaces. Frosting the cupcake will help seal in the moisture of the cake and seal out any air which can dry out the cupcake.
[…] Baking S.O.S. says: I have had this problem many times myself. In fact, I addressed this question in an earlier blog post . […]
I don’t know if this helps, but I do remember watching a chef on tv a couple of years back saying that if you add a little extra water (a tablespoon or so), this will help stop the cupcake from separating from the liner. I did try this solution but can’t remember if it helped; Ihaven’t made them for some time as I have been so frustrated by this problem in the past. Am about to bake some for my daughter for her birthday and thought I’d check whether anybody else had any ideas. I will try adding a little extra water and see if it helps.
Thanks for the tip, Heather! I have never come across this idea in any of the research I have done. Did you add water into the cake batter? You’ll have to let us know how it turned out for you. Thanks!
Does anyone know if metal pans vs silicone pans makes a difference??? Oddly the store bought cupcakes never peel away so there must be some secret they’re not telling us 🙂
I have not baked with silicone muffin/cupcake pans myself, but in talking to friends & family who have, the consensus seems to be that the silicone pans are very difficult to clean–in fact, they don’t come fully clean, but are always left with some sticky residue. Also, if you use the silicone pans, you should place them on a metal sheet pan for support because they are too flimsy on their own.
Frankly, it sounds like a lot of trouble for little (if any?) gain. I think I’ll stick with the tried and true metal pans!
PLEASE HELP! I´VE READ ALLL OF YOUR COMMENTS
today im gonna see my boyfriend and i wanted to make him brownies. ive always made him. Its just that today i wanted to put valentine-decorated-cupcake papers. and i am wondering what should i do? please, i dont know what to do with the cupcake liners. PLEASE!!
thank you.
Hi Maria- I have baked brownies in mini-muffin pans with paper liners, and they turn out just fine this way. I think you can use Valentine-decorated paper liners without any worries. I would suggest that you do NOT spray the liners with any cooking spray. Just put the brownie batter into the dry paper liners (inside of mini muffin tins), and they should turn out just fine.
Good luck! and Happy Valentine’s Day 🙂
I’ve been baking cupcakes for the last two months and have noticed that the liners only come off the cupcakes when using oil instead of butter. I never spray the muffinpans nor the liners as there is enough grease inside the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool for at least 15 minutes before peeling off a liner, that way your cake won’t crumble.
That’s interesting, Ingrid–I never paid attention to the difference between cupcakes made with oil vs. butter. I’ll pay attention next time I bake cupcakes. Thanks for the tip!
Hi
My issue with cupcakes is that I hate the way they look after they cool (out of the metal pan). The liner shrinks around the cupcake and looks awful. The store bought cupcakes never look like this. I do not spray before baking. Any ideas?
So Ingrid, are you saying that we should make the cupcakes with butter instead of oil? What if the cake mix is from a box instead of scratch? How do I do a proper measurement conversion from working with oil to working with butter?
Hi Mary, the shrinkage IS a problem, isn’t it? I can’t really explain why store-bought cupcakes don’t have that problem, but my guess is that store-bought cupcakes probably contain preservatives and artificial ingredients that made-from-scratch cupcakes do not, and perhaps that is why they do not shrink as much.
Whenever I bake cupcakes and cakes from scratch at home, the cakes ALWAYS shrink a little after removing them from the hot oven. That is simply the nature of baked goods: they rise high in the hot oven, and shrink a little once cooled. Perhaps it is the shrinking of the cupcakes themselves that causes the paper liners to shrink away from them once cooled.
I have found that if you remove the cupcakes from the metal pans almost immediately after removing them from the oven, the papers tend to stay on the cupcakes better than if you let them cool in the metal pans. If the cupcakes cool in the metal pans, steam is created between the pan and the papers, and that moisture tends to make the papers peel away faster.
If all else fails, I have seen bakers place the finished cupcakes inside another paper liner (with the original paper liner still attached) just to make it look prettier for presentation purposes. I hope that helps!
Hi Kek- I can answer your question. Butter measures the same (by volume and by weight) regardless of what form it is in: cold & solid, softened to room temperature, or melted. So, if you would like to replace the oil in a recipe with butter, it is an even exchange. For example: If the recipe calls for 1/2 Cup of oil, simply substitute 1/2 Cup of butter. (or 4 ounces)
The NEXT question becomes: What form should the butter be in when substituting butter for oil? Here is where it helps to explain a little bit about mixing methods.
Regardless of the recipe (cookies, cakes, muffins, etc.), the mixing methods fall into just a few basic categories. The CREAMING METHOD is used when a recipe calls for room temperature butter. When using the creaming method, the procedure is to beat the butter & sugar together on medium speed for 8-10 minutes to incorporate air, which helps the product rise and creates a tender, fluffy texture. (often used with cookies)
When a recipe calls for liquid fat (such as oil or melted butter), the mixing method used is called the MUFFIN METHOD (often used for muffins, as the name implies). In this method, ingredients are usually mixed just until well combined. Less air is incorporated, and the finished product is usually more dense.
So. . . if the cake recipe (regardless of whether is is made from scratch or a box mix) calls for oil and you would like to substitute butter, I would recommend melting the butter so you have a liquid fat. Use the muffin method, where ingredients are mixed very little, just until combined.
I hope that answers your question!
Ive been having this problem with cupcake liners for some time now and will try the suggestions offered. HoweverI have never sprayed the papers yet still they separate. The batch I baked today had the same problem which prompted me to search google, and I ended up here. I think the immediate removal from the pan plus filling the papers exactly right should help and will try this method next time I bake cupcakes. Thanks Chef RB!
Good luck, Rachel! I hope these techniques will help. I know I have tested MANY different options to solve this problem, so I hope some of them will work for you 🙂
I also have the same problem with cupcakes cases peeling off resulting in me googling this problem. Baked a batch of chocolate cup cakes recently and every single one came off the wrappers. They were all 1/2 to 3/4 filled up. The chocolate recipe I used required adding water and milk…not sure if this is part the problem causing the cakes to shrink and peel off due to moisture and steam. (although cake taste very good and moist). I’ve baked plenty vanilla cupcakes in the past (creaming method) and never have problems.. Anyone else experience that with when making chocolate cup cakes. Thanks
I’m having the same problem. I’ve never had the problem with vanilla cupcakes but I’ve just baked my second batch of 36 chocolate cakes and only 4 are fine. Mine are all 1/2 to 3/4 full, I’ve never sprayed them but they keep separating. I only need 23 for a childs birthday party tomorrow. I would really like to know why this happens.
My frustration with cupcake cases peeling off the cupcakes brought me to this site. And this is only a recent development. I’ve baked a lot of cupcakes with no problems to speak of, maybe one or two cases separating out of two dozen cupcakes. Just in the last few weeks that seems to be reversed and one or two stick, the rest peel away. I never spray the liners, I always use butter and I always fill the exact same way. I looked at my cupcakes with their separated liners yesterday and thought of filling them a bit more the next time, maybe the batter will grab onto the edge of the liners and stick. It’s worrying because I have a client who wants cupcakes for her wedding. Will try a few different things and hope one works.
Hi Tracy- It sounds like you have tried all the tips without success, unfotunately.
If your cupcakes baked nicely (with the exception of the papers separating from them), you could perhaps simply set the cupcakes inside of fresh paper liners to look pretty. I have seen this done when all else fails! :).
The only other thing I have noticed is that decorated liners are waxier, so they separate easier. Plain, dry paper liners tend to adhere better.
Hi Judy- Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Please let us know if any of the new techniques you try work out for you.
It’s always frustrating when recipes and techniques that have always worked suddenly STOP working. It’s so hard to understand WHY!
If all else fails, you might try placing the cupcakes inside of new liners (after they are baked) just for presentation purposes for the wedding.
Good luck!
have found myself on here as just baked some rasberry swirl cupcakes and all the liners have come away…. they are for my dads 60th birthday tomorrow….ARGH! so have glued them with edible glue and put a elastic plating band round each one – luckily have a new bag left from my horse, all clean dont worry! Shall get up early in case I have to make a whole new batch if this doesnt work! Thanks for all the help and tips would have been quicker for me to just stick to my usual celebration cakes!! dont do cupcakes that often for this very reason. My dad is diabetic so I thought cupcakes would mean he could just have one and not be left with half a cake to eat!
Good luck, Chloe! I hope the edible glue works so you don’t have to bake any more cupcakes!!
I agree with you: Sometimes is it just better to bake a cake than cupcakes when presentation is important. The paper liner problem always seems to cause more frustration than it’s worth.
I actually used to sell cupcakes on the side, and find this to be one of the most frustrating problems in the world. It never happens with my chocolate recipe (which uses oil), but always plagues my vanilla cake recipe (all butter). I have tried all kinds of experiments, and can only offer a few suggestions that work *most* of the time.
First, I buy the special double liners that have a standard paper liner covered by a foil one (I get them at Food Lion, but I am sure they are at other stores too). They are meant to be self-supporting so you don’t have to use a cupcake pan (I don’t recommend that, FYI.) Even if the paper pulls away a little, the foil is strong enough to hold it in place. A second option is the Wilton brand paper liners, which seem to be less waxy than some of the store brands.
Second, I put the batter into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and snip one corner off to make a small dispensing hole. I carefully fill each liner, then move the pan back and forth on the counter in quick motions to try to get maximum contact between the liner and the batter. Be sure not to smack it down, so not to lose any airiness.
Third, for the recipes I use, I don’t fill the liners any more than half full. At half full, the cupcakes rise just to the top of the paper, without going over and getting all messy and flat.
Forth, I have had the best luck if I allow the cupcakes to cool for 5-7 minutes in the pan before *gently* removing them to a wire rack. Do not store them or ice them until completely cool.
Good luck, fellow bakers! Also, if you would like the vanilla cake recipe that I have perfected over the past year, feel free to check out my blog at http://haveyourcakeandreadittoo.blogspot.com/ That particular recipe is under the “Confessions of a Panster” post from May 2010.
Cheers,
Erin
Hi all
As a recently separated parent, i now find myself doing a great deal of baking for my two kids bag lunches. I have always like to bake but now it is a necessity. miffins are my kids favorite lunch snack. I made some muffins but they stuck to the pape lining even after a few hours of cooling. Peeling them from the paper produced a big mess. It almost seems like the base of the muffin was over cooked (not burned though) which may have contributed to the sticking. My question is, when using paper liners in a metal tin pan, should i use a non stick spray or not? If I do, should i spray the paper liner after i drop it in the plan or spray the pan and place the liner on the sprayed pan? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but as a new single parent, I find I am on a big Learning curver when it comes to baking and cooking meals for my kids and myself alone. There should be a book dedicated to new single dads teaching us how to cope in the kitchen..
Signed
Lost in the Yukon
Hey Mr. Yukon, I think you have a very good idea for a cookbook dedicated to new single parents, dads especially. It’s very hard to juggle ALL the responsibilities of parenthood by yourself, and it’s especially hard to find time to cook and bake when you are busy working and taking care of the kids and the house. Kudos to you for taking time to bake your kids’ favorite foods for their school lunches!!! That’s impressive! And I’m sure your children appreciate it very much 🙂 [speaking as a parent who packs lunches every day and NEVER bakes anything to put IN them!!]
In answer to your question: Muffins react differently than cupcakes when baked. I’m not certain if it is because the sugar content in muffins is higher or if the batter is more dense than cake batter. . . but when baking muffins, you MUST spray the pans to keep the papers from sticking to the muffins.
When I went to cooking school, I was taught that the proper procedure for preparing the pans is “Spray, paper, spray”–meaning your spray the pan with non-stick spray, put a paper liner in, and spray it again.
However, when working in professional kitchens, we usually just put the paper liners in the metal pans and sprayed afterwards–just one time.
I think either procedure is fine–both work equally well. And there is no such thing as a “stupid” question. We can ALL learn from each other’s questions and experiences. So keep the questions coming, and keep up the good work!
Thank you SO much for these excellent tips, Erin!! I have tried so many different techniques myself, but I keep thinking that there must be some secret tip that the commercial bakeries aren’t sharing with us!
Your ideas are new techniques I haven’t tried yet, and I can’t wait to put them into action on my next batch of cupcakes. I hope all of the readers here at Baking S.O.S. can benefit from your experience. Thanks!!
[…] have come up with several different tips and tricks which help minimize this problem. In my original post, I gave several of my own tips that work for […]
Thanks for the quick answer. I learned something new here today.
Its funny you mentioned the book idea. I actually spent an hour or more looking in the cook books area of our local book store but saddly I did not find a book that helps single dads. I am not new to cooking and baking, in fact I find it a great deal of fun. The big issues for me now is learning the basics of baking and the enormous task of learning to cook portions suitable to myself and my kids.
Learning the basics of packaging and and freezing foods for weekly meals is a task I must master as I am a professional who now finds life as busy at home as it is at work.
Thanks for the support.
Lost in the Yukon
I never spray the cupcake liners, use only butter, use plain white cupcake liners, and they still separate. I have resorted to just removing the liners altogether once they’ve separated, and presenting the cupcakes without them. I was, however, wondering if the new “non-stick” muffin pans have something to do with the problem, as a don’t remember this happening with my old pans.
Hi Janet- I think you may be right about the new non-stick cupcake pans.
I recently baked a batch of mini-cupcakes in plain metal pans (without the non-stick coating), and the cupcake papers/liners stayed attached to the cupcakes just fine, even after a couple of days. So that may be part of the problem right there: the non-stick coating on the pans must have some effect on the paper liners that makes them come apart from the cupcakes. Thanks for your input!
If that is the problem, then the question is, can you still buy the older regulars pans, or are they only making the non-stick these days?
Good question, Janet. I have had my plain metal pans for quite a while, but I’m pretty certain you can still buy them. I have both mini-cupcake pans and regular-sized pans, and I bought all of them at a regular grocery store (Kroger, I believe). I think the pans are relatively inexpensive. My mini-cupcake pans are Mirro brand, and I believe the regular-sized pans are Wearever brand. I hope that helps!
Thanks. I actually ordered a few on line, and I will test out this theory this week. I’ll let you know if it works.
I have had the same problem as Tracy, who posted on May 28th! My vanilla cupcakes come out perfect and don’t peel away from the liners, but my chocolate ones do… very strange! The recipe is almost exactly the same, minus a bit of flour and bakind powder to account for the cocoa. Is anyone finding that the problem is occuring more with chocolate cupcakes than vanilla?
My daughter and I regularly bake cupcakes. We have never had a major problem with cases peeling away, but yesterday we made 3 batches with our usual recipe and experienced this problem. One vanilla batch, using Wittons decorated cases, are all fine, but batches of vanilla and chocolate baked in Culpitt cases (heavy duty paper and greaseproofed) have all disastrous. The papercases look like they have completely collapsed, with the chocolate ones being the worst! This was the first time we have used Culpitt paper cases, so this is an obvious cause, plus we think these batches may have stayed in the tins slightly longer than usual.
Thanks for your input, Nicole. I am wondering if the difference in papers separating more from chocolate cupcakes than vanilla cupcakes has something to do with the liquid content of the batter?
Several readers have commented that they notice this problem more with recipes that call for oil rather than butter, but I didn’t connect the difference in ingredients to chocolate vs. vanilla recipes right away. In making several batches of chocolate AND vanilla cupcakes recently, I realized that my chocolate recipe calls for oil, while my vanilla recipes call for butter (or shortening). Perhaps the liquid vs. solid fat has an effect on the batter, but I think it also has to do with the overall liquid content of the recipes.
Chocolate cake batters tend to be a little more liquid overall than vanilla cakes, which tend to use a little thicker batter. My own chocolate cake recipe actually calls for water as part of the liquid ingredients, as do many chocolate cake recipes. Also, I think the chocolate cakes tend to have a higher quantity of sugar, which also contributes to the liquid content of the batters (once it heats in the oven and melts).
So, with the combination of liquid oil, water, and additional sugar in chocolate cake batters (vs. vanilla), I believe there must be a connection between the overall liquid content of the cake batter affecting how the papers pull away from the cupcakes once baked. My guess is that the additional moisture content of the chocolate cakes makes it easier for the papers to separate and slip away. And if that is the case, I wonder if we can ever solve this problem completely! The best we can do is try all the techniques everyone has suggested to minimize the problem.
Thanks for sharing your observations, Debbie. It sounds like we definitely need to avoid grease-proofed cupcake liners!
hi guys i have been baking for 15 years and for some reson only come across this problem of the cases peeling away at home. at the bakery we bake the cupcakes on a mon morning and thay last 5 days befor we bin them and thay are always fine. i think it is a combination of moisture in the air and fan asisted ovens drying the cake out a little to mutch try keeping your kitchen well air ed and moisture free and gas non fan ovens with the heat directily under the cakes is allso best. but even with all this i still nhave accasional probs at home but never at work with same recepi good luck!!!
I am having a similar problem I have 75 cupcakes to bake for a wedding and the recipe (butter pound) falls and shrinks every time. I’ve tried bakin on lower temps 335, higher temps (365) and 350 degrees. All have ben disastrous. Although I must say when I did my chocolate and red velvet (both of which call for oil) I had success. It’s the one that has butter that is giving me the problems! ARGHHHHH!!!! I have tried everything more milk, less milk etc. I can say though that on 365 they did not fall in the center, but they did shrink a great deal….this is horrible I need HELP..PLEASE…..My next step is to mix cake mix with my home made batter to see if there’s a difference but I am afraid of how it might taste!….
Hi Mrs. Green- It sounds like you are having more trouble with the cupcakes sinking in the center rather than the cupcake papers separating from the liners.
Let me suggest that you do a quick read of these helpful tips from allrecipes.com: Butter Cakes and Pound Cakes. Perhaps a combination of shortening mixed with butter may help. One thing that is important to remember when creaming room temperature butter for a cake is that you need to beat it on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. I know it sounds long, but it will incorporate much more air into the batter, which in turn helps your cake rise more.
If you are also experiencing problems with the cupcake liners separating, I would recommend following the advice of another reader, Erin Kelly of haveyourcakeandreadittoo.blogspot.com, who suggested baking cupcakes in foil liners outside of the paper liners. Erin also says, when all else fails, try these beautiful cupcake wrappers, which would make a pretty presentation for your wedding cupcakes.
Hello All,
I’m glad I came across this forum – it’s been very interesting reading!
I too having been a professional cupcake baker since January 2010 suffer from peeling cases.
Chocolate is always the worst for me – I use butter always and the recipe calls for lots of liquid – this DOES seem to be the major problem.
However, even baking a simple vanilla recipe can produce peeling cases and that too uses butter but hardly any liquid – No pattern here!
Leaving the cases in the baking tin (standard – not non stick) always means the cases peel for me. This being the case I ALWAYS take them out within 30 seconds or disaster strikes.
Certain cases are definitely worse than others and I only ever use plain white cases now for minimal disasters. Black glassine is also pretty good.
Always fill your cases enough to allow the mixture to adhere to the cases. Also, not placing all your micture in the centre of the case helps – move it around the edges as little. 1/2 – 3/4 full always!
I recently did some training with a baker and told them of my problem. They insisted that the baking temp was probably slightly too low and to turn up a little. ALSO…they coat ALL of their cupcakes with an apricot glaze to act as a glue and stop the cases from being able to peel away. This is always very helpful if you need to display them for some time. This has helped me but makes them a little sticky.
I still have nightmares about everything peeling overnight but have learnt that placing cupcake wrappers around cakes that have peeled helps if I really cannot re-bake them. This can be costly though as they are certainly not cheap!
I hope I have listed a few things here that others have not thought or heard of before.
And…just to let you know…I visited a VERY established cupcake shop today and spotted peeling cases!! They haven’t all got the knack it would appear : )
Good luck!