To think cupcakes are just fairy cakes

[moogster1a]

Someone please explain to me why fairy cakes with icing on have become a mark of both domestic goddessry and that you live in a very naice area because people are willing to pay £2 or more for them.
In fact, is there anyone on MN daft enough to have coughed up a huge amount for one?

I have no idea!! I used to always make plain fairy cakes, white icing and sprinkles but I have to admit to now making fancier ones with the swirly icing for birthdays or special occasions....thing is though, they're dead easy once you have the proper nozzle, they just look fancy and impressive!

I've never bought one though, or sold any! To me, they're just the same as fairy cakes but fancy....I use the same recipe I always used.

I've always thought they're just fairy cakes with a lot more icing. Or am I missing something?

Generally they're bigger aren't they? I should know really, since I make them!

And I don't know why people would pay £2 for them, but I'm making 100 for £80 in July, so I'm not bothered!

It's worse. They are not even fairy cakes.

Cupcakes are in bigger cases - more like muffin cases.

but I'm making 100 for £80 in July

Fuck! I make that for Monday morning in the staffroom most weeks! I must be barking!

Fairy cakes = 1970's = top part of cake cut off and cut in half, then placed on top of meagre amount of buttercream icing to resemble wings. White cake case with little tiny flowers on.

Cup cakes = current day = no cuttage of top part of cake, but loads of icing and decorations. Probably a pink cake case with shoes and/or handbags on.

I would happily wolf down huge quantities of both

They are pimped up fairy cakes. They are the blacked out vauxhall corsas of the cake world.

Be as well mainlining the sugar tbh.

The other day at work someone brought some fairy/cupcakes in. Left them in the kitchen. I didn't take much notice as i don't like them and everyday people bring in birthday treats. Anyway, at 6pm just as i was finishing (there were only a few people left in the office) the lady came over and said 'can i interest you in a cake, there's only a few left' so i thought oh if they're going to be binned i'll take one home for DP. So i said 'ohh okay then, thanks very much' and took one. At which point she said 'that'll be a £1' I was The cakes were smallish, had been out all day and i didn't even want one!!

I should have said no but i felt embarrassed to say 'in that case i don't really want it'. I almost started an AIBU about it!

Spuddy

you should have licked it then put it back

YABU - they're buns

BTW, I am only making that many, for that much money because it's for the school yr11 prom and the organiser asked me to. I didn't know what to charge and she plucked £80 from somewhere!

I'd have done it for the cost of ingredients tbh, but I wasn't going to argue!

I usally give them as presents, as it's cheaper than buying a present, but looks so much more!

When I was a child, fairy cakes were small cakes in cases, usually home made, with or without icing. The ones with "wings" were butterfly cakes. Cupcakes were usually shop bought cakes in cases, with quite deep flat icing.

I'm not sure when fairy cakes with icing turned into cupcakes

I thought that cupcakes had the big twirly dog turd shaped butter icing on the top.
I've seen a nano second of Sex and the City where Carrie bought a box of them and started eating the buttercream with her finger. I gagged and switched over because I don't like butter vom face.

Now fairy cakes with vanilla/lemon glace icing and sprinkles- much nicer. (I do Fairy Cake Friday for my DCs. )

Cupcakes are American and obese bigger.

I make them, but not often as they are, IME, too big for DC.

I would never pay £2 for one but do occasionally window shop at such establishments in search of inspiration

In my experience cup cakes are badly made, dry sponge which has been over smothered with vast quantities of gory coloured piped icing... possibly with something fancy on top modelled out fondant icing. They topping is usually eaten by kids and the sponge left sadly behind..
Whereas my beautifully made fairy cakes are deliciously moist and light sponge with a teaspoonful of glade icing beautifully spread on top and some sprinkles or possible a cherry.... Or occasionally buttercream to make them into butterfly cakes. And the whole lot is eaten by kids!

Buns where I come from too. The ones with the top cut off, sliced in half and stuck back on with buttercream to resemble wings = butterfly buns.

Thank thank you for this thread, it's a pet hate of mine.
These new 'cup cakes', which a merely an oversized vehicle for fat and carbs, have taken over and ridden roughshod over the lovely little fairy cake with its fondant icing.

It's an american thing of course, trying to get us to consume ever increasing levels of gunk.

It actually makes me feel really sad that the fairy cake could and should have been the subject of the baking revival. Much neglected.

When I sell my vintage cake stands I always make fairy cakes to put on them and make sure that people know that's what they are!

Cup cakes are just fairy cakes piled up with so much sugary shit on top that they make me want to boke.

I'll take any one of them with a

I saw one going for 3 quid in a not that fashionable part of southeast London. It was small and ragged and someone was really taking the piss.

"culturemulcher Thu 08-Mar-12 22:39:10 YABU - they're buns"

Correct.

Agree with Happy and Battleship they look very pretty but I never fancy eating one (boak) at home we make lovely fresh cakes buns and put thin glacé icing on them and a few sprinkles. We colour the icing for different occasions e.g black for Halloween, pink for St Valentines etc...
If you use eggs from your own hens the buns are bright yellow!

my cup cakes are bigger and firmer (ooh er!) than my fairy cakes

But no I wouldn;t be so gullible to pay £2 each for them when I can make them. Am a sucker for iutter cream though.

Yes, cupcakes that are publicised now are an American import. As other posters have said, in this country we call them fairy cakes but these large, fat inducing, sugar filled mostrosities are not British. Cupcakes have flat icing that fits into the paper case. Butterfly cakes are fairy cakes with the top cut off, butter cream applied and halves of the top placed sloping as wings. I will not eat an American cupcake on principal any more than I would go into a McDonald's. I did that once but only for an orange juice in a hot country. Shall I add them to my party this evening? Several MNetters are coming. The one where we will drink mead.