Welcome to our series containing Food Holidays: December 15th, 2022. Would you take a look at the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which Holiday you most want to celebrate and why. If we didn’t have Cake leftover from Charlie’s Birthday you can bet your bottom dollar I would have made a Chocolate Cake with Lemon Icing. Or should it be a Lemon Cake with Chocolate Icing.
National Gingerbread Latte Day**
December 15th is National Gingerbread Latte day, but if you’re one of those individuals who feel that nothing smells or tastes or makes you feel like the holidays are here quite like a cup of Gingerbread Laate Espresso beverage, you are out of luck finding the beverage at Starbucks.
Red cup season came back to Starbucks on November 3rd. There are many holiday beverages to get your hands on. Even with the non-dairy Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte along with five other returning Seasonal drinks, you might be out of luck if you’ve been waiting for the return of a specific sip. Why is Starbucks being a Scrooge McDuck?
Starbucks stores in the United States initially dealt with the holiday menu switch-up in 2019, the first year the chain’s Gingerbread Latte was left off the holiday menu. The 2020 holiday lineup was no different, and again in 2021, and now here we are in 2022 and there’s no Gingerbread Latte on the Starbucks holiday menu for customers at least in the United States.
If you’ve forgotten what the Gingerbread Latte is all about, it’s an Espresso-based drink made with steamed Milk, Gingerbread Syrup, and topped with Gingerbread-flavored Whipped Cream and Wafer topping. Gingerbread Latte was available in Canada, Europe, and Asia in 2020, but customers in Canada lost their luck in 2021, as the Gingerbread Latte was axed there as well.
If you want a Gingerbread fix in-store, there are plenty of ways to hack the Starbucks menu to score a sip similar to the Gingerbread Latte, like switching up your Syrups or adding in flavored Sweet Cream, as shown by Elite Daily. While you won’t be able to ask for a Gingerbread Latte by name, don’t be afraid to get creative when ordering your beverage.
If you need your Gingerbread-flavored coffee to actually have Gingerbread in it, you can also re-create the taste of the fan-favorite sip with Starbucks’ Gingerbread-Flavored Ground Coffee and K-Cups, which feature notes of freshly baked Gingerbread, Cinnamon, and Clove packed in a delicious medium roast. There’s no Gingerbread-flavored Whipped Cream or Syrup like in the OG Gingerbread Latte, but it’s better than no Gingerbread at all.
Or, why not try making your own home-made Gingerbread Latte at home?
Here are today’s five facts about Lemons and Cupcakes:
Lemon is native to Asia.
In Britain, Cupcakes are called “Fairy Cakes.” Lemons are considered to be a hybrid between a Sour Orange and a Citron. Lemons are high in Vitamin C they are often used to prevent scurvy on British Navel Ships even today. The world’s largest Cupcake weighed over 1,200 lbs and had over 2 million calories.
On December 15th, it’s time to pay attention to Cupcakes; one specific type of Cupcake. It’s National Lemon Cupcake Day!
Lemon is a favorite flavor in the world of Cake or Sweets. National Lemon Cupcake Day is the perfect excuse to enjoy a sweet treat with Lemon. Adding Lemon flavor to Cakes can give the Cake a refreshing kick. When made into the miniature treat of a Cupcake, Lemon is especially tasty.
The History of National Lemon Cupcake Day
Exactly when National Lemon Cupcake Day started popping up is under some debate. But there’s no doubt that Cupcakes themselves have been around for a very long time. The first written record historians can find of what would become a Cupcake is in the 1796 book ‘American Cookery’ by Amelia Simmons, who was the first American to write and publish a cookery book. One of the recipes called for the use of small cups to bake a small, light Cake.
The term ‘Cupcake’ was first printed in ‘Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats” by Eliza Leslie in 1828. Clearly, the term came about for obvious reasons, due to the fact that these little treats were baked in their own small molds (cups) or ramekins.
This turned out to be a convenient and quick way to bake Cakes, and soon enough these Cakes became popular as a snack cake. Of course, their small size would help people monitor their Cake intake a little better for those who were a bit more diet-conscious.
Cupcake flavors are endless. No matter which flavor a sweet tooth craves, there’s more than likely a cupcake for that. From Chocolate to Vanilla to all different kinds of Fruit, or Peanut Butter these little Cakes have the potential to be flavored any way a person might like.
But one of the most delicious options has to be the humble Lemon Cupcake. That’s the one that is celebrated today!
How to Celebrate National Lemon Cupcake Day
National Lemon Cupcake Day comes with all sorts of fun options for observing and honoring the featured dessert of the day.
Just like most dessert-themed days, the best way to celebrate is by enjoying one of Lemon treats! Head on over to a local bakery to see what Lemon Cupcakes they have. They might even have a special deal or giveaway in celebration of National Lemon Cupcake Day!
Some Bakeries rotate their offerings and may not be aware that National Lemon Cupcake Day is coming. In this case, simply give the Bakery a call a few days ahead and make a special order for Lemon Cupcakes that can be passed around to friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers.
One of the best things about Cupcakes is how simple they are to make. Adding that twist of Lemon is so easy. This is a fun activity for kids to enjoy with mom and dad at home, whether using baking as a lesson for homeschool or simply building important life skills related to subjects such including Math and Science!
First off, the best way to begin is by using some paper cupcake liners, or simply use a cupcake tray but be sure to grease the tray well. Then the Cupcakes won’t stick. Use an electric mixer to blend together 100 grams of granulated Sugar with around 140 grams of Butter, 140 grams of Self-Rising Flour, and 2 Eggs.
Drop in the zest of half a Lemon, and put the mixture into the paper-lined Cupcake pan. If there are any holes that aren’t filled with Cupcake batter, be sure to fill them halfway with Water so the heat will distribute evenly and the Cupcakes will bake evenly.
It might be fun to get creative with the Icing, but for a simple treat make Buttercream and add a bit more Lemon Zest into the Icing. When after about 20 minutes in a medium heat oven the Cupcakes are ready, get artistic when putting the Icing on the cooled Cakes by adding little pieces of Candy or sprinkles.
Make Lemon Cupcakes for family.
Learn About Lemons
In honor of National Lemon Cupcake Day, try out fun facts that other people might not know about Lemons! These facts are a great way to celebrate the day and learn something about the world around us.
- Lemons are native to the continent of Asia and are a hybrid between a Citron and a Sour Orange. Lemons have now been cultivated all over the world and the Countries that produce the most Lemons each year are China, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and India.
- Lemon Trees can be prolific Fruit givers one Lemon Tree can produce up to 600 pounds of Lemons each year. Lemons produce Fruit all year round.
- In addition to being a great flavoring for Cupcakes, Lemons have high acidity 5-6% Citric Acid which makes Lemons a great tool for natural cleaning.
- The largest recorded Lemon ever grown was cultivated in Israel in 2013 and weighed almost 12 pounds.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
