Doing the Pan Pan

• Cupcake and muffin pans come in a variety of sizes. Mini muffin pans hold 12 or 24 muffins and the holes are 2 inches wide by 1 3/4 inches deep. Regular muffin pans usually have 12 cups that measure 2 3/4 inches by 1 1/2 inches. This is the size you use when baking cupcakes using regular paper cupcake liners. Most packaged mixes assume you are using this size pan. For colossal cupcakes, use the giant-sized pan. The cups are 3 3/4 inches by 1 3/4 inches and produce cupcakes that are more than twice as big as mini muffins. You can also find specialized giant cupcake pans that allow you to bake the base and the muffin top separately then assemble them after cooking using a thin layer of icing.

Raising the Roof

• Because giant cupcakes are larger than regular-sized desserts, a denser cake mix works best. Less dense cake mixes will rise but because the structure cannot support the height, these cupcakes tend to fall and spread out around the edges of the pan. For big cupcakes and muffins, use a batter with flour that has slightly more gluten, such as all-purpose or bread flour, to give the structure more stability. Cake flour has a finer texture and can prevent collapse in baked goods with a high sugar-to-flour ratio.

Preparing the Pans

• While most regular-sized cupcakes and muffins stay within the boundaries of the cup or paper liner, giant cupcakes often overflow the edges of the pan. When preparing, butter the insides and the outer edges of the pan, even when using paper liners. Dusting the pans with flour will help ensure easy release of the cupcake or muffin. If the batter overflows the edges during baking, catch the excess on a cookie sheet placed under the cupcake pan.

Flexible Substitutes

• Silicone cupcake pans and liners are an easy-to-clean way to bake large cupcakes because they don't need to be greased or lined and easily wipe clean. When using the individual-sized liners, place them on a cookie sheet before filling to make them easier to take in and out of the oven. Fill the cupcake cups two-thirds full to prevent the batter from overflowing the edges during baking.