Everyone loves desserts. There are different varieties of desserts for sweet as well as savoury lovers.
Desserts are mostly eaten at the end of a meal. But they are also consumed as snacks. Cupcakes and Muffins are famous desserts.
Many people prefer cupcakes for their cuteness and taste. Muffins are considered a healthy alternative for Cupcakes.
There is a common misconception that Cupcakes and Muffins are the same. Though they look similar, they are different.
Key Takeaways
- Cupcakes are smaller, sweeter, and more decorative than muffins, larger and plainer.
- Cupcakes are served at special occasions like birthday parties, while muffins are eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
- Cupcake batter is mixed until smooth, while muffin batter is mixed until combined.
Cupcake vs Muffin
The difference between cupcakes and muffins is that Cupcakes are rich in sugar while Muffins are comparably low in sugar content. Cupcakes are very soft and spongy on the other hand, Muffins are a bit harder than Cupcakes. They also differ in the process of batter preparation.
Cupcakes are small cakes baked in a small cup made either with paper or aluminium foil. They are made small to serve one person.
They are topped with frostings or with dried fruit and nuts. They are served at children’s parties.
They come in different flavours and are loved by both adults and children.
Muffins are small-sized bread desserts with a mushroom-like raised top. There are sweet and savoury muffins.
Sweet muffins are made by adding fruits, while savoury muffins are made with corn and cheese. Muffins are considered healthy counterparts of cupcakes.
Muffins are now consumed as a breakfast food in some parts of the world.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Cupcake | Muffin |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Soft and Spongy | A bit harder than Cupcakes |
| Sugar Content | High | Low |
| Icing | Cupcakes comes with different colored and themed icings with sprinkles topped on them. | Muffins don’t have icings but sometimes come with sugar sprinkles. |
| Health Benefits | Since cupcakes are rich in butter and sugar. It is not suitable for people with diabetes and cholesterol. | Muffins are healthy since they are low in sugar and only vegetable oil is used. |
| Size | They are small | Larger than Cupcakes |
| Storage | It is eaten cold and stored in cool condition. | They do not require refrigeration. |
What is a Cupcake?
Cupcakes are small cakes baked in separate cups and come with adorable frostings. Americans discovered the cupcake in the early 19th century.
They are made with simple baking ingredients like flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Raisins, fresh fruits, and nuts are added to the batter to enhance the taste.
Cupcakes are easy to make than larger cakes. The time taken to bake cupcakes is less than cakes.
Nowadays, Cupcakes are also made in small mugs. This is an easy way to mix the ingredients in a mug and then be baked in the microwave.
Cupcakes are more attractive as the frosting layer can be decorated in different ways for each cupcake. Themed cupcakes are commonly used in Halloween parties, Christmas, and Birthday parties.
Cupcakes are made using a high amount of butter and sugar. Essence and Chocolate are added to give flavour to each cupcake.
All the required ingredients are mixed well into a smooth, fluffy batter. The batter is poured into individual paper or foil cups.
Tins with 6-12 cups are also used. Then it is baked in preheated oven.
The cups are not filled. Since more butter is used, Cupcakes are soft and easy to bite.
The icing on the top can be made with desired ingredients and in favourable color. Icings are used to decorate cupcakes, and either colored sugar sprinkles or chocolate chips are sprinkled on top of the icing.
What is a Muffin?
Muffins are small cake-like desserts. There are two types of muffins.
The English muffin is a small flatbread. It can be sliced. It is made with sweet as well as savoury toppings.
The American muffins are taller compared to the British ones. They are spongy and look more like a Cupcake but aren’t one.
They are mostly sweet and sometimes savoury.
Muffins are considered healthy breakfasts. They are made with all-purpose flour and can be made using cornflour, oatmeal, and other healthy ingredients.
Muffin preparation does not include butter. Butter is replaced with healthy vegetable oils in Muffin preparation.
Muffins have low sugar content. Dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, and sometimes vegetables are added to muffins.
During the batter preparation for muffins, the wet and dry ingredients are mixed in separate bowls, and then a mixture of wet ingredients is poured on the dry ingredients and mixed.
This is done to prevent the formation of gluten. The batter is comparably harder than the cupcake batter.
Muffins are a bit harder, and chewing them feels like munching on bread. Muffins have various health benefits depending on the ingredients added to them.
American muffins come with no frosting or icing.
Main Differences Between Cupcakes and Muffins
- Butter is used in the preparation of Cupcake batter. In contrast, Vegetable oils are used in Muffin batter preparation.
- Cupcakes come with beautiful frosting and toppings, but muffins have no toppings but sometimes have sprinkled sugar.
- Cupcakes are stored in refrigerators. High temperature can affect the Cupcake icing. Muffins don’t require refrigeration and can be stored at room temperature.
- Cupcakes are rich in sugar content on the other hand, Muffins are low in sugar.
- Cupcakes are comparably smaller than muffins. The cups they are made are only half-filled with batter. On the other hand, Muffins are larger, and Muffin batter is allowed to overflow the cup they are made in.
- Cupcakes are not healthy food. It is eaten as a snack and Dessert. Muffins are considered healthy and consumed in the form of breakfast.
- https://arthur-parzygnat.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1901/2018/01/SVM_slides_SIGMA.pdf
- http://jcreview.com/index.php?mno=109743
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
This is very informative. The comparison table is a helpful summary.
The information in the post is useful and well-organized.
This is a good article. I didn’t know the difference between cupcakes and muffins until I read this.
This is actually incorrect. Cupcakes and muffins are the same thing, just different names. This piece was poorly researched and written.
There is no confusion in my mind after reading this post. The writer did a great job.
I couldn’t disagree more with your comment. You are incorrect.
This is a wonderful article packed with valuable information. I will not be confusing cupcakes for muffins anymore.
I agree, the post is very clear.
Sarcasm alert: Thank you for this earth-shattering revelation.