Crumbs in the Bakeroom #4: Muffin vs Cupcake

These two terms are interchangeably used to refer to minicakes baked in muffin trays. Some may find this entry not unusual but in case there are those who would like to know, there is a difference between the two. :)

Muffins usually use the Melt-and-Mix method that heats the butter, and sugar then beaten to slightly cool before adding eggs one at a time, beating well after every addition. then all dry ingredients (premixed) stirred in. the final step is the stirring of the milk. then it is baked.

The muffin method stresses that you must not overmix the dry with the liquid and expect that the mixture will be lumpy. As long as the dry is gently mixed it, you can bake it immediately. This method allows the flour to rise as high bump particularly because the butter is heated and the batter is given a jumpstart in cooking.

This sort of “uniform” procedure for muffins is the reason why it is versatile. the premixed dry ingredients can accommodate ground parmesan cheese and bacon bits to make cheesy bacon muffin which is perfect for breakfast. Or maybe mix in herbs like rosemary with frozen raspberries for your next gourmet dinner. This could also be the reason why some muffins have no frosting.

Cupcakes however have varied procedures. As many procedures there are for cakes, gateaux, torte, those procedures can be applied for cupcakes. Only, instead of baking them in cake pans, we bake them in cupcake/muffin trays. For cake recipes that produce light batters that are poured on cupcake trays, it does turn out soft moist cupcakes. However, it doesn’t reach the height that muffins can achieve.

The appeal of cupcakes come not only in their size and moist texture but also in their frostings. Cupcake frosting and finishings such as toppers and other candies offer a wide variety of design and because muffins already have the height in itself, it is difficult to swirl frosting over it, let alone put candies on top.

Muffin finishings can also be dramatic though, and for savory muffins, the best way to enjoy them is cutting the top off and putting the frosting there and replace the top offcenter of the plate.