If I listed all the mistakes I made while baking pupcakes, the list would be longer than a CVS receipt.
Like the time I dropped a whole tray of freshly baked pupcakes. I was baking pupcakes for Cayenne’s “Cayenneversations” event at Pupcake Sugar. “Cayenneversations” is a series of events she started for pups to come together and brainstorm solutions and new ideas through playing games, puzzles, toys and other interactive activities.
As we all know, pup-dulting can become a stagnant routine of activities, which can sometimes block our creativity. Cayennersations was Cayenne’s way of encouraging pups to step outside the box and rediscover new ways to solve old problems. So, since I’m all for “crazy ideas,” I was excited to host one of her events at Pupcake Sugar.
As I was carrying out a tray of pupcakes, I slipped. Before I could recover, the pupcakes on the tray fell to the floor. Cayenne even tried to save the tray, but it was too late.
There I stand staring at the entire tray of pupcakes covering the floor. But, that’s the life of pupcake baker. Mistakes happen. You learn from them. And, then you move on to the next idea. In the words of Marc Jacobs…
Even mistakes can get you one step further.
Pups didn’t want to hear about the pupcakes I dropped on the floor. So, it was more important to focus on a solution instead of the problem. Luckily, I had some extra pupcakes in the freezer, which meant I didn’t have to bake from scratch.
We all make baking mistakes. It’s a part of the process. But, there’s always a way to bounce back and start over fresh. Here are a few common mistakes pupcake bakers make when first starting out. And, of course, how to avoid them.
MEASURE INGREDIENTS INCORRECTLY
I’ve made this mistake a few times. I’ll take a teaspoon or measuring cup, scoop the ingredients, and throw it in the mixing bowl. However, sometimes that can cause the pupcakes to not come out quite like you thought it would. And, even if they look good they might not taste exactly like you thought. For dry ingredients, one trick is to swipe the top of the cup or spoon with a knife. This will give you an even measure. For liquid measures, hold the measuring cop at eye level. Holding it over your head might cause you to pour too much.
OVERFILL YOUR PUPCAKE LINERS
I love pupcake liners. There a fun and easy way to add some extra color and decoration to your pupcakes. However, your pupcakes can rise too high or overflow if you put too much pupcake batter in the liner. So, never fill the liners to the top. For pupcake liners, fill them about 2/3. This way they won’t overflow.
AVOID READING THE RECIPE
I’m amazed at how many pups try a recipe for the first time, and refuse to actually read the recipe. Or, they “kinda sort of glance at it.” Not reading the recipe may cause you to miss little details that are important to the recipe. So, if you’re in the mood to try a new pupcake recipe, make sure you read the recipe before you start. Also, don’t rush the process. Rushing while you’re baking might cause the pupcakes to come out wrong.
When it comes to pupcake baking, there will always be mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and have fun in the process. And honestly, some beautiful ideas come from simple mistakes. So, I encourage you to make them. But, I’d love to hear from you. So, let’s dish.
What baking mistake have you learned from?
Please share in the comments below.
