Hi!!

I have a question about fruit cupcakes from scratch. Every time I make banana, strawberry, or other fruit cupcakes, the texture of the cupcake is more dense than chocolate or red velvet, etc.. instead of more on the airy side. How can I make it like that?? THe flavors are great, but I want to tweak the texture--For instance, the banana is an amazing flavor, but the texture is more muffin/bread like than cupcake. I also tried out the mango cupcake recipe here on CC and same thing--good, but dense. Aside from the banana which is smashed up very finely, I usually puree the fruit and put it in the batter.

PS--for anyone that wants to try the mango flavored cupcake recipe on here, someone that posted on here was right---the mango ones don't have a full flavor, but if you add mango curd filling which I made and then frosted with a vanilla bean buttercream.....it was HEAVEN!

The other thing I notice is that these fruit cupcakes never rise as much as your typical chocolate or red velvet or other recipes.....They don't really dome, and they don't rise that high which I hate. I would love a standard fullness in height. Anyone know how I can achieve that?? Should I just add more baking soda or powder? Or is it something else??

Thanks!
-Tiffany

I made strawberry cupcakes yesterday from scratch and they didn't rise and they had a weird texture. It was more than dense. I don't know kind of doughy. I made a 2 layer 6inch cake with the leftover batter for my friend's son's bday. They said it had good flavor but agreed it was different.

I just made more strawberry cupcakes by adding chopped and pureed frozen strawberries to the WASC. They didn't rise either. I also had to cook them a good 30 mins before the toothpick came out clean. The leftover batter is in the oven. I'll taste it once I pull it out and it has had time to cool. I hope it tastes better than the last since a friend is coming by to pick them up this afternoon.

Post your recipe. It is hard to tell without knowing ingredients and process.

Here is the recipe I used. I'm not sure if my strawberries soaked in sugar for full hour, but I don't think that should have effected the texture. I even sifted the flour which I normally don't do. I'm thinking of trying it again but whipping the egg whites and folding in at the end.

Sincere Strawberry Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 pkg (10-12 ounces) frozen strawberries, defrosted or fresh strawberries (please see specific instructions for below)
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

If you're using fresh strawberries: First, rinse the berries really well and remove the stems. Quarter or rough chop them them into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of water and mix to coat. Then add a tablespoon or two of sugar (enough to coat the surface) and mix to coat again. Cover and refrigerate the berries for several hours or better yet, overnight.

If you're using frozen strawberries: Put the defrosted strawberries into a bowl and cover them with the sugar, mixing well to coat them. Let the strawberries sit on the counter for at least an hour to macerate (best to do this the night before or early in the day).

Once they are soft and mushy, use a fork to mash the strawberries. Be careful not to mash them too much (you want there to be some chucks). Place the berries in a mesh strainer and drain as much of the juice that you can. Reserve the juice.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with baking cups.

In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer for 3 minutes. It should be very pale yellow and and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and mix for 1 full minute on medium-low speed (no cheating! ) - be sure to scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure that everything is mixing together properly. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix again for 30 seconds.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, in 3 batches, starting with the flour. Be sure to mix well after each addition and scrape the bowl down every so often.

Mix in the strawberries on low speed plus 1/4 cup of the strawberry juice. Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake for 21-23 minutes. The surface of the cupcakes should spring back when touched and just a little brown. You can also test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake comes out with just a few pieces of cake clinging to it. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

I'll address the recipe you posted.
Let's assume that besides adding flavor, the strawberries will also add moisture (just like other fruit does). It could be that you are adding more moisture than the support structure (eggs and flour) can handle. The weight of sifted cake flour, 9.625, is not enough to handle 12 ounces of strawberries and 4.25 ounces of milk. But before I make suggestions can you tell me where you got the recipe? Possibly the originator of the recipe got the same results you did and it is not meant to rise. Not every cupcake performs the same.

I got the recipe off a website. The poster had pictures of her batter and cupcakes and mine looked nothing like her. I'm not new to scratch baking so I'm not sure. My hummingbird cake with the bananas and pineapples turns out great. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks,
Angela

The only thing I can add is that fruit and not the essence or puree of fruit will add bulk to a recipe and it will make it denser. While it worked for the poster (I found the site that showed the photos) it may not necessarily work for you for a whole slew of reasons. She filled the cup about half way and they barely rose to the top of the cupcake. She used foil wrappers, this could contribute to the heat factor which will make the cupcakes bake differently.

My guess is that because it was less batter than 2/3 full, the recipe could have baked higher. I often see that in my cupcake testing. I will bake all the batter even it means the last one is less than the desired amount. Sometimes I get better results with the less filled last cupcake than I do with the whole bunch.

Without weighing your cupcakes you have no idea if you added the same amount the blog poster did. My advice is to try and add less and see what results you get.

Thanks Linda. I'm going to try the recipe again. I'm determined to get it right .

I tried the Martha Stewart banana recipe & the mango one from this website. Strawberry not sure-I tried twice- once I did the Martha Stewart one there too and didn't rise too much, dense & not strong strawberries flavor-banana was thE only one with strong flavor but very dense & muffin like. I'm looking for that airy cupcake moist texture

I joined this forum because I am hving so many problems with adding fruit to my cupcakes. I have tried using cakes from scratch, from box mix. I have tried cooking them longer and still problems. They look wonderful when they first come out of the oven, and then as they cool. They sink and shrink. I am at my wits end with this problem. Does adding extra flour, or baking soda, or powder, or eggs help. Please I am desperate, I need help!