Have you heard? It's official Cupcake season!
We're celebrating with a series of great, creative cupcake recipes that take inspiration from cream-filled desserts (our Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes), pies (check these Cherry cakefrosted lattice), breakfast dinner (here's looking at you, Blueberry cake), churros, and more.
Of course, we didn't stop with the recipes. We also considered the best way to align yours cake pan to ensure your creations turn out perfectly.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Why How You Line Your Cake Pan Matters
Perhaps most obvious (and most important): Lining your cupcake pan is the main way to prevent cupcakes from sticking. No one wants to waste time and ingredients on cupcakes that fall apart when you try to remove them from the pan.
Not only do liners prevent sticking, but they can also affect the shape of your cupcakes, how they brown, and overall appearance. And because there are so many options and recommended methods out there, we decided to test them all to see which one works best.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Rossi Anastopoulos
test
I used the basic recipe for our new one Cherry Pie Cupcakesa simple vanilla cake batter made with cake flour. According to the recipe, the cupcakes are baked at 350°F for 20 minutes, all in the same pan. I used a different layer for each well in a six-cup muffin pan and filled each cup 2/3 full. I didn't grease any of the cupcake liners – the only time I used non-stick spray was for the empty cup.
Here are the methods I tested:
Let's see those results!
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cupcake Pan Test #1: Single Paper Liner
Method: The most common choice – a single lining of paper. For this test, I used our cute and effective cupcake paper. Most importantly, these are sturdy papers (because nothing is more cumbersome than a thin layer of paper that barely holds its shape when you place it in the pan).
Results: The cupcakes turned out great! They released easily from the pan, the paper pulled off smoothly without sticking to the cupcakes, and the cupcakes themselves baked evenly. In general, a success that sometimes proves simple is the best.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cupcake Pan Test #2: Double Paper Liners
Method: Many bakers advocate using two sheets of paper to double line your cupcake pan, which supposedly helps the cupcakes bake more evenly and allows the sheets to retain their color for a prettier presentation.
Results: I could not detect any difference between double and single results. This method certainly worked well – the cupcakes came off the papers easily and didn't stick. Both cupcakes baked evenly and with our cupcake papers, at least, the color stayed just as bright on the single liners as the double liners. (That said, our papers have a grease-resistant coating that keeps their color vibrant after baking. If you're using another brand and want to ensure bright color, consider double lining.)
Because the results were so similar, I'd say there's no need to double line your pan; a single liner works just as well, as long as you use high-quality cupcake papers.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cupcake Pan Test #3: Foil Liners
Method: Foil liners are another popular choice and I was particularly interested to see if this different material would affect how the cupcakes baked due to a possible difference in heat conduction.
Results: Overall, this cupcake test went much like the paper liners, although part of the edge of the cupcake got caught in the liner, causing a small but noticeable tear. It's hard to tell if this is unique to foil coating or just bad luck that may have happened with paper coatings, but it's worth noting. (Consider oiling foil liners if you're nervous—there aren't as many negatives to spraying foil liners than paper liners, which can get wet, look greasy, and/or bleed.) I couldn't tell any difference in how the cupcakes baked; the results were identical to those baked on paper coatings in height, shape and color. If you have foil liners in your closet, they will work just fine.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cake Pan Test #4: Non-Stick Silicone Baking Cups
Method: These reusable baking cups are made of flexible silicone. I was curious to see how this different material would affect the height, shape and baking of the cupcake.
Results: Because these sturdy cups hold their shape, the batter didn't spread as much during baking, translating into slightly smaller cakes. Cupcakes also didn't rise that high. They were easy to remove from the pan, although it was a little difficult to remove the cake from the silicone cup. This is because the cup doesn't spread like paper liners do, so it can be difficult to pull it off the cupcake, but ultimately not too hard once you've got it. And because the silicone is non-stick, the cupcakes came out clean without sticking or tearing.
I love that these are reusable which is handy if you bake cupcakes or muffins often. However, if you were baking for a bake sale or gathering, you'll want to pop the muffins out of the cups before serving. Another benefit is their versatility: they can be used to bake chocolate lava cakes, mini quiches and even melt butter in the microwave.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cupcake Pan Test #5: Tulip Paper
Method: Elegant tulip paper are often used for muffins, and I was interested to see if they would make a good choice for cupcakes as well.
Results: The distinctive folded shape of the tulip paper translates into a slightly square cupcake, with visible divisions where the creases were pressed into the batter. Additionally, the high sides of the paper made it difficult to cleanly fill the paper with dough, although a spoon for muffins helped; that height would have made it difficult to freeze the baked cupcakes without removing the paper first. The paper came off the cupcake cleanly, thanks to the creases that unfolded easily. Overall, I'd recommend these for muffins whose rustic nature would love the slightly square shape created by these toppings, and who aren't frosted, and choose other cupcake options more aesthetically pleasing.
Rossi Anastopoulos
Cupcake Pan Test #6: Nonstick Spray
Method: What happens if you skip the liner altogether? That was the question I asked with this test, which just showed an even coat of spray that doesn't stick to the well and nothing else.
Results: This method was less successful. The outer edge of the cupcake surface was noticeably browned, the only cupcake of my tests with uneven coloring. Meanwhile, the edges of the cake slightly stick to the pan. By running a sharp knife around the edges and gently easing it, I was able to release the cake without any noticeable flaws. But doing this was both stressful and annoying – I wouldn't want to have to individually make 12 of these cupcakes in a full batch. And one small quibble: The edges of the cupcakes were rough and rough—not as pretty or professional as most other options. In general, this method technically works, but only as a last resort. If you have liners, use them!
The last take
For cake baking, I recommend cupcake paperfoil cladding and non-stick baking cups — all were successful and easy to use. Avoid tulip papers and single-use non-stick spray if possible. They have their uses elsewhere (tulip papers are especially great for muffins), but they're not the first choice for cupcakes.
Check out our brand new lineup of creative cupcakes and start embracing cupcake season.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
