How to Create Your Own Recipe

I've always wondered where truly great recipes come from.  Who creates these things?  Do the authors of these culinary guides stay at home and strictly create recipes, and publish them in recipe books or broadcast them via social media on the internet for those of us who actually have a life?  A lot of recipes I use are recipes I've found and changed to cater to my taste and what I think that particular cupcake, frosting, or filling might need. However, I have always wanted to create something to call my own.  And so I did.

Creating your own cupcake recipe is actually not as daunting as it may seem.  Here are some tips to help you get started:

Start by establishing what flavors you would like to use, usually between one and four.  Keep in mind that your flavors need to compliment each other.  If you are making this recipe for a specific event or party, consider your audience.  Some adults are not very adventurous when it comes to food, and many times children haven't developed a taste for what you might be making.  Smaller, more intimate events are a great place to try new and edgy flavors.

Once you have decided on your flavors, establish how you would like to execute those flavors.
An easy way to do this is to remember:
Cake - This is where your most robust flavor should be.  Anything that is a spice, robust, or zesty flavor is best in the cake.  If you plan on using hard liquor or wine in your flavor array, bake it in your cake.
Frosting - Lighter flavors work great in the frosting.  Fruity and nutty flavors, along with any ingredient which may spoil or change flavor if baked, should be a part of the frosting.
Glazes and fillings - Fruits, liquor, and chocolate make some of the best fillings and glazes.
Exceptions to this guide are caramel and citrus fruits, which go great in any component of the cupcake.
Remember when using fruits which may have seeds to try and either use seedless options or remove the seeds yourself.  Your audience will appreciate it!

Next, decide how many cupcakes you want your recipe to yield.  Most recipes yield 12-24 regular sized cupcakes, less if you use Texas Royal or jumbo liners.

Now you are ready to start recording measurements you would like to use.  Understanding ratios will take the guess work out of all of it.
Staples for cake batter are: eggs, flour, sugar, butter/oil, and baking powder or baking soda.  Here's why:
Eggs and flour contain protein.  Protein molecules become tangled up to form the "skeleton" of the cake.
Sugars and butter/oil contain moisture, which soften the skeleton and make it pleasant to eat.
Baking powder and baking soda release gas, carbon dioxide, which rises in the batter while in the oven.  The gas lifts the skeleton up on the way out.
Too much skeleton and your cake will be dry and tough.  Too much moisture and your cake will be flat and mushy.
Your sugar should weigh about the same as your flour.  This means weight, not volume!  A cup of sugar weighs about 7 oz. while a cup of flour weighs about 4.5 oz.  So for example, if you are using a cup of sugar you will need about a cup and a half of flour.
Your eggs should weigh the same as your butter/oil plus or minus 20%.  An egg out of its shell weighs roughly 1 3/4 oz.  If your recipe calls for 6 oz. of butter/oil you will need four whole eggs.
Other liquid ingredients, including the eggs, should weigh as much as your sugar.  Weighing your total sugar and subtracting your eggs gives you the amount of liquid ingredient you have left to work with.
Finally, baking powder and baking soda ratios.  Use one teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour.  Use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour.  Heavier recipes may require more to lift your protein structure. 
Bake your cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and allow to bake undisturbed for 10 minutes.  By this time the cakes should have risen and will need additional time to continue strengthening the structure the protein molecules have formed.  Bake in one to two minute increments, inserting a toothpick each time until it comes out clean.  Record the total time it took for the cupcakes to bake after removing them from the oven.  Remember that larger cupcakes will take longer to bake.

Frosting is kind of a free for all in my book.  I start with a cup of butter and add ingredients as I go.  If I'm using cream cheese I cut the butter in half.  Powdered sugar goes in a cup at a time to until the desired thickness is achieved.  If the frosting is too sweet, add a small amount of salt and vanilla extract.  If the frosting is too thick or grainy add whipping cream a tablespoon at a time and whisk on high until light and fluffy.  Other ingredients like caramel can be added a half of a cup at a time.  Always record what you do and taste after each addition. 

The most important thing to remember is that your first shot at your first recipe isn't going to be perfect.  If you are really serious about creating a great recipe, embrace trial and error because it is the best way to really see and taste what works and what doesn't.  Last and most importantly, don't give up!