A nineteenth century tea-party favorite, luscious, buttery Queen cakes are a richer, more indulgent forerunner to the modern cupcake. The idea of baking diminutive, single-serving cakes is not a new one - Queen Cakes actually evolved from the British creation called Portugal cakes, which began gracing fine banqueting tables in England and America toward the end of the seventeenth century.

Most food historians believe the “Portugal” in the name comes from the fact they were made with Portuguese wine (probably the ubiquitous Madeira that found its way into so many baked goods at this time). The wine not only provided a deeper layer of flavor, it also served as a natural preservative in the days before refrigeration. Madeira was the most popular wine in colonial America, a well-known favorite of Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers. This was a direct result of the longstanding diplomatic alliance that had been forged between England and Portugal. The British were able to dominate the Madeira trade, and King George III later enacted laws forbidding the importation of any other wine to the colonies. Since the colonists could purchase Madeira tax-free, it was consumed in great quantities and also used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, including buns, cakes and sauces.

By the late eighteenth century, these tiny cakes were known as Queen Cakes and were often baked in charming heart, round or oval-shaped pans. In addition to wine, they also called for brandy, rosewater and spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and mace, all popular flavorings at the time. The ratio of ingredients was comparable to today’s pound cake – equal amounts of butter, flour, sugar and eggs. Baking powder and other chemical rising agents had not yet come on the scene, so the cakes were leavened by beating the eggs to a froth, incorporating air into the batter and causing the cakes to rise. The miniature cakes not only presented a pretty picture, but they were also less likely to end up with streaks and a gummy taste and texture, which sometimes occurred with larger cakes when the eggs didn't fully incorporate into the batter.

The term “cup cake” was actually first mentioned in print by nineteenth century food and etiquette writer Eliza Leslie in her first cookbook, Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes and Sweetmeats (1828). However, her cup cake recipe was more of a spice cake or muffin, and not iced like the Queen cake recipe listed in the same cookbook. Other nineteenth century “cup cake” recipes were labeled as such because the ingredients were measured in cups rather than weighed. But cupcakes as we know them today likely descended from the Queen cakes version listed in Maria Rundell’s A New System of Domestic Cookery (1807), which suggests baking the cakes in little teacups or saucers.

Here is the Queen cake recipe from Eliza Leslie’s Seventy-Five Receipts, exactly the same as the version taught at her mentor Mrs. Elizabeth Goodfellow’s cooking school.