By the way, I made that pumpkin gnocchi and loved it!
Anne, for the dryness maybe taking them out sooner would help. Or possibly adding sourcream or pudding.
Mine were a little dry too, but I baked them for the minimum time in the recipe. I should have tested them before that after my pumpkin muffins were a little dry. The ganache frosting is delish. These were a big hit at work!
I have made these twice and the first time, the batter turned out really fluffy and beautiful and the cupcakes were moist and wonderful. The second time I didn’t cream the butter alone or with the sugar as long and I think that led to the batter being a little flat and the cupcakes being a little dry. They were still good though. I frosted them with a cream cheese praline frosting with ganache center the first time and liked that better than the plain ganache topping Dorie includes. A litte dark, although the marshmallow filling helps offset that a litte. I also didn’t bake them for the 22 minute minumum. I checked them at 20 and they were almost done.
I always mess up when I type on this thing! LITTLE!!!
The cupcakes rose a lot more than I expected. I made the number of cupcakes the recipe said to, but I was surprised by how little batter there was in each section of the pan. In the oven, they rose and filled the cupcake liners perfectly.
I thought they were a little dry too.
I have noticed that some of us have problems with many of Dorie’s cake recipes being a little dry. I wonder if it has to do with the type of flour we are using, or the amount we are using.
Here are my questions:
1) What type of flour do you use, bleached or unbleached?
2) If you are able to weight your flour, how many ounces or grams does one cup of flour weigh?
I think that the cake recipes may work out better if you use bleached flour (just a theory, and I’d love to collect some data on this).
My other possible theory is that perhaps we should use less flour. If measuring by weight, I am thinking that we should say that 1 cup of flour is somewhere between 120 and 130 grams, no more. Depending on what sort of flour you use and how you measure it, you could end up with more like 140-145 grams per cup and that might make the cake too dry.
So, if you are able to, I’d love for you to post in your final post: what sort of flour you used, the weight you used (either per cup, or the total for the recipe), and whether the cupcakes were dry or not.
Mine were dry as well and the glaze was awful – when I added the icing sugar, the chocolate siezed. I filled them with nutella whcih gave a bit more interest, but otherwise I was disappointed
Hmmm..I wonder if adding pudding would help?
Barbara, I will try to weigh mine as I add it, and post the results. I won’t be making them early, though.
Anyway, I’d think adding a couple of tablespoons of sour cream or plain yogurt would help prevent dryness. There’s nothing worse than a dry chocolate cake, imo. So disappointing!
@Becky – I am totally decorating for Halloween b/c I am bringing them to a party this weekend. I was thinking the spiderweb (like the picture you posted), ghost, spider, mummy… You can do a google search and find alot of ideas! Can’t wait to see what you come up with :)
Nancy, thanks for the link! I’m always happy to add a bit of sour cream ;)
I have a decorating idea that requires a white icing. Would a cream cheese icing be good with these, do you think? Or should I try a buttercream?
Cream cheese icing is good with everything.
Ditto Jules ;)
Hi. I’m a newbie to this site. This will be the first recipe I post on. I used 4.5 oz /130g bleached AP flour but the cupcakes were still a little dry. (I baked them for the minimum time) I filled mine with a vanilla cream filling from Baking Bites website which made them better. Next time I’ll use 120 gram of flour and take them out of the oven 1 or 2 minutes earlier to see if that helps.
No! Not a dry cupcake! Im glad we have these little discussions to help each other out. I’ll follow the recipe and see what happens. I always use cake flour whenever a recipe calls for all purpose flour or plain flour. I know I probably shouldnt but qute frankly I dont have enough room for all these different types of flours!
My birthday is Monday, so I’ll be baking these for all my coworkers. Thinking about filling them with something, since I’ve been wanting to try that cone/filling technique. Anyone have any tips or hints on that?
My cupcakes were moist and delicious, but I was disappointed that they were flat. Some even sank in the middle. I’ve been doing my own investigations with baking at high altitudes. I think this has something to do with it.
I actually made these over a month ago for another teacher’s birthday. I found them to be more dense than light and fluffy, and not as moist as what I was expecting. They were a big hit though, and I had a few people ask for the recipe and people kept telling me how good they were (of course they could have been lying, haha!). The ganache was different, but I prefer a rich, fluffy frosting :)
Because I’ve been trying to bake bread, I’ve been seeing all kinds of articles (like Nancy’s) about flour and how to measure it… I agree about weighing flour, but Dorie doesn’t give eights and I’ve seen at least three different “rules” out there about how much a cup of flour should weigh! :)
I was wondering myself, so… on pg. 482, under “flour,” Dorie says she uses the scoop-and- sweep method (stir the flour to aerate it, scoop out a mounded measure, then sweep flat; don’t pack or press it in). She also says to use bleached all-purpose flour (unless the recipe calls for cake flour). This might not solve problems but at least we know where she’s starting from.
What’s an eight, and why doesn’t Dorie goive them? (That’s “doesn’t give weights” … )
I use King Arthur A/P flour and the bag says 4.5 ounces per cup for their flour. That is what I use and don’t have many problems. I tried an experiment and weighed the scoop and sweep method and then the spoon it in method, both came out 1 to 2 ounces different. I now weigh most of my ingredients; the ingredient packages usually indicate what the weight should be for a specific volume. Just do the math for how much you need.
just made these tonight. mine were dry. used all purpose. i still liked them esp. with the ganache…but will probably never bake them again. i used the scoop and sweep method.
Oil really helps make a cake moist.
I wonder if adding a bit of oil would help the cake.
Hmmm these are all interesting observations about the flour. Haven’t made mine yet, however, I have always followed Maida Heatter’s lead on spooning the flour into cup, leveling and sifting. She also exclusively used unbleached AP flour unless otherwise specified.
My other ? is the large amount of baking poweder. I’m reading this morning in Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise that Cakes made with oil can be not only tender but moist, too. She goes on to say “Oil is also frequently used to make moist, tender muffins.” She also says “Oil does not have air-holding ability to aid in leavening, so the eggs and any other thick ingredients like fruit purees in the batter must perform that task. Does anyone out there have Shirley’s baking cookbook. I’m thinking the flour whether bleached or unbleached has more impact on the crumb or tenderness rather than the moisture. Although cake flour produces cakes with finer texture because its slightly more acidic due to chlorination Then about eggs Shirley, in Cookwise talks about eggs. She goes on to say “Eggs are nature’s great emulsifiers for creamy texture. Do not limit yourself to using whole eggs. If a cake or muffins are dry, cut an egg white. Go with two yolks instead of the whole egg and ad a little more sugar and fat. If you have Cookwise you may refer to pages 137 and 138 where she is weighing in on all aspect or properties of cakes and their role in the structure of cakes, muffins, etc. Hope this help. Me, I think I may try adding a yolk, sugar and see what happens. As well as watching the baking time which is way easy to adjust. Happy Baking
Whoa, sorry about all the typos in my previous comments. Too much caffeine this morning.
I am really amped about this challenge now!!! Looks like it could really be a chemistry lesson. Dorie, what have you been up to in your kitchen (laboratory) these days?
AmyRuth
I wanted to add on to Amy Ruth’s comment above, when using butter cakes turn out dryer. I can’t remember why exactly but if anyone saw the Throwdown with Bobby Flay episode for cupcakes, the lady who was being challenged used oil for her red velvet cupcakes and went on to explain the correlation between butter and oil and their respective textures. If I knew what the butter to oil ratio was I’d probably substitute oil for cakes and muffins every time.
Hmmm..I have to say I’m not inclined to make these the way the recipe is written with these reports of dry cake. I find MANY chocolate cupcake recipes turn out dry and have moved on to using devil’s food cake recipes that include hot coffee and sour cream for my chocolate cupcakes. But they tend to cave in on top so I can’t say I’ve yet found the ideal recipe. I’m going to study the recipe and see if it can be adapted to become moister. If anyone has luck with this, please post!
Thanks for the tips, ladies. I am going to bake these today. The butter is softening and the melted chocolate is cooling. The only flour I have is King Arthur Unbleached AP, so I will see how that goes and let you know. I plan to “play around” with mine and add marshmallow fluff before the ganache, I’m also using semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet since I am not a huge fan of dark/bitter chocolate. I wish I would have thought ahead and bought some sort of halloween sprinkles or something….:(
I forgot to mention, I haven’t had good results with recipes that advise pulling something out of the oven when the tester comes out clean. I tend to stick with Christopher Kimball and America’s Test Kitchen method of pulling baked goods out when a few moist crumbs stick to a toothpick. Hope that helps!
Ok just made these. To answer the flour question, I weighed two different scoop and sweep methods. First I simply “plopped” scoopfuls of flour into a measuring cup, leveled off and weighed it. It came to 4.5 oz. Next I lifted scoops of flour, held in above the measuring cup and shook the flour gently into the cup, then leveled off. This gave me 4.0 oz. Pretty close either way, I did stir the flour to aerate it first. I THINK I used unbleached all purpose. I threw the bag away a while ago and store it in a container, so I’m not sure if it’s bleached or unbleached. I ended up using the 4.0 oz cup of flour.
Results: Delicious! I did bake at 350, but I checked them after 20 minutes first, they weren’t quite springy yet, so i added 2 more minutes. I probably could have gone another minute or two, but was afraid of them becoming dry as so many mentioned here. I did notice that mine were pretty flat, they did not crown like most cupcakes, I’m attributing that to the 4.0 oz flour instead of using the 4.5?
At any rate, they were really good. Very happy with them. The ganache is very good too, a really nice combination!
Geez – who would have thought baking cupcakes would turn into the ultimate science experiment? I would have loved high school chemistry if we did this for our lab reports!
I always use unbleached flour.
Chlorine is used to bleach flour, and I just don’t want that in my food.
I think I am going to use half oil, half butter.
I’m certainly glad you all have left comments so when I bake mine this weekend I will know what pitfalls to watch out for! I do not care for dry chocolate cakes and muffins so I think I may take Nancy’s suggestion and use a spoon of sour cream.
US butter is generally about 80% butterfat by weight. The rest is mostly water, with a bit of milk proteins, etc. Two tablespoons of butter weigh 1.0 ounce or 28.35 grams, so you would substitute 0.8 ounce / 22.7 grams / 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp. oil and 0.2 ounce / 5.7 gm / 1 1/8 tsp. water or other liquid for every 2 Tablespoons of butter you remove. That’s if you want to be really exact.
I used weights of 13.4375 gm per tablespoon for vegetable oil, and 14.771875 gm per tablespoon for water, from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Cake Bible.”
Dorie says she uses bleached flour with the dip-and-sweep method, and Rose says 1 cup of that kind of flour, measured with that method, is 142 grams / 5.0 ounces. But I have a feeling this recipe might work better if you use a bit less flour than that — more like 4.25 oz / 120 gm or 4.5 oz / 128 gm per cup.
I love kitchen science, too! Those of you who don’t, please feel free to ignore all this.
This just makes it more exciting or is it complicated? For those of us who believe the old KISS method…. watch them and remove from the oven a little sooner than later. Wow Barbara, you are awesome thanks for taking time to provide the research. I had to run out the door. I like the idea from chocolatechic using both butter and oil, which is also a suggestion in the aforementioned Shirley Corriher Cookwise. Happy Baking
AmyRuth
I baked mine today and used the scoop and sweep method, one cup of unbleached ap King Arthur Flour. I don’t have a food scale, so I couldn’t weigh mine…kudos to all those who did…what great results!
Now that I have tasted one, I am thinking of all the playing around I could do with these…….such as:
some sort of cool creamy mint filling…wouldn’t that be PERFECT with these?
either a raspberry or strawberry or ORANGE cream filling…..
WHO’S WITH ME????:):)
Oh, I checked mine after 18 minutes, then after 21 minutes and they were done and moist.
One of the girls on a message board suggested setting an Andes mint in the middle of the batter! I am going to try that with mine this weekend.
LOL, Jennifer!! I am SO with you! ;-) I wonder if it would completely ruin the taste/texture of marshmallow fluff to add a couple of drops of peppermint extract??? Or orange…or almond….or strawberry….I can do this all day…..
YAY AMY! I don’t think a few drops of peppermint extract would hurt the fluff one bit. I was sad that I didn’t have any food coloring…I SO wanted to color the fluff orange. Oh well.:( I’m glad I am not alone on the flavorings!!!!:):) Let me know if you try that and how it turns out!
Beth….wow, an Andes mint….yum yum yum yum…need I say more????
Man, I was really hoping for a recipe that didn’t need any troubleshooting.
Dry cupcakes can be the result of a number of things:
* As mentioned above, too much flour (aka, not enough liquid)
* Too little sugar, or too little shortening (in cake baking, both of these act as tenderizers /moisteners)
* Too much baking soda or baking powder
* Too low of a baking temperature- especially when dealing with high altitude
* Over baking
* Cooling in a drafty place
I think the problem with this recipe has to do with the recipe itself, not individual bakers- I mean, there’s like over 30 people who’ve said their cuppys were dry, and that can’t just be a coincidence…
I compared it to like 15 other chocolate cake and cupcake recipes, and it seems like the ratios are off. I think it has too little sugar, too little butter and too few eggs for the amount of dry ingredients.
Haven’t made mine yet, not sure if I will attempt to fix the recipe or not- might just make them as is and douse them with a sugar syrup once they’re out of the oven to add moisture.
~Charity
Another idea that I might do is to make some into Better Than Sex cupcakes. Poke small holes in the cake with toothpicks and pour sweetened condensed milk all over. Some people top with cool whip and caramel, others use frosting and toffee pieces. Either way, the condensed milk helps the cake stay really moist!
Now I can’t wait to bake them tomorrow!
I was also thinking of filling these, I have tried the cone method but I must have not cut enough out because I wanted more filling, and then when I put the top part back on the cupcake and tried to frost it, they sat too high and looked weird. Any hints?
I’d squeeze some in with a piping bag. I’m thinking Nutella would be over the top!
Brooke- I would do what Leslie said and just use the piping bag. I put a big round tip (the opening a little bigger than a straw) and just plop it into the top of the cupcake and fill it until you feel some resistance. I made boston creme cupcakes like this and it was super easy. It doesn’t change the look of the cupcake, either, just makes it a little heavier.
Leslie- Great minds think alike… I’m using Nutella, too!
After reading all of the above comments, I measured my Heckers unbleached flour by aerating and then did the dip and sweep. With all the concern about dryness, I pulled out of oven at 20 minutes. They sank a touch. They were light and chocolaty. I liked them.
When I made my minis, they came out really light and fluffy. Not dry or dense at all. My only quibble was that the chocolate flavor was a little light. I’d like a stronger chocolate flavor, although I guess the ganache serves that purpose. Also, I’m going to ditto everyone who said that baking with butter leads to drier cakes, etc. It’s one of my problems with Dorie’s recipes – she never uses oil, and unless I put in the fruity add-ins, I tend to get drier baked goods. And I have a penchant for underbaking things.
I’m going to make these today, it’s a good thing i came over and saw that many of you are having dry cupcakes. Even though the recipe does not seem to be working for a lot of you, I love this kitchen chemistry we have going here!! Did anyone notice a lighter tahn chcooalte flavour? Ever since that chocolate torte cake, I’m a little scared about biting into a chocolate cake that tastes sweet with a hint of chocolate flavour
I left out the 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, added 1/4 cup applesauce, put marshmallow creme in the middle, decorated them with cute spider webs and they are WONDERFUL!!
So, if you’re going to add pudding or sour cream, how much would you add? Would you do 1/2 cup in replacement of buttermilk? I’m leaning towards that, I think, but I don’t want to screw up the recipe (chemistry wise).
Beth, CI has a dark chocolate cupcake recipe that is very similar to Dories where they use 1/2 cup of sour cream. The leavening is a little different though and I have no idea how to deal with that stuff!
Okay, thanks! That’s good to know. I think I’m going to do 1/2 cup of either sour cream or plain yogurt and see how that turns out. I feel like Mr. Wizard :-)
I just made these and they were not dry, but really light and fluffy! I think it’s because I pulled them out of the oven at 14 minutes. I halved the recipe and used the large cookie scoop to fill them. The only problem is the sunk, but I think it’s because I halved the recipe and didn’t measure the leavening properly. My smallest scoop is a 1/2 tsp. I agree with Caitlin, there isn’t enough chocolate flavour.
You should always check in a cookbook and see which method they use – some use scoop and sweep and some use spoon INTO a cup, then sweep. These will yield different weights of flour. I know Martha does spoon into, Dorie and Ina do scoop. If there is a couple cups of flour in a recipe, you could have quite the difference depending on what method you use.
I plan to stick with scoop and sweep with these cupcakes as Dorie outlines and will report back. ;)
I always measure by weight. I use Cooks Illustrated’s measurements of 5 ounces for 1 cup of flour.
I think it’s ridiculous that Dorie’s cookbook only provides measurements by volume. I have a hard time believing that a professional pastry chef measures by volume, even at home.
Most home bakers do not have kitchen scales, so if you published a book in weights, most would not buy it.
In a thread on eGullet Dorie explained she nixed metrics and weights for space and also so as not to scare readers. Here is a quote from her website, however:
“You’re right, I use the dip-and-sweep method for flour, so I get a “heavy” cup. 1 cup all-purpose flour = 4.8 ounces. ”
She calls hers “heavy” but that’s less than CI.
I remember an article I read once saying that if you just scooped, you could get a cup that weighs as much as 5.5 ounces.
All done! I replaced the 1/2 cup buttermilk with 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and upped the cocoa powder for more chocolate flavor. I divided the batter and added chili/cayenne hot cocoa mix to 6 and pressed an Andes mint in the other 6. Then I melted more Andes into the glaze for the mint ones. YUM!
Mine were done perfectly at 18 min, so thanks for that tip. They were not dry at all, either!
Heidi, thanks so much for finding that! I have also read that most publishing companies are very reluctant to put weights in American cookbooks. An author probably would have to lean on their publisher pretty hard to get it done. Too bad, I love it.
As far as substituting other things for the buttermilk, since this recipe has some baking soda, you will need to substitute something else that is acidic and will provide the acid to react with the baking soda. Sour cream, yogurt, and fruit purees like applesauce should all be fine. It may change the flavor and texture a bit, of course, but the leavening should still work.
Does anyone make the recipe as is anymore???
I do, Lauren! But only because I’m not clever (or brave) enough to change anything on my own. If Dorie gives her “playing around” suggestions, I’ll use those sometimes, other than that, I keep it as is.
In the case of these cupcakes, though – I’m thinking about adding some mint flavoring somewhere along the line….possibly use half butter, half oil, but that’ll be it for me.
I made the recipe as written and added 1 T coffee cause I had it sitting there and b/c it intensifies the chocolate flavor. They came out great! I baked them for about 22 mins at 350.
As Dorie said, the flavor is more for the grownups with the less-sweet ganache on top. I enjoyed them. I added marshmallow fluff inside half but haven’t tasted one of those yet. ;) Mine weren’t dry at all.
Mine were moist, but I had some difficulties. My roommate took the electric hand mixer to her boyfriend’s place, but fortunately, we had a hand-crank mixer (why? I don’t know!). Then my lemon went bad, so I had no lemon juice or vinegar to make regular milk into buttermilk. My cupcakes baked about 24 minutes. Now I’m waiting for them to cool so I can decorate them.
Just finished mine. I followed the recipe exactly, except for weighing out the flour, baked them for 20 minutes, and they came out perfectly. Made the ganache and dipped the cupcakes to frost them. Of course, I had to test one, and they were nice and moist. Now that I’ve followed the directions once — I consider it the benchmark — I won’t hesitate to play around with them next time.
Oh my, the ganache is wonderful! I will go back to this recipe again!
I filled mine with marshmallow cream (yummm)–it would’ve been better if I’d made my own, but, alas, I didn’t. Then I took a lead from Martha Stewart and made tiny marshmallow ghosts to set on top…the cupcakes has a lovely juxtaposition between elegant and classy and youthful and kitschy. What fun!
My cupcakes were nice and moist, but I used French flour. It’s quite a bit lighter than British flour and I find I get better results with it. I also filled half of mine with marshmallow cream and iced them all with my own chocolate buttercream icing. I wanted to take a picture of the ones with marshmallow cream in it, but I should have marked them as different, as I had to eat a couple before I could find one! (insert embarassed look here!)
I made mine and they were a little dry. More like a brownie batter. Then I remembered I forgot to add in the buttermilk! I think the decorations came out great I did ghosts and tombstones, I donated these cupcakes to my daughter’s fall festival bake sale and they were the first ones to go!
Wow. I am loving all the conversations about the cupcakes. Great molecular gastronomy info too! It totally appeals to the science nerd in me :)
I’m making mine now, and here’s what I did – I rounded the 1/4 cup of cocoa, added some espresso to boost the chocolate flavor, added 1 T. Greek yogurt, 1/2 T golden syrup, a bit more of the bittersweet chocolate, and baked at 340 degrees for 20 minutes. They seem moist, and perfectly cooked, they didn’t sink. But – I haven’t tasted them yet, as I’ve still got to fill them and ice them. One thing I’ll say is that they’re pretty small – I made a dozen. If you want bigger cupcakes, make fewer of them!
Oh, and I used 4.5 oz. for my cup of flour.
I’ve made my cupcakes and now I’m working on the chocolate glaze. Although, I feel really stupid because I wasted an entire bar of Valrhona chocolate when I wasn’t reading carefully and added 1 cup of powdered sugar versus 1 tablespoon. My poor Valrhona is now in the trash. ):
These were perfect for me…. 17 minutes was long enough, my glaze was already thick to start with, so dipping was no option. Before I put the glaze on, I filled the cupcakes with a vanilla cream filling. Jum!
I am loving reading all this cupcake talk, so that when I make mine I will be prepared. I am not going to be making these on time though because we are having another birthday party this weekend and I am making them for the party.
Just finished mine. I used 4.8 oz bleached all-purpose flour, put the muffin pan on an insulated baking sheet and baked for about 22 minutes. Perfect!
On to filling and decorating — should be fun!
I’m so grateful for the P&Q’s. :D
Anyways… I think *part* of the reason they might be try is the ‘cool for 5 minutes in the cupcake sheet’ thing, because I doubled and ended up with a 24 pan; I cooled one for five and took one dozen out after like, one minute. The ones that I took out after one minute cooling, I also took out one minute before the other dozen– they were *much* moister.
I did make some edits, too, in accordance to the ‘dryness’ effect– a touch more butter and sugar, and included the whites. I also completely forgot the buttermilk, so I ended up with a very brownie-like cupcake, which isn’t a problem for me, but it kinda takes away from the cupcakeness.
(Ahahaha, I just woke up and I have to go to my busstop in less than twenty minutes! Sorry if this doesn’t make sense. xD)
In the first paragraph, I mean that one of the batches I cooked for 22 minutes and took them out of the pan after 5 minutes of cooling; the other one, I baked for 21 minutes and took them out of the pan after 1 minute of cooling. Hope that clarifies, somewhat.
After reading all of these comments, I think I am going to go all mad scientist and take these cupcakes as a complete learning experience. I plan on adding some chocolate pudding and seeing what results… There’s nothing I detest more than dry cake! I will say that other recipes that some complained were dry have come out okay for me, but it’s probably because I tend to underbake just about everything! Including chicken! Yum, right? I know everyone wants to eat at my house tonight. :)
I made these yesterday and they turned out awesome. They were moist and delicious and chocolatey. I did as I always do with cakes that call for regular flour. I stirred the flour in the canister and lightly spooned it into my measuring cup. I did not overmix the cupcakes. They turned out really well and there are only 2 left – which will go with me to my parents tonight for dad’s birthday. Thanks Clara, I love this recipe!
These were a huge hit. And I took the opportunity to add some of the decorations I’d gotten a while ago, at NY Bake & Cake Supply Company.
mine were not dry either (and i made as-is in the recipe), although i was careful to check them a couple minutes early.
Just finished making mine (with a few modifications – details tomorrow) and they’re AWESOME!! That glaze is to die for!!!
I just finished baking these and was a little disappointed. The batter tasted AMAZING so I was really excited to pull them out of the oven. I do not have a kitchen scale (I know I know I need one), but I bake all the time with my measuring cups and have never had a problem. I stir the flour first, then spoon it into the cup, and then scrape off excess with a knife. I did like the ganache, but the cake itself wasn’t very chocolatey or moist.
I forgot to add to my comment that mine were dry. Lol
I added just a dollop of sour cream to mine and they were very moist. Only cooked them 18 minutes.
I made mine last night (will post today) and they are sin-credible! I baked mine about 25 minutes, but they were very moist. I think the trick is in measuring the flour and not over-mixing. I also filled mine with Nutella, which I think put them over-the-top! My husband was mad that I took most of them into work. I love Dorie!
Thanks for everyones advice on these I used 4.5 ounces of flour and undercooked them for a minute or 2 and they came out beautifully :o)
I’m just finished my batter but could only get 9 cupcakes….did anyone else have the same problem???
I also got 9 cupcakes – which is weird, because I’ve made them before and got 12. I guess it depends on how you fill your cups.
Gary – I was surprised by how little batter I ended up putting into each section of the muffin pan. It looked like a tiny amount, but then they rose just enough in the oven to fill the cupcake liner. I’m guessing your cupcakes were just a little bigger than mine.
Ok, just posted my first round of TWD. Unfortunately I can seem to get my laptop to pull up the dark pics I took (it’s raining here). So they will have to wait, but wanted to put up my post on Tuesday (of course).
I really liked the recipe – it did make a flat cupcake, but moist. Hope the kids at Jake’s school likes them.
Tania
Mine domed a little actually and were not flat. I also removed them 2 minutes before I might have if they had not been chocolate. For me it’s SO easy to overbake a chocolate cupcake… the crumbs on the toothpick is a great way to describe it.
Also I added a bit more chocolate and cocoa than the recipe called for because I love a ridiculously chocolately cupcake. They came out perfect for me!!
oh i forgot to say that i also added an extra 1/4 tsp of baking soda… 1 tsp baking powder in a choco cupcake with buttermilk for me needs more like 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of baking soda rather than i think the 1/4 that the recipe called for.
This is totally weird because I’m a total chocoholic but of the three TWD I have under my belt this is my least favorite. Not sweet enough for my tastes, and a little dry. I think I could also use a better chocolate and cocoa powder to bake with – anyone have ideas for a CHEAP source for these?
Iam blogging up mine now, these weren’t planned but I gave in at the last moment. I baked them for 18 mins and they came out just fine.
My cupcakes were perfectly domed. I used 1/3 cup cocoa instead of 1/4 due to a measuring cup-grabbing-error. ;P However, I did run into some trouble with the frosting. I don’t have a kitchen scale so I had to count out the chocolate chips. My bag’s portioning said that 2/3 cup of chips should have been roughly equivalent to the amount of chocolate needed for the frosting. However, I used up every last bit of frosting and could only apply a thin layer of it to each cupcake. Any thoughts?
Also — this is my second completed TWD challenge. When do I get to be added to the blogroll? :)
I have the same question about the blogroll. This is my third completed TWD and I’m not on it yet either. But I am patient, I swear! I did show up back at the beginning of the month on a post welcoming new bloggers, but I have not been added to the roll yet. :(
I am adding new members in one huge batch after the 31st. I have had over 100 requests to be added in the past 6 weeks. Please be patient with me. This is a hobby not a job people! And this has been a really busy month with the kids schools.
Thanks for your patience!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that got dense, dry cupcakes that weren’t very sweet. I’ve only made these cupcakes and the dense, dry pumpkin muffins since I joined, and it was starting to look like a bad trend.
Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same topics you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would enjoy your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.
Tuesdays with Dorie 
I followed the recipe to the t and my cupcakes were a little dry. Any ideas?
Mine also spread a bit so I would be careful not to overfill the tins.
(The batter tasted AMAZING by the way!)
I don’t have any questions about the recipe at the moment. I’m just curious who is decorating these for Halloween and how? :)
I’m thinking about making a white choclate ganache on top to creat a spider web pattern. Like this:
http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2008/10/pumpkin-cupcake-recipe.html
(this design is with an edible marker, but I’ll use a tooth pick or something to make the design)
By the way, I made that pumpkin gnocchi and loved it!
Anne, for the dryness maybe taking them out sooner would help. Or possibly adding sourcream or pudding.
Mine were a little dry too, but I baked them for the minimum time in the recipe. I should have tested them before that after my pumpkin muffins were a little dry. The ganache frosting is delish. These were a big hit at work!
I have made these twice and the first time, the batter turned out really fluffy and beautiful and the cupcakes were moist and wonderful. The second time I didn’t cream the butter alone or with the sugar as long and I think that led to the batter being a little flat and the cupcakes being a little dry. They were still good though. I frosted them with a cream cheese praline frosting with ganache center the first time and liked that better than the plain ganache topping Dorie includes. A litte dark, although the marshmallow filling helps offset that a litte. I also didn’t bake them for the 22 minute minumum. I checked them at 20 and they were almost done.
I always mess up when I type on this thing! LITTLE!!!
The cupcakes rose a lot more than I expected. I made the number of cupcakes the recipe said to, but I was surprised by how little batter there was in each section of the pan. In the oven, they rose and filled the cupcake liners perfectly.
I thought they were a little dry too.
I have noticed that some of us have problems with many of Dorie’s cake recipes being a little dry. I wonder if it has to do with the type of flour we are using, or the amount we are using.
Here are my questions:
1) What type of flour do you use, bleached or unbleached?
2) If you are able to weight your flour, how many ounces or grams does one cup of flour weigh?
I think that the cake recipes may work out better if you use bleached flour (just a theory, and I’d love to collect some data on this).
My other possible theory is that perhaps we should use less flour. If measuring by weight, I am thinking that we should say that 1 cup of flour is somewhere between 120 and 130 grams, no more. Depending on what sort of flour you use and how you measure it, you could end up with more like 140-145 grams per cup and that might make the cake too dry.
So, if you are able to, I’d love for you to post in your final post: what sort of flour you used, the weight you used (either per cup, or the total for the recipe), and whether the cupcakes were dry or not.
Mine were dry as well and the glaze was awful – when I added the icing sugar, the chocolate siezed. I filled them with nutella whcih gave a bit more interest, but otherwise I was disappointed
Hmmm..I wonder if adding pudding would help?
Barbara, I will try to weigh mine as I add it, and post the results. I won’t be making them early, though.
King Arthur flour makes a pretty big deal about how most people measure flour so that there’s too much in a recipe. Here’s a link to an article on KA’s website:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes2008/measuring.html
Anyway, I’d think adding a couple of tablespoons of sour cream or plain yogurt would help prevent dryness. There’s nothing worse than a dry chocolate cake, imo. So disappointing!
@Becky – I am totally decorating for Halloween b/c I am bringing them to a party this weekend. I was thinking the spiderweb (like the picture you posted), ghost, spider, mummy… You can do a google search and find alot of ideas! Can’t wait to see what you come up with :)
Nancy, thanks for the link! I’m always happy to add a bit of sour cream ;)
I have a decorating idea that requires a white icing. Would a cream cheese icing be good with these, do you think? Or should I try a buttercream?
Cream cheese icing is good with everything.
Ditto Jules ;)
Hi. I’m a newbie to this site. This will be the first recipe I post on. I used 4.5 oz /130g bleached AP flour but the cupcakes were still a little dry. (I baked them for the minimum time) I filled mine with a vanilla cream filling from Baking Bites website which made them better. Next time I’ll use 120 gram of flour and take them out of the oven 1 or 2 minutes earlier to see if that helps.
No! Not a dry cupcake! Im glad we have these little discussions to help each other out. I’ll follow the recipe and see what happens. I always use cake flour whenever a recipe calls for all purpose flour or plain flour. I know I probably shouldnt but qute frankly I dont have enough room for all these different types of flours!
My birthday is Monday, so I’ll be baking these for all my coworkers. Thinking about filling them with something, since I’ve been wanting to try that cone/filling technique. Anyone have any tips or hints on that?
My cupcakes were moist and delicious, but I was disappointed that they were flat. Some even sank in the middle. I’ve been doing my own investigations with baking at high altitudes. I think this has something to do with it.
I actually made these over a month ago for another teacher’s birthday. I found them to be more dense than light and fluffy, and not as moist as what I was expecting. They were a big hit though, and I had a few people ask for the recipe and people kept telling me how good they were (of course they could have been lying, haha!). The ganache was different, but I prefer a rich, fluffy frosting :)
Because I’ve been trying to bake bread, I’ve been seeing all kinds of articles (like Nancy’s) about flour and how to measure it… I agree about weighing flour, but Dorie doesn’t give eights and I’ve seen at least three different “rules” out there about how much a cup of flour should weigh! :)
I was wondering myself, so… on pg. 482, under “flour,” Dorie says she uses the scoop-and- sweep method (stir the flour to aerate it, scoop out a mounded measure, then sweep flat; don’t pack or press it in). She also says to use bleached all-purpose flour (unless the recipe calls for cake flour). This might not solve problems but at least we know where she’s starting from.
What’s an eight, and why doesn’t Dorie goive them? (That’s “doesn’t give weights” … )
I use King Arthur A/P flour and the bag says 4.5 ounces per cup for their flour. That is what I use and don’t have many problems. I tried an experiment and weighed the scoop and sweep method and then the spoon it in method, both came out 1 to 2 ounces different. I now weigh most of my ingredients; the ingredient packages usually indicate what the weight should be for a specific volume. Just do the math for how much you need.
just made these tonight. mine were dry. used all purpose. i still liked them esp. with the ganache…but will probably never bake them again. i used the scoop and sweep method.
Oil really helps make a cake moist.
I wonder if adding a bit of oil would help the cake.
Hmmm these are all interesting observations about the flour. Haven’t made mine yet, however, I have always followed Maida Heatter’s lead on spooning the flour into cup, leveling and sifting. She also exclusively used unbleached AP flour unless otherwise specified.
My other ? is the large amount of baking poweder. I’m reading this morning in Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise that Cakes made with oil can be not only tender but moist, too. She goes on to say “Oil is also frequently used to make moist, tender muffins.” She also says “Oil does not have air-holding ability to aid in leavening, so the eggs and any other thick ingredients like fruit purees in the batter must perform that task. Does anyone out there have Shirley’s baking cookbook. I’m thinking the flour whether bleached or unbleached has more impact on the crumb or tenderness rather than the moisture. Although cake flour produces cakes with finer texture because its slightly more acidic due to chlorination Then about eggs Shirley, in Cookwise talks about eggs. She goes on to say “Eggs are nature’s great emulsifiers for creamy texture. Do not limit yourself to using whole eggs. If a cake or muffins are dry, cut an egg white. Go with two yolks instead of the whole egg and ad a little more sugar and fat. If you have Cookwise you may refer to pages 137 and 138 where she is weighing in on all aspect or properties of cakes and their role in the structure of cakes, muffins, etc. Hope this help. Me, I think I may try adding a yolk, sugar and see what happens. As well as watching the baking time which is way easy to adjust. Happy Baking
Whoa, sorry about all the typos in my previous comments. Too much caffeine this morning.
I am really amped about this challenge now!!! Looks like it could really be a chemistry lesson. Dorie, what have you been up to in your kitchen (laboratory) these days?
AmyRuth
I wanted to add on to Amy Ruth’s comment above, when using butter cakes turn out dryer. I can’t remember why exactly but if anyone saw the Throwdown with Bobby Flay episode for cupcakes, the lady who was being challenged used oil for her red velvet cupcakes and went on to explain the correlation between butter and oil and their respective textures. If I knew what the butter to oil ratio was I’d probably substitute oil for cakes and muffins every time.
Hmmm..I have to say I’m not inclined to make these the way the recipe is written with these reports of dry cake. I find MANY chocolate cupcake recipes turn out dry and have moved on to using devil’s food cake recipes that include hot coffee and sour cream for my chocolate cupcakes. But they tend to cave in on top so I can’t say I’ve yet found the ideal recipe. I’m going to study the recipe and see if it can be adapted to become moister. If anyone has luck with this, please post!
Thanks for the tips, ladies. I am going to bake these today. The butter is softening and the melted chocolate is cooling. The only flour I have is King Arthur Unbleached AP, so I will see how that goes and let you know. I plan to “play around” with mine and add marshmallow fluff before the ganache, I’m also using semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet since I am not a huge fan of dark/bitter chocolate. I wish I would have thought ahead and bought some sort of halloween sprinkles or something….:(
I forgot to mention, I haven’t had good results with recipes that advise pulling something out of the oven when the tester comes out clean. I tend to stick with Christopher Kimball and America’s Test Kitchen method of pulling baked goods out when a few moist crumbs stick to a toothpick. Hope that helps!
Ok just made these. To answer the flour question, I weighed two different scoop and sweep methods. First I simply “plopped” scoopfuls of flour into a measuring cup, leveled off and weighed it. It came to 4.5 oz. Next I lifted scoops of flour, held in above the measuring cup and shook the flour gently into the cup, then leveled off. This gave me 4.0 oz. Pretty close either way, I did stir the flour to aerate it first. I THINK I used unbleached all purpose. I threw the bag away a while ago and store it in a container, so I’m not sure if it’s bleached or unbleached. I ended up using the 4.0 oz cup of flour.
Results: Delicious! I did bake at 350, but I checked them after 20 minutes first, they weren’t quite springy yet, so i added 2 more minutes. I probably could have gone another minute or two, but was afraid of them becoming dry as so many mentioned here. I did notice that mine were pretty flat, they did not crown like most cupcakes, I’m attributing that to the 4.0 oz flour instead of using the 4.5?
At any rate, they were really good. Very happy with them. The ganache is very good too, a really nice combination!
Geez – who would have thought baking cupcakes would turn into the ultimate science experiment? I would have loved high school chemistry if we did this for our lab reports!
I always use unbleached flour.
Chlorine is used to bleach flour, and I just don’t want that in my food.
I think I am going to use half oil, half butter.
I’m certainly glad you all have left comments so when I bake mine this weekend I will know what pitfalls to watch out for! I do not care for dry chocolate cakes and muffins so I think I may take Nancy’s suggestion and use a spoon of sour cream.
US butter is generally about 80% butterfat by weight. The rest is mostly water, with a bit of milk proteins, etc. Two tablespoons of butter weigh 1.0 ounce or 28.35 grams, so you would substitute 0.8 ounce / 22.7 grams / 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp. oil and 0.2 ounce / 5.7 gm / 1 1/8 tsp. water or other liquid for every 2 Tablespoons of butter you remove. That’s if you want to be really exact.
I used weights of 13.4375 gm per tablespoon for vegetable oil, and 14.771875 gm per tablespoon for water, from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Cake Bible.”
Dorie says she uses bleached flour with the dip-and-sweep method, and Rose says 1 cup of that kind of flour, measured with that method, is 142 grams / 5.0 ounces. But I have a feeling this recipe might work better if you use a bit less flour than that — more like 4.25 oz / 120 gm or 4.5 oz / 128 gm per cup.
I love kitchen science, too! Those of you who don’t, please feel free to ignore all this.
This just makes it more exciting or is it complicated? For those of us who believe the old KISS method…. watch them and remove from the oven a little sooner than later. Wow Barbara, you are awesome thanks for taking time to provide the research. I had to run out the door. I like the idea from chocolatechic using both butter and oil, which is also a suggestion in the aforementioned Shirley Corriher Cookwise. Happy Baking
AmyRuth
I baked mine today and used the scoop and sweep method, one cup of unbleached ap King Arthur Flour. I don’t have a food scale, so I couldn’t weigh mine…kudos to all those who did…what great results!
Now that I have tasted one, I am thinking of all the playing around I could do with these…….such as:
some sort of cool creamy mint filling…wouldn’t that be PERFECT with these?
either a raspberry or strawberry or ORANGE cream filling…..
WHO’S WITH ME????:):)
Oh, I checked mine after 18 minutes, then after 21 minutes and they were done and moist.
One of the girls on a message board suggested setting an Andes mint in the middle of the batter! I am going to try that with mine this weekend.
LOL, Jennifer!! I am SO with you! ;-) I wonder if it would completely ruin the taste/texture of marshmallow fluff to add a couple of drops of peppermint extract??? Or orange…or almond….or strawberry….I can do this all day…..
YAY AMY! I don’t think a few drops of peppermint extract would hurt the fluff one bit. I was sad that I didn’t have any food coloring…I SO wanted to color the fluff orange. Oh well.:( I’m glad I am not alone on the flavorings!!!!:):) Let me know if you try that and how it turns out!
Beth….wow, an Andes mint….yum yum yum yum…need I say more????
Man, I was really hoping for a recipe that didn’t need any troubleshooting.
Dry cupcakes can be the result of a number of things:
* As mentioned above, too much flour (aka, not enough liquid)
* Too little sugar, or too little shortening (in cake baking, both of these act as tenderizers /moisteners)
* Too much baking soda or baking powder
* Too low of a baking temperature- especially when dealing with high altitude
* Over baking
* Cooling in a drafty place
I think the problem with this recipe has to do with the recipe itself, not individual bakers- I mean, there’s like over 30 people who’ve said their cuppys were dry, and that can’t just be a coincidence…
I compared it to like 15 other chocolate cake and cupcake recipes, and it seems like the ratios are off. I think it has too little sugar, too little butter and too few eggs for the amount of dry ingredients.
Haven’t made mine yet, not sure if I will attempt to fix the recipe or not- might just make them as is and douse them with a sugar syrup once they’re out of the oven to add moisture.
~Charity
Another idea that I might do is to make some into Better Than Sex cupcakes. Poke small holes in the cake with toothpicks and pour sweetened condensed milk all over. Some people top with cool whip and caramel, others use frosting and toffee pieces. Either way, the condensed milk helps the cake stay really moist!
Now I can’t wait to bake them tomorrow!
I was also thinking of filling these, I have tried the cone method but I must have not cut enough out because I wanted more filling, and then when I put the top part back on the cupcake and tried to frost it, they sat too high and looked weird. Any hints?
I’d squeeze some in with a piping bag. I’m thinking Nutella would be over the top!
Brooke- I would do what Leslie said and just use the piping bag. I put a big round tip (the opening a little bigger than a straw) and just plop it into the top of the cupcake and fill it until you feel some resistance. I made boston creme cupcakes like this and it was super easy. It doesn’t change the look of the cupcake, either, just makes it a little heavier.
Leslie- Great minds think alike… I’m using Nutella, too!
After reading all of the above comments, I measured my Heckers unbleached flour by aerating and then did the dip and sweep. With all the concern about dryness, I pulled out of oven at 20 minutes. They sank a touch. They were light and chocolaty. I liked them.
When I made my minis, they came out really light and fluffy. Not dry or dense at all. My only quibble was that the chocolate flavor was a little light. I’d like a stronger chocolate flavor, although I guess the ganache serves that purpose. Also, I’m going to ditto everyone who said that baking with butter leads to drier cakes, etc. It’s one of my problems with Dorie’s recipes – she never uses oil, and unless I put in the fruity add-ins, I tend to get drier baked goods. And I have a penchant for underbaking things.
I’m going to make these today, it’s a good thing i came over and saw that many of you are having dry cupcakes. Even though the recipe does not seem to be working for a lot of you, I love this kitchen chemistry we have going here!! Did anyone notice a lighter tahn chcooalte flavour? Ever since that chocolate torte cake, I’m a little scared about biting into a chocolate cake that tastes sweet with a hint of chocolate flavour
I left out the 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, added 1/4 cup applesauce, put marshmallow creme in the middle, decorated them with cute spider webs and they are WONDERFUL!!
So, if you’re going to add pudding or sour cream, how much would you add? Would you do 1/2 cup in replacement of buttermilk? I’m leaning towards that, I think, but I don’t want to screw up the recipe (chemistry wise).
Beth, CI has a dark chocolate cupcake recipe that is very similar to Dories where they use 1/2 cup of sour cream. The leavening is a little different though and I have no idea how to deal with that stuff!
Okay, thanks! That’s good to know. I think I’m going to do 1/2 cup of either sour cream or plain yogurt and see how that turns out. I feel like Mr. Wizard :-)
I just made these and they were not dry, but really light and fluffy! I think it’s because I pulled them out of the oven at 14 minutes. I halved the recipe and used the large cookie scoop to fill them. The only problem is the sunk, but I think it’s because I halved the recipe and didn’t measure the leavening properly. My smallest scoop is a 1/2 tsp. I agree with Caitlin, there isn’t enough chocolate flavour.
You should always check in a cookbook and see which method they use – some use scoop and sweep and some use spoon INTO a cup, then sweep. These will yield different weights of flour. I know Martha does spoon into, Dorie and Ina do scoop. If there is a couple cups of flour in a recipe, you could have quite the difference depending on what method you use.
I plan to stick with scoop and sweep with these cupcakes as Dorie outlines and will report back. ;)
I always measure by weight. I use Cooks Illustrated’s measurements of 5 ounces for 1 cup of flour.
I think it’s ridiculous that Dorie’s cookbook only provides measurements by volume. I have a hard time believing that a professional pastry chef measures by volume, even at home.
Most home bakers do not have kitchen scales, so if you published a book in weights, most would not buy it.
In a thread on eGullet Dorie explained she nixed metrics and weights for space and also so as not to scare readers. Here is a quote from her website, however:
“You’re right, I use the dip-and-sweep method for flour, so I get a “heavy” cup. 1 cup all-purpose flour = 4.8 ounces. ”
She calls hers “heavy” but that’s less than CI.
I remember an article I read once saying that if you just scooped, you could get a cup that weighs as much as 5.5 ounces.
All done! I replaced the 1/2 cup buttermilk with 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and upped the cocoa powder for more chocolate flavor. I divided the batter and added chili/cayenne hot cocoa mix to 6 and pressed an Andes mint in the other 6. Then I melted more Andes into the glaze for the mint ones. YUM!
Mine were done perfectly at 18 min, so thanks for that tip. They were not dry at all, either!
Heidi, thanks so much for finding that! I have also read that most publishing companies are very reluctant to put weights in American cookbooks. An author probably would have to lean on their publisher pretty hard to get it done. Too bad, I love it.
As far as substituting other things for the buttermilk, since this recipe has some baking soda, you will need to substitute something else that is acidic and will provide the acid to react with the baking soda. Sour cream, yogurt, and fruit purees like applesauce should all be fine. It may change the flavor and texture a bit, of course, but the leavening should still work.
Does anyone make the recipe as is anymore???
I do, Lauren! But only because I’m not clever (or brave) enough to change anything on my own. If Dorie gives her “playing around” suggestions, I’ll use those sometimes, other than that, I keep it as is.
In the case of these cupcakes, though – I’m thinking about adding some mint flavoring somewhere along the line….possibly use half butter, half oil, but that’ll be it for me.
I made the recipe as written and added 1 T coffee cause I had it sitting there and b/c it intensifies the chocolate flavor. They came out great! I baked them for about 22 mins at 350.
As Dorie said, the flavor is more for the grownups with the less-sweet ganache on top. I enjoyed them. I added marshmallow fluff inside half but haven’t tasted one of those yet. ;) Mine weren’t dry at all.
Mine were moist, but I had some difficulties. My roommate took the electric hand mixer to her boyfriend’s place, but fortunately, we had a hand-crank mixer (why? I don’t know!). Then my lemon went bad, so I had no lemon juice or vinegar to make regular milk into buttermilk. My cupcakes baked about 24 minutes. Now I’m waiting for them to cool so I can decorate them.
Just finished mine. I followed the recipe exactly, except for weighing out the flour, baked them for 20 minutes, and they came out perfectly. Made the ganache and dipped the cupcakes to frost them. Of course, I had to test one, and they were nice and moist. Now that I’ve followed the directions once — I consider it the benchmark — I won’t hesitate to play around with them next time.
Oh my, the ganache is wonderful! I will go back to this recipe again!
I filled mine with marshmallow cream (yummm)–it would’ve been better if I’d made my own, but, alas, I didn’t. Then I took a lead from Martha Stewart and made tiny marshmallow ghosts to set on top…the cupcakes has a lovely juxtaposition between elegant and classy and youthful and kitschy. What fun!
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=2eb6d3deb6a0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
My cupcakes were nice and moist, but I used French flour. It’s quite a bit lighter than British flour and I find I get better results with it. I also filled half of mine with marshmallow cream and iced them all with my own chocolate buttercream icing. I wanted to take a picture of the ones with marshmallow cream in it, but I should have marked them as different, as I had to eat a couple before I could find one! (insert embarassed look here!)
I made mine and they were a little dry. More like a brownie batter. Then I remembered I forgot to add in the buttermilk! I think the decorations came out great I did ghosts and tombstones, I donated these cupcakes to my daughter’s fall festival bake sale and they were the first ones to go!
Wow. I am loving all the conversations about the cupcakes. Great molecular gastronomy info too! It totally appeals to the science nerd in me :)
I’m making mine now, and here’s what I did – I rounded the 1/4 cup of cocoa, added some espresso to boost the chocolate flavor, added 1 T. Greek yogurt, 1/2 T golden syrup, a bit more of the bittersweet chocolate, and baked at 340 degrees for 20 minutes. They seem moist, and perfectly cooked, they didn’t sink. But – I haven’t tasted them yet, as I’ve still got to fill them and ice them. One thing I’ll say is that they’re pretty small – I made a dozen. If you want bigger cupcakes, make fewer of them!
Oh, and I used 4.5 oz. for my cup of flour.
I’ve made my cupcakes and now I’m working on the chocolate glaze. Although, I feel really stupid because I wasted an entire bar of Valrhona chocolate when I wasn’t reading carefully and added 1 cup of powdered sugar versus 1 tablespoon. My poor Valrhona is now in the trash. ):
These were perfect for me…. 17 minutes was long enough, my glaze was already thick to start with, so dipping was no option. Before I put the glaze on, I filled the cupcakes with a vanilla cream filling. Jum!
I am loving reading all this cupcake talk, so that when I make mine I will be prepared. I am not going to be making these on time though because we are having another birthday party this weekend and I am making them for the party.
Just finished mine. I used 4.8 oz bleached all-purpose flour, put the muffin pan on an insulated baking sheet and baked for about 22 minutes. Perfect!
On to filling and decorating — should be fun!
I’m so grateful for the P&Q’s. :D
Anyways… I think *part* of the reason they might be try is the ‘cool for 5 minutes in the cupcake sheet’ thing, because I doubled and ended up with a 24 pan; I cooled one for five and took one dozen out after like, one minute. The ones that I took out after one minute cooling, I also took out one minute before the other dozen– they were *much* moister.
I did make some edits, too, in accordance to the ‘dryness’ effect– a touch more butter and sugar, and included the whites. I also completely forgot the buttermilk, so I ended up with a very brownie-like cupcake, which isn’t a problem for me, but it kinda takes away from the cupcakeness.
(Ahahaha, I just woke up and I have to go to my busstop in less than twenty minutes! Sorry if this doesn’t make sense. xD)
In the first paragraph, I mean that one of the batches I cooked for 22 minutes and took them out of the pan after 5 minutes of cooling; the other one, I baked for 21 minutes and took them out of the pan after 1 minute of cooling. Hope that clarifies, somewhat.
After reading all of these comments, I think I am going to go all mad scientist and take these cupcakes as a complete learning experience. I plan on adding some chocolate pudding and seeing what results… There’s nothing I detest more than dry cake! I will say that other recipes that some complained were dry have come out okay for me, but it’s probably because I tend to underbake just about everything! Including chicken! Yum, right? I know everyone wants to eat at my house tonight. :)
I made these yesterday and they turned out awesome. They were moist and delicious and chocolatey. I did as I always do with cakes that call for regular flour. I stirred the flour in the canister and lightly spooned it into my measuring cup. I did not overmix the cupcakes. They turned out really well and there are only 2 left – which will go with me to my parents tonight for dad’s birthday. Thanks Clara, I love this recipe!
These were a huge hit. And I took the opportunity to add some of the decorations I’d gotten a while ago, at NY Bake & Cake Supply Company.
mine were not dry either (and i made as-is in the recipe), although i was careful to check them a couple minutes early.
Just finished making mine (with a few modifications – details tomorrow) and they’re AWESOME!! That glaze is to die for!!!
I just finished baking these and was a little disappointed. The batter tasted AMAZING so I was really excited to pull them out of the oven. I do not have a kitchen scale (I know I know I need one), but I bake all the time with my measuring cups and have never had a problem. I stir the flour first, then spoon it into the cup, and then scrape off excess with a knife. I did like the ganache, but the cake itself wasn’t very chocolatey or moist.
I forgot to add to my comment that mine were dry. Lol
I added just a dollop of sour cream to mine and they were very moist. Only cooked them 18 minutes.
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Will be posting first thing Tuesday Morning – great challenge!!
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I made mine last night (will post today) and they are sin-credible! I baked mine about 25 minutes, but they were very moist. I think the trick is in measuring the flour and not over-mixing. I also filled mine with Nutella, which I think put them over-the-top! My husband was mad that I took most of them into work. I love Dorie!
Thanks for everyones advice on these I used 4.5 ounces of flour and undercooked them for a minute or 2 and they came out beautifully :o)
I’m just finished my batter but could only get 9 cupcakes….did anyone else have the same problem???
I also got 9 cupcakes – which is weird, because I’ve made them before and got 12. I guess it depends on how you fill your cups.
Gary – I was surprised by how little batter I ended up putting into each section of the muffin pan. It looked like a tiny amount, but then they rose just enough in the oven to fill the cupcake liner. I’m guessing your cupcakes were just a little bigger than mine.
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Ok, just posted my first round of TWD. Unfortunately I can seem to get my laptop to pull up the dark pics I took (it’s raining here). So they will have to wait, but wanted to put up my post on Tuesday (of course).
I really liked the recipe – it did make a flat cupcake, but moist. Hope the kids at Jake’s school likes them.
Tania
Mine domed a little actually and were not flat. I also removed them 2 minutes before I might have if they had not been chocolate. For me it’s SO easy to overbake a chocolate cupcake… the crumbs on the toothpick is a great way to describe it.
Also I added a bit more chocolate and cocoa than the recipe called for because I love a ridiculously chocolately cupcake. They came out perfect for me!!
oh i forgot to say that i also added an extra 1/4 tsp of baking soda… 1 tsp baking powder in a choco cupcake with buttermilk for me needs more like 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of baking soda rather than i think the 1/4 that the recipe called for.
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This is totally weird because I’m a total chocoholic but of the three TWD I have under my belt this is my least favorite. Not sweet enough for my tastes, and a little dry. I think I could also use a better chocolate and cocoa powder to bake with – anyone have ideas for a CHEAP source for these?
Iam blogging up mine now, these weren’t planned but I gave in at the last moment. I baked them for 18 mins and they came out just fine.
My cupcakes were perfectly domed. I used 1/3 cup cocoa instead of 1/4 due to a measuring cup-grabbing-error. ;P However, I did run into some trouble with the frosting. I don’t have a kitchen scale so I had to count out the chocolate chips. My bag’s portioning said that 2/3 cup of chips should have been roughly equivalent to the amount of chocolate needed for the frosting. However, I used up every last bit of frosting and could only apply a thin layer of it to each cupcake. Any thoughts?
Also — this is my second completed TWD challenge. When do I get to be added to the blogroll? :)
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I have the same question about the blogroll. This is my third completed TWD and I’m not on it yet either. But I am patient, I swear! I did show up back at the beginning of the month on a post welcoming new bloggers, but I have not been added to the roll yet. :(
I am adding new members in one huge batch after the 31st. I have had over 100 requests to be added in the past 6 weeks. Please be patient with me. This is a hobby not a job people! And this has been a really busy month with the kids schools.
Thanks for your patience!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that got dense, dry cupcakes that weren’t very sweet. I’ve only made these cupcakes and the dense, dry pumpkin muffins since I joined, and it was starting to look like a bad trend.
Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same topics you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would enjoy your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.