Cupcakes or Muffins? What’s the difference?
The Cupcakes
Ease and simplicity have always been part of making cupcakes. Once upon a time, back in the early 1800s, They were called ‘measure cakes’ or ‘number cakes’ as well as cupcakes because The ingredients were measured by cup, not using a set of scales. It was a quicker way of preparing the recipe during a time when afternoon Teas were a way of life. They also derive their name from the fact they were often cooked in a teacup. Teacups, often the second-best ones, would be greased, filled with a simple batter similar to a pound cake and baked in a wood or coal-fired stove. Because the cupcakes were smaller than a normal cake, they required less fuel and less time to cook: perfect for a thrifty housewife!
The recipe for the cupcakes has remained a fairly simple affair although it’s rare these days to see someone cooking them in old teacups, and they have evolved to become something slightIy more elegant. From The simple beauty of or plain cupcake with plain white icing and a glace cherry, to a beautifully decorated little cake with dark chocolate ganache and butter icing flowers, They’re a way for the inventive cook to show off his or her Talent’s and imagination. To many people, a batch of cupcakes is a blank canvas on which to paint and decorate, to show their true artistic Talents — to others they remain simply a fast, delicious cake.
The Muffin
The big difference between cupcakes and muffins is in the recipe for the batter. A cupcake recipe is generally plain and simple, and the embellishment and decoration go on the top. Muffins are not as showy and are not generally decorated, but make their mark with the special flavours or fillings inside, whether sweet or savoury.
Confusion reigns over what a muffin actually is. The word initially referred to a plain, flat yeast bun from the north of England. It was always split by hand, never cut with a knife, and was sometimes toasted over the glowing coals of on open fire, after which it was smothered in fresh butter. Yeast muffins are still made and sold in Britain and some of its former colonies, such as Australia.
Today the word `muffin’ more generally refers to larger, taller cakes like very big cupcakes. These muffins originated in the US, where muffins were once also called ‘gems’ and were much smaller
than the modern muffin.
They were popular across the US, and were filled with blueberries in the northeast US and huckleberries in The northwest. With The invention of baking powder, muffins got bigger.
Today The muffin is often still filled with fresh seasonal fruit, but adventurous chefs and cooks have Taken The basic mixture and added many wonderful and Tempting flavours and textures, from cherry and dark chocolate to marmalade and pecan treats.
Look out for all the recipes – coming soon to spanishchef.net
Bread Making with Bill & Sheila
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