5 Fun Facts
About Cupcakes!
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, a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, and a pound of eggs.
Likewise, the name cupcake comes from how the 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!
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?!
What's In A Name?
In Britain, cupcakes are called fairy cakes. Fairy cakes use a lighter glacé icing compared to the buttercream 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.
The Hostess With The Mostess Cupcakes
Hostess Cupcakes, arguably the world's most famous cupcake, were originally made in the 1950s. Instead of making full-sized cakes, the company decided to make cupcakes because they take less time to bake than cakes. Less time baking (17 minutes) means more cupcakes can be made in a single day! The Hostess conveyor oven can turn out 11,000 cupcakes an hour!
The World's Largest Cupcake
On August 15, 2009, GourmetGiftBaskets.com broke the world record for the largest cupcake ever made. The cupcake was 1,224 pounds, 4 feet tall by 10 feet, and had 2 million calories. 😲
Key Dates:
- October 18th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day
- November 9th is National Vanilla Cupcake Day
- December 15th is National Lemon Cupcake Day