Making cupcakes is something that you really look forward to. Not only are these tasty treats quite delicious but they’re also a great way to celebrate something special.
Some people bake cupcakes as a way to mark a special occasion such as a birthday. They can also just be good to have after a long work week when you need to enjoy some downtime with your family.
If you’re baking cupcakes and you had something go wrong, then you’re probably going to be a bit frustrated. When your cupcakes explode and you don’t really understand why, you’re going to be left scratching your head.
Why did your they explode like that and what can you do to make sure that it doesn’t happen again? Keep reading to dig into the details of why this sometimes occurs.
1 – Your Oven Is Too Hot
The most common reason why people have cupcakes explode has to do with their ovens being too hot. If you have the temperature set too high, then it’s going to cause them to go through problems during the baking process.
You can sometimes cause the outside of the cupcakes to bake way faster than the inside. When this occurs, the batter inside of them will start rising.
If the batter starts rising when the outside has already formed a skin, then the cupcake is likely going to explode. In all likelihood, that’s going to be the cause of your issue.
Why would your oven be too hot, though? If you set your oven to the right temperature that was noted in the recipe you’re following, then you might be wondering how this could even happen.
Sadly, some ovens have what are known as “hot spots.” What this means is that your oven might get hotter in certain places no matter what temperature you have it set on.
Some ovens are simply not very accurate about temperature settings either. The best way to fix this issue is to simply buy an oven thermometer that you can check.
If you’re going to be doing a lot of baking, then having an oven thermometer will come in handy. You can also check your oven for hot spots by laying out bread in your oven.
Essentially, you’ll be placing a loaf of bread on the oven rack and covering the whole rack. The bread should toast evenly if there are no hot spots, but bread that toasts way faster in some spots than in other spots will help to show you where the hot spots are in your oven.
2 – Leavening Agent Mistakes
The other thing that you need to look out for involves leavening agents. You use leavening agents, such as baking soda or baking powder, when making cupcakes.
If you make a mistake when measuring things out, then that can throw off how the cupcakes will bake. Using too much baking soda could be problematic, but using too little could also cause issues.
When you’re following a cupcake recipe, it’s going to be crucial to pay close attention to the ingredient measurements. You want to take the time to measure things out precisely so that you can get the optimal results.
Even a simple mistake such as not leveling off your measuring cup or spoon could cause you to experience issues. Thankfully, this mistake is easily remedied by just being more careful.
Don’t get distracted and add too much baking soda or baking powder. Do your best to get the ingredients right so that your cupcakes won’t explode.
Also, you should always try to use the specific leavening agent that is requested in the recipe that you’re using. If you need to replace baking soda with baking powder, then you need to understand that the amount of baking powder that you’ll need to use will be different.
Sometimes it isn’t even recommended to replace baking soda with baking powder. Depending on what other ingredients are in the cupcakes, it might not work out properly.
Generally, it’s going to be better to take a trip to the store and buy any ingredients that you’re out of. That would be much less inconvenient than having your cupcakes explode and not being able to enjoy them at all.
3 – Mixing Issues
Mixing issues will sometimes cause things to explode when you’re baking cupcakes. If you weren’t very thorough when you were mixing the batter, then it’s possible that something could go wrong.
For instance, you might have lumpy parts of the batter that will get stuck toward the bottom. This can cause things to go awry when you’re baking the cupcakes.
Sugar, flour, and butter lumps can cause issues with your batter. You need to try to do the best job that you can to thoroughly mix it before baking your cupcakes.
Usually, something like this is only going to happen when you’re distracted or you try to rush through mixing the batter. Try to slow things down and be a bit more meticulous with your mixing next time just to be safe.
Final Thoughts
It should be possible to learn why your cupcakes exploded if you think about how you went about making them. It could have been something as simple as a leavening agent mishap, but other problems can cause them to explode as well.
You always need to be careful when you’re measuring your ingredients. If you make little mistakes, then it can throw everything off and cause various issues with your cupcakes.
Mixing the cupcake batter properly will also be of paramount importance. You have to ensure that the batter doesn’t have any lumpy spots since that could potentially cause the cupcakes to explode while baking.
If you did everything right, then it might be that your oven is to blame. Some ovens don’t do a great job of accurately regulating the internal temperature while baking, and this might mean that your cupcakes will explode due to the oven being too hot.
Buying an oven thermometer can help you to avoid problems like this in the future. If you do your best, then you should be able to avoid this issue moving forward.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.