How to convert a muffin/cupcake recipe to a large muffin recipe

This table comes from the front of the muffin section in Bread, by Beth Hensperger:

Muffin size          Baking time     Yield
Mini/gem (1 5/8")    10-15 minutes   18-20
Regular (2 3/4")     20-25 minutes   9-10
Oversized (3 1/4")   25-30 minutes   6-7
Muffin cake (8-9")   55-65 minutes   1

The baking times are for 375-400°F; most recipes will fall around that range. Note that the yields don't necessarily match up to typical pan sizes; for example, if you take a recipe meant for 12 regular muffins, you'll probably have more batter than you need for a pan of 6 oversized muffins. Perhaps this is your problem - you could be overfilling. If even after scaling the volumes appropriately, you still have problems, you could try reducing the temperature by 25°F and increasing the baking time.

("Muffin cake" refers to baking in an 8-9" pan of some sort - the author says that you can get away with it for any muffin recipe, but I've never tried it!)

BREAD BATTER CONVERSION CHART FOR DIFFERENT SIZE PANS

One recipe of quick bread batter can be baked in pans of many different sizes. If you want to bake smaller loaves or muffins instead of a single larger loaf, use this chart to figure the baking time. Do remember that no matter which pan(s) you use, fill each only two-thirds full. If you have batter remaining, use it to make muffins.

• 9x5x3-inch loaf pan 1-1 ¼ hr.
• 8x4x2-inch loaf pan 50-60 min.
• 7 ½ x3 ½ x2-inch loaf pan 40-45 min.
• 4 ½ x2 ½ x1 ½ -inch loaf pan 30-35 min.
• 2 ½ -inch muffin cups 15-20 min.
• 1 ¾ -inch mini-muffin cups 7-12 min.
• Jumbo muffin cups 30 min.

*Note: Baking times are approximate and may vary slightly with individual recipes.

** From Holiday Baking, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, Dec. 30, 2008.

Muffins are a quick bread, and quick breads can generally be scaled from mini muffins up to loaves by adjusting the cooking time only.

Follow the recipe as written on the box and cook the larger muffins until they are done. Done in this case would mean a nicely browned exterior and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Or, if you have a thermometer handy, 200º-205ºF in the center.

The difference between baking muffins and baking cakes is that cakes are cooked for a longer period of time on a lower temperature (it took me a while to figure this out, as for some reason the lower temperature is counter-intuitive to me). Muffins I usually wind up baking at 350F for about 25-30 min, and cakes or loafs are usually 325F for about an hour. This can be done using the same batter recipe.

If you try to bake a cake or loaf at a muffin temperature you can wind up getting crispy or even burned outsides, and raw sticky middles. The same principle applies here for larger muffins. Cook a bit longer on a lower temperature and they should come out well.

For the mini muffin/cupcake pans I always bake at 375 F and check them at 7-10 minutes with a toothpick (make sure it comes out clean).

For standard muffin/cupcake pans bake at 375 F and check them at 20-25 minutes with a toothpick (make sure it comes out clean).

For oversized muffin/cupcake pans bake at 325 F and check them at 30-40 minutes with a toothpick (the cook time has depended on my ingredients... I am a plant-based baker and bake with fruits so sometimes I need to bake my muffins the full 40 minutes so just make sure to check the center of the muffin with the toothpick and not the side).