Some call them fairy cakes (UK). Others munch on patty cakes (Australia). Most of us know them as yummy cupcakes.
Those delicious, tiny cakes have a history almost as colorful as the snack.
You only have to go back a few centuries.
Amelia Simmons, in 1796, called herself an “American Orphan.” Food historians believe that she worked in domestic service – probably in the kitchen. At the time, women did not have the formal education that men received. The fact that she wrote and published the first U.S. cookbook written by an American is an amazing accomplishment. Simmons called it American Cooke. According to Wikipedia, she included a recipe for “a light cake to bake in small cups.” She used individual pottery, tea cups, ramekins, and molds (see book cover below).
Amelia Simmons, Wikimedia Commons
Zoe Pickburn, in Cookbooks, noted that when Simmons “registered the copyright for her book in 1796, of approximately 78 registrations, Simmons was one of only two women to register a copyright in the U.S. that year.”
It wasn’t until 1828 and Eliza Leslie’s cookbook, Seventy-Five Receipts, that things changed. In those days – long before kitchen scales – bakers measured ingredients by volume rather than weight. For example, a recipe that called for 4 ounces of sugar was meaningless. The “cup” method was more practical. Consequently, Leslie’s recipe for the tiny cup-cakes called for 1 cup of butter, two cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs.
Some called them number cakes. Others referred to them as 1-2-3-4 cakes. Leslie called them cupcakes.
Get it? Cup by cup?
According to Divine Specialties, “there is no single inventor of this sweet treat. Most of the time, cupcake was simply a name for a measurement, much like pound cake.” Whatever it was called, the idea stuck. Who could resist a tiny cake that could be shared, loved by children, decorated, or gifted?
The next century introduced an innovative tool: the muffin tin. You could easily make multiple muffins or cupcakes.
Enter Hostess. The company introduced the first mass-produced cupcake snack in 1919. Although Little Debbie claims to be first, Hostess is better known. Initially they offered chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and white squiggles across the top. They would later introduce snacks like Twinkies, Ring Dings, and SnoBalls. It wasn’t until 1947 that the cream-filled version hit the stores. And, of course, everyone knew their jingle: the hostess with the mostest, sung by the beloved Ethel Merman.
Ethel Merman, Wikimedia Commons
Today Hostess is owned by the J.M. Smucker Company and sells over 600 million cupcakes a year.
The second boost in popularity came years later when characters Carrie Bradshaw and Miranda Hobbes ate cupcakes in the trendy TV show, Sex and the City.
Why do we love cupcakes? Sunflour claims that there are psychological appeals. They note that cupcakes are “sharable, have built-in portion control, remind of us a simpler time, and make great gifts.”
Of course, there’s a lot more than that. They’re pretty, taste good, and fun. Cupcakes can be elaborately decorated for parties, weddings, and other special events. There are “cupcake trees” that people love. You can find bakeries that specialize in cupcakes and companies that offer themes like unicorns, mermaids, reindeers, and holiday celebrations – as well as elegant cupcakes in boxes that made great gifts.
Today’s cupcake market would amaze Simmons, Leslie, and the early manufacturers of Hostess. There are fun versions like cake pops, cupcakes in a mug or jar, and in an ice cream cone. There’s no limit to creative designs, fillings, frostings, and presentations.
Cup by Cup, these fairy cakes are married in flavor, color, and taste.
