The Bottom Line: Sweet facts about cupcakes!
The Full Story:
- The beginnings - Cupcakes gained popularity in 1919 when Hostess became mass producing them, but they weren’t the cream filled, frosted kind we all know until the 1950’s.
- A cup of cake - The term ‘cupcake’ was originally used in the late 19th century for cakes made from ingredients measured by the cupful. The traditional pound cake recipe was easy to remember for its pound of butter, pound of sugar, pound of flour, and pound of eggs. Likewise, the name “cupcake” comes from how recipe was measured: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. Early cupcakes were baked in teacups or ramekins (small clay pots) before the invention of the multi-cup pans we use today. Hence, a cup of cake! But then, the number system had them called “number cakes” or “1-2-3-4 cakes.”
- Here comes the…cupcake? Apparently 13% of brides decide to serve cupcakes at their wedding as opposed to the traditional wedding cake. Cupcake flavors are basically only limited by your imagination, so why settle for just one type of cupcake for your reception? Cupcakes can be decorated just as elegantly as any wedding cake, or they can be more casual for an easy breezy wedding. Check out this Pinterest board of wedding cupcakes for some inspiration!
- What’s in a name? In Britain cupcakes are called fairy cakes. Fairy cakes use a lighter glacé icing compared to the butter cream used by American bakers. They also are traditionally made with a lighter sponge cake as opposed to the thicker butter cakes used in our cupcakes. Alternatively, a fairy cake is a type of cupcake with its top cut off and replaced in two pieces, like wings. These are also called “butterfly cupcakes.” In Australia they are called patty cakes (as in “patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man…”).
- Sex, love and cupcakes? Cupcakes started gaining popularity in the early 2000’s when NYC shops like Magnolia Bakery were featured on “Sex and the City.”