You Should Use Liners When Baking Cupcakes. Here's Why

Everyone has been in this situation. You're grabbing all the ingredients needed for your favorite cupcakes, getting out your baking pans and bowls, ready to whip up a sweet treat, when you realize you forgot to buy the liners. It's not a big deal right? Wrong — there are quite a few reasons why liners should be a required step in your cupcake baking process.

First of all, the process will be a lot easier, because you don't need to go through all the effort of greasing your pan and then cleaning out each individual cavity later, according to The Spruce Eats. Simply pop a liner in each cup and you're good to go, giving the pan a rinse when you're done in case there's any batter that spilled out.

The cupcakes themselves will also be better, as the liners will help keep them moist (via Healthy Cookware). And, if you're worried about the cupcakes browning too quickly before they're fully cooked, liners can help there as well. They create a barrier between the dough and the baking tray, which can prevent over-browning on the edges and stop your batter from sticking to the pan (via The Spruce Eats).

Liners can also help you achieve any aesthetic you want while allowing you to stick to your tried-and-true recipes. If you don't want to risk any reactions to synthetic food dyes or flavor issues, due to larger quantities of natural food dyes, Healthy Cookware says that cupcake liners are your answer. While you may not find much beyond the basic white liners at your regular grocery store, a simple search online or visit to a specialty store will yield a wide variety of colors and designs you can use (via Baking Kneads).

You don't actually need to do anything beyond plopping the liners into your pan, but there is one extra step that can ensure everything works out exactly how you need it to. For a little extra anti-sticking security, simply give the liners a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray before you pour in your batter (via Craftsy). That will eliminate any issues with the cupcakes themselves sticking to the interior of the liner.

If you forgot the liners and don't want to make another trip to the store, there's a quick and easy hack. If you normally line your baking pans with parchment paper, you can create your own liners. No fancy skills are needed. Kitchn instructs cutting out squares of the paper, mold them around something that's a similar size as your baking pan to get the right shape, and they'll be ready to go.