By 1796 the United States of America had a Constitution, fifteen states, a snappy flag, and a growing political divide. It certainly wasn’t everything a young republic would need, but it was a start and the gaps would be recognized and filled in over the next many years by an industrious, inventive, and fiercely determined population. Perhaps more than anything else, what a new nation needs is an identity, the building blocks of a shared, unique culture.
And also cupcakes.
That’s when Amelia Simmons, about whom little is known beyond her self-identification as “an American orphan,” compiled and published what’s believed to be the first American cookbook. Up until that point, cooks in the US with access to unique local ingredients like maize, turkey, and “pompkin,” had to settle for English cookbooks full of English recipes for pies and puddings that sadly aren’t at all what their names imply to the modern American palate.
In her book, American Cookery (plus a subtitle that’s almost longer than the book) Simmons includes many traditional English dishes and cooking methods. She also includes several with an American twist, like squash and pumpkin puddings, Indian slapjacks, corn cakes, roasted turkey with cranberries, and “A nice Indian Pudding.”
And also cupcakes.
Though she didn’t coin the term (that didn’t happen until 1828 in a cookbook compiled by Eliza Leslie), Simmons did include recipes for both “soft cakes in little pans,” and “a light cake to bake in a little pan,” possibly the earliest written references to the cupcake.
I bring up the cupcakes because yesterday was National Chocolate Cupcake Day here in the US. If you forgot to celebrate, don’t worry. National (plain ol’) Cupcake Day is still coming up on December 15. I actually didn’t celebrate, or at least not in the traditional way, which I assume is to eat a chocolate cupcake.
It’s not that I don’t like chocolate cupcakes. I think if you’ve read this blog for very long, you’ve probably seen plenty of evidence that I do. Still, when I saw the “holiday” was coming up, I began to wonder if a cupcake is itself really a thing to celebrate. I suppose I always thought of this compact little treat as celebratory rather than celebration-worthy.
Cupcakes are for birthdays and baby showers and blogiversaries. They express congratulations when someone wins the lottery, or snags first place in the national juggling championship, or finally lands that book deal. At this point in our history there are entire cookbooks containing nothing but cupcake recipes and bakeries dedicated to making nothing but these most celebratory little cakes. And if you have a few staple ingredients in your pantry, a coffee cup, and a microwave, the Internet will be happy to tell you how to solve that late night cupcake craving without changing out of your pajamas.
Cupcakes are for just about anything, really, which makes a day for celebrating them seem a little over-the-top to me, and a day dedicated to just one flavor of them downright silly.
So what I decided to do instead is to make National Chocolate Cupcake Day a holiday in which I don’t eat a cupcake. I spent the day remembering the time when this dessert was an occasional treat that meant something truly special, and even served to fill a cultural gap in a burgeoning nation. I reflected back on a time when a great cupcake was a little harder to come by and I could fit into my skinny pants.
It was a good day. In fact, I’m thinking I may abstain from eating cupcakes for a while, at least until I can fit into those skinny pants again. Or I get a book deal. Then I’d really have something to celebrate.
Author Sarah Angleton 
Love history and chocolate cupcakes. I refrained from eating one as well. I don’t know if I’ll ever fit into those skinny jeans again, I’m just trying to keep my pant size from hitting double digits 🙂
I find as I get older, I am having to consider re-evaluating my skinny pants goals. I’m not willing to give up cupcakes forever. I just may have to limit my celebrations. 🙂
Likewise. I’ve not given up sweets, I just see them as a special treat, versus the last course of every meal.
Like everything else sweet, I like cupcakes, but they’ve grown up a lot from the occasional-fun-treat days. Now there are whole shops devoted to them offering a plethora of fancy flavors. Chefs compete on shows like Cupcake Wars to create the prettiest and most unique taste. Some brides even forgo a wedding cake for wedding cupcakes.
Who’d ever have thought cupcakes would be considered sophisticated?
I know, right? Now I feel like I can’t even make them unless I have time to make them beautiful. I think that’s why I like the idea of making the microwave version in a coffee mug. Nothing artsy about that.
After reading your post, now that my appetite has returned, I have a craving for cupcakes.
When I was young, we had cupcakes on special occasions. And on the first Friday of each month, when our school went to the “high” Mass (which lasted long and included lots of singing and incense) we had to fast from midnight until time for receiving the Eucharist, we got to bring special food for breakfast, which we ate in our classroom. Most brought Twinkies, Ding Dongs, or Hostess Cupcakes. My favorite was Hostess Snowballs. Several times I passed out when my blood sugar dropped and our teacher had to help me after I fell out of the pew. The nuns usually had lemon drops or chocolate candy on hand to bring up blood sugar. I’ve gone way off track from the topic, but once I start thinking about food, my fingers start moving.
Mmm. Nothing beats a homemade cupcake, but I do love Ding Dongs.
I love sweets more than I used to, so a post about cupcakes is really making me hungry for one. But I have been fooled by some fancy cupcakes that look great, and taste not-so-great. So I also try to limit the desserts, but Ding Dongs are consistently good!
I try to limit, too. Lately, though, I fear I haven’t been limiting enough. The pants don’t lie.
hehe this post just proves that everyone always needs cupcakes. Also, I really love the fact that there are two types of National cupcake day- cos why not? 😉
At least two. I didn’t actually go looking for days celebrating red velvet or angel food cupcakes. There could be one a month for all I know. Cos why not?
hehehe well I hope there’s more than two cos there’s loads of awesome types of cupcakes 😉 hehehe exactly!!
Jilly’s! Oh how good they are. But now I cannot eat frosting or whipped anything so my Jilly’s days are kaput. I do bake a batch of plain cupcakes now and then. I eat one (or a handful) and pop the rest in a freezer bag where they await the craving to hit. A cake mix divided by 24 non-iced cupcakes eaten one at a time isn’t so devastating on the calorie count.
You can freeze cupcakes?! I don’t think I’ve ever had that opportunity. 😉
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