Why can't I make cupcakes from scratch?

[happyhomemaker]

I have tried cupcakes from scratch twice now and both times the cupcake didn't turn out. The first time it was a paperweight, but I think I overmixed. The texture was funky. I tried a different recipe yesterday and it was lighter, but they didn't seem to bake well (even though I don't have this problem when I make anything else) and the texture was lumpy. I don't want to resort to box mixes, but am getting very discouraged. I usually don't have any problems making things from scratch. Any suggestions or helpful tips?

[udscoobychick]

I'll give you a bunch of tips that I always hear, but frankly, most of the time, I'm too impatient to follow most of them, and my cupcakes turn out just fine.

• Make sure your baking powder and/or baking soda are fresh--old stuff can cause dense cupcakes.
  
• Soften butter by letting it sit out at room temp for a half hour or so--using the microwave can make it TOO soft.
  
• Beat the butter and sugar together for a solid 5 minutes or so, to get them nice and fluffy--you don't need to worry about overmixing until you've added the flour.
  
• Add eggs one at a time so that the mixture doesn't get lumpy and curdled-looking.
  
• Use room-temperature ingredients.
  
• When measuring out the flour, don't pack it into the measuring cup--spoon it in there lightly, then level it off with a knife.
  
• Sift the dry ingredients together to get rid of lumps and ensure that they're well-mixed.
  
• When mixing the flour into the rest of the ingredients, mix until you don't see any more streaks of flour, then stop--you want it to be mixed enough, but not too much. I usually give it a few folds with a spatula after that to make sure there's no flour stuck sitting unmixed on the bottom of the bowl.
  
• Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temp is accurate.
  
• Use an ice cream scoop (1/4 c.) to portion out the batter into the muffin tin to make sure they're all the same size.
  
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  

And, if all else fails, try a different recipe. Sometimes the problem is the recipe, not the baker!

[happyhomemaker]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think my problem may have to do with the temperature of the ingredients. I will have to take them all out at the same time and not soften the butter in the microwave. I will see if that will make a difference.

[janegold]

A lot of vanilla/white/yellow cupcake recipes have a tendency to turn out with a cornbread-y type texture. Don't worry, it's not just you!

Here is a recipe that I think replicates a box mix pretty well: glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe.html

The cupcakes are very light and fluffy. (I actually prefer a denser cupcake myself, but these are pretty fail-proof. They have ALWAYS turned out well for me.)

FWIW, I think over-baking has a lot to do with poor texture in baked goods.