The Next Cupcake

I'm not usually one to follow trends.

But lately I have been catching some buzz about the "next cupcake."  As you may recall from this post or perhaps just your own powers of observation, cupcakes have been everywhere.  Yesterday, the line for Georgetown Cupcakes stretched the entire block.  Not wanting to wait over a half hour for a cupcake, we only had to migrate down the street to the newly opened Sprinkles to satisfy our cupcake craving.   If that plan failed, we also had a plan C, Baked & Wired, only another 5 minute hop away.

Just as doughnuts and frozen yogurt had their time to shine, however, the cupcake craze is also bound to be short-lived.  And people are already speculating over the next confection to invade our sweet tooths.  Here is a look at some of the contenders:

WHOOPIE PIES

The name may not sound so appealing, but these sandwich-like desserts have been popping up all over the blogosphere.  And pictured above, they are part of Starbucks's new "petite" menu.  Though I have never tasted one myself, they are said to be a cross between a cookie and a cake filled with a layer of sweet frosting.  Traditionally the flavors consist of chocolate and vanilla, but nowadays they can be anything from pumpkin to red velvet.

The New York Times featured the whoopie pie in an article here.  According to this article, the whoopie pie may have originated in Pennsylvania where Amish women would sometimes include it in the men's lunchboxes, and, upon discovering it, the men would shout, "Whoopie!"

After many years of associating them with the pre-packaged snacks found in grocery stores, I am intrigued to try a more "gourmet" version.

MACARONS

Not to be confused with their "coconut covered" relative, the macaroon, these little French desserts could perhaps be described as a more delicate, refined version of the whoopie pie.  They have a hard outer shell that gives way to a light, fluffy meringue-like interior that then leads to a flavorful filling.  Like the cupcakes, the flavor possibilities are endless and are usually reflected in the color -- green for pistachio, red for raspberry, white for almond, tan for coffee, etc.  And since they are made with almond flour, egg whites, and a minimal amount of sugar, they are also on the healthier side.

After demoing them in class last week, the chef urged us to pay attention as our macaron-making skills may serve us well in the near future (but let's not speak of the flat, lumpy blobs that I somehow managed to produce instead).  In fact, this NPR article from last year made the prediction that the macaron will overtake the cupcake soon.  Then again, earlier this year they made the same prediction with pie.

Whether or not they ultimately match the cupcake in popularity, I am certainly a macaron convert and would take one over a cupcake any day :)

CAKE POPS

These sweet treats originated on the Bakerella blog.  They are basically a mixture of cake and frosting rolled into balls, fitted on a stick, and coated in melted candy.  But if you browse through her recipes, she has also turned them into elaborate miniature displays of characters and figurines, from Winnie the Pooh to Mrs. Potts.  And she now has a cookbook that explains how to make them all.

Again, I have yet to try a cake pop but I did see them also featured on Starbucks's new "petite" menu with flavors like birthday cake and tiramisu.  The mixture of cake and frosting covered in a candy coating sounds like a sugar attack waiting to happen but maybe that's just me.

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In my opinion, the popularity of the cupcake will still hold steady for awhile, but I do think we will be seeing more of the sweets mentioned above.  Does anyone else have another prediction on what will be the next cupcake?

oo,