Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Every chocolate cupcake recipe I try fails! Why are they so temperamental? I don’t have uses with vanilla cupcakes or lemon, just chocolate. I’m running a class tomorrow and need 30 lovely choc cupcakes and even my most ‘reliable’ recipe has let me down, and the cases are peeling or they have sunk in the middle – they normally work pretty well, I just don’t understand why not tonight. Does anyone have any tried and tested recipes they can recommend? Feeling desperate!! (Can’t believe how stressed I can get about a failed bake!)

They should say issues, not uses!

Hello Annie

I don’t bake cupcakes very often, when I do, I usually bake either Marks & Spencer or Hummingbird bakery recipe.
However have a look at this one http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/food/recipes/easy-chocolate-cupcakes

It looks like a straightforward sturdy no frills recipe. I wouldn’t double of triple it, just bake as is, they take 15 – 20 mins to bake so it won’t take long to whip up the amount you need.
I’m not sure why you’re having fails, all I can think of is that it may be your oven temp could be a little out. If you have an oven thermometer check that the internal oven temp tallies with the external dial.
I’m sorry I can’t be more help, wishing you luck, hope it goes well.

Thank you madeitwithlove

Hummingbird is one that failed last night unfortunately. Too light I think.
I think I might have (after 4 hours sleep to calm down!) worked out the problem. The cases I am using are new. They worked brilliantly for my trusty vanilla cupcake recipe. Last night, for every recipe I tried in them, they almost seem too ‘strong’ for the cake sponge, if you see what I mean. The best choc cupcake recipe I use is the Nigella christmas cupcake one, but minus the mixed spice – it has melted dark choc, coffee, sour cream, dark brown sugar…..it’s a lovely cake and generally works ok but I still don’t feel I have found the ‘ultimate’ chocolate cupcake recipe yet. These cupcakes last night either made the cases peel, or the cakes ended up oval shaped and slightly sunken in the middle – all signs (I think) of a case pulling outwards too much on the sponge. Anyway, I put the best ones in a cardboard cupcake box overnight and they seem to have firmed up a little and look less vulnerable of collapse. So I’ve made another batch in the hope that they will be ok for the class today.

I just wondered if anyone out there had an absolutely fail-safe choc cupcake recipe for me to try. I will give the Good Housekeeping one a shot definitely. I feel I have tried many that are out there. I have been making them for years and run a cake business, so I know what I’m looking for in a case and the type of mixture I like etc. It would be great to hear of anyone else’s go-to recipe that never fails!

Many thanks x

I’m glad you have some to be going on with! I admire your patience. Have a good class today.