While no one is quite certain where cupcakes came from, it is known that they made an appearance in the United States sometime in the 19th Century. Called Fairy Cakes in the United Kingdom, cupcakes revolutionized how cake was made and mothers across the land lauded the blessing.

Prior to the introduction of the cupcake to the kitchens of America, cakes were made by weighing the ingredients. Cupcakes were made by measuring the ingredients for the first time. It has been suggested that this is perhaps where the term “cup cake” originated, since everything was measured in cups. Other origins of the name have also been offered, such as the fact they are baked in a cup but at one time, cupcakes were also called “number cakes”. This name originated from the recipe, whereby it required “…once cup butter, two cups sugar, three cups flour, four eggs…” At one time, recipes called for cupcakes to be “…baked into little tins.”

Until the turn of the 20th century, cupcake pans were virtually unheard of forcing bakers to use more formidable cups for baking, unless they wanted to bake their small cakes into loaf form. Using hearth ovens, which needed longer cooking times for larger cakes, caused bakers to seek other ways to bake their cake and still have time to eat it. With the advent of the cupcake, not only were bakers able to achieve shorter cooking times, they were also able to change the way they prepared them once the baking part was finished. No longer did bakers need to create larger, heavier cakes. With the production of the cupcake, people could slake their desire for something small and sweet. Continue reading “The History of Cupcakes”