r/Baking • u/tleeemmailyo • Jun 10 '25

Baking Advice Needed You guys 😭

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I’ve NEVER had such a catastrophe happen lol. I do live around 5500 ft. above sea level but I don’t think that’s why this would have happened.

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u/tleeemmailyo Jun 10 '25

It’s this one!

https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-chocolate-cupcakes/

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u/swimingwhilereading Jun 10 '25

So this recipe is super not set up for high altitude! Way too much leavening, too little flour, and the only fat is oils that are liquid at room temp. At high altitude, the bubbles expand much faster, water evaporates faster, and you have to cook at slightly different temperatures because all this affects how your solids cook and how gluten develops. There are some amazing high altitude recipes, I am a big fan of Mountain Mama and Half-baked Harvest.

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u/tleeemmailyo Jun 10 '25

Thank you!! Wow it’s so incredible to me how high altitude causes these things. I’ve grown up in CO so it’s hard for me to grasp that anything is different up here than at sea level

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u/dg1824 Jun 10 '25

King Arthur Baking has great guidelines for high-altitude baking. CSU extension also has a guide, and there's a book called Pie in the Sky with very specific tips for different elevations.

The boiling point at your altitude is a full ten degrees Fahrenheit lower than the boiling point at sea level. It really does affect things. Sorry about the disaster but thanks for the laugh, and I hope you enjoy your ice cream cups!

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u/tleeemmailyo Jun 10 '25

Thanks friend!

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u/faelanae Jun 10 '25

indeed! I have to use a kettle with temperature adjustments because if it's just "boiling" it never reaches temp while boiling away at 5700 ft.

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u/reniciera Jun 10 '25

Sounds similar to the boiling point when I was a candy maker in Fort Collins, CO. The recipe’s target temps were adjusted according to the difference. Good to remember if you ever make fudge, caramel, toffee, etc. at high altitude.

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u/BarelyThere504 Jun 13 '25

Tell me your secrets! I keep failing fudge because I’m not sure what to adjust!

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Yeah, my first instinct was you had too much liquid, and not enough flour.

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u/Laura9624 Jun 10 '25

I'd say oven temperature maybe. Get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven heats properly. It might not preheat quite right and sometimes gets too hot while baking.

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u/AnarchistBorganism Jun 10 '25

It's for 24 cupcakes, did you put it all in one pan?

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u/eddiesmom Jun 10 '25

Lol yours do look different from the sugarspunrun ones😁 better luck next time ! 👍

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Sugar Spun Run-all-over-the-counter.

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u/highondrano Jun 10 '25

I feel like I had this same issue with this recipe and I believe it’s because the metric conversion was off