Candace Nelson is considered by many to be the queen of cupcakes. She's co-owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world's first cupcake bakery, and a renowned judge on Food Network's Cupcake Wars. So who better than to tell us how to bake the perfect cupcake? Or even better, to tell us what we're doing wrong!

Check out her tips below, and then scroll down to watch Candace's frosting demo and a tour of her cupcake shop.

Mistake #1: Trying a New Recipe
Of course you want to start with a perfect recipe. Don't start with one you've never done before -- you want to make sure you've sussed out the recipe and that it works for you.

Mistake #2: Using Your Measuring Cups
Candace likes recipes that allow you to weigh the ingredients, as opposed to measuring them out. Using weight to measure out the ingredients is the most precise way to create the perfect recipe and make sure you're not over-scooping or under-scooping your flour or leavening.

Mistake #3: Scooping Batter With a Spoon
After you've created your perfect cupcake batter, being careful not to overmix, you want to scoop it into a cupcake tin. This is something done at Sprinkles that a lot of people don't do at home, and it works like a charm. Use ice cream scoopers, otherwise called "dishers" in the industry, to ensure that each cupcake is scooped exactly the same. So when they're in the oven, the baking time for each cupcake is exactly the same. If you just eyeball it and scoop it out with a spoon, you're waiting for that one cupcake to bake because you over-scooped it, while all the other cupcakes in the pan over-bake. You never want that!

Mistake #4: Trusting Your Timer
Cupcakes are delicate little creatures and baking time is super critical. You want to keep your eye on them. Set the timer for about three-quarters of the way through the suggested baking time, and start watching them every minute or so. When it looks like they're almost done, give them a little touch on top. If they offer resistance and the top is just dry, pull them out of the oven. They'll continue to bake once they're outside the oven.

Mistake #5: Frosting Before Cupcakes Are Cool
After you've baked your cupcakes, you want to allow proper cooling time. We're all impatient when it comes to cupcakes and we want to dig into them right away, but there's nothing worse than trying to put a beautiful butter-cream frosting on top of a piping hot cupcake. It just turns to liquid and melts right off. It makes the frosting taste greasy, and it's just not what you want. If you're in a rush, you can put the cupcakes in the refrigerator or the freezer to help the cooling process. It won't hurt the cake at all. It's done all the time, even at Sprinkles when they're in a crunch.

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