Dec. 15 is National Cupcake Day. Though it is unclear where many of these national food holidays come from, no one questions their legitimacy because they are a fantastic excuse to enjoy a special food.
First, a little history: the earliest mention of a cake baked in individual cups came in 1796 in a cookbook called "American Cookery" written by Amelia Simmons. Thirty years later, an 1826 cookbook first published the word "cupcakes." Cupcake pans were not widely available until they were patented in 1859 by Nathaniel Waterman (as egg pans, back then, but the concept was very similar to modern-day cupcake pans), so cupcakes were often made in individual ramekins or earthenware cups, according to Researching Food History.
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