Making Cupcakes has been FRUSTRATING! HELP!

My choc cupcake batter is quite liquid and always works.  My vanilla cupcake is practically solid in comparision and it always works.

My best advice - Look for recipes that are formulated for cupcakes. 

All ovens cycle their temps up and down.  It's really the only way to maintain a "constant" temp.  That's why the red light goes on and off.    Heck even your freezer cycles the temp to maintain a "constant" freezing temp.

For your oven issue, I was wondering if having something like a pizza stone inside would help maintain temperature.  Just always keep one in the oven, especially while preheating.  Buy separate oven thermometer too so you'll know how accurate your oven is.

Agree with what everyone has said thus far....oven temperature is key! Also if the batter is really running...it sometimes makes a mess...I use a cookie dough scooper and that seems to help and also it ensures that all the cupcakes are the same size!

Best of luck...sometimes it just takes a bit of practice and we all have those bad baking days!

what kind of frosting are you making?

I had that same frustration - cupcakes cracking, etc. I now use the "make it better" box cake recipe (adding an extra egg, more oil, milk  instead of water, small box instant pudding all added to the cake mix), use an ice cream scooper so the cupcakes are the same size and bake at 325 for 20-21 minutes. They come out much more uniform and no more cracking (just made some butterscotch cupcakes with double dark chocolate buttercream frosting - fabulous!).

Hi, could you tell me where i can find this 'make it better, box cake recipe' please

Are you leveling your cups and tablespoons.If there is too much of a dry ingredient that could possibly lead to cracking.Over beating the eggs can cause airpockets to form and travel to the top making a crack. I prefer scratch recipes it was how I was taught so I know nothing about a box recipe.

Crustdust, I would love some no fail from scratch recipes as well... I have tried  too many to count and always been disappointed - too dry, too dense, etc. Would prefer to bake my cakes from scratch as I do our breads, etc,! (I just bake for family and friends).

Milly, I based mine on the blog post by my baking addiction:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/doctored-up-cake-mix-recipe/

She is specifically doing chocolate cupcakes, but my husband and family raved about it so that I know do it to all my cakes and cupcakes. You do have to play with the time a bit and test the cupcakes or cake starting at the time on the box, but I find that at 325 and with the added ingredients it usually take a bit longer. The only one I have been disappointed in was when I tried a red velvet mix - although the cupcakes tested done the centers fell as they cooled. After frosting, though, I still got raves - but again, I just bake for my family and friends, so don't have to please customers (thank goodness).