Can You Fill Cupcakes Before They Go Into The Oven?
Cupcakes may come small and sized per person, but these compact cakes can pack a lot of flavor — and filling. Depending on the recipe and your experience, there are lots of potential mistakes that could disrupt all stages of the cupcake-making process. If you're making filled cupcakes, however, the opportunity for error is all the greater.
Therefore, knowing how — and when — to properly fill your cupcakes requires some finesse. To alleviate some of the confusion, King Arthur Baking suggests different bases and fillings, as well as a suggestion to merge the two. However, this advice only applies to cupcakes after they've been baked, meaning you'll have to core your solidified cupcakes and lop out the baked center to make room for your favorite filling.
Luckily, certain baking tools make filling cupcakes all the easier. For example, a pastry bag fitted with a large tip may be your best bet for a precise, methodical, and delicious filled cupcake (per Better Homes and Gardens). But just because you can finagle the perfect filled cupcake doesn't necessarily mean you have to bake your cupcakes ahead of time. In fact, you may be able to save yourself the trouble and fill your cupcakes when they're still in batter form.
Pre-fill cupcakes so they'll bake around your favorite filling
You don't always have to do things in order. When it comes to making filled cupcakes, the order may not matter as much as it seems. According to Baking Kneads, you can fill your cupcakes even before they've been baked. Simply add filling to your cupcake batter — chocolate chips, anyone? — and the mix will bake around the delicious addition.
However, if you do opt to pre-fill your cupcakes, make sure to choose your center carefully. The Kitchen Professor warns bakers to steer clear of fillings that disintegrate in the oven. Chocolate or cream cheese-based fillings are therefore a safe bet. All you have to do is add half of your cupcake's batter to the mold, then add your filling and the rest of the mix. Your cupcakes will emerge from the oven either ready for consumption — and, of course, some frosting.
Sure, your options are limited if you fill your cupcakes ahead of time. But that doesn't mean it can't be done — and that your cupcakes won't taste just as delicious.