While decadent cupcakes may be the trend today, you might be shocked to learn that they are hardly a new staple. In fact, history buffs have discovered that the first mention of a cupcake can be dated as far back as 1796! In that instance, a cake recipe designed to be prepared in little cups was mentioned in American Cookery. What made that first cupcake “gourmet,” in our opinion, was the inclusion of wine and rosewater.
Although wine is not a typical cupcake ingredient for us, Sweet Street has been making scrumptious cupcakes and other desserts since 1979. Sandy Solmon started our confections in her garage and quickly realized she had done something right. So right, in truth, that we are now providing our delectable morsels in 60 countries and on every continent!
History Can be Fun
Understanding Sweet Street’s history created within us a desire to know the origins of the delectable desserts we design. Thusly, we were hugely interested in the cupcake’s saga. Admittedly, we were shocked by the sheer age of the sweet treat, and that led us to other questions. Mostly, we wondered what else made 1796 memorable.
We discovered that John Adams beat Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election that year. And, that this was the year in which the United States adopted a political party system. Of course, we were then forced to imagine Thomas Jefferson sitting back enjoying a consolatory Peanut Butter Cupcake. That would certainly cheer him up!
As we voyaged through our cupcake history study we discovered that Eliza Leslie was the first person to include the term “cupcake” in writing. This information can be found in her book, Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, published in 1828. However, the term’s true origin is heavily debated.
Resources show that the name may have come from the small pottery cups the cakes were baked in. Still others adhere to the belief that the cupcake’s name originates from the fact that most recipes came in cup-sized measurements. Regardless, it wasn’t until the 20th century that muffin tins arrived and we started seeing standardized cupcake sizes.
Which brings us to this interesting bit of trivia – Hostess sold its first cupcakes in 1919! Sixty years later Sandy Solmon was in her two-car garage perfecting the art of delicious, 1-2-3-4 cakes (that’s another name assigned to the original cupcake). Thankfully, the cupcake has come a long way from its four ingredient heritage. We now have a plethora of cupcake flavor options.
Give Sweet Street a Try
We can assure you that you have not tasted a gourmet cupcake until you have blessed your palate with some of our outrageous designs:
- Vanilla Bean with a vanilla bean cream inside.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup topped with peanut butter icing and completed by a peanut butter truffle center.
- Jelly Roll embracing a raspberry filling.
- Red Velvet reimagined thanks to its embedded creamy chocolate truffle.
Yes, Sweet Street has taken the culinary art of baking to a degree that few can ever hope to attain! In fact, we are so confident in our desserts, we gladly claim the Gourmet Dessert Industry Leader title. We would love for you to give our heavenly, party-in-your-mouth, cupcakes a try. Get in touch with us at https://shop.sweetstreet.com/