Hostess CupCake Day

On Hostess CupCake Day, we celebrate the iconic snack food. The cupcakes were first "introduced" on May 10, 1919, possibly being first sold the following day, on May 11, the date on which we celebrate the holiday. They have always been made of devil's cake and were originally hand-covered with vanilla or chocolate icing. Originally known as "Chocolate Cup Cakes," they were created by the Taggart Bakery and made at their Indianapolis bakery. They were purchased by the Continental Baking Company in 1925 and were renamed Hostess Cup Cakes (today CupCakes). Some see them as being the first commercially produced cupcake, although this has been disputed by Tastykake, which was founded in 1914.

Sales of the cupcakes lowered during World War II, as the amount and quality of sugar and chocolate were restricted. Vanilla topping and malted milk icing were common during the 1940s. Orange flavored cupcakes with orange icing were also introduced during that time.

In 1947, D.R. "Doc" Rice began further development of the Hostess CupCake, tweaking it at the Continental Baking Companies' Detroit plant. In 1950, two significant changes were introduced which remain to the present day: a vanilla cream filling was added, and a white squiggly line was placed on top of the cupcakes. By 1988, 400 million Hostess CupCakes were being sold each year, a number that rose to 600 million a year in 2011. Hostess declared bankruptcy in 2012 but was purchased by the Apollo Global Management the following year, and the cupcakes were quickly back on the market.

How to Observe Hostess CupCake Day

Celebrate the day by eating Hostess CupCakes. There are many other flavors besides the classic cupcake that could be tried, golden vanilla and strawberry being two common varieties. You could also try to replicate the cupcakes at home. While eating your cupcakes, you could watch some clips of Captain Cupcake, who is known for promoting the treat on television.

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