7 Best Cupcake & Muffin Recipes To Bake On Repeat

Gosh we love cupcakes and muffins here at Seed & Sprout. Honestly, is there anything better? Although we must admit, a scone is also extremely highly rated amongst us all.

So we surveyed the team and have pulled together seven of our best tried and tested recipes (hint: they all come up a treat in our ALL NEW silicone muffin cups).

Which muffin / cupcake shape should I choose we hear you ask? Depends on the vibe, we say! If you've got littlies who (let's be honest) just eat the top and leave the bottom for parents, choose small! If you're trying to feed hungry lunchtime tummies, go large! If you've got little slices in mind, go rectangle! And if you've got a High Tea planned to celebrate something special, go for a mix of all three.

Here's the full lineup, with recipes, methods and a hot tip for each. Every recipe below is portioned to fill six Large Muffin Cups so if you choose a different shape, adjust accordingly.

Why Bake In Silicone Muffin Cups

Quick practical note before the recipes. Our Muffin Cup range go straight onto a baking tray, no muffin tin needed, and the batter releases cleanly without any greasing or flouring. There's three shapes and four colours of each and they look so darn pretty as part of your display. They're also oven, air fryer, microwave and freezer safe, so the same set that bakes your muffins on Sunday can portion leftovers on Wednesday. When the bake's done, they go straight in the dishwasher.

Once they've earned their keep, they can be recycled through our Silicone Take Back Program rather than ending up in landfill. One set, a long working life.

The Easiest Way To Portion Evenly

If you're not an experienced baker, here's the one tip that makes the biggest difference: portion by weight, not by eye.

Once your batter's mixed, weigh the whole bowl, then divide that number by how many cups you're filling. That gives you a rough per-cup weight to aim for on the scale, so your muffins come out roughly the same size without any overflow. Each recipe below gives you a guide amount to work from.

As a general rule, our Large Muffin Cups suit a generous, bakery-style fill, while the Small Muffin Cups are closer to a standard muffin size and take a little less batter. Either way, filling to around two-thirds full is a safe bet for a nice domed top without spilling over.

1. Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

The kind of muffin that doesn't need an occasion. A simple butter batter, a good crack of sugar on top, and mini chocolate chips folded through generously enough that every bite gets one.

Makes: 6 large muffins (approx. 115g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 190g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 85g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 110g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 130ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 110g mini chocolate chips, plus extra for the top
• 1 tsp raw sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until combined, then whisk in the egg, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a spatula until just combined. A few lumps are fine.
5. Fold through the chocolate chips.
6. Weigh the total batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each muffin cup (should land around 115g each). Scatter a few extra chips and a pinch of raw sugar over each.
7. Bake at 200°C for 5 minutes, then reduce to 180°C and bake for a further 15 to 18 minutes, until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
8. Cool in the cups for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Hot tip: Weighing the batter and dividing by 6 before you fill the cups means every muffin bakes at the same rate, so you're not left with one underdone centre while the rest are perfect.

2. Blueberry Oat Muffins

A breakfast muffin in the true sense, one you could eat on the way out the door and not feel like you were having cake for breakfast. Whole blueberries throughout, rolled oats scattered on top before baking so they toast slightly in the oven.

Makes: 6 large muffins (approx. 115g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 165g plain flour
• 35g rolled oats, plus extra for topping
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 65g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 75g brown sugar
• 1 large egg
  
• 140ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp plain flour, extra (for tossing the blueberries)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
   
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla.
4. Toss the blueberries in the extra flour.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, folding gently until just combined, then fold through the floured blueberries.
6. Weigh the total batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each cup (should land around 115g each). Scatter a few oats over the top of each.
7. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool in the cups for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
   

Hot tip: Tossing the blueberries in flour before folding them through coats the surface of the fruit, which stops them sinking to the bottom of the muffin as it bakes.

3. Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

This one's for the people who think a muffin without a crumble topping is only half finished. A soft, spiced base under a buttery oat streusel, finished with a thin glaze.

Makes: 6 large muffins (approx. 80g batter plus 17g crumble per cup)

For the muffins:

• 165g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 65g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 80g brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 120ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the crumble:

• 30g plain flour
• 20g rolled oats
• 20g brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 30g unsalted butter, cold and cubed

For the glaze:

• 50g icing sugar
• 1 to 1½ tsp milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Make the crumble first: rub the cold butter into the flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon with your fingertips until you get a mix of pea-sized clumps. Set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla.
5. Fold the wet into the dry until just combined.
6. Weigh the batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each cup (should land around 80g each). Top generously with the crumble mixture, pressing down very lightly so it holds.
7. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the crumble is golden and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool completely, then whisk the icing sugar and milk together and drizzle over the top.

Hot tip: Keep the crumble mixture clumpy rather than working it down to a fine sand. Bigger clusters bake up crunchier and hold their shape better once the muffin's cooled.

4. Orange & Poppy Seed Cupcakes With Whipped Cream

Somewhere between a cupcake and a very good tea cake. Poppy seeds run through a citrus sponge, topped with a soft swirl of plain whipped cream rather than a heavy buttercream, finished with a slice of dehydrated orange.

Makes: 6 large cupcakes (approx. 90g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 85g unsalted butter, softened
• 110g caster sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 large eggs
• 130g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp poppy seeds
• 60ml fresh orange juice
• 30ml milk

For the topping:

• 200ml thickened cream, chilled
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• Dried orange slices, to finish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Rub the orange zest into the caster sugar with your fingertips until fragrant, then beat with the butter until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together in a separate bowl.
5. Combine the orange juice and milk.
6. Add the dry ingredients and the orange juice mixture to the batter in alternating batches, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
7. Weigh the batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each cup (should land around 90g each). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool completely. Whip the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks, pipe or spoon onto the cooled cupcakes, and top with a slice of dried orange.

Hot tip: Rub the orange zest into the sugar before creaming it with the butter. It releases the citrus oils properly, so the flavour comes through in every bite rather than sitting on top.

5. Chocolate Cupcakes With Raspberry Frosting

A rich, dark chocolate base under a naturally pink raspberry buttercream, made with freeze-dried raspberry powder rather than food colouring. Finished with a fresh raspberry and a curl of white chocolate.

Makes: 6 large cupcakes (approx. 90g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 110g caster sugar
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 110ml buttermilk
• 60ml hot water

For the frosting:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar
• 15g freeze-dried raspberries, blitzed to a fine powder
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk
• Fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls, to finish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, egg and buttermilk together, then whisk in the hot water last (the batter will be thin, that's expected).
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until smooth.
5. Weigh the batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each cup (should land around 90g each). Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool completely before frosting.
7. For the frosting, beat the butter until pale, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and raspberry powder. Add milk a little at a time until you reach a pipeable consistency.
8. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and finish with a fresh raspberry and a curl of white chocolate.

Hot tip: Blitz the freeze-dried raspberries to a fine powder before adding them to the buttercream. Any texture left in will show up as flecks rather than a smooth, even pink.

6. Small Orange & Poppy Seed Muffins

The same citrus batter as our cupcakes above, baked down into a smaller size and left completely undressed. No topping needed. These are built for the lunchbox, not the dessert table.

Makes: approximately 8 small muffins (approx. 65g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 85g unsalted butter, softened
• 110g caster sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 large eggs
• 130g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp poppy seeds
• 60ml fresh orange juice
• 30ml milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange your Small Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Rub the orange zest into the caster sugar with your fingertips until fragrant, then beat with the butter until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together in a separate bowl.
5. Combine the orange juice and milk.
6. Add the dry ingredients and the orange juice mixture to the batter in alternating batches, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
   
7. Weigh the batter and portion into each cup at around 65g, filling to roughly two-thirds full for a proper dome.
8. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Cool in the cups for a few minutes before turning out.
   

Note: If you'd like a full tray of 12, make one and a half batches of the recipe 4 batter rather than stretching a single batch too thin.

Hot tip: The Small Muffin Cups are closer to a standard muffin size than a true mini, so they need a proper two-thirds fill rather than a light scattering of batter. They also hold their shape without a tray underneath, so you can bake a full batch on a single sheet without them spreading into each other.

7. Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Bean Cream & Macarons

The showstopper of the seven. Same rich chocolate base, topped with a vanilla bean speckled cream and finished with mini macarons pressed on top. This is the one for a birthday table or a Sunday you feel like doing a bit more.

Makes: 6 large cupcakes (approx. 90g batter per cup)

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 110g caster sugar
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 110ml buttermilk
• 60ml hot water

For the topping:

• 200ml thickened cream, chilled
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
• 6 to 12 mini macarons, to finish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange your Large Muffin Cups on a baking tray.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, egg and buttermilk together, then whisk in the hot water last (the batter will be thin, that's expected).
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until smooth.
5. Weigh the batter, divide by 6, and portion that amount into each cup (should land around 90g each). Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool completely before frosting.
   
7. Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean seeds together to soft peaks.
8. Chill the whipped cream for 10 minutes before piping.
9. Pipe generously onto each cooled cupcake and top with mini macarons.

Hot tip: Chill the cream for 10 minutes before piping. Vanilla bean cream is softer than buttercream and can slump in a warm kitchen, so a short chill firms it up enough to hold a swirl.

The Right Cup For The Job

If you're planning to bake your way through all seven, it's worth having a size for every job. The Large Muffin Cups suit the bakery-style bakes here, while the Small Muffin Cups are a neat standard size for smaller portions and lunchboxes. If you're baking ahead for the week, the Rectangle Muffin Cups are shaped to slot straight into a CrunchBox 2.0, so Sunday's baking becomes Wednesday's lunch without any extra thought.

None of them need greasing. All of them go in the dishwasher. And when they've finally done their time, they're not headed for landfill.

Which one's first on your list? Find your size here.