Cupcake liners

Cupcake liners, also called baking cups, are small pleated cups of paper or foil that sit inside the wells of a muffin tin. A food reference notes that paper is used to line trays and molds and to hold cake and muffin mixtures.

The cup holds the batter in shape as it bakes, keeps the tin clean, and makes the finished cupcake easy to lift out and carry without a knife or a greased pan. Because the baked cake is already wrapped, cupcakes are easy to transport and to hand out, and the liner can be peeled away at the table.

Liners come in plain white, colors and patterns, and in standard and mini sizes to fit the matching tin. Fill each cup about two thirds full so the batter has room to rise. Peel a paper liner away from a still-warm cupcake gently, and cool cupcakes fully before frosting.