Stumble This PostPrompted by some curious readers (OK, it was just one person, but it was someone other than me). I decided to delve further into the difference between cupcakes and muffins.
The Difference Between Cupcake and Muffins
I got some great information from Cupcakes Take the Cake, an amazing source for cupcake information and inspiration.
They say:
Your Thoughts on Difference Between Cupcakes and Muffins
The quick-and-dirty answer on this is that cupcakes have frosting, whereas muffins do not. However, in researching, I found an excellent formulaic definition of the difference courtesy of Diana's Desserts: 'A basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tablespoons sugar, 2½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, ¼ cup oil, shortening or butter and 1 cup milk. When the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level.
I'm not sure about the formulaic answer, but it is true that I don't think I've seen a muffin with frosting. Has anyone else?
16 comments:
Is frosting the same as icing? I have seen muffins with icing... St. Louis Bread Company used to have a cobblestone muffin that had icing. I also know that some scones have icing, so why not similar muffins?
I did some research on this important subject and I think the answer that best summed it up was on the Food Timeline website ,
"Icing. A term often interchangeably with "frosting" and preferred in America to describe the sugar-and-water mixture used to decorate and cover cakes..."Frosting" actually precedes "icing" in print, the former appearing around 1610, the latter in 1760, with icing considered a somewhat lighter, decorative glaze than frosting. But in America it became normal to used "icing" (and the verb "to ice") to describe either form of the confection."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 166)"
I think I will opt to continue to use them interchangebly.
That being the case, I think you have a great example of an iced muffin. I think I've even had that one. MMMMM.
Thank you, Stef. You are always a wealth of information!
I stand firmly on this one; A muffin is just a confused cupcake.
Hah.. I love it.
Well,
I've been having this debate with my friends at uni. Once I got home and got talking to my wise mum... who said that muffins have oil (and usually fruit) while cupcakes have sugar and butter, thus muffins are better for you, while cupcakes less so
princess said...
I think that muffins will always taste better then cupcakes:)
The best description of the difference between a cupcake and a muffin that I have heard is this one:
"If you throw a cupcake against a wall you get a sound like "pouf"; if you throw a muffin against a wall you get a sound like "thud" !
Perkins sells Boston cream "muffins" with mountains of cake frosting and sprinkles on them.
They are a sugary dessert, and quite clearly just oversized cupcakes.
I just had a 20 minite conversation with my friend about tihs on the train. then i searched it up- cupcakes are made of cake, whereas muffins are more breadlike.
yayy
Here's what i have heard, If you throw a cupcake against a wall it will make a "POOF" sound. However, if you did the same with a muffin it would make more of a "THUD" sound. hope that clears things up.
Muffins are simply ugly cupcakes.
Things that I've heard:
Cupcakes have the butter and sugar creamed together before adding other ingredients one at a time. Muffins throw everything in at once and mix together.
Also, muffins are much more dense than cupcakes which are light and airy. I know that muffins are too much for me to eat while cupcakes are easier to get through!
I have had muffins with frosting. I have had cakes with no frosting. I have had cupcakes with fruit (apples, blueberries, bananas). I have made muffins with butter and I have made cakes with oil. I think the formulated answer is correct.
I've always thought that muffins are breads and cupcakes are cakes, which basically just puts the formulaic answer into layman terms. Once you get to a certain ratio, its either cake or its bread.
i really don't care if i'm eating a muffin or a cupcake (just as long as i get one) whats the biggie? why are people making such a fuss over this?!?!
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