Everytime I've made a cupcake that calls for butter as the main "fat" they turn out denser than I'd like and aren't nearly as moist as the recipes I've used that are oil based. When I make oil based cupcakes they stay moist for days just like ones from a boxed mix, but ones made with butter don't. Does anyone have any tips on keeping butter based cupcakes light, fluffy and moist? Would the butter based recipes still turn out if I substituted half, or all of the butter with oil? If anyway has a butter based recipe that stays light, fluffy and moist would you mind sharing it?

Thanks!

Sounds to me like you aren't creaming the butter and sugar long enough. Undercreaming will result in a denser cake. Also, it seems you are confusing "moist" and "oily".

Roxy,
3-4 minutes is okay. 8 minutes is better! Seriously, turn it on, set a time and walk away until the timer goes off. Don't look at it because it looks the same at 4 minutes that is does at 8 minutes, so you are lulled into thinking I don't need to do it for 8 minutes. But you do. I have made several dozen batches of cupcakes because I am looking for the same thing you are. I recently made the same recipes on two different occasions. On the second one I stopped mixing after 4 minutes and I had a drier cupcake than the first time I let it go for 8 minutes.

I have been making all my cupcakes so far using the creaming butter method. I am going to try my hand at some oil based cupcakes next week. I'll know more about what you mean by a oil based cupcake after that.

But try creaming for just a few minutes longer. You will be amazed at the difference. I have personally taste tested cupcakes from day 1 to day 5 (hey, someone has to do it! ) and they are just as moist on day 5 as day 1. I haven't test a 6-day cupcake yet because I keep running out after 5.

HTH

Check cakejournal dot com, tutorials, Cupcake decorating part 2. It might help.

If you have a good butter cake recipe already, to change the flavors just sub different extracts for the vanilla, and for citrus cakes, use the zest in addition to the extract.

I think people tend to "under cream" the butter/sugar because we're always told not to over beat the batter. True, don't over beat once the dry ingredients have been added, but beat the heck out of the butter/sugar!!

As it was explained to me (and if I'm wrong, someone please correct me): If it were possible, you'd want to surround every single grain of sugar with butter because that is what makes the cake fluffy and light.

What recipe are u using? Personally, I love a victoria sponge recipe - u will find the basic and it's variations on google.
xx