Confession: I am a cupcake junkie. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner with no shame. I’m also kind of a cupcake snob. I know… it’s not nice to all the other cupcakes – but I’ve gotta tell you that I’m just not that into store bought ones. I’m a homemade cake + homemade frosting kinda girl.
But — it took me a bit to figure out how to bake them without the sightly “muffin top.” Or without making them barely rise to the top. I know it has a lot to do with how much batter you put in the liner, but still, even if you do each one with the exact same amount, one will be too big and others too small. And I want all my cupcakes to be even – especially when I’m throwing a party or a baby shower or whatevs.
While I was experimenting with figuring out the absolute best recipe for frosting, I figured out the way to get them perfectly shaped every single time.
*This post contains affiliate links*
We all know that the right tools make all the difference in the world – and that’s exactly the case with the perfect cupcakes.
Meet my new BFF – the DeMarle at Home Straight Muffin Pan. Seriously, this muffin pan has become my go-to for making cupcakes. And since I make them at least 3 times a week, this pan and I hang out a lot.
It’s a flexible silicone mold. You can bake, freeze, bend, twist, smush into a ball and it pops right back out. It’s basically indestructible. (Well, with normal use – don’t run it through a wood-chipper or anything.)
The beauty of the pan is that a normal size liner sits snuggly right down in the mold, but you have a tiny bit that goes on up above it, so when your cupcake bakes, instead of having the “muffin top” effect of rolling over the edge of the metal pan, this acts as a dam, giving it more structure to keep going up and not over. See the perforated tray? That’s what you use to hold the pan to make sure you get even cooking.
So when they’re done, let them cool a bit and pop it out of the mold and let completely cool before adding frosting.
Oh – and nothing sticks to it, so when you’re done you just wash it out and let dry before tucking it away. (I literally fold mine up and put it in a basket.)
Those are definitely some pretty cupcakes. Now I want cake with LOTS of fluffy frosting ASAP!
Ha ha, thanks Carlee 🙂
YUM YUM
Thx for the tip and getting to the bottom of muffin tops!!
You are so very welcome Michelle!
Great looking cupcakes, will you be posting any recipes?
Thanks Susan! Yes I have and do post recipes, just click on the “eat” tab on my blog for all kinds of yumminess 🙂
The links in the cupcake blog don’t work! 🙁
Oh no!! Thanks so much for letting me know….I’m on it!!
The links aren’t working, but I watched a video of the DeMarle cupcake pans and was super excited to purchase one. But on Amazon, they are CRAZY expensive. Are the links you tried to share to someplace more reasonably priced, or is this a case of having to pay for the convenience?
Thanks for letting me know Tania 🙂
THE link for the DeMarle straight muffin tin still is not working. Would love to have “straight” muffins! Can you help with where I can find the tin that’s not crazy expensive like on Amazon? Thank you!
Hey Liz, sorry about that. I actually got this from Amazon and don’t know of any other place.
Nice pan, but I refuse to pay the amazon price. Wish you had another source.
I’ve seen some pans at Michaels but I don’t think the prices are any lower, they may even be more, sorry 🙁
Thanks so much for the recommendation! After reading this article about a year ago, I have been on the search for a Demarle straight pan on eBay or Amazon warehouse. Well, I finally found one in the warehouse that looked like a straight pan was wasn’t marked as such. I took a chance, got it Friday, and sure enough it is perfect…a size of 24 molds for less than $50 total. Score! My persistence paid off.
Can I ask which cupcake liners you use that fit perfectly in them?
Good for you Misty!! I just use the mini muffin liners.
Gina, I need recipe for those delicious looking cupcakes and icing pleaseeee