Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: November 10th, 2021. Did you know it’s National Vanilla Cupcake Day. If only I had knew this earlier and Charlie could have went down to his grandmothers to make Vanilla Cupcakes in his Homeschool Cooking Class.
Vanilla Cupcakes are the world’s favorite cupcake flavor!
#NationalVanillaCupcakeDay
Five Facts to know about Vanilla & Cupcakes:
- Vanilla is the only Fruit-bearing member of the Orchid family.
2. The flower that produces the Vanilla Bean lasts only one day and the Beans are hand-picked and then cured, wrapped, and dried in a process that takes 4 to 6 months.
3. The first mention of a Cupcake recipe goes as far back as 1796 when Amelia Simms wrote a recipe in “American Cookery” which referenced, “a cake to be baked in small cups.
4. However, it wasn’t until 1828 that the word Cupcake was used by Eliza Leslie in her cookbook “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats”.
5. People think that “Vanilla” is synonymous with “boring,” but National Vanilla Cupcake Day is dedicated to dispelling that myth. The very first Cupcakes date back to the late 18th Century and took their name from the small ramekins or cups in which they were baked. We’ve come a long way since then. Now, cupcakes are miniature, edible works of art that are almost too pretty to eat. Diehard Chocoholics, do what you will on November 10th; the rest of us will be trying not to get Vanilla Frosting on our faces.
NATIONAL VANILLA CUPCAKE DAY ACTIVITIES
- Unlike complicated Tarts or Cheesecake, Cupcakes are a good starter project for beginner Bakers. If you can read a recipe and measure ingredients correctly, you can prepare Cupcakes. Even if your Cupcakes end up a little lumpy, just remember Frosting covers a multitude of bumps.
- Everyone knows the fun in Cupcakes is decorating. Get a Cake Mix or premade unfrosted Cupcakes and go crazy! One trip to the Baking aisle of your local big-box craft store will provide all the supplies you need to host a Cupcake Party.
- Your kids’ school, a local Animal Shelter, or any Charity you choose can probably use all the funds it can get. Solicit your baker friends to donate their creations to the cause. To make the treats look attractive, package them in colored cellophane bags, and make sure to include ingredient lists and note potential Allergens.
WHY People LOVE NATIONAL VANILLA CUPCAKE DAY
- Invite Vanilla to the party, and you’ll always have a hit on your hands. Devil’s Food, Red Velvet and Spice Cakes might be iconic, but Vanilla is a blank canvas that lets bakers get creative with fillings, flavors and decorations.
- Picture a four-year-old’s Birthday party where a frazzled parent is trying to divvy up the Peppa Pig cake. Some kids want the corner piece or the piece with the frosting Rose; ther ends up a upset child when they didn’t get the piece of Cake they requested. Cupcakes prevent this problem with there perfect portion control making it harder to eat more than one Cupcake.
- Remember the Cupcake craze that swept the Country about a decade ago? Cupcake-exclusive Bakeries popped up all over the place because they offered a small,escape from the financial crisis at an affordable price. While there’s no longer a “Cupcakery” on every corner, the logic remains. Need an afternoon pick-me-up or a just-because-it’s-Friday treat? Cupcakes is the answer.
Recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes
- ⅔ cup Butter, softened
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ cups self-rising Flour
- 3 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Step 1, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F . Grease a 12 cup Muffin pan or line with paper baking cups.
- Step 2. In a large bowl, mix Butter and Sugar with a Electric Mixer until light and fluffy, usually 5 minutes. Stir in the Eggs, one at a time, blending well after each Egg. Stir in Vanilla and Flour until mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
- Step 3. Bake in the preheated oven until the Cupcake tops spring back when lightly pressed, usually 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the Cupcake pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the Cupcakes on a serving platter.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
