Another question to answer, this one from Lorna who wrote, "When I make cupcakes, they invariably come out looking like volcanoes. That is, the edges rise and spread spectacularly, and the middles don't. My big cakes sink too, but only so that the middles are a quarter inch lower than the edges, and if it matters, I just slice off the offending top, flip the cake over, and ice its bottom.
"So the question is... do you have any idea what I'm doing wrong? I follow the directions to the letter - creaming the butter and sugar like crazy, beating in the eggs lustily, then being very, very gentle with the flour. They're also more on the dry and firm side than the moist and spongy side, just in case that's important!"
I have to say I have had exactly that happen to me, and I have no idea why! I honestly have no idea why it happens so I decided to do a little investigating and came across this very helpful page. Perhaps the answer to your volcanoeing cupcakes lies in the oven temperature and / or mixing? I found another forum where this tip was passed: if your cupcakes are peaking too much, lower your temperature by ten degrees. If they are sinking, turn the temperature up by ten degrees or more. I hope you find some answers and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help!
