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When I was writing this answer I realized that I have no idea what to call the dips in muffin/cupcake tins. I used to call them cups but when I looked it up I found that the cups are the paper inserts or liners you put into the dips or whatever they are called.

What is the right terminology?

Joe
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GdD
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    I provide 'muffs' as the tins that muffins are in... – npst Jul 25 '22 at 14:04
  • +1 This is akin to not having a name for the inside of your knee. ;) Everybody has one, no-one knows what it's called. Sometimes language just fails us… hole, dent, ermm.. thingy… like a cup... – Tetsujin Jul 25 '22 at 18:01
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    That's apparently called a kneepit @unlisted. Ick. – GdD Jul 26 '22 at 08:08
  • …which is weird in itself, as it's more akin to the crook of the elbow... – Tetsujin Jul 26 '22 at 12:51
  • @unlisted are you going to propose that we call these "muffin fossae", from popliteal fossa? I somehow doubt it will catch on :) – rumtscho Jul 27 '22 at 12:24
  • @rumtscho - libum fossae - muffin ditches, bun pits ;) Why not? – Tetsujin Jul 27 '22 at 14:17
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    That's it, the new accepted term for the dents in muffin tins is 'bun pits'. – GdD Jul 27 '22 at 14:23
  • …or [cake holes](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cakehole), as that's what you stuff them in when cooked ;) – Tetsujin Jul 27 '22 at 15:23

2 Answers2

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Looking at Amazon listings and Wikipedia Cup seems to be the correct terminology, or at least the most common one.

Alternative names I found are cavity and well, which also seem adequate.

The paper cups are known by many names including but not limited to cup liners, paper liners, muffin wrappers, muffin cases, baking liners among others.

Duarte Farrajota Ramos
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    I would add *(muffin) cases* as a name for the paper cups. – dbmag9 Jul 26 '22 at 12:58
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    At one bakery was asked to grab a 24hole rather than a 12. Nowadays I use individual aluminum 2.6" cups with paper liners on a standard tray. Easily stack to store, clean up only on sticky cups. Recycle mangled ones. Tipping out idividual muffins safer against damage. – Pat Sommer Aug 01 '22 at 05:30
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    I use ‘depression’ which also works for things like poffertjes pans – Joe Aug 01 '22 at 12:29
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I saw one recipe that called for "a 12-count muffin pan."

jconcord
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    So your contention is that “12 count” here doesn’t have its normal meaning of “there’s twelve things”, but instead means that each individual cup is called a “count”? – Sneftel Aug 01 '22 at 07:25
  • Presumably that's what the recipe author was thinking. Sounds 'generic' to me in that it would be suitable for poffertjes pans, etc. Seems that there is no one answer to the OP's question "What is the right terminology?" – jconcord Aug 02 '22 at 20:50