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Over the years, cakes have always been popular and delightful all over the world. They are served as desserts after meals at parties and other occasions or as a simple snack. Cakes can be prepared or baked in different sizes and shapes, ranging from the simple rectangular single-layered cakes to lavishly, decorated layered ones.
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However, due to the tedious preparation in the household, bakeries and cake shops sprung out everywhere to cater to the needs and demands of consumers who crave for these sweet and delicious baked products. To a budget-conscious household, purchasing many different ingredients to make a cake, not to mention the utensils and equipment to be used, can be onerous. To make attractive cakes in smaller, individual servings, making cupcakes is the better alternative.
Cupcakes are iconic in the United States (U.S. for brevity), as mentioned by Steve Adams (Adleman, 2012). America alone sold 669.4 million cupcakes from October 2010 to October 2011. It was termed "enduring love affair" considering the trend and the consumers' attachment to the product. Cupcakes also became very popular in Europe. In an interview conducted by Matthews (2012), anyone with a sweet tooth, would not have a problem in Prague, Czech Republic because a cupcake baker, Marena Canese, an American Immigrant, offers an array of cupcakes to choose.
Not only are cupcakes delightful, it also became a center of a growing nutritional debate in school snacks. In Iowa, USA, all homemade treats, specifically cupcakes was prohibited in school celebrations due to the sugar-laden nature of the treats. However in Texas, USA, a "cupcake amnesty" was declared, abolishing all rules and guidelines preventing parents from bringing cupcakes to school (Neporent, 2015). In the Philippines where people love to eat, cupcakes are also very popular. All over the country, one can find a store or a bakery selling cupcakes which are affordable. Filipinos cannot seem to resist and to have a bite of these tasty and delightful "cakes in a cup". Cupcakes are good for those who want to trim down fat and carbohydrate intake since cupcakes are small in size.
In a review by Arboleda (2014) for a Singaporean brand of cupcakes (Twelve Cupcakes), the product had different flavors like chocolate vanilla, cookies and cream, rainbow vanilla, chocolate, jelly and chocolate banana. It may be noted however that in the review, those flavors were mentioned but the brand had 37 flavors at that time.
Due to the rising demand for these delightful treats, some entrepreneurs are shifting or perhaps adding cupcakeries to their existing line of businesses. The proprietors Kamiseta, an apparel brand, also ventured into the cupcake business by collaborating with an internationally-trained chef and were able to deliver flavor and cuteness to consumers (De Asis, 2012).