Have any of you baked cupcakes in terra cotta pots--if so, what were your methods of sanitizing the pots, preping them for baking (including the amount of batter you used, parchment or regular baking cups, time you had to bake them -more or less than regular cupcakes). I'm thinking of adding that to the 90th b'day cake I'll be doing for my grandfather (next May). That thread is floating around here too...

Just a thought, I appreciate the responses.
Thanks,
~Heather

Hiya,

I've done it a few times and it took some trial and error to get the baking time/amount right right. I filled about 2/3 way full and baked at a lower temperature than my recipe called for (about 25 degrees less, I think) for a longer time.

As for sanitizing, I soaked the pots in overnight in a 1 pt bleach to 10 parts water solution and THEN put them through the dishwasher. After they were washed, I put them in the oven to dry out completely. (I'm super paranoid about contaminants in clay pots.)

Do make sure that the pots are brand new - never used for planting or anything - and that they're unglazed. Many glazes (especially from foreign countries) contain lead.