History

2009-04-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

There seem to be two theories about the origin of recipes titled "cupcake:"

1. The name comes from the amount of ingredients used to make the cake (a cupful of flour, a cupful of butter, cupful of sugar etc.).
---This is very similar to how pound cake was named. In fact, the recipes for cup cakes and pound cakes include pretty much the same ingredients and would have produced similar results.

2. These cakes were originally baked in cups.
---Old cookbooks also sometimes mention baking cakes in small cups. These cups may very well have been earthenware tea cups or other small clay baking pans. These would easily accomodated baking level oven heat and produce individual-sized cakes. This is not the same thing as contemporary metal cupcake pans, enabling cooks to bake a dozen small cakes in one fell culinary swoop.

Which is true? Both! We have historical evidence (old cookbooks) that support both theories. This food historian agrees:

"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.

Tiny & Simple Cuppy Cakes

2009-04-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Prices

2009-04-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

SMALL

6 Pieces - RM4.80

12 Pieces - RM9.60

18 Pieces - RM14.40

24 Pieces - RM18.00

30 Pieces - RM21.00

BIG

6 Pieces - RM6.00

12 Pieces - RM12.00

18 Pieces - RM18.00

24 Pieces - RM20.00

30 Pieces - RM25.00

Maids Of Honor

2009-04-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

Prices

2009-04-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

4 Pieces - RM6.00

8 Pieces - RM12.00

10 Pieces - RM18.00

15 Pieces - RM20.00

20 Pieces - RM26.00