Muffin vs Cupcake: The Great Divide

Granted, in the greater scheme of things, there are much more important questions out there that need to be answered. But these more important questions are also harder to answer. Will we have world peace? Can we ever find a cure for AIDS? I’m a simple person and seriously, I wouldn’t have a clue to where to start to find the answers to those questions.

In truth, the issues that concern me are of a far lesser nature but they do keep me up at night and so I would like to know once and for all: What is the difference between cupcake and a muffin?

Both of them come in their little paper casings. Both of them are baked using a muffin pan. And both of them are sweet! Sure some people would argue that muffins can be savoury but ask anyone to name a muffin and chances are they would name a sweet flavoured muffin such as Blueberry or Chocolate Chip.  Anyway that argument doesn’t make sense- would that mean a savoury cupcake is by default a muffin? Therefore making all sweet muffins cupcakes in disguise?

Some would argue that cupcakes are prettier. They have frosting and little sprinkles. They are usually a lovely pale golden colour. They are for little girls in pink dresses with fairy wings. Muffins, on the other hand, are like the ugly stepsister of cupcakes. They are fatter, and usually come in a shade of brown reminiscent of oatmeal. They are for lumberjacks in plaid shirts with their workman boots.  But isn’t that a purely cosmetic distinction? If I were to close my eyes and bit into a cupcake or a muffin would I be able to tell the difference? To paraphrase Shakespeare, wouldn’t a rose by any other name smell as sweet? On in this case, taste as sweet?

In truth, I think a long time ago that cupcakes and muffins were very different Cupcakes were so named for perhaps 2 reasons. The first was that cupcake recipes were measure in cups- 1 cup of flour to 1 cup of butter to 1 cup of sugar, thus giving them their name. The second perhaps that they were baked in cups itself originally to produced small individual cakes.

The history of muffins is more varied. The word muffin can mean muffins that are similar to cupcakes, which beget this original question. But In Europe, muffins were first made from leftover bread dough. These bits of dough were too small to be a loaf of bread but if baked in individual portions, just perfect as a snack. There were usually flat and bread like in texture. The Victorians in England ate them with jam thus adding the sweet element to them. Over in America, bakers started adding raising agent to them giving them a more cake like texture and baking them in a muffin pan. This might explain why you use a muffin pan to bake cupcakes!

So I guess the question now is not so much what is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake but rather: Which came first? The muffin or the cupcake?

That’s what I really need, another question to keep me up at night! Whatever the case, I am sure I will ponder this one over some cupcakes or muffins. It will make the thinking easier I’m sure.

This is a first parter of a two part series of articles for those with a sweet tooth. Tomorrow, where to go to learn how to make 'to die for' desserts (you can show off this Christmas).

So yes, what do you think? Muffin versus cupcake, which came first, or is there really  a difference at all?