Cupcakes & Muffins – Where’s the line?

Photo by Austin Moncada on Unsplash

Cupcakes. Muffins. Tomato tomato hell no. These two are not the same. But where do you draw the line? Well I would most definitely draw the line with people who thinks that Cupcakes and Muffins are twins. I wouldn’t even think of them as brothers and sisters. Cousins, at best.  

So how do some people draw the line between cupcakes and muffins? Some say it’s the size, muffins are bigger. Some say if you eat it in the morning, it is a muffin. I’d draw the line on the frosting. Cupcakes have devilish frosting sitting on the crown of the cupcake while muffins have little chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, and almost an infinite range of ingredients.  

Before I continue, a disclaimer: This is a 100% biased article towards muffins. Team muffins. Muffins over cupcakes any day of the week. So let’s begin the attack on cupcakes. Here’s why a cupcake is not a muffin, and why a muffin is definitely NOT a cupcake.  

Photo by Mink Mingle on Unsplash

Cupcakes are mini cakes. And for goodness sake, if you are craving for cake, just go get a regular slice or full cake. Why a mini cake? Pshhh. Cupcakes are baked using cake flour, while muffins, my dearest muffins are made of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour and many more. See, diversity. Secondly, muffins come in variations of sweet and savoury, while cupcakes are 100% sweet. Lame. And thirdly, muffins are “healthier” than cupcakes right off the bat, because it has no frosting.  

I’m going to give you guys 1 recipe each for cupcakes and muffins, make both, and you can decide if you want to be cool and join Team Muffins or be lame and join Team Cupcakes. These recipes will be fair and unbiased. I promise.  

White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins  

Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash 

Ingredients:  

• 1 ¾ Cups of all-purpose flour  
• 1 tsp baking powder 

• 1 tsp baking soda 
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon 
• ½ tsp salt  
• ½ cup unsalted butter  
• ¾ cup brown sugar 

• 2 eggs  
• ½ cup plain yoghurt  
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract (3 tsp of vanilla essence)  
• ¼ cup milk  
• White chocolate chips & Raspberries (can be replaced with anything you’d like. Yes, anything.) 

*this recipe is the one recipe you will need for life. Toppings are 100% customizable.  

Steps: 

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 218°C. Grease the muffin pan with butter or place muffin liners.  

Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together.  

Step 3: Beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed for about 1 minute until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat until creamed for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, yoghurt and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute and then turn to high speed until mixture is combined  

Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients with the wet mixture and beat until combined. Add the milk and beat until combined.  

Step 5: Fill the muffin tin and sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. Bake at 218°C for 5 minutes and lower the temperature to 177°C and bake for 15 minutes. (poke with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean)  

Birthday Cake Cupcakes 

Photo by Yonko Kilasi on Unsplash 

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup sugar  
• 1 cup butter  
• 4 eggs 

• 1 tsp baking powder  
• 2 tbsp milk (stingy.) 
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract  
• ¼ tsp almond extract  
• 1 tsp sprinkles 

• Buttercream frosting  

Steps: 

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 180°C, line cupcake tray with liners  

Step 2: Whisk your butter until fluffy, add sugar, and beat until you get a light cream colour 

Step 3: One at a time, add your eggs and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth.  

Step 4: Pour batter into the cupcake liners. Bake for 18 minutes and add your frosting when cupcakes have cooled. (which is never, coz cupcakes are not cool.)  

If you are too lazy to bake, or have no patience to bake, or you don’t know which to bake, or what you like or don’t know if u are in Team Muffins or Team Lame sorry I mean Team Cupcakes then head on down to www.foodline.sg and order them both!