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muffin cup

muffin cup

1 1.8
A small round cup of paper, foil, or silicone that holds and shapes muffins while they bake
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌfɪn kʌp/
  • US
translation icon : copa para muffins
  • Divide evenly among the muffin cups, then top with about 1/2 to 3/4.
  • muffin cups with batter
  • bake in muffin cups
  • fill muffin cups

Examples

  • Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Add 1 teaspoon of filling to the center of each muffin cup.

  • Spoon batter into muffin cups about 2/3 full.

    Blog text (31)
  • Spoon into well-greased muffin cups, filling to the top.

    Blog text (15)
  • Grease mini or regular muffin cups generously.

    Blog text (31)
  • I would also use small amounts like what can go into muffin cups or small (check out toy-sized pans) forms before going to regular-sized loaves.

    Blog text (6)
  • Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake for 25 minutes.

  • For pretty, rounded muffin tops, use a small ice-cream scoop to fill the muffin cups.

Synonyms

muffin case
vsmuffin cup
  • UK
2.5

A small cup made of paper, foil, or silicone that holds batter while baking

is the alternative name for the same baking holder

How Big

baking tray
  • UK
1 2.3
cake tin
  • UK
1 1.0
patty-pan
  • US
9.8
muffin cup
  • US
1 1.8

Surface Forms

muffin cup singular
muffin cups plural

Morphology

muffin + cup

The compound 'muffin cup' is transparently built from 'muffin' (the baked good) + 'cup' (a small container), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a small container used for muffins/cupcakes in baking. This noun–noun composition and the container sense of 'cup' are common cross-linguistically and follow standard English patterns, making the meaning predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Muffin cup is a very literal name: it is a small cup that holds the batter for a muffin while it bakes. That's why the phrase means the paper, foil, or silicone 'container' that shapes and keeps a muffin in the oven.