Question 1

How do you make the perfect cupcake?

Accepted Answer

Make sure the butter is at the right temperature

Your butter should be soft but not oily. You should be able to easily stick your finger into it, but it will hold its shape. You shouldn't see any oily or wet parts on the butter. Whenever you see a recipe that calls for room temperature butter this is typically the consistency that you need. In standard home temperature conditions, you can achieve this consistency by leaving the butter out of the fridge for around 2 hours. 

Too cold butter will give you those weird peaks in the middle of the cupcake and the texture will be dense. This is because the air won't be as well incorporated throughout the batter due to the heavy butter. Overly melted butter and you may find that the cupcakes shrink in the cases.

Mix it enough, but not too much...

If you are using a stand mixer then you want to mix on a medium to medium-high speed for around 1 minute before adding the espresso and vanilla, and then a further 40-50 seconds. If you are using a hand mixer then increase the total mixing time by 10-20 seconds or so to account for the fact you'll need to chase the batter a little around the side of the bowl more

If you undermix the batter, then you simply aren't incorporating enough air into the mixture. Your cupcakes will end up dense and again you'll have peaks in the middle. Conversely, if you overmix the batter, you'll end up with a batter that is far too light and fluffy - so much so that they can't hold their shape during baking and will rise like crazy and then shrivel when cooling. 
 
Don't overfill the cases... 

You want the cases to be around half full with batter. This may be a little tough to judge because of the space around the thick batter on all sides but take your best judgement call. For a standard-sized cupcake, this is around the size of an ice cream scoop of batter. 
Overfilled cases will, of course, overspill in the oven.

Make sure to use the right measure of espresso

I've given the measurements by ml and tablespoons to be explicitly clear since a serving or a shot may mean different things to different people or in different countries. The more espresso you use the more liquid you are adding to the batter which will affect the result. If you want a stronger coffee taste then use a stronger coffee but don't increase the volume of coffee.

Question 2

Can I make them in advance?

Accepted Answer

Cupcakes are great to make in advance, but few people tend to take advantage of that fact! Whip yourself up a batch, freeze some and pop one out whenever you have the urge. 

Freshly baked and frosted cupcakes will keep on the counter (covered) for up to 2-3 days at room temperature. Or you can keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you are keeping them in the fridge then make sure to keep them away from any smelly food as odours can be absorbed by the buttercream. 

To freeze the cupcakes then wrap them in clingfilm individually and then line them in a container in the freezer (so they aren't squashed before they are frozen). They will keep for up to 3 months. The buttercream can also be frozen in a sealed container. You will need to give it a quick mix before topping the cupcakes to fluff it up. 

You can also freeze decorated/frosted cupcakes, although I would only do this if needed as the buttercream will lose some texture after thawed (and you can't simply remix it if it's already on top of a cupcake). Place them in the freezer where they won't be squashed, until they are frozen solid. Then wrap in clingfilm and place upright in a container to stop them from being knocked around.

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition