“The term CUPCAKE was originally used in the late 19th century for cakes made from ingredients measured by the CUPFUL.”

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 5,000 AWESOME FACTS, FACT # 3 OF 35 ON DECADENT DESSERTS

1234, or Number cakes, is what cupcakes used to be called when they first originated out of the 18th century in the United States. The 1-2-3-4 refers to the ingredients of the cakes; 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs “History of Cupcakes: When and How Were Cupcakes Invented? (azideliciouscupcakes.com.au)

It’s not exactly known who invented the cupcake, but Amelia Simmons is credited with it after writing a recipe in “American Cookery” in 1796, calling them “a light cake to bake in small cups.”

The term cupcake came from Eliza Leslie’s published cookbook “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats.” in 1828. (Wikipedia)

In 1919 they gained popularity as the company, Hostess, started to mass produce them, and gained even more popularity from NYC bakeries such as Magnolia Bakery that was shown on the show “Sex and the City” in the early 2000’s.

In 1921 the cupcake started to come frosted, with chocolate and vanilla being the favorite frosting at that time.

The very first bakery that only sold cupcakes was opened in 2005, with the name “Sprinkles Cupcakes.” Now there are 11 different locations starting with Arizona, California, Washington DC, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Utah. (Locations across the United States | Sprinkles Cupcakes – Sprinkles Cupcakes, Inc)

Now cupcakes can be made with different frostings and sprinkled with candy or other cake decorations. They can also contain filling on the inside that are injected in with a syringe.

Cupcakes are usually cooked in muffin tins lined with paper or foil liners.

Now there are numerous stores that carry and make all sort of cupcakes; Gourmet cupcakes, cake in a jar, cake pops to name a few.

The largest cupcake made weighed 1,224 pounds, 4 feet tall by 10 feet wide, and 2 million calories with the smallest cupcake being at 1.5 centimeters tall, 3 centimeters wide, per https://leelalicious.com/14-fun-facts-on-cupcakes/.

Another fact is that they are banned in schools in New York City to combat obesity among children.

Over 700 million cupcakes are eaten each year.

Cthulhu, a mythical creature created by H.P. Lovecraft, was an animal that overdosed on cupcakes.

There is a cupcake out there for everybody. The term cupcake can also mean a term of endearment, or a name for a pet.