Sunday, January 11, 2009

Cupcake Accessories - Adding Fun to Cupcakes

Just about everything has changed in modern times. Phones have gone mobile, photos can be printed at home, we can buy whatever we want without having to step outside our home and now cupcakes are on stands. With the many developments that we have encountered, having the traditional cupcake move a step further is one of the most appreciated.
Several years ago, grandmothers prepared cute little cupcakes for her grandchildren whenever they came to visit. A family gathering almost always ended up with a chocolate cupcake as dessert. Nowadays, the cupcake has evolved from the usual chocolate chip flavor to the more intricate forms, such as butterfly cupcakes and many, many more.
In keeping with the trend, accessories used in cupcake preparation and decoration have improved, too. These made the cupcake more interesting and fun to eat.
The Cupcake Pan
The cupcake derived its name from the pottery cup, which was used to bake the cake during the 19th century and gave the traditional cupcake its shape. In recent years, although we still call it ‘cupcake’, its shape is no longer limited to the ‘cup’. We now have adorable cake pans that allow the cupcake to take the form of a flower, an animal face, a feeding bottle, a butterfly and many others.

Pottery cups are also seldom used today. Cake pans that are made from metal or silicone rubber and have 12 depressions, in which the cake batter is placed, have made the baking simpler and more efficient.
The Cupcake Liner
When baking, cupcake liners or round sheets of thin paper are used to provide a thin barrier between the cake and the pan. These liners keep the cupcakes moist and soft and also facilitate easier removal of the cake from the pan after cooking.
The liners used to be limited to white paper material. These days, colorful paper liners with designs that can match your party theme have been made available. It’s like dressing your cupcake for the party. If it’s Cinderella or Batman you want, finding the paper liner that fits your needs is no longer a problem.
There are also other available liners that are not made of paper. Thin aluminum foil and silicon rubber have also been popular materials for cupcake liners as these can stand on their own, allowing baking of cupcakes without cups or specialized cupcake pans.
The Cupcake Stand
The popularity of cupcake as a favorite family dessert has made it a favorite alternative for traditional cakes in parties, such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays. Instead of a having one big cake, hosts prefer a tower of cupcakes. Each one individually designed, the cupcakes provide a more pleasant dessert experience for the guests.
Cupcake stands can have 3 to 6 tiers depending on how large the event is. Most of them can be disassembled for easy storage while others are disposable so you do not have to worry where to keep them after the party. The disposable stands are also cheaper.
Cupcakes have always been a fun way to enjoy dessert, and with the several accessories now available in the market, partying with cupcakes makes everything more enjoyable.

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