Hi fellow bakers,

I have a vanilla cupcake recipe that works perfect - moist & fluffy and smooth on the surface.
I've been experimenting with it by folding fruits (strawberries, apples, etc) into the batter just before baking. I've added small amount of baking soda to neutralise the acidity but it turns out with little holes on the cupcakes all the time. I've also tried without adding baking soda and results are the same.

I've done the tap/shake the baking tray to get air bubbles out already...

I wonder if anyone out there is having the same issue as me? Any solutions?

Please post the recipe or a link to get useful troubleshooting advice.

When I add fresh fruit piece or whole berries to batter, I do NOT adjust for acidity. Nor do I get holes.

But what you might try is taking a few tablespoons of the flour in the recipe and using that to dust the peices of fruit before you add them to the batter.