Why Do Papers Come Off

Baking By 2sweetcookies Updated 4 Sep 2010 , 10:38pm by LindaF144a

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2sweetcookies Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 7:40pm
post #1 of 58

How do you get the papers to stay attached to the cupcake? Haven't baked many cupcakes they come out fine and the next day the papers are coming off. I do take them out of the pan as soon as they come out of the oven, am I doing something wrong? I know you can add icing to make them stick again but is there away to prevent it in the first place???
Thanks

57 replies
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kansaslaura Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 8:02pm
post #2 of 58

I take my out of the pan as soon as they come out of the oven and never have a problem--are you by chance spraying them with non-stick spray? I spray mine very lightly when baking muffins but never ever for cupcakes. HTH

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msulli10 Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 8:08pm
post #3 of 58

I noticed that I have been having the same problems. I hope someone can answer this.

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CakesbyM_LC Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 8:25pm
post #4 of 58

I have the same problem! I don't spray my pan, and I take them out of the pan after baking, promptly...So far, thank goodness for those cute decorative "sleeves" for cupcakes...but I wish I could just leave them plain sometimes, with just the wrapper.

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SPCC Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 9:02pm
post #5 of 58

do you cover them before they have completely cooled. I did that once and all the wrappers came off.

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Yum2010 Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 9:18pm
post #6 of 58

I've had this happen to me as well. I really think is a moisture problem. I have noticed it has gotten better now that i remove them from the pan immediately, but I find that on very humid days it still can happen. It also happens really bad when I store my cupcakes in tupperware. So I usually try to store in cake box and I don't bake them more than 1 day in advance. That has helped me.

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cheriej Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 9:26pm
post #7 of 58

I think the liner separating is due to heat/moisture.

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DianeLM Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 9:53pm
post #8 of 58

It's definitely moisture. I stored identical cupcakes in different types of containers. The ones in plastic containers - not even sealed airtight - tended to shed their papers. Both freshly baked and previously frozen.

The ones stored in cardboard boxes didn't shed a single paper.

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LindaF144a Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 3:26am
post #9 of 58

I make tons of cupcakes and I only had this happen once. I think it is the paper itself. Whenever I use the cutesy, inexpensive wrappers they peel off. When I use Reynolds wrappers or the uber expensive ones like from Williams-Sonoma they don't peel. (Hey we wanted to make pirate cupcakes, what can I say!)

So now I use Reynolds. I also noticed on some of the "cheap" or themed liners that they have a inky waxy smell when I opened the package. I still have not gotten up the nerve to use them because I don't want it to leach into my cupcakes. Plus will the smell fill up my house as they are baking - I don't know.

But if your papers are peeling, and depending on the design the could have some wax on them that will prevent them from sticking for too long. I just say this because of the waxy smell I noticed on some of the liners I have bought.

This question has come up several times here on the cupcake forum too. I believe every time it comes up the same answers are given. You might want to check those posts also to see if something will work for you.

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sweetcakes Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 3:51am
post #10 of 58

hobby lobby now sells stiffer cupcake papers, they are not in the baking aisle but on one of the displays in front of the registers. they are quite expensive 3.79 or something like that for 32, but it says you dont need a muffin pan to bake in. These may be good for bouquets too.

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sweet56pooh Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 6:49am
post #11 of 58

I started getting into cupcakes and noticed my liners seperate from the cupcakes too. I used Reynolds so it must be mositure. I took them out of the pans after 5 minutes of cooling. I'm making 150 cupcakes for my daughter's birthday. I hope there is a solution. I bought these cute liners from Wilton. Hopefully I have better success with those.

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2sweetcookies Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 12:03pm
post #12 of 58

I have done a lot of searching on the web on this subject and couldnt find any solutions at all. I do not spray my pans/liners at all, I do take them out of the pans as soon as they come out of the oven and I did store them in a cae box after they were completey cooled. Im not sure of the brand of papers I used I got them on line. Maybe I will try another brand. Moisture sounds logical it was a warm day, the papers did stay on all day and fell over night, only on about half though.

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confectionsofahousewife Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 12:34pm
post #13 of 58

I've been having this problem too. I just baked cupcakes on Tuesday using the white Reynolds liners and the papers peeled off of most of the cupcakes. I wish I knew the solution.

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SBaker Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 12:53pm
post #14 of 58

I rarely have the problem with the liners peeling off. I take the cupcakes out of the pan as soon as they come out of the oven and I let them cool on a cooling rack with space between the cupcakes so the heat is not trapped between the cupcakes. I try to ice them within an hour of cooling and never put them in an airtight container.

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bexpose Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 1:00pm
post #15 of 58

i've noticed this happened when i spray the liner with non-stick spray....and not heavily by any means....i do a very light spray. so i eliminated that and haven't had the problem since. HTH!

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LindaF144a Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 1:17pm
post #16 of 58

Okay, now I am really stumped. But I have come up with an idea that might help each other.

Let's start from the beginning.
1. What is the recipe?
2. What temp oven?
3. How do you prepare the recipe?
4. How do you prepare the pan?
5. How long do you bake them?
6. More than one pan in the oven at a time?
7. How long do they cool before you take them out of the pan?
8. Do you cool them on a rack after you take them out of the pan?
9. How do you store them?
10. How long after they are baked do they separate?
11. Regular or convection oven?
12. Brand of oven and oven interior width - 24", 27" or 30". (This might make a difference also).

Well that should be enough questions!
If one of you would like to post the recipe you used, I would be willing to duplicate it here as long as it is not a doctored cake mix. I have had no experience with them and it would not be a good test for me to learn how to do that and see if the wrappers stay on at the same time. There would be too much room for error. I'll make it exactly as you did with my pans and my oven and we will see if I get the same results. I won't be able to start baking til Sunday afternoon at the latest. My son is getting married tomorrow, so I'll be a bit busy til then. icon_wink.gif

This question has come up so many times and we never seem to find the answer. It's about time we did some testing and see what we can find. Otherwise we are all going to go crazy trying to come up with a solution. (okay, just joking, but it sure is frustrating isn't it?)

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ddaigle Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 1:33pm
post #17 of 58

I use different quality of papers and the ONLY time this has happened to me is when I take them out of the tins too early. I now let them completely cool in the pan and have never had separation again.

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newmansmom2004 Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 1:44pm
post #18 of 58

The only time I've had this problem is when I used a batter that had quite a bit of fat in it - cream cheese, mayo, etc. I've always been told that if you have a high volume of fat in the recipe the papers won't stick. I've found that to be the case with mine.

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floral1210 Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 2:03pm
post #19 of 58

I recently made 3 different kinds of cupcakes...s'mores, red velvet with cream cheese filling, and WASC. All were made the same day, same oven, same temp, same liners, same conditions. All held their wrappers EXCEPT..the red velvet. I thought maybe the filling and the richness of batter caused it to happen, which would support one of the last posts made here.

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DianeLM Posted 9 Jul 2010 , 2:11pm
post #20 of 58

The only time it's happened to me is in the summer. I make a lot of cupcakes - different recipes, different wrappers, most of the time frozen, but sometimes not.

I take the cupcakes out of the tins after a couple of minutes and let them cool completely.

I generally store cupcakes in the freezer, in a plastic container that is about 95% airtight with no problems.

This past batch was the only time the papers have come away. The temps were hovering around 100F and my A/C was begging for mercy. I took some cupcakes out of the freezer and stored some freshly made cupcakes in the same type of container. The next day papers had come away from both batches. Thankfully, only about 5 out of 135.

I just remembered that I stored a few in a Tupperware container with the lid just laying on the top - not sealed. None of the papers loosened in that batch.

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confectionsofahousewife Posted 13 Jul 2010 , 2:07pm
post #21 of 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaF144

Okay, now I am really stumped. But I have come up with an idea that might help each other.

Let's start from the beginning.
1. What is the recipe?
mine was marble cake (from scratch)
2. What temp oven?
350
3. How do you prepare the recipe?
the yellow cake is a cake bible recipe so mixed butter with all dry ingredients and then add eggs in three batches
4. How do you prepare the pan?
reynolds white cupcake liners
5. How long do you bake them?
20 minutes I think
6. More than one pan in the oven at a time?
Yep, two 12 cup tins
7. How long do they cool before you take them out of the pan?
I let them cool complete before removing from the pan
8. Do you cool them on a rack after you take them out of the pan?
they were cool when removed from the pan
9. How do you store them?
they went directly into a cake box, but wrappers were already peeling as soon as I took them out of the pan
10. How long after they are baked do they separate?
as soon as i took them out of the pan
11. Regular or convection oven?
regular
12. Brand of oven and oven interior width - 24", 27" or 30". (This might make a difference also).
GE oven, 24 inches

Well that should be enough questions!
If one of you would like to post the recipe you used, I would be willing to duplicate it here as long as it is not a doctored cake mix. I have had no experience with them and it would not be a good test for me to learn how to do that and see if the wrappers stay on at the same time. There would be too much room for error. I'll make it exactly as you did with my pans and my oven and we will see if I get the same results. I won't be able to start baking til Sunday afternoon at the latest. My son is getting married tomorrow, so I'll be a bit busy til then. icon_wink.gif

I used the cake bible downy yellow cake recipe and then separated about half of it out (I didn't measure) and added 1/3 c up of cocoa powder that had been dissolved in a 1/2 cup boiling water

This question has come up so many times and we never seem to find the answer. It's about time we did some testing and see what we can find. Otherwise we are all going to go crazy trying to come up with a solution. (okay, just joking, but it sure is frustrating isn't it?)


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KathyTW Posted 13 Jul 2010 , 2:27pm
post #22 of 58

My experience with the "expensive" ones that Hobby Lobby carries (and some other places) is that they come away from the cupcake just like the others. They're nice and thick so you don't need a pan but IMO not worth the extra money.

I fully believe it is a moisture problem - it's sad that trying to keep cupcakes from drying out is a major culprit in causing the wrappers to come off. Every time I put my cupcakes in a storage container the wrappers come off, the ones I leave on the counter (extras or "flops") don't have the problem.

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cutthecake Posted 13 Jul 2010 , 3:01pm
post #23 of 58

After reading all the suggestions, I think I have it figured out. (The following is written in the new "sarcasm font".) The wrappes come off because:
too much or too little moisture in the recipe;
too much or too little fat in the recipe;
refrigerating/freezing the cupcakes, or leaving at room temperature;
putting cupcakes in airtight containers, or leaving them uncovered;
filling cupcakes of leaving unfilled;
baking temperature too high or too low;
crowded oven, or not;
removing from pan too soon or too late;
hot kitchen/cold kitchen;
humid weather/dry weather;
baking in month with "R'" in it; and
baking during full moon............. I think that about covers it.
Honestly, I think it's a crap-shoot.

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LindaF144a Posted 13 Jul 2010 , 10:11pm
post #24 of 58

cutthecake - You got that right!

confectionsofahousewife - Thanks for the details. I hope others join in as well. I believe I have that recipe. I'll give it a try this week. Great idea on the marbling thing. What kind of pan did you use, shiny but dull, or totally dark?

KathyTW - I humbly disagree. I don't believe moisture is all that causes it. I have made cupcakes where I inadvertently put in twice the amount of liquid. Boy were they moist! But not one cupcake liner peeled. But I'll gladly try that experiment again too because those cupcakes were delicious even three days later. icon_biggrin.gif

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confectionsofahousewife Posted 14 Jul 2010 , 12:40pm
post #25 of 58

Linda- I had never made marble cake before so I posted here about the best way to do it. I thought I had to make a recipe of my chocolate batter and a recipe of my yellow but Doug told me just to make the yellow and separate some out and add the cocoa powder. I read online that it works well to dissolve it in some boiling water first and it seemed to me that it would mix in better that way. It was odd really, I had never made a marble cake and in one week I had someone wanting marble cupcakes and someone wanting a marble birthday cake! Go figure. I'm going to do some more research before I do it again though. The cake tasted fine but the cupcakes looked a little weird and I had to trim a lot off the top of my 9x13 cakes because the chocolate and yellow cake rose to different levels so the top was bumpy (for lack of a better word). So maybe I should have added some baking soda to the chocolate portion in addition to adding the cocoa? Too acidic maybe? I don't know.
Cupcake pans are both wilton. One is old and one is new. The old one is darker and more matte (not super dark though) and the newer one is lighter and shinier.

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cutthecake Posted 14 Jul 2010 , 12:57pm
post #26 of 58

The Duncan Hines Marble Cake mix used to be sold as basically a yellow cake mix with a packet of cocoa powder, which was added to some of the batter. I don't know if they still sell it that way, as I haven't bought one lately.

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KathyTW Posted 15 Jul 2010 , 2:14pm
post #27 of 58

linda....I don't think it's the moisture of the cake at all - I think it's the exterior moisture, be it humidity or putting it in a airtight container. Paper absorbs moisture and expands, and when a cupcake liner expands it's going to lose the shape that it has been "Pressed" into.

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LindaF144a Posted 15 Jul 2010 , 2:34pm
post #28 of 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathyTW

linda....I don't think it's the moisture of the cake at all - I think it's the exterior moisture, be it humidity or putting it in a airtight container. Paper absorbs moisture and expands, and when a cupcake liner expands it's going to lose the shape that it has been "Pressed" into.


Ah, I see. Sorry I misunderstood. Gotta love that written word. icon_wink.gif

But when I had it happen, my cuppies were sitting on the rack on my kitchen table and not covered and not a humid day either. I do put my cuppies into a tupperware type container, and those have never peeled away.

I guess that puts back at cutthecakes explanation, huh! icon_wink.gif

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2sweetcookies Posted 17 Jul 2010 , 9:18pm
post #29 of 58

Let's start from the beginning.
1. What is the recipe?
WBH WHITE CAKE/I ALWAYS BAKE SCRATCH
2. What temp oven?
350
3. How do you prepare the recipe?
CRAM BUTTER/SUGAR/ WHIPPED EGG WHITES FOLDED IN
4. How do you prepare the pan?
PAPERS ONLY
5. How long do you bake them?
15-20MIN ??
6. More than one pan in the oven at a time?
3-4 ON DIFFERENT RACKS
7. How long do they cool before you take them out of the pan?
I TAKE THEM OUT RIGHT AWAY
8. Do you cool them on a rack after you take them out of the pan?
YES
9. How do you store them?
CAKE BOX
10. How long after they are baked do they separate?
OVERNIGHT
11. Regular or convection oven?
CONVECTION
12. Brand of oven and oven interior width - 24", 27" or 30". (This might make a difference also).
KENMORE ELITE

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ILoveDaffodils Posted 17 Jul 2010 , 10:19pm
post #30 of 58

I have the same issue but it is mostly with minis
1. What is the recipe?
I tried white cake from scratch from the Cake bible and box Duncan Hines WASC
2. What temp oven?
350 - also tried 375
3. How do you prepare the recipe?
for Cake bible recipe, mix dry add butter etc.
For Wasc just mix everything together.
4. How do you prepare the pan?
PAPERS ONLY
5. How long do you bake them?
15-20MIN
6. More than one pan in the oven at a time?
2
7. How long do they cool before you take them out of the pan?
I tried cooling completely in the pan and also taking them out after 5 minutes
8. Do you cool them on a rack after you take them out of the pan?
yes
9. How do you store them?
plasticwrap
10. How long after they are baked do they separate?
sometimes as quickly as 10 minutes - the box cake mix worked much better. It had only a couple that separted.
11. Regular or convection oven?
regular
12. Brand of oven and oven interior width - 24", 27" or 30". (This might make a difference also).
GE 30"

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