Air Fryer Cupcakes Can Either Be A Hot Mess Or A Great Success

Who doesn't love a good, moist cupcake? If you're not purchasing cupcakes from your favorite bakery, you can whip up a batch at home when the mood strikes. While many people prefer a classic cupcake recipe that involves filling cupcake tins with batter and baking them in the oven, others have more unconventional methods. One of the more unique ways to cook your cupcakes is by baking them in an air fryer. 

You're probably wondering why you would bake in an air fryer. The device is designed to help ensure food stays moist on the inside while getting nice and crunchy on the outside. Luckily, if you correctly bake your air fryer cupcakes — making necessary time and temperature adjustments – they will turn out moist, fluffy, and extremely delicious every time. 

Making the batter is the same as if you were baking in the oven. Instead of putting your cupcake pan into the air fryer, you simply fill sturdy cupcake cups or silicon liners and pop them into the appliance. Like oven-baked cupcakes, you'll want to let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Even though people have success with air fryer cupcakes, there are plenty who can't make it work. In fact, this baking method may require some trial and error. 

Many people swear by the air fryer cupcake method. One major benefit of using an air fryer is that the heat is self-contained, meaning your house won't get too hot. Aside from the texture and taste, baking in the air fryer also reduces the preheat time, since ovens can take 20 to 30 minutes to come to temperature. Since air fryers work by using a fan to blow hot air directly onto the food, that food also typically cooks quickly. A standard cupcake recipe suggests baking cupcakes for anywhere between 15 to 25 minutes, depending on size. In the air fryer, the time drops to around 12 minutes.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are some drawbacks to baking cupcakes in the air fryer. Since you can't fit a traditional cupcake tin in the air fryer, you need to either use individual silicone molds or paper liners in it. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you can't bake as many at one time as you can in the oven. If you're using paper liners, you run the risk of the batter pouring out of the sides, resulting in a hot mess. The method certainly comes with its pros and cons, so it may be worth it to try it out and decide for yourself the best way to bake cupcakes.