The term 'cupcake' is first mentioned in E. Leslie's 'Receipts' of 1828. Breaking with tradition of weighing ingredients at this time they ingredients began to be measured in cups. According to "Baking in America" by Greg Patent, this was revolutionary because of the tremendous time it saved in the kitchen. "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America." explains that the cup name had a double meaning because of the practice of baking in small containers — including tea cups.
Cups were convenient because hearth ovens took a long time to bake large cakes. Gem pans, early muffin tins, were common in households around the turn of the 20th Century and cupcakes were baked directly in these. Throughout the 1900's cupcakes became popular kids treats partly due to their ease in baking. In the early 1900's Hostess introduced the snack cupcake, but it didn't become the Hostess Cupcake we know today until the 1950's.
Many people associate cupcakes with the popularity of homemaking of the 1950's and 60's although this is an myth. Cupcakes were no more popular during that time period then they are today. More likely is that adults associate cupcakes with memories from their childhood. What is different today is that cupcakes have gone crazy. Traditionally they have been made for children in basic flavors. Today the cupcake has gone gourmet and is playful, hip and glamorous. Over the past few years cupcake bakeries have opened around the country with people waiting late at night on lines out the door. This craze is here to stay.
