When one thinks back to their favorite childhood treats, a certain moist morsel stands out among the rest. From the days of the Easy Bake Oven, cupcakes were the first and most important thing you learned how to make yourself. Those mini fluffy little cakes covered in a thick layer of rich, creamy icing and a rainbow of sprinkles. Who could possibly resist?
Rarely does food transcend all generations and actually become a trend itself. If you were to measure life’s many milestones, cupcakes would be included at each and every one of them. From baby showers to first birthdays, themed parties in your 20’s, to multi-tiered cupcake wedding ensembles – cupcakes seem to be there every step of the way.
The Cupcake Hits the Mainstream
The trend really took off when television series Sex and the City put a then unknown bake shop in New York’s Greenwich Village, Magnolia Bakery, on the map. Each cupcake there is a delectable work of art which includes flavors such as Red Velvet, Pumpkin, German Chocolate and Hummingbird (a classic southern cake made with bananas, pineapples and pecans, topped with a cream cheese icing).
Magnolia Bakery has become so popular that they have a steady stream of tourists and the shop is even featured on the famous Sex and the City Bus Tour.
But what is it more precisely about cupcakes that have stormed mainstream culture, making them the new ‘it’ item to be seen buying and consuming. Sex and the City certainly helped. Proving that media and celebrity culture can shape the trends, they helped to re-popularize cupcakes just as they made the martini fashionable again, girls the world over just itching to become a part of the next big thing.
How Sweet It Is
Aside from the media buzz, cupcakes stand out in their own right. Perfect in shape, size, texture, taste and appearance, there is not a single fault to be found. The multitude of flavor variations will tickle your taste buds while the icing designs are limited only by your own imagination.
Cupcake enthusiasts have made cupcakes that resemble flowers, insects, animals, toys, cartoon characters, and even golf balls. Cupcakes are even being touted as ‘the little black dress' of desserts – traditional, fabulous and they can suit every occasion.
Pocket-sized Pleasure
Cupcakes are portable, affordable, nostalgic and calorie conscious (due to their itty bitty size). With so many delicious options, and the fact that they are quickly becoming the new foodie accessory, it’s no wonder that cupcakes take the cake.
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