How To Convert A Muffin Mix To A Cake Mix

How to Easily Convert a Cake Recipe into Cupcakes

Longing for red velvet cupcakes and only take a layered cake recipe on hand? Fright not, you don't need a cupcake recipe to make cupcakes. With the help of our Test Kitchen experts, we came upwardly with uncomplicated changes for you to make to turn a cake recipe into a cupcake recipe.

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Cakes and cupcakes are just equally similar equally you might think, making it super easy to convert a favorite cake recipe into a cute batch of private-serving cupcakes. Yous will even gear up your cake batter exactly the same manner. There are only two differences between block and cupcakes: the type of pan you use to broil and the amount of time they spend in the oven. Here you'll learn the whole process on how to bake cupcakes from a block recipe. And then nosotros'll share some of our tips for decorating cupcakes and so your treats will be the star of the dessert table.

iii cupcakes on white tray

How to Convert a Cake Recipe to Cupcakes

A two-layer cake recipe usually makes 24 to 30 cupcakes, while a 1-layer cake will make a smaller batch of 12 to 15 cupcakes. Y'all can besides reverse this idea and bake cakes from cupcake recipes. You don't have to change the oven temperature for cakes or cupcakes (no matter which manner yous convert the recipe, cakes and cupcakes will bake at the same temperature called for in the recipe), but you exercise need to change the baking time depending on which dessert you're making and the pan you use.

Footstep i: Choose a Cake Recipe

When making cupcakes from a cake recipe, cull a butter-fashion cake recipe (a cake that starts with beating together butter and sugar). Some of our favorite recipes for cupcakes come from these cake recipes:

Cherry Velvet Cake
White Cake
Yellow Cake
Chocolate Cake

pouring flour into block mix

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

Stride 2: Make the Cake Concoction

Ane of the fastest means to make cake batter is to outset with a boxed cake mix, just you can also make your block batter from scratch. No thing what cake recipe you convert, you lot'll follow the same basic steps for mixing the concoction. Your recipe might differ, just many call for beating the butter on its own for thirty seconds before adding other ingredients. Add the carbohydrate and so foam the butter and carbohydrate together. Be certain non to overbeat (you'll know you take if the butter starts to separate). Side by side add together the eggs and flavorings, like vanilla extract, and beat them into the butter-sugar mixture. In a separate bowl stir together the dry ingredients (like flour, salt, and baking pulverization). Then alternately add the dry and wet ingredients (like milk) in small increments, beating after each addition.

Exam Kitchen Tip: Allow the butter and eggs to stand up at room temperature before adding them to the batter, as they'll exist easier to mix.

Step 3: Line Your Muffin Pan

Naturally, rather than using a layer cake pan or a round cake pan, you'll demand to bake them in a muffin pan ($eight, Target). In one case you've got the cake recipe you desire to convert and accept your batter prepare made, line the desired number of muffin cups with newspaper blistering cups ($2, Michaels), or grease and lightly flour the cups. If you don't accept plenty muffin cups to bake all the cupcakes at in one case, air-condition the remaining batter while the first batch bakes.

spooning cupcake mix into baking tin

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

Step 4: Make full the Cupcake Liners

Our Exam Kitchen recommends using approximately ¼ cup batter in each liner (or ½ full) to make 2½-inch cupcakes. If desired, earlier baking the whole batch, broil one or 2 cupcakes with slightly unlike amounts of batter in the liners to see which top you like all-time.

Footstep 5: Broil Cupcakes and Absurd

When converting a cake recipe into cupcakes, you'll demand to reduce the cupcake baking fourth dimension by 1-third to one-half. Most cupcake recipes broil well-nigh 15 to 20 minutes, then if you're not sure if your math is right, err on the side of caution and start with the shorter blistering fourth dimension (fifteen minutes). Your cupcakes are done baking when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out make clean with no crumbs on information technology. You can besides try baking just one cupcake as a test to get-go with, which volition help you make up one's mind the right blistering time for the balance of the batch. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan 5 to 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack ($15, Bed Bath & Beyond).

Try Our Scarlet-Almond Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Step vi: It'southward Cupcake Decorating Fourth dimension

Once the cupcakes accept completely cooled, go creative with frosting and decorating. If you lot don't accept a pipe purse set at home, simply fill a plastic storage bag and snip of the tip to pipe frosting. Endeavour using our buttercream frosting recipe (and its many flavor variations!) for a classic cupcake look.