Why Cupcakes?

On the same day that President Obama chose to present veteran White House Correspondent, Helen Thomas, with cupcakes on her 89^th birthday, we ask “Cupcakes, what’s all the fuss about?”

Why choose cupcakes over any other kind of cake? There are plenty of delicious inventions out there in the larger variety that just cannot be replicated into anything smaller, so why has the world suddenly gone mad over all things cupcake?

Sure, their adorable size makes them appear even more edible and tempting than a slice of cake, where real commitment is needed to get a plate, a knife and a spoon in order to enjoy it. You can also dispose of the evidence quickly, contradicting anyone who says “weren’t there 6 cupcakes a minute ago”, and as long as you get those crumbs out of the corner of your mouth quick enough and shake your head in a convincing manner, they will leave the room slightly unsure but nonetheless accepting what you say. There is also the brilliant factor of choice; you want the slice of cake furthest away from you on the plate when it is being offered around? Tough. You must accept the one closest to you because that is polite. You want the really thick gooey part of the cake where all the icing seems to have converged? Tough. You have to cut from outside in and not just dig in where you fancy. But with cupcakes however, each little fellow has a good dollop of icing, a perfect amount of soft soft sponge to quell your craving, and the best part is you can muse over whichever one takes your fancy the most and select it over all the others, (in fact, I’m sure if you listen closely, each cupcake is saying “pick me, pick me!” in an excited cake-like voice).

So were cupcakes Obama’s cake of choice because of their size, their cute appeal and their appearance? Was he exercising foresight into how the cake might be distributed among fellow coworkers without having to bring a knife and plates along with the cake? Or was he keeping up with the recent trend in baked goods where all things cupcake have exploded into society. Whatever his reasons, this doesn’t explain why cupcakes were so popular to begin with, why Obama even had a choice when he (or one of his minions) popped out to the shops to get a birthday treat for Helen Thomas.

Popular culture can be traced back for causing a rise in popularity of the cupcake, starting with Carrie in Sex and the City, where she visits Magnolia Bakery, home of American Cupcakes in New York, and munches into a pink frosted cupcake with surprising energy. Since then, hundreds of cupcake eateries have popped up all around America, adding yet another fast-food carb to the already bulging selection for re-energizing snacks whatever time of the day or night. In England, we are now home to the Hummingbird Bakery among other cupcake makers and Nigella Lawson can be pin-pointed for revamping the cupcakes and introducing them back into our home-baking repertoires with her book, The Domestic Goddess.

Maybe cupcakes are popular because of their size and their mobility, maybe it has been amplified with popular culture references, or maybe it is simply because some cupcake case manufacturer in America suddenly realized he had way over-produced and had been stock piling cases since the 80’s so decided to do a huge publicity push to get rid of them all. Whatever the reason, I’m just pleased as punch that cupcakes are so darn popular.