How to Bake Cupcakes Without a Cupcake Pan

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Co-authored by Lisa Britten

Last Updated: June 5, 2025 References

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Creating Your Own Cupcake Liners

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Placing Cupcake Liners in a Tray

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Expert Interview

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Q&A

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Tips

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If you need to make cupcakes but don't have a cupcake tray, it's still possible to bake those cupcakes. If you have cupcake liners, all you need to do is create stronger liners by stacking them on top of one another before placing them in a regular baking tray. If you don't have liners, you can make your own using square pieces of parchment paper and a cup.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Creating Your Own Cupcake Liners

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1
Make your own cupcake liners out of a stiff, oven-safe material. If you don’t have cupcake liners or a cupcake pan and still want to make cupcakes, you can make your own liners at home. You'll still need to double or triple the homemade liners so that they can stand up in the pan.^{[2]
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- Parchment paper is the recommended material, but you can also use aluminum foil.
- The stiffer the paper, the more stable your cupcake liners will be.
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Cut the parchment paper into 6 in × 6 in (15 cm × 15 cm) squares. Pull off a stretch of parchment paper and use a ruler to measure out squares. Use scissors to carefully cut out each measured square. You'll be doubling or tripling the liners for each cupcake, so cut out enough squares for this to happen.^{[3]
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- Most normal-sized cupcake pans make 12 cupcakes.
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The sizing doesn’t need to be exact, but try to find a glass or cup with a bottom similar to a cupcake liner. Most regular-sized cupcake liners have a bottom diameter of roughly 2 inches (5.1 cm).^{[4]
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Turn the cup over and place the square piece of parchment paper over the circular bottom. Try to align the paper so that all of the corners are equally spaced.^{[5]
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Press the paper over the cup to create 4 folds. Create a fold in between each corner of the piece of paper so that you create a mold of the cup.^{[6]
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Lisa Britten
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Expert Interview} You should have 4 clean folds when you’re finished.^{[7]
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- When folding, try to press the folds as close to the cup as possible.
Once you’ve finished the folds, keep the liner on top of the cup. Press your fingers along the circular edge you’ve created so that you form a solid base. Now your liner is finished!^{[8]
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Set up the liners on a baking tray just as you would if they were store-bought liners. Make sure they're placed close together to give them additional support.
Most materials that you use will need extra help to support the weight of the batter. Double or triple line your cupcake liners on the tray so that they won't spill.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Placing Cupcake Liners in a Tray

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1
Create a stable structure using cupcake liners. If you’re using paper liners, you’ll need to use at least 2 or 3 stacked on top of one another so that they’re able to stand on their own. Foil liners are the best choice as they’re already very strong.^{[9]
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- It’s likely that you won’t need to double or triple foil liners.
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Place the liners on a baking tray. When placing the liners, arrange them on the tray so that they sit close together, even touching. This will give them more support.^{[10]
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- It’s best if the tray has some sort of lip so that if the cupcakes do spill, you won’t have a huge mess to clean up.
If you want to be extra careful, take out the flat sections of mason jar lids and use the metal rings. Line the rings up along the baking tray and then place a cupcake liner in the center of each ring.^{[11]
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Once your liners are all set, mix up your cupcake mix according to the instructions. Fill each liner ⅔ or ¾ of the way to the top, just as you would in a regular cupcake pan.
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Place the tray in the preheated oven after all the liners have been filled. Move slowly and carefully when putting the tray in the oven to avoid spilling the cupcake batter. Follow the recipe to know how long to bake the cupcakes.
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Not using a metal cupcake tray should not affect the baking temperature given in the recipe.
- Set a timer to help you correctly time the baking of the cupcakes and prevent burning.

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What can I use instead of cupcake liners?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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If you do have a cupcake pan, you can skip the liners and grease the pan with some butter, oil, or cooking spray. Sprinkle in a little flour and shake it around to coat the greased pan cups easily, then pour in the batter. If you really want to use liners, parchment paper will also work well.

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Do you need to spray cupcake liners?

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You can if you like, but it’s not necessary. High-quality liners shouldn’t stick too much. It also helps if you let the cupcakes cool completely before you try to peel off the liners.

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Can you use aluminum foil for cupcake liners?

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Yes, and it can serve as a container for baking your cupcakes in a pinch. You can mold the foil first by pressing it into the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Spray a little cooking spray inside the foil cups to keep the cupcakes from sticking.

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Tips

You can also use egg rings to create stable cupcake holders.

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Parchment paper cupcake liner can be purchased as well. It's more sufficient than regular cupcake liners or making one by hand.

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Try not to use tape to keep your homemade cupcake liners together — tape doesn't do well in the oven and you don't want it near your food.

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