Dec. 15 is National Cupcake Day. Though it is unclear where many of these national food holidays come from, no one questions their legitimacy because they are a fantastic excuse to enjoy a special food.
First, a little history: the earliest mention of a cake baked in individual cups came in 1796 in a cookbook called "American Cookery" written by Amelia Simmons. Thirty years later, an 1826 cookbook first published the word "cupcakes." Cupcake pans were not widely available until they were patented in 1859 by Nathaniel Waterman (as egg pans, back then, but the concept was very similar to modern-day cupcake pans), so cupcakes were often made in individual ramekins or earthenware cups, according to Researching Food History.
No one could have predicted the way cupcakes swept the nation in the early 2000s, with cupcake bakeries seeming to pop up on every other block in major cities. Most food and TV junkies attribute this cupcake boom to "Sex and the City," where Carrie Bradshaw frequents The Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan, according to Marie Claire. Though many have moved on to more trendy treats like cronuts or artisanal popsicles, a cupcake has the power to both satisfy your sweet craving and bring you back to your third grade classroom.
Food historians believe that cupcakes might have been invented as a way to save time when baking, according to All About Cupcakes. As any savvy baker knows, a cake can be in the oven for up to an hour, but cupcakes are often in and out within 20 minutes. This is yet another reason to take some time on National Cupcake Day 2015 to bake a tray of cupcakes, be it for friends, family, or for a snack to accompany a Netflix binge.
There are hundreds of thousands of recipes available online for you to satisfy any kind of cupcake craving. Here are links to our five favorites:
1. Vanilla, from Natasha's Kitchen.
2. Chocolate, from Add A Pinch.
3. Key Lime Pie, from Table For Two.
4. Spiced Caramel Apple, from Baked By Rachel
5. Lemon, from My Baking Addiction (because Dec. 15 also happens to be the very specific National Lemon Cupcake Day, so we will not leave you without a recipe for a batch of these.)
Happy Cupcake Day!
