Cupcakes are small sized cakes suitable to be served to one person. These cakes are baked in small aluminum cups or thin paper and decorated similar to how normal sized cakes are decorated. Therefore one can see cupcakes as a miniature form of the normal sized cakes. In old times cakes used to me made in pottery cups or coffee mugs until the discovery of muffin tins which was a metal pan with or without a non sticky surface and had depressions or cups made in them. The number of such depressions ranged between 6 to 12 depending upon the length of the pan and the size of these depressions. Other than metal, such pans were made using materials such as silicone and stoneware. If we notice a cupcake, we find that the lower portion of the cake is covered with a thin sheet of paper. These are patty cases or cupcake liners which are used for bakes these cakes. This paper or cupcake liners are made up of paper or very thin aluminum foil or silicone rubber. These liners are placed in the packets of the muffin tin wherein the batter is put before it goes for baking. The main purpose or use of such liners is that they keep the cupcakes moist and makes it easy to remove the cakes from the tin once baking is over. It also saves time and efforts which would be otherwise put in cleaning the tin after baking is over. For people who could not afford a muffin tin, aluminum foils or silicone liners became handy can they could balance on their own. The paper used here are not the normal paper we find but are thicker yet lighter in nature. Some bakers use 2-3 paper liners joint together to make its stability similar to a single aluminum foil. Such liners also like muffin tin come in different shapes and sizes depending upon the size of the cupcake to be baked.
According to food historians, cupcakes originated in the United States around the 19th century. The creation of cupcakes is considered to be a revolution in the field of baking due to the amount of time it saves in the kitchen however the origin of the name is still unknown. Historians have come up with two sets of theory which details out how the name could have come into existence. According to one theory the name “cupcakes” was devised from the fact that these cakes were made in cups or coffee mugs and the second theory states that the name was introduced because the ingredients used to make this cake was measured in cups like 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of flour etc. However nobody knows which of these theories explains the truth.
“Sprinkles cupcakes” established in Beverly Hills is considered to be the first cupcake bakery to be started by two investment bankers who had started this business at the time when the market of cakes and bakery products was falling. Though a very risky venture, the two partners believed that the survival of the industry now rested on their shoulders. The partners finally felt relieved that their decision to run the business was correct when the first set of cakes which was produced was sold out in no time and they had to bake more in order to meet the demand for the day. Around 2500 cakes were sold that very day and this was the start of cupcake fever. Cupcakes always proved convenient when compared to the normal sized cakes because they took less time to bake and secondly because of the use of muffin tins, the base of these cakes also did not burn. Since its creation they have been a boom in the culinary world with dozens of bakeries, cookbooks, blogs specially dedicated to them. The market for cupcakes saw a 52% increase in sales during the year 2010-2011 with market speculators predicting a rise in this percent in the future.
Cupcakes are easy to make and can be made at home as well on special occasions such a parties and family gatherings. With different recipes available to us, we have so much to choose from depending upon our taste and preferences.
Since chocolate is a favourite of many the recipe for a dark chocolate cupcake is given below which I would say is worth a try
Dark Chocolate Cupcake
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to about 350F and adjust the rack to the lower middle position in the oven.
- Take a muffin pan and line it with the baking cups and keep it aside.
- Now in a bowl add butter cocoa and chocolate and place it on a saucepan filled with water and heat until the chocolate and the butter starts to melt. Once the melting starts mix them both till they combine with each other nicely. Then keep it aside for cooling.
- Now in a medium sized bowl add flour, baking soda and baking powder and in another bowl add eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt and mix well.
- Now add everything together and mix well till they combine to become thick and homogeneous in nature.
- Divide the batter evenly inside the muffin cups and place them inside the oven. Baking takes about 18-20 minutes after which the cakes are ready to come out.
- Once out keep them aside for cooling
- Now in a separate bowl add peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and salt and mix well till they become creamy. Then add cream to the mix and continue to stir till we get a light and smooth batter.
- By the time this creamy batter is made the cakes would have cooled down. Now make small holes on the cupcakes and fill them with this peanut butter frosting
Your dark chocolate cupcakes is ready to be served
The popularity of this sweet dish has increased so much that according to Google, cupcake recipes are the most searched recipes in the world. So go forward and enjoy your sweet treat in the cup whether you are a child or an adult.
