I received some silicone muffin cups last year as a gift (the fluted stand-alone kind that look like a muffin tin liner). I've tried to make several batches of cupcakes in them and every time, not one of the cupcakes has slid out easily; they all break or stick to the sides.
I've Googled this and rarely find any reviews or blogs where people have this problem. They all swear by silicone's non-stickiness, so I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Any thoughts? I've tried spraying with baking spray and not using any grease at all and it hasn't made a difference.
Sad cupcake maker in Brooklyn,
Liz
Liz, we have a couple silicone pans with baking wells shaped like the cups above (the ones above are from SiliconeZone; $9.99 for a dozen at Amazon). We have stopped using ours much, just because they are a pain to wash out, but when we do use them we usually grease lightly.
The primary thing we can think that may be the problem is that you are not letting the cupcakes bake thoroughly. They need to bake until completely done and golden, and then they need to cool until they pull away slightly from the sides of the cups. In this respect silicone is no different from traditional metal pans; baked goods need to cool and form a slight crust before they can be removed from the pan, or else they'll tear.
Even though we don't think silicone is the magic baker's bullet anymore, these individual cups are nice. Once your cupcakes have cooled for at least 15 minutes, gently depress the bottom of the cupcake liner and carefully peel the sides away, effectively turning the cupcake liner inside out. It should come away easily. If it doesn't, even after all of this, it may be a bad batch... of silicone, not cupcakes!
That's our advice - any other ideas for Liz?
(Image: Amazon)
I have the same problem, Liz. I went back to paper liners and regular tins. I now use my silicone cups for individual dip cups or snack cups but not for baking.
view Aimi's profile
I've actually never had a problem with them myself...the only place they seem to stick is at the very top, but only in places if the "muffin top" rises and spills over the edge so it's pinching the top edge of the cup (if I've described it properly). The rest of the muffin seems to come right out.
view empresscallipygos's profile
hate silicone ...
i do think that faith is right - cook them longer. fight the urge to take them out when you think they're done. silicone always takes longer to bake by at least 10 minutes. that's why i don't like it - i don't like overcooked cakes. trash them if it doesn't work.
view Joan in SB's profile
rather than trash them...maybe repurpose them like Aimi mentioned. :) glad to hear some not-so-perfect reviews on silicone baking stuff--i've been considering them lately but may re-consider my consideration!
view ambsATX's profile
I have the same problem with mine. I don't think it's that the cupcakes are not fully baked - they seem done when you finally get them out of the cup, in pieces. I hit mine with some nonstick spray before baking and it does the job, but maybe makes having silicone cups pointless.
view ScienceandtheCity's profile
It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one with this problem. I did try an experiment - I made a cake this weekend and I poured some leftover batter into a heavily Crisco-ed muffin cup and it worked, slid right out. Definitely defeats the purpose of silicone, but it didn't stick!
-Liz
view eblacknyc's profile
I do like using them and find depending on the batter a little spray will do the trick...seems like the thicker batters don't need it. One thing to check is the thickness and quality of the silicone. When you bend the liner in half if you see white, it is not 100% silicone but has filler. Some manufacturers also cut costs with thinner products.
I think the benefit of silicone cups for me is not instead of liners but instead of pans all togther. One less pan with a faster cook time and quicker cool down.
view den's profile
Oh great. I've never had a problem with my silicone cups sticking. But now that I've read that it's a problem... I'm convinced I'll have nothing but problems from now on.
view Stone Maison's profile