Cupcakes vs. Muffins: Differences Between the Baked Goods

Cupcakes are small cakes that feature a topping of whipped icing sugar, a candy garnish, or another decorative element. Some cupcakes feature a sweet filling in the center of the cake, like jam, frosting, or compote. You can make these single-serving treats with standard cake batter—the only difference between the baked goods is their size. While a regular cake bakes in a large pan, cupcakes bake in small, individual cup-shaped wells in specialized pans.

The name “cupcake” originated from the concept of baking miniature cakes in small cups.

A muffin is an individual-sized quick bread that rises using baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. These small quick breads are usually sweet, with a denser texture than cupcakes. To make muffins, bakers scoop the batter into a muffin pan that features a dozen or more individual cup-shaped wells.

Depending on the mix-in ingredients, you can enjoy muffins as a breakfast food, an accompaniment to a main course, or a snack.

Common add-ins include dried fruits, nuts, oats, and chocolate chips.

Cupcakes and muffins vary in taste, texture, and production. Consider these differences the next time you’re deciding whether to make cupcakes or muffins:

1. 1. Frosting: The main difference between cupcakes and muffins lies in the use of frosting. While muffins do not feature frosting, the creamy, sweet whipped topping is a cupcake staple. For example, red velvet cupcakes feature cream cheese frosting, which is thicker and less sweet than the standard buttercream frosting on other cupcakes. Bakers don’t add sugary frosting to muffin tops. Instead, you’ll find muffins with a thin glaze or crispy crumb topping made of brown sugar and cinnamon.
   
2. 2. Ingredients: Muffin recipes typically call for less sugar than most cupcake recipes. Healthy alternative ingredients are common in muffin recipes, which may feature applesauce instead of vegetable oil or whole-wheat flour instead of cake flour or all-purpose flour. Cupcakes often feature additional sweeteners, such as vanilla extract, common in many standard cake recipes.
3. 3. Production: Cupcake recipes often use the same creaming method as regular cake recipes. For this method, bakers cream the butter and sugar together before incorporating the other wet and dry ingredients, beating the mixture until they achieve a fluffy, smooth batter. Muffin recipes generally follow a different baking process: Bakers assemble the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them, resulting in a thicker, less uniform batter.
4. 4. Flavor: Cupcakes are a dessert treat, so most flavors are sweet or fruity. Common cupcake flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate chip, and peanut butter. On the other hand, muffin flavors are either sweet or savory. For example, blueberry muffins are a classic sweet muffin, while cornbread muffins are a popular savory option.
5. 5. Texture: Cupcakes have a lighter and fluffier texture than muffins. While cupcake batters are soft and smooth, muffin batters are thicker, resulting in a denser texture, similar to bread.
6. 6. Decorations: In general, cupcakes are more decorative than muffins, as you can adorn them with sprinkles, candies, colorful paper liners, or elaborate frosting designs for celebrations and parties. Muffins are plainer and don’t often feature a decoration, garnish, or liner. While cupcakes are primarily for dessert, muffins can accompany a dessert, side dish, or appetizer, depending on the flavor profile.
   

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