CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I want to make a cupcake recipe but I want to use the mini cupcake size. How do I figure out the time needed to bake the mini cupcakes?
I'd bet there is a fixed relationship between the cooking times for a mini cupcake size vs. standard or large cupcake sizes with the same recipe.
I think your best bet is to experiment and make notes. Buy some cake mixes on sale and donate the results to the local senior center. You'll have your info and make a lot of people happy at the same time.
...Of course, what the equation can't factor in is temperature fluctuation if you open the door or if your oven thermostat is funky or the size of the oven (large vs. small).
I still don't see what's wrong with using a toothpick. The principle of transmitting a given value of heat to the core of the batter of a cake or a cupcake so it can rise and solidify is the same. By my measure, the thickness of a single layer in a cake pan is very close to that of a cup cake, and since the heat is transmitted through the minor dimension of both, the time should be about the same. That's where the toothpick comes in. At the baking time the cake is due is when I would test the cupcakes for doneness. Adding 3 minutes at a time once or twice should complete the process.
No muss... no Pythagorean theorems... no headache trying to calculate the surface of a sphere... just meeting the everyday challenges of baking with tried and true techniques.
But some of us like mathematical calculations.
Exactly! The DH is a theoreticial mathematician and pure physicist, besides having advanced degrees in engineering. This is his kind of thing to "noodle." You don't want to know what kinds of math (not to mention arithemtic) he can do in his head (no calculator, no paper). It is a brain exercise for him.