Muffins

For their part, muffins are of American origin. They are made from a denser and creamier dough than the previous ones. Instead of oil, butter is included in their formulation and they usually have Greek yogurt, crème fraîche or whipping cream. In this case, the mixture is beaten just and necessary, and always with enveloping movements; that is, the minimum until we see that the dry ingredients have been integrated between the liquids. Thus, the resulting sponge cake will be juicy, but less fluffy, since they usually incorporate a small amount of chemical yeast, between one and two teaspoons, and lack a pompadour. They have less amount of egg and sugar than magdalenas, so they tend to be much less sweet, and ideal for breakfast. They admit infinity of flavors and ingredients among their dough: fresh fruit, nuts, oat flakes, etc. And they can even be salty!, Of zucchini and bacon, for example. 

Summarizing:

- In this case the dough is not beaten, you just have to mix all the ingredients so that they are distributed evenly throughout the dough, but without beating, since one of the characteristics of muffins is that they have a crumb that, although fluffy, It is more compact than that of cupcakes.

- The recipe begins by mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately, to finally mix them both in the same bowl, but, we insist; without beating, just mixing enough for the dry ingredients to hydrate.

- It is usually made with vegetable oil or melted butter.

- We can make them with both sweet and salty doughs.

 - They do not have cream-based fillers.

 - Pieces of various ingredients are usually used in its elaboration; fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc.

- They are baked in muffin tins or, as in the case of cupcakes and muffins, in paper capsules.

- They are of English origin.

Cupcakes

Originating in the United States, cupcakes are small individual cakes. They are the reduced version of a layer cake, so they are prepared exactly the same as any cake: with the same sponge cake dough and the same cream or fondant decoration, and they are usually made with butter, although those made with oil also abound. They differ from magdalenas in that they come out completely flat from the oven - because they are baked at a lower temperature, at no more than 160-170 degrees. In addition, they are always decorated, either by a butter cream or a cream cheese frosting. It is also common to find the French version of these sweets, that is, filled with the same cream that covers them, with jam, pastry cream, lemon curd, etc. Thus, they are much juicier and more appetizing.

Summarizing:

- The dough is beaten in a moderate way, with an electric mixer or a manual one.

- In its elaboration it begins by beating the butter with the sugar.

- Butter at room temperature, liquid butter, or vegetable oil is often used.

- They are made of infinite sweet flavors. Examples of this are our chocolate, lemon or mojito cupcakes.

- Unlike cupcakes, they do not have a pompadour, their upper part being quite flat, which allows it to serve as the basis for the ornamentation with which they are decorated.

- Sometimes it can be filled, with cream, chocolate or other types of cream.

-  What externally distinguishes them from muffins and muffins is that a decoration is always mounted on them, which is usually made with cream cheese, butter, royal icing, etc.

-  Inside you can find pieces of various ingredients; white or dark chocolate, fruits, nuts, etc.

- They are baked in paper capsules that usually have beautiful drawings.

-  They are of American origin.