43 Unexpected Muffin-Tin Recipes You've Never Tried (2024)

FAQs

What can you use instead of a muffin tin? ›

You can use alternative items such as ramekins, silicone baking cups, or even a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper to bake muffins without a muffin tray.

Take any basic batter, from brownie batter to cake batter to muffin batter, and spread it onto a parchment-lined (or well-greased) sheet pan with high edges. Bake until just set and golden on the edges, then remove from the oven and let it cool.

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.

The fastest way to remove the cupcakes cleanly from the pan is to place a baking sheet on top of the muffin tin and invert. They should all come out in one fell swoop.

Mason Jar Rings

If you've got a bunch of mason jars, you can use the rings to hold the cupcake liners in place while they're baking. Just arrange them on a regular baking sheet, stick a liner in each one, then pour in the batter and bake as usual.

What do eggs do in baking? When added to a recipe, eggs take on a few roles. They may be used to add structure, flavor, texture or act as a leavening agent. Interestingly, depending on whether the recipe calls for whole eggs, egg whites and egg yolks also affect what an egg does during baking.

Using the blueberry muffin recipe from The Bread Bible, the unused empty muffin cups are half filled with water. According to Rose Levy Beranbaum, it “prevents the heat from being drawn to them and adds moisture”.

Standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter. Giant or Texas-size muffin cup is about 3 ½ inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter.

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

Is there a difference between cupcake and muffin pans? 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.

Why do my cupcake liners peel off? ›

Moisture is the main reason why cases peel - don't bake cupcakes in a steamy environment so you shouldn't have pans of bubbling water or kettles boiling.

The good news is that you can bake muffins without using any liners at all. Muffins will pop out seamlessly from the pan, as long as you make sure to grease the baking tin generously prior to filling the muffin cups with batter.

Whether they're made out of ceramic, silicone, or paper, baking cups can definitely go in the oven! While ceramic baking cups can generally withstand very high temperatures, when it comes to paper baking cups, there are limits to how high the oven temperature should be.

I couldn't detect any difference in how the cupcakes baked; the results were identical to those baked in paper liners in height, shape, and color. If you've got foil liners in your cupboard, they'll work well.