Muffins versus Cupcakes! Ah, the never-ending debate that makes best friends take opposite sides of the camp. It’s a subject of epic proportions, and today, we’ve bravely wandered into the storm to try to put an end to this puzzling question.
To the uninitiated, there are no marked differences. Both are single sized servings, tiny and undoubtedly delicious. With muffins taking a glamorous approach with glazing and cupcakes donning a healthy avatar, where does one draw the line?
In this post, we help you understand your favourite baked goods a bit better. We try to answer all your queries on the subject, what are they? How do they differ? And ultimately which one emerges as the winner?
Grab a cupcake or a muffin, whichever you fancy and get ready to witness an epic battle!
Round 1: The Basics
You would have heard the quote, “Muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.” While we totally agree with starting your day with cake, there is a marked difference between these cupped goodies.
A cupcake is generally defined as “A small cake, that is baked in a cup-shaped mould,” whereas a muffin is “A small, cup-shaped bread that is sweetened.” The definitions do not speak anything about the frosting that is present on cupcakes and absent on muffins.
To clear the air, muffins lean more towards the bread scale but with added sweetness. On the other hand, cupcakes are miniature cakes, retaining the flavours of a typical cake. When it comes to texture, cupcakes are airy and light, while muffins are dense.
Round 2: The Health Factor
Generally, muffins are healthier when compared to cupcakes. They aren’t too sweet, mostly made with whole wheat flour and come loaded with fruit. Also, muffins can be savoury like breakfast egg muffins or vegetable muffins. They are dryer and a bit heavier when compared to their fluffy cousins.
Cupcakes, on the other hand, are sweet and available in a wide variety of flavours that one often associates with cake. It’s fluffy and rich with eggs and butter. They are undoubtedly dessert and come heaped with frosting. While the occasional muffin may have a drizzle of icing, cupcakes are piled with frosting.
Round 3: Technicalities
• Mixing – For muffins, recipes ask you to mix the dry ingredients with the wet, but there is no need to beat until smooth. On the contrary, for a fluffy cupcake, you begin by creaming butter and sugar until smooth. Then you add in the eggs and beat till the batter becomes fluffy, and there are no lumps.
Thumb rule – A batch of muffins can be quickly whipped up using your hand power while cupcakes make you reach for your Kitchen Aid.
• Flour – Typically, muffins have a bit more flour when compared to cupcakes. This makes them dense and bready.
• Sugar – Surprise! Both muffins and cupcakes have the same amount of sugar. It’s the frosting that lends the added bit of sweetness to cupcakes.
The Findings
For us, cupcakes will always be a decadent, treat whereas muffins, their healthier cousins with scope for adding in savoury flavours along with healthy ingredients.
Whatever be your take you cannot go wrong with both these delicious baked goodies. Better still, grab a cupcake in one hand and a muffin in the other and enjoy the best of both the worlds.
For best muffins and Cupcakes in Gurgaon, remember GurgaonBakers. We do free midnight, Express delivery in town. We are available at www.GurgaonBakers .com, also you can reach us by calling us at 989-9988-185.
