Heavy on the Flour

• In any cupcake recipe, using too much flour will make the cupcakes tough and dry. The solution is measuring your flour correctly. Flour settles naturally in its container, and when you fill your cup with a scooping motion, you compress it further. The proper method is to spoon flour into your measuring cup, and then level it by swiping across the top with the back of a knife or another straight-edged utensil. The difference can be substantial, which is why professional recipes go by weight instead of volume.

Light on Softness

• Many of the other ingredients in your batter, including sugar, oil and egg yolks, have the effect of moistening and softening the cupcakes' crumb. If you use too little of them, or too little of the liquid ingredients such as milk, your cupcakes will be dry. Be sure to use the size of eggs called for in your recipe, and to measure the liquid ingredients carefully. Don't cut back on the fat, unless you've replaced it with another moistening ingredient, such as fruit puree.

A Bad Road Map

• Even people with a good sense of direction can get lost if they're following an inaccurate map. In baking, the same thing can happen if you're following a recipe with errors or typos. Read the recipe with a critical eye, and compare it to similar recipes in your favorite cookbooks. If the proportions are out of line with other recipes, those discrepancies can result in dry cupcakes.

Mixing it Up

• Measuring your ingredients accurately and using them in the correct proportion will reduce the risk of dry cupcakes, but proper technique also plays a role. Cake batters shouldn't be over-mixed, which brings out the gluten in the batter. Well-developed gluten makes the cupcakes chewy and dry, not soft and moist as they should be. If you find this to be a persistent problem, use low-gluten cake flour to make your cupcakes, instead of all-purpose flour.

Knowing When to Stop

• You have one final opportunity to make your cupcakes dry during the baking process. The cupcakes should bake only until the middle is set, and after that, they'll quickly dry out. Once they're firm to the touch, they're probably done. A few moist crumbs clinging to your cake tester doesn't mean you should continue baking them. The accuracy of your oven's thermostat can also be an issue. If it's too high, your cupcakes will be dry and over baked every time. Invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer to verify the temperature, and turn your oven down, if necessary.