American muffin

English

Noun

American muffin (plural American muffins)

1. (UK) A cupcake-shaped baked good.
   • 1989, Ofelia García, Ricardo Otheguy, English across Cultures. Cultures across English: A Reader in Cross-cultural Communication‎^[1], page 239:

     An American muffin is usually yeastless bread baked in a cupcake shape; although defined in some British dictionaries as a sweet.

   • 2008, Charis Cotter, Terry Durack, 1001 Foods: The Greatest Gastronomic Sensations on Earth‎^[2], page 825:

     The American muffin looks something like a large cupcake, but has a rounded top instead of a flat one and is never toasted.

   • 2015, Darra Goldstein, editor, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets‎^[3], page 465:

     American muffins are chemically leavened, enriched, semi-sweet quickbreads baked in individual portions. Although American muffins can be split, warmed, toasted, and spread with dairy products or fruit preserves, they are generally consumed "as is" at room temperature for breakfast, brunch or light snacks.

   • 2017, Stella Parks, Brave Tart: Iconic American Desserts‎^[4]:

     Nineteenth-century editions of Cassel's Dictionary of Cookery, published in London, defined the "American muffin" as a "yeast-raised griddle bread."

Usage notes

In the US these are typically simply known as muffins. Most people in the UK also use the term muffin to describe this food item, only using the term American muffin for disambiguation purposes.