Drool...
…make a cupcake!
Today is National Lemon Cupcake Day!
We’ve had a couple of cupcake days in the past, but today we celebrate the lemon cupcake. But where did the cupcake come from?
According to foodtimeline.org:
“‘Cupcake – The name given in Britain and generally in the USA to any small cake baked in a cup-shaped mould or in a paper baking cup. In the USA the term may have originally have been related to the American measuring system, based upon the cup.’
—Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson (p. 234)
Small pound cakes baked in individual-portion pans were quite popular in the 18th century. “Queen Cakes” are a good example of these. Food historians tell us this recipe evolved from lighter fruitcakes baked in England.
‘Queen cake. A small rich cake made from a creamed mixture with currants, lemon zest, and sometimes chopped almonds, baked as individual cakes. They have been popular since at least the 18th century. Now usually baked in paper cases, traditionally little fluted moulds in fancy shapes were used; Eliza Acton (1845) said that heart-shaped moulds were usual for this mixture.’
—-Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 644)
20th century cupcake variations are endless. They range from simple to sublime. Baking papers come in designer prints. Individual portions and easy clean-up make cupcakes perennial favorites for classroom birthdays and bake sales. A survey of American cookbooks reveals the interest in cupcakes, as food in their own right, has grown over the years.”
Let’s celebrate today with a lemon cupcake or whatever kind you would like. The choice is yours.
Cheers!
Tomorrow: National Chocolate Covered Anything.
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