It’s the 18th of October which in my books might be the best day of the year – National Chocolate Cupcake Day! The first known reference to what we now know as ‘cupcakes’ can be traced back to the year 1796 where Amelia Simmons’ cookbook, American Cookery, listed a recipe that documented “a cake to be baked in small cups”. Before we had the tasty combination of chocolate flavours that we know and love today like chocolate orange and chocolate and peanut butter, cupcakes were mostly made using dried fruit, spices and covered in lard. The less than satisfying ingredients and decoration led to Winston Churchill announcing that we should powder our cupcakes with icing sugar, which I think we can all agree is a better alternative to lard. From Churchill’s declaration, we saw an influx of all kinds of tasty flavours, including the most popular – chocolate.
With television shows like Cupcake Wars, Nailed It! andThe Great British Bake Off, cupcakes have only grown in popularity with bakers trying more daring flavour combinations, baking methods and choice of decorations. The original baking method of baking a cake in a small cup has evolved over time with many bakers opting for paper cupcake cases and more recently the eco-friendly silicone cupcake cases. However, just as record players and cassettes have made a comeback, the generations always on the go, Millennials and Gen Z have brought back the classic baking method with a twist. Rather than baking cupcakes in the oven, the more recent generations have taken to making microwave cupcakes using a mug, a method that saves on both time and washing up – a win win!
Whatever your preferred baking method or chocolatey combination, treat yourself to a chocolate cupcake today to start your week off on a sweet note – it is a national celebration after all!
If this blog post has inspired you to get back on the baking saddle, or even start your baking journey, you can find the perfect oven (or microwave) for you on our website here. If, like the rest of the UK you are watching The Great British Bake Off, you can find inspiration from our Bake Off blog posts here.