Cupcakes, muffins or madeleines?

These terms are so new that we still confuse them, but a pastry cook knows well that each of these cakes need different ingredients and preparation.

 

 

Cupcakes are individual cakes; they are called like that because in United States the cup is a unit of measure in the kitchen and, by the way, they used it as a mould to bake the cake. The most important thing in a cupcake is that, because it is commonly baked for parties and special events, it must be decorated in a festive way. It is usual to make very visual decorations with frostings, icings (of butter cream, cheese cream…) and colourful sugar fondant. All these ingredients have captivated many people for the large creative possibilities that they offer.

Muffins are for Spanish the most similar thing to their common madeleines, but muffins come along with add-ins (dried fruit, fresh fruit, aromas, chocolate).

 

 

In this sheet we highlight the main differences between the three pastries:

MADELEINES They are sweeter and fattier than muffins, but less sweeter and fattier than cupcakes. Bear no decoration. There are no salty versions. They are always made with oil (normally sunflower oil). The dough has no add-ins. Some of the ingredients need to be beated a few minutes in order to give air to the dough, and then this must settle in the fridge. They are baked in paper moulds (square, rectangle or round).

MUFFINS They are less sweet and less fatty than madeleines and cupcakes. Bear no decoration. They can be sweet or salty. They are made with melted butter or vegetal oil. The doughs have all kind of add-ins. They are made on the quick-method: the dry ingredients are blend on one side, liquids on another side and then they are blend altogether briefly just the time to hidrate the dry ingredients. The dough is then baked immediately.  They are baked in special muffin plates. Formerly, they were not baked in paper moulds but you can find them this way nowadays, unless you want them in a crust.

CUPCAKES They are sweeter and fattier than muffins and madeleines. There are no salty versions. They can be made with vegetal oil, melted butter, or tempered butter. The doughs can have add-ins. They always bear decoration. There are several blending methods depending on the type of cake. However the most common is the creaming-method where temperate butter is beated with the sugar first and the rest of ingredients later. The dough is baked immediately in moulds, that can be colourful and printed to make it more festive.

Source: DeNikatessen

 

 

No matter whether you offer cupcakes, muffins, madeleines, plum cakes or panettone, in the sweetest section of your business, we offer you a wide range of containers and moulds for baking and show them off.