Club Rush Day: so many clubs, so little time, so much sugar. How do you make a decision about which clubs to sign up for in that 45 minute lunch period? Is it the yelling club representatives that draw you in? Is it the colorful banners? If we are being honest with each other, the one thing that drew you to club tables…that prompted you to take the time to scribble down your email and grade…the reason you dropped your backpack and tossed aside your lunchtime plans is…CUPCAKES.
You really wanted to be part of Model UN, but it’s the chocolate cupcakes with mocha frosting are what took you to the table. And the strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting at Desserts for Disasters? Sweet treats for a good cause are always a priority for your midday plans. Lets face it: the cute, small, sweet, and delicious treats are really what makes Club Rush day so fun, not to mention filling. The spell cupcakes have cast on the world beyond the red and white-checkered halls of AHS is almost as strong as their flavor.
Although the great cupcake got its start early on in American history, the introduction of the infamous Hostess Snack cake with its center of fluffy marshmallow and its finish of white loops was what helped popularize and spread the sweet message to a mass market. Since the cupcake’s factory beginnings, its trendiness and popularity have skyrocketed. From the humble vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, to the gourmet brown sugar cupcake with maple frosting and candied bacon, the versatile handheld confection has managed to capture the hearts and stomachs of many. They come in every shape, size, color, texture, and flavor, and you can alter a recipe to your hearts desire to satisfy your cravings. They are mini, therefore adorable, fun and fairly easy to make, and can easily be transformed into decadent desserts by great bakers.
Cupcakes have become so popular in recent history that people literally dedicate their lives to them. Almost every bakery has a cupcake, and some bakers love them so much they branch off to start Cupcakeries! Some of these Cupcakeries include SusieCakes, Kara’s Cupcakes, & Cupkates. Cupcakes are popular in the virtual world as well. There are tons of blogs solely about cupcakes, and some of the enthusiastic writers are so into the baby cakes it’s almost scary. All of these bloggers and bakers are riding the popularity of the cupcake, and people are more than happy to indulge in this particularly sweet food trend.
Although I am a fan of eating and baking cupcakes as well, I can’t help but wonder why cupcakes are so special. Could it be that everyone gets his or her very own? That you can hold it in one hand, eat it without a fork or plate, and even neglect the napkin, relying on a finger lick to clean you up? Could it be that they are the perfect size, with enough icing swirled, swooped, or glazed over the top to account for the amount of airy, moist cake hidden within the wrapper? Could it be that they are easy enough to bake at home, fancy enough to buy at a gourmet bakery, and amazing enough to dedicate whole food trucks to?
I agree with Joy the Baker, the foodie behind the excellent blog joythebaker.com. She believes cupcakes are crazy “in” right now “Because they are portable cake. Portable cake is ALWAYS in fashion, right?” I don’t know anyone who isn’t is willing to forfeit the fork and plate in exchange for a miniature morsel they can eat while walking, driving, dancing…pretty much while doing anything. Rachel Gill, sophomore, is totally willing. She loves not only baking cupcakes on weekends, but also eating them: “They are cute and adorable and easy to pop in your mouth!” Senior Cassidy Linden is in agreement with her, adding “they are easier to share than cake.”
Pat Powell, owner of Love at First Bite, a popular Cupcakery in the Gourmet Ghetto of Berkeley, decided to open her cute cupcake shop because she wanted a product that was versatile. “Cupcakes seemed like they had a lot of variety. Cookies didn’t seem that interesting to me” she said. However, even though she enjoys a good cupcake, she said for her that’s not what it’s all about: “It’s not the cupcake, although they’re great and seem to make people happy, it’s doing what you do with your best effort, using your mind and heart.”
From the time I have spent baking cupcakes as well as the few occasions when I have indulged in a cupcake from a fancy cupcake shop, I have learned that of all the aspects of a cupcake, there is one element that words cannot describe. Eating a cupcake is like opening a small, partially wrapped present on your birthday. You never know exactly what it’s going to taste like or if there might be a surprise waiting on the inside, and the feeling that comes from peeling down the wrapper and taking a big bite is of such elation. Even though I probably won’t dedicate my life to making, writing about, and taking pictures of cupcakes, I’m more than happy to indulge in this yummy food trend. And who knows? Maybe a delicious cupcake will lead me to the club of my dreams!?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
makes about 24 cupcakes
[cupcake recipe from Organic and Chic]
2 1/4 cups organic all-purpose flour
2 cups organic cane sugar
1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
2/3 cup organic canola oil
2 teaspoons organic white vinegar
2 cups cold water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.
- 4.Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix. The mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok.
- Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Lots of frosting!!
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)
1 tablespoon milk (or water will do too)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy and virtually no butter lumps remain. Scrape down the bowl. Add three cups of powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute. Add milk and beat on medium high for 1 minute. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar if you’d like your frosting a bit thicker.
- Slather frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with coarsely chopped peanut butter cups.
*If you’re not in the mood for peanut butter frosting, you can omit it and just add about 1 more tablespoon more of milk or water. Add a little vanilla extract and or a few drops of a food coloring!!!*
