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Cupcakes BGE vs. Oven

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Egg Master 3000
Egg Master 3000 Posts: 323
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
So my wife wanted to make several cupcakes so she wanted me to fire up the egg to help her have another oven going. Cooking the same chocolate cupcake batter in both the oven and the egg brought up an interesting observation.

The cupcakes in the oven rose more and created more of a rounded top like a muffin, while the cupcakes from the egg rose just above the paper and had a much flatter surface.

Also, the cupcakes from the oven were much easier to frost. The cupcakes from the egg seemed to be denser and more moist, however.

I am assuming the cupcakes in the oven behaved differently because the air is drier... Thoughts?
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  • Essex County
    Essex County Posts: 991
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    I'm trying to come up with another reason for the different results but this coincides with my experience. We've done a number of cakes in the egg and I agree, they come out denser. As a result, we do cakes that are heavier to start with (pineapple upside down, chocolate chipolte apple) in the egg but if it's a lighter cake, we will stick with the oven.
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  • Adult ADHD
    Adult ADHD Posts: 150
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    The answer is that heat rises. When you open the egg, more heat is loss than when the oven door is opened. The reactions that leaves "air pockets" occur in the first minutes of baking are not as profound without the heat.
    I am sure Grandpa Grubbs could explain this better. I am sure his calling is to be a teacher.
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  • FearlessGrill
    FearlessGrill Posts: 695
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    One thing to consider is whether you were in fact baking at the same temperature. Was your Egg thermometer recently calibrated? Did you use a reliable oven thermometer, or were you just going by the setting on the dial? If each was off by 15 degrees in opposite directions, and you pulled them at the same time, that could at least partially explain the differences.

    We've made some cakes and such in the Egg and they've come out fine, but I've never tried comparing them in the oven and Egg at the same time. I'll have to try that and see if the Egged ones do come out denser for me.

    Interestingly, the same doesn't apply for bread, where I have done them side by side. The Egged breads are just as good or better than the ones from the oven, but there, the moist air is desirable, as it helps build a crust.

    I have a friend who is a professional pastry chef. I'll forward him your post and see if he has any thoughts.

    -John
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  • Egg Master 3000
    Egg Master 3000 Posts: 323
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    Our oven is older and does tend to cook things faster than most recipes state. However, I did not adhere to time too tightly and I performed the "toothpick test" on both for done-ness. We had a lot of food yesterday so I wasn't particularly interested in sampling them side by side, but I had a piece of the BGE cupcake and it was very moist and tasty but seemed denser than the other cupcakes.
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