Elegant and beautiful yet sweet and playful cupcakes are the most exquisite form of perfection. The sight and scent of one of these lovely little gems always evokes the sweetest and fondest memories of my childhood.
I remember my first cupcake as if it were yesterday. A top secret recipe from the one and only Betty Crocker complete with one of the many variations of canned faux frosting and confetti dots. It was love at first sight and in my naïve 4 year-old world this cupcake was a living dream. But, what exactly encourages adults to seek out these sweet icons of the past?
Let’s begin with the obvious. They’re petite. Portable. Easily personalized. The flavor combinations are endless, appealing to the classic vanilla and chocolate lover to even the more adventurous and sophisticated of palettes. The frosting to cake ratio is always just so allowing for the perfect bite of sweet spongy deliciousness. It’s pure indulgence in just the right amount.
The appeal of the cupcake seems to exist on several levels. But, I believe, there is more to the universal nostalgia than meets the eye. Aside from the obvious visual fancy, they transport us to childhood, a time of playfulness, simplicity, and needless to say, cupcakes with rainbow-colored sprinkles.
