cupcakes

Cupcakes have always been "in" to a certain extent, but during the past five to ten years something of a cupcake resurgence has occurred. I remember receiving a cupcake cookbook sometime around 1996 or 1997, and then soon after that the cupcake was brought into the spotlight by Sex and the City and New York's Magnolia Bakery.

It's of course difficult to resist the pull of the cupcake if it includes the hope that it might make one look like Sarah Jessica Parker sitting in a tiny Roberto Cavalli dress and cutely getting frosting on her nose.

Unfortunately, it seemed that as the heightened popularity of Sex in the City waned, so did the cupcake's.

But stop the presses, or rather the kitchen aid mixers, I've begun to notice a cupcake second wave of popularity. There are multiple blogs devoted solely to the perfection of the cupcake, many brides now choose to serve tiers of cupcakes over the traditional wedding cake, cupcakes can be found in high end bakeries and restaurants, and bookstores brim over with cupcake cookbooks.

There are a variety of theories that try to explain the renewed interest in the cupcake. One believes that in a diet crazed society the small size of the cupcake makes it more appetizing than its cousin, the layer cake. Another states that with the increased interest in design and nesting, the cupcake offers a new canvas on which to impress others with one's culinary finesse and trendiness.

I tend to think it has more to do with the nostalgia theory. Cupcakes remind us of our childhood--birthday parties, baking mixes, and picnics. In this increasingly uncertain world, wholesome reminders of "simpler days" are hard to resist. This is the crux of the popularity of the cupcake.

I think I'm going to pull out the old Betty Crocker recipe book right now.