Why Is America So Obsessed with Cupcakes Lately?

They’re tiny and overpriced but nonetheless delicious “gourmet” treats. America's cupcake obsession is spread long and far. I’m not sure if it's the trendy shop itself or perhaps the huge variety of mouth watering flavors that make cupcakes so tempting to the passerby. All around the country in virtually every city and town you are sure to find one of these trendy cupcakeries, a bakery dedicated to producing cupcakes. And it’s not just a fad anymore; with 669 million cupcakes sold from October 2010- October 2011, we have to admit that this obsession is serious. From Georgetown Cupcakes to Magnolia Bakery, we know the names well and there is certainly no shortage of cupcakes to fuel America’s obsession. So where did this cupcake obsession come from anyway?

History of the Cupcake

Of course, a cupcake is basically just mini version of a cake. Okay, perhaps a cupcake expert would not agree, but essentially it is. These single serve desserts are perfect for any occasion and easy to make aesthetically pleasing with nice toppings and fresh ingredients. With America’s obesity problem, it's a blessing that these self-portioned cupcakes were the next dessert to make it big. Although cupcakes have probably existed for a long time, the first official use of the word was in 1828 in a mention by Eliza Leslie in her recipe book.

And then we had the Hostess Cupcake. This was probably not was Eliza had in mind when she first wrote about cupcakes, but these dense, sugar packed cakes were arguably the first mass produced cupcakes. Seeing pictures of these brings back both happy childhood memories of crazy cafeterias at lunch time but simultaneously a slight feeling of disgust that I actually ate those on a regular basis. I mean no wonder the students were uncontrollable at lunch time, look what we were eating!

Cupcakes on the Rise

Flash forward to 1996 and the beloved Magnolia Bakery opens in Manhattan. Well it wasn’t always beloved; as any Sex in the City fan knows, we have Carrie Bradshaw to thank for that. In 2000, cupcakes receive their first celeb recognition when Carrie enjoys a Magnolia cupcake in the 3rd season of Sex in the City. As most of us know, Carrie’s influence on young American women was enormous, so from there, the rest was pretty much history. The 2000s boomed with the opening of cupcake bakeries everywhere, food blogs, and review sites taking it on themselves to examine America's new obsession and the cupcake revolution.

Jumping on the bandwagon in 2003, we see the opening of Crumbs which massively contributed to the gourmet cupcake movement. Crumbs cupcakes sold for $3-4 a piece and at its peak in 2013 the chain consisted of 70 stores across the country. Although the price may seem high for a small cake, a few dollars isn’t much to spend so the cupcake obsession quickly became an affordable luxury. Cupcakes easily fit in with everyone’s favorite “treat yourself” moments.

Cupcakes Become Trendy

In 2005, Sprinkles opened in Beverly Hills and took the title of first cupcake bakery. Perhaps their idea wasn’t new, but Sprinkles claimed to be the first bakery exclusively dedicated to those beloved little pastries. The trend caught on quickly and these cute, overpriced shops popped up all over the country to help keep America’s cupcake obsession alive. From Georgetown Cupcakes which features more than 100 flavors with fresh and unique ingredients, to Kyra’s Bake Shop which specializes in gluten-free cupcakes- nicely capitalizing on the gluten free trend- there’s really a cupcake for everyone.

And of course every good American obsession needs a reality TV show, so in 2010 when Cupcake Wars went on air, the fanbase was already solid. Similar to other favorite cooking shows like Chopped, Cupcake Wars gave big publicity cupcake masterminds, some of whom were able to open their own cupcake shop following the show. And then in 2012, we see the opening of cupcake ATMS. Yes, you read that right. Cupcake ATMs. I think Alexis Kleinman described it best in her Huffington Post article writing, “somebody, for some reason, invented cupcake ATMs.” Yup that pretty much sums it up. And in case you’re wondering, you can still find these things in 6 cities.

Experimenting with Weird Flavors

Of course with a cupcakery on every corner, it was only a matter of time before the bakeries started experimenting with flavors. Now some of the crazy cupcakes I've come across actually seem appealing like dark chocolate and bacon or sweet potato cider with marshmallow icing. But when I see meatloaf with mash potato frosting or apple spice with walnuts and blue cheese, I'm just not sure I'm ready to be mixing my cheeses and meats with my sweets.

And aside from loads of interesting cupcake flavors, we also see specialty cupcakes for just about every individual allergy or need. That's the beauty of America's cupcake obsession, there's no discrimination. For all vegans, gluten free eaters, meat lovers, and sweet tooths, there's a cupcake (and probably a cupcakery) for everyone. Chloe Coscarelli pulled in with a big win for the vegan community being the first vegan chef to win a culinary competition on national television in Cupcake Wars.

Chris Carbone studies consumer trends for a market-research firm and is basically an expert on America's cupcake obsession. He sums up the phenomenon, “Because these consumers ­possess a desire for experiences rather than just more stuff, they’re in the market for more than a sugar rush. Patronizing a boutique cupcakery has a high experiential component and connects [consumers] with a larger narrative.” Whatever your reason may be, why not indulge in a cupcake every now and then? Besides who knows how long until Americas obsession will move onto the next big thing.