6 Great Cupcake Tin Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put water in empty cupcake tin? ›

🔖 It creates steam and helps promote even baking, creating that bakery style muffin top. The steam will keep muffins from spilling over the sides while baking. It will keep the tin from warping during baking.

While it may be tempting to fill each muffin cup to the rim, be sure to give the batter enough room to expand while it bakes. Fill each muffin cup no more than two-thirds to three-fourths full, or as directed in the recipe. This will keep the muffins from spilling over the sides as they bake.

Next time you bake cupcakes or muffins, simply sprinkle rice in the bottom of the pan, then place the cupcake liner on top and fill with batter. Instead of the grease collecting at the bottom of your baked good, the rice will absorb the excess moisture without burning.

If you're wondering if a cupcake pan is the same as a muffin pan, the answer is yes! Though generally called muffin pans, they can be used to bake cupcakes, muffins and even savory items, like egg cups.

When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

Depending on what ingredients you're using, the batter will range from runny (like thin cake batter) to very thick (like drop-cookie dough). As a general rule, the thinner the batter, the lighter the muffins will be when baked. But don't be afraid to bake thick, gloppy batter.

Over-baking is the primary cause of stubborn muffins, even with a greased pan.

Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.

Can you use muffin tin without liners? ›

Making Cupcakes Without Liners

While sticking is a bit of a risk, you can always spray down your muffin pan and bake the cupcakes as normal. (Baker's Joy is a good product to consider using.) Make sure to evenly coat each and every cup, and to coat not only the base but also the sides of the cup. But don't over do it!

The trick? A scoop!! Kitchen scoops now come in 3-4 sizes, offered by countless brands. But after experimenting with a few over the years, my favorite by far is the Pampered Chef large scoop (for regular-sized cupcakes and muffins) and small scoop (for mini cupcakes and muffins).

Top off your muffin tray with water and freeze it for quick access to large ice cubes. These cubes are ideal for keeping punch bowls and other large containers colder for longer.

Suppose you have a 12-cup muffin tin and enough batter for only, say, six muffins. This myth says to fill the empty cups with water or you'll get uneven baking and your tin might warp. It does no harm, but it's a waste of time and has no effect whatever on the evenness of cooking. Why would it?

Filling a couple of the muffin cups with water before you bake won't just give you a tender crumb. It could also help even out your baking process in general, helping each cupcake bake all the way through instead of having a crumbly top and bottom and well-baked interior.

"Baking fluffy, moist cupcakes is all about creating air bubbles in your batter that expand in the oven," she says. "If you overmix your batter, you collapse those bubbles and end up with a brick-like cake." Always mix at a low speed to avoid this, stopping just as all ingredients blend.

How to prevent moisture. The first and easiest surefire way to prevent sticky tops on your baked goods is to ensure that they are completely cooled before closing them in an airtight container.