Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here and I wanted to ask how tall should cupcakes be? - Sometimes, depending on the recipe and how long I mix my batter, my cupcakes will either be a flat top, and other times they would have a dome. However, they never look as big as the ones you see on TV shows when they compete, like in Cupcake Wars for example. 

How do you achieve those big chubby round domes? is it the pan that's different that allows for more batter? I have a standard pan, and I only fill till 3/4s. If I fill them more they will just end up with a bit of a muffin overcooked top that I have to trim off when it's dry. Is t the baking cups that are taller?

I'd love to read some of your answers.

Thanks in advance,

Cinthia

I don't have an exact height for cupcakes but usually it can be changed by simply changing the temperature. Baking them at say 350 or 275 will get you that dome in the middle. Baking them at 325 will make them flatter. This always works for me. Over beating the batter can make for a denser, flatter cupcake. 

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That's interesting, as I've never tried to bake them at anything other than 350 f.

So, low and slow will flatten out the tops.  I had read once that if you wanted flat tops, to place a sheet pan gently on the tops immediately after you remove them from the oven.  Just for a few seconds. It did work.

Personally I'll take them as they come, I read and try lots of stuff that I never need to do but find curious.

batters are so different, and behave so differently.  I have to make notes about each recipe or I'd forget.

AI get a higher dome, usually, by turning up the temperature by about 25 degrees.

Thank you! I will have to try a higher temperature. Am I right to think I should start checking on them before than when I bake on 350°?

Sometimes when I have to bake 2 trays at the same time and I put one near to the bottom (I only have a home oven), these ones will bake faster of course and will have a sort of dome, while the others on top will be flatter. This can be compensated by switching the trays at minute 12 or so, I don't dare opening the oven before.

Thanks again.

I bought cupcake liners from Ikea - they are skinnier and taller, to go with the pans that Ikea sells.  I used a regular pan, and the cupcake came out bigger than normal, beautiful.  So, for bigger cupcake, try to use bigger paper liners or pans.

I like the domes but I do a lot of cupcake cakes and need them flat.    It is practically impossible to get domed cupcakes from my commercial oven because that darn fan whips the batter around and they look deformed most of the time...grrr..anyway, I bake them at 325 for flat tops.   For domes I (used to) preheat my regular oven to 350...put the cupcakes in and immediately turn it to 325 then set the timer.   I had pretty domed cupcakes. 

I bake my cupcakes for 7 minutes on 375 and then I reduce the temperature to 350 to bake them until done.  Before I place another tray in I turn the temp back to 375 and let the oven signal that it has gotten that hot and I start the same procedure all over.  As far as getting taller cupcakes go the globalsugart.com and the have standard, king jumbo and super jumbo cupcake liners.  Good luck!

Great!

Thanks so much for the tips everyone :)

A

It does not kayla...only 2 speeds...hi & low.  I guess it's an old oven.  I bought it used not knowing how powerful the low setting was.

A

True...but it sucks when do cupcake cakes...and I have this amoeba looking top that I have to trim! LOL 

AOur cupcakes get lochness monster looking necks on the top when we fill them too high and bake in the convection oven. Even on the intermittent setting it happens.

Iced..that is hilarious!   I baked a bunch today and was laughing.  That's all I can do at this point.