Cupcakes from Sugar Biscuit Cakery.
Cupcake Craze
By MALLORY TARP
You can indulge in red velvet splendor, feast your eyes on miniature works of art and eat your way into a sugar-induced coma all for $3.25. Although cupcakes were once considered a simple treat your mom would make for your birthday party guests, the trend is still sweeping the nation and seems to be consuming even more of our lives; welcome to the world of gourmet cupcakes.
According to authors, bakers, and cupcake connoisseurs, what started out in 2000 as a small scene in a Sex and the City episode is now a cultural phenomenon. Viewers tuned in to witness Carrie spill all the details on her latest crush to Miranda over simple vanilla cupcakes in front of Magnolia Bakery. Now the infamous bakery is a staple on the Sex and the City tours and inspired other bakers to give cupcakes a shot.
Fast-forward five years and travel to the other side of the country and you will discover the West Coast equivalent to Magnolia Bakery, Sprinkles Cupcakes. The small Los Angeles bakery opened shop offering only a few flavors: vanilla, chocolate gouache and red velvet. The entire concept of Sprinkles is centered around the elegant simplicity of their flavors. The store did fine with a steady flow of customers, but it wasn’t until the queen bee herself, Oprah Winfrey, received a box from a friend and announced them as one of her “favorite things” that this trend really took off. It may sound ridiculous to wait in line for hours to pay $3.25 for a single cupcake but to the thousands of loyal followers it is worth the sacrifice for these tasty treats.
What exactly makes Sprinkles so special that it creates this kind of loyalty? Some claim it is their signature red velvet cupcake topped with a large serving of delectable cream cheese frosting, while others believe it is simply the experience of being at the first “haute cupcake shop." However, one thing is for certain, owner Candace Nelson did not expect for the business to explode like it did. After quitting her job as an investment banker, she and her husband decided to give baking a try. Her grandmother was known for the desserts she created at a local restaurant and Candace felt it was her responsibility to carry on that legacy.
The cupcake craze eventually reached local bakeries around Fort Worth like J Rae’s, The Cupcake Cottage and Sugar Biscuit Cakery. Ratna Geonardi, owner of Sugar Biscuit, began baking because of her family ties much like Sprinkles' Candace Nelson.
“At first I didn’t have any interest,” Geonardi said, “My only selfish reason was to beat my mom; if she can do it I can do it.” Baking was a family tradition, Geonardi explained. As Geonardi was growing up, “my mom would always make our birthday cakes and was very crafty. As a child I always wanted the store-bought cakes, the Disney and the perfect ones, and in my head she was cheap,” Geonardi said, “But little did I know that that is love and that she stayed up until five o’clock in the morning finishing my cake.”
Like Candace, Geonardi switched career paths to follow the cupcake trend. After graduating with a degree in graphic design, Geonardi worked at Pier One Imports and was laid off in 2007 along with many of the other designers. Fortunately, right before she was laid off she had started decorating cakes and cupcakes. After she made a batch for a friend's 50th birthday, requests started pouring in and her love for baking and decorating grew. She was baking cakes and cupcakes as gifts for friends when she got the call in July 2009 to bake and deliver a dozen cupcakes for a couple who had just had a baby.
“I remember talking to my mom over Skype and she was like, ‘On a Tuesday night? It’s a small order, is it worth it?’ and I said ‘right now I want to get my name out,’ ” Geonardi said.
Coincidentally the new mother was Ashley Nesson, owner of a local bakery, Daddy Ray’s Famous Gingerbread. Geonardi, who wanted to expand her business, requested the use of Nesson’s commercial kitchen. Three weeks later Geonardi had dinner with the Nessons and worked out an arrangement to help with the gingerbread during the busy holiday season. Geonardi continues to bake and design custom cakes and cupcakes.
“I love being creative and just using your hands,” Geonardi said. “As a designer I have always paid attention to detail. I am a detail-oriented person. However, since I have been doing cakes and cupcakes more and more I pay attention to everything.” Creativity is one of the many aspects that draw people to love cupcakes. Each cake is like a tiny canvas just waiting to have something beautiful created on it. Amateurs and professionals continue to develop new concepts while sticking to some of their signature styles. Sprinkles, for example, uses only natural colors for its frosting and stays with a small candy circle on top for a clean, elegant look. Geonardi channels her graphic design background and develops intricate sculptures made out of fondant, a dough-like frosting, and can create anything on the cupcake topper, from a lovely abstract flower design to a miniature replica of a sock monkey. All her cupcakes are made to order and can be customized to suite any occasion or theme.
What was once just a dessert your mom made for a birthday or school party is now the subject of books, magazine articles, online blogs, and even television shows. The Food Network and TLC both lay claim to three cupcake shows each. What’s amazing is that they can continue to change the idea between all of the shows even though they are covering the exact same topic. The shows vary from timed competitions to profiling the owners of a famous local bakery like TLC’s DC Cupcakes.
TLC tends to take a more human-interest approach with shows like Cake Boss and DC Cupcakes. Cake Boss is entirely focused on extravagant cakes and cupcakes as owner Buddy Valastro creates incredible cakes, but distracts the viewers with his obnoxious sisters and clearly scripted scenarios. Although entertaining, very little baking actually occurs on each episode. Another TLC show, DC Cupcakes, is about two sisters, Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallieach, as they experience the triumphs and trials of owning a small business that manages to sell more than 5,000 cupcakes a day from their Georgetown Cupcakes bakery.
Although these shows do embrace society’s need for reality TV and cupcakes, professional bakers prefer to watch shows like The Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Often sponsored by an organization, bakers are given the challenge to create three delicious cupcakes using odd ingredients, such as avocado, papaya and ginger. A panel of food critics evaluates their cupcakes, and a winner and loser are chosen. The next round is only about the decoration and presentation of the cupcakes. After judging, another baker is eliminated and only two remain to compete in the final challenge, to create 1,000 cupcakes in only an hour. Each team is assigned a carpenter to build a creative display for the cupcakes which they build while the bakers frantically bake and decorate their cupcakes. The winner receives $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcake creations at an event or party later that night.
When people aren’t caught up waiting in line or watching shows about cupcakes, they are learning how to make their own. New bakers can also purchase books on how to decorate cupcakes. After browsing the cooking section at Barnes and Noble I came across an adorable book called Hello Cupcake! written by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. This book promises, “With just a handful of candies, a can of frosting, a zip lock bag, and some cupcake batter, you are on your way to having fun.” Sounds simple enough, but for even more experience you can sign up for a decorating class at a local craft store.
These classes are becoming more popular according to Michael’s cake decorating class instructor, Rick Canterbury, “Cupcakes have been getting a lot of attention lately and it is a surprise for me but also exciting that so many people are learning more about it, not to mention it’s good for my business!” Geonardi had plenty of baking experience, but first learned the basics of cake decorating from a Michael’s course. Some techniques include piping, outlining and sculpting with fondant. Amateur bakers like Natalie Swisher are also taking courses at craft stores and then applying the skills to cupcakes. “I like to experiment with different flavors and decorations. One batch of cupcakes can be the drawing pad for 24 different ideas.” Swisher said. For example, instead of having one design, you can feature different designs on each one or the same design in varying colors.
Cupcakes are also popular because most bakeries only offer made to order cupcakes. This way customers have the option to individualize them for any occasion by choosing the flavor, icing and design. This aspect of cupcakes created even more of a craze, especially for brides who wish to put their new monogram on everything at their wedding. The tiny treats are even transforming our most sacred traditions. Brides are now opting for a tower of cupcakes instead of a large cake. They feel the cupcakes bring a light heartedness and are more creative than the traditional reception activity of cutting the cake. “Cupcakes are nice to make for a group event because you don't have to worry about cutting the cake,” Swisher said. “They are also smaller portions so you don’t get as full or overwhelmed with all the sugar.”
One way the cupcake has managed to survive in a world of Weight Watchers and crash diets is the ability to adapt. Americans crave a little something sweet every now and then and bakers are willing to provide healthy alternatives like sugar free or 100 calorie mini cupcakes. Many people believe cupcakes have run their course and need to quietly disappear from our culture's obsessions, but I believe they will be around for a while.
So are cupcakes really a trend or are they simply a revival of something we remember our moms making for us when we were younger? I believe they are here to stay, but maybe their crazed fan base and obnoxious shows will be replaced by another hot idea. Until then I am embracing every last delicious morsel of this trend.