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A frequently asked question in baking is whether you need to have liners to make cupcakes or muffins. Muffin liners, also called baking cups, are small cups of paper that are designed to fit in baking pans. And, rest assured, you do not have to have them.
Even though they are designed to fit in the cups, the baking sheet is made out of the same material as all your other cake and loaf pans, which you normally do not line with anything. If you grease your muffin pans with butter or oil, the muffins will come out just fine. Cupcakes may even result in a prettier presentation and be easier to eat without the liner, which will not be around to create a big mess at the table.
Your cupcakes may have more browning when baked without a liner, since the cake will be up against the side of the pan, so if that bothers you, use a liner. Some people say that without a liner, your muffins and cupcakes will rise into a higher, domed top, but I have not found a big difference in my baked goods. The results are much more dependant on the recipe: thicker batters will usually have a more pronounced dome and thinner batters will be flatter.
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
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12-03-2005 @11:17PM Huffy said... Worried about cupcakes or muffins with "brown bottoms" when baking without liners? Fret no more! Instead, grease the pan with lipid of choice, add appropriate batter, then place the entire pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. The baking sheet provides a nice layer of insulation, while the parchment paper acts in place of those troublesome, individual liners. Works like a charm.
With a debt of gratitude and nod of thanks to darling Marcy Goldman over at Betterbaking.com, I am honored to provide this invaluable tip to other bakers.
Huffy
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12-04-2005 @12:09AM Paula Helm Murray said... I do not ever use those nasty pieces of paper! I regard them as a nuisance, even my favorite cheesy muffins come out of the pans because of a certain brand name pan spray. I don't have an over-browning problem.
I have not made cupcakes in just about forever (maybe some for my sister before i went to college) and the spray release was not available and flour/butter makes cuppycakes unattractive and I don't want to think about effect on taste/residue on hands. I may have to try them using sheet of parchment under the pan.
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12-04-2005 @12:17AM alps said... wow, huffy and marcy, amazing!! thanks for the tip!
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12-04-2005 @12:36AM Nicole Weston said... Great tips, guys. I usually do whatever I feel like at the time. Liners eliminate the need for washing the pan, which is a nice time saver.
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12-04-2005 @10:52AM browse said... I'd like to suggest a third option in the "muffin pan vs muffin liners" discussion. I recently got a set of silicon muffin cups, and have been pretty happy with them. No more muffin tins, and no more paper muffin liners. I've been using my favorite brownie recipe with them, to make little single-serving brownies for packing in lunch.
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12-05-2005 @1:05AM Anne said... I have a fairly nice trick. I use those thin teflon mats on my baking sheets, and I find that they do wear out after a while. (About a year.) So, last year, I cut up one of my old sheets into small rounds - just the size to fit in my muffin tray (and also in my springforms). This works perfectly - because I find that without a liner I sometimes have problems getting the muffins away from the bottom of the pans. Sides are easier. But with this, it pops right out. And they're very re-useable, too.
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