Giant Cupcake cakes and shell

[Panda Eyes]

Hi,

This is my first time posting here so I hope I'm putting this in the right place and I can get some helpful tips.

I am making my sons giant cupcake for his cake smash at the weekend. I have done a couple of practice runs with the cake and icing (both of which were eaten and tasted delicious ). I have found a good recipe that has worked and I have covered with foil when the top starts to look burned. I also cook the 3 halves separately. My worry every time though is that the sides end up quite well done though and look done way before the middle is. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? (I geese and flour the tin before hand and touch wood haven't stuck yet)!

Also attempted the cupcake chocolate shell yesterday, I did 3 coats of melted chocolate (150g) and set at room temp (on the window seal with the window slightly open) I put in the freezer for around half an hour to try and get the thing out of the pan but it cracked (I think it was too thin on the sides) but to get he base out I tapped it on the worktop and it just popped out. Would it work if I tapped the whole thing on the work top to get it out whole initially or would it crack?

Sorry for the huge post but I'm making it today in readiness for Sunday so any last minute tips would be a great help.

Thank you in advance

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi,

This is my first time posting here so I hope I'm putting this in the right place and I can get some helpful tips.

I am making my sons giant cupcake for his cake smash at the weekend. I have done a couple of practice runs with the cake and icing (both of which were eaten and tasted delicious ). I have found a good recipe that has worked and I have covered with foil when the top starts to look burned. I also cook the 3 halves separately. My worry every time though is that the sides end up quite well done though and look done way before the middle is. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? (I geese and flour the tin before hand and touch wood haven't stuck yet)!

Also attempted the cupcake chocolate shell yesterday, I did 3 coats of melted chocolate (150g) and set at room temp (on the window seal with the window slightly open) I put in the freezer for around half an hour to try and get the thing out of the pan but it cracked (I think it was too thin on the sides) but to get he base out I tapped it on the worktop and it just popped out. Would it work if I tapped the whole thing on the work top to get it out whole initially or would it crack?

Sorry for the huge post but I'm making it today in readiness for Sunday so any last minute tips would be a great help.

Thank you in advance

I can't advise much about releasing the chocolate melts from the mold since I only use them for cake pops. But there is definitely a marked difference in quality by brand. Wilton's is hands down the worst on the market. It does not melt well at all. Merckens has superior texture and taste compared to Wilton.


Regarding the cake:

Cake bakes from the outer edges to the center. If you have to cover the cake with foil to prevent burning on top and have dried outer edges the oven temperature is way too high. Use a oven thermometer to test the accuracy of your oven.

If you are using the non-stick and/or dark colored giant cup cake mold, you have to bake at a lower temperature than the recipe states. The non-stick and dark pans radiate heat far more intensely than a uncoated pan. So the temperature has to be reduced by 50°/20 C.


But you need to know the actual temperature to know how much to reduce the setting.


If the recipe calls for a baking temperature 350°/177 C, but you are using the non-stick dark pan, you need to bake at 325°/165 C. Preheat your oven for a minimum of 20 minutes at 325°/165 C, then check the temperature. Reduce setting up or down to achieve the correct temperature.