Wailea Maui
2008


While the origins of the cupcake remain foggy, the dessert was first documented in 1796 in Amelia Simmons American Cookery. The cupcake resurfaced in the 19th century, this time holding two meanings.

Before the invention of the muffin tin, small cakes were baked in individual ramekins, hence the name cupcake. Meanwhile in Britain, they coined these tiny cakes, “fairy cakes,” thanks to their size.

Cupcakes, also called Number cakes, referred to a new style of cake which they made by measuring out the ingredients by volume, rather than weight. The easy-to-remember recipe required one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and four eggs.

By the turn of the century, muffin tins had been invented, and cupcakes, as we know them, became increasingly popular, thanks to their quick baking time and minimal ingredients required. In 1919, Hostess unveiled the first commercial cupcake – their signature chocolate cake with white icing, called surprisingly, the CupCake.