I live in a rather dull provincial town. Here, if you fancy a cake that doesn't come ready boxed and poly-thened, you head to the bakers. We don't do patisseries here - far too posh and most people couldn't pronounce it anyway. Donuts, iced buns, custard tarts... that's what you get and be thankful for it.
(image credit: The Little Cupcake Company)Fortunately, I get to travel - all around the world. OK, so it's mainly virtual travel, but don't knock it. Frankly you wouldn't believe the places I've been via my computer in the kitchen. Too bad I can't collect airmiles, but at least my CO2 emissions are low.
On my travels I have discovered a new revolution in the aforementioned delicacies. The cupcake seems to have enjoyed something of a transformation in recent years. Last time I had one it was a small sponge with some icing that was deceptively thicker around the edge then in the middle. Usually, there was a choice of four 'flavours' - orange, yellow, pink or chocolate. There was a ritual to be observed when eating. The icing was always carefully removed first and placed to one side on your plate. The dry sponge would be washed down with a cup of tea or orange squash before the sweet food colourings and additives were allowed to tingle on your palette.
Now, the cupcake has suddenly become an art form. Less topping is no longer more. In fact, I believe that unless your topping measures a ratio of at least 3:1 it can't be considered a bona fide cupcake. Colours and flavours sparkle and delight. Artists can't
paint enough of the things, they grace greetings cards and gift wrap. Open a copy of Vogue and the sugar and buttercream sits strangely alongside the skeletal models - one model even claimed to eat them (though I find that hard to believe). When I was in London (for real, not virtual) I even spotted a whole shop selling nothing but them. It was very pretty!
Where did this new obsession come from? I thought we were supposed to be all calorie-conscious these days and eating our five fruit and veg? Is it a fad or are the Marie-Antoinettes of cakes set to stay?
I feel I must investigate further. Perhaps a trip
here,
here, or
here to sample the best of British. Or, maybe I need to go further afield... I'm thinking New York, LA, Sydney, Rome, Paris... I wouldn't want to cultivate a biased opinion after all.
At the very least, I feel I must make a purchase just so I can paint one. What do you think? The perfect excuse? The question is though, would it be with me long enough to paint?
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