I have made many cakes and no problem there, but I don't like to do cupcakes. It seems they're either too flat or, if they dome, they sort of hang over the edge of the paper like a lip. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm wondering whether you use different recipes for cupcakes than for cakes? I've watched the cupcake shows and seen batter that was as thin as pancake batter and some so thick it was picked up with a scoop like cookie dough. Which is best? I ask because a good friend asked me to make 8 dozen cupcakes for a rehearsal dinner. She said I could pick the flavors, colors, toppers, etc. I want to do a very simple but elegant topper for them. But first, I have to figure out how to make the cupcakes turn out nicely. This is not for pay, it is a favor for a friend. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

ll of my batters are the same for cakes and cupcakes. Some do dome and some don't. Also, even on Convect, the ones at the top dome more than the other shelves, even with the temp adjustment method some use.

Only a few of mine don't do well in cupcake form. These are the ones with beaten whites and the very few with milk/cream. They tend to separate from the sides or shrink.

Some of my tips would be to use quality greaseproof liners and do a test before. You can also give us an idea on flavors and you will get plenty of good recipes to choose from members.

My biggie, but this is also a business for me, is to always use the parchment tulip cups. I use the white and the brown. I get them from The Bakers Kitchen and Charming Creations. I do use the pleated ones for charitu and school events and they do well from these companies too.

Let us know a flavor or two and we can help.

I use basically the same recipes in cake and cupcake form. The only exception is my chocolate and red velvet. I like a super moist cake and I find them a little too moist in cupcake form (can't hold filling well, sometimes runs over the top as you mentioned) so I cut back slightly on the amount of coffee I add.

I also have to be careful not to overfill the liners. Through trial and error, I know which cakes are likely to overflow and use slightly less batter (bonus - get an extra cupcake or two out of the batch!). For most of my batters though, my ice cream scoop is the perfect amount.

Do you have time to do a few test runs?

Filling the right amount can help. An extra teaspoon of batter in a recipe that domes nicely can sometimes lip over the edge. Once you get the recipe you like, a disher-scoop can help with consistent measurement - so you get the same results on each cupcake.