Cupcake

A cupcake is a tiny cake that is baked in a thin paper mold or an aluminum cup. One cupcake should typically serve one person. The first mention of a cupcake can be traced back to a 1796 cookbook called American Cookery, written by Amelia Simmons.

Her recipe stated that a cake is to be baked in small cups. The term cupcake has first been used in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook. Over the years, cupcakes have become a huge industry, and the name cupcake is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a cup.

Their popularity is probably owed to the fact that they bake much quicker than larger cakes. Chocolate and vanilla are still the classic flavors, while new ones such as raspberry meringue and espresso fudge can also be found in numerous bakeries and cupcakes shops around the world.