Oh, aren’t cupcakes a wonderful thing? Your very own CAKE. And if you have one of those smaller cupcakes (“minis”) you can have more than one. Especially if it’s got a foot of icing on top. Don’t you love those?

I recently attended the annual “Bootcamp” for copywriters writers put on by American Writers & Artists, Inc. in Delray Beach, FL. AWAI does a fantastic job with the entire conference (this was my third attendance), but the end is always a great one. This time, it was over the top.

After the awards banquet on Saturday (10/27) there was a dessert reception. And in addition to a beautiful tiered cake celebrating their 15th year in business, we were treated to these amazing and incredibly beautiful. . .cupcakes.

Ahhh. . .I picked this one, with peanut butter icing:

It was a tough choice, believe me. One of my fellow attendees got one that was white cake and a creamy top that was dipped in the chocolate that hardens. I had a tiny bite of that from a spoon. And THEN I had a small slice of that cake. . .making sure I had a healthy dinner with lots of green stuff that night.

I don’t do this every day. I knew I’d regret it if I passed. I call this sort of thing “The Bootcamp Bulge.”

Cupcakes, after years of being the bane of school bake sales and church socials, have become “hot” in the last few years. Martha Stewart published an entire book of cupcakes, including a picture of cupcake tier that can stand in as a wedding cake, or be served instead of sliced cake. I also attended a wedding a couple of years ago that was done rather quickly, and my suggestion of cupcakes was heeded. They didn’t even stack them, they were served right out of the huge boxes. The happy couple didn’t care about that part, they just wanted to be married–and everyone had a cupcake, no cutting and less mess than a whole cake.

I was sort of “engaged” at one point recently, and decided that my “wedding cake” would consist of cupcakes and we would have a giant one for the cake-cutting. However, since there is no longer a groom, there was no wedding. (That’s OK–I’ve had enough of them, and better things to do.)

Why do we in America suddenly elevate something ordinary to an elite status? Who picks the idea and runs with it? Something as lowly as the cupcake, long considered lowbrow and below the standards of elegant dining, now finds itself in exclusive shops and perfectly chic and elegantly dressed for any occasion. How did this happen?

Simple. Capitalism.

Say what?

Yes, Capitalism, the thing we studied in high school that is now under fire. It’s not my intent to start a debate on it, but only to point out that cupcakes are what they are because someone had an idea. And it worked. And it took off. Now everyone loves cupcakes and bakers are happy and making money.

Last year, conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s book Of Thee I Zing  took on current American culture, and what’s wrong with it. The byline is “America’s Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots.”

Mostly, I agreed with the book, and I consider myself a fan, but on page 104, she took on. . .cupcakes.

What’s wrong with cupcakes, for heaven’s sake?

Ms. Ingraham’s beef (pardon the pun) is that the cupcakes you get from Georgetown Cupcakes, Sprinkles, and other high-end places is that they’re roughly the same thing you get at home with a box of Duncan Hines, and that it’s ridiculous standing in line outside a shop for over an hour to get a cupcake–at $3 to $5 each. Well, that’s technically true, but with a “boutique” cupcake, you’re buying a) the cupcake already made, b) fancier than the average person would make at home, c), the artistry of the person who made it, i.e., labor, and d) only one, which is likely what you wanted anyway.

Someone realized that maybe one cupcake would be a good idea. Make it fancier than a Duncan Hines cupcake made with frosting from a can. Make it bigger, make it better, see what happens, and they started a business. And it grew. The idea spread. And now there are cupcake shops all over the country. Like the one in Delray Beach, FL, Cupcake Couture, who made the fabulous beauties pictured above.

Disclosure: although I have had the occasional high-end cupcake, if I’m going to make them for an activity, I make them from scratch. Frosting included. It’s just the way I am. Butter is always better than hydrogenated anything.

Capitalism is simply this: I make a cupcake, and you want to buy it. If you don’t, maybe your friend wants a cupcake. I sell your friend a cupcake. Your friend is happy, because he or she got a cupcake that is as amazing to look at as it is to eat. (That peanut butter number sure was.) I have made a profit from my work, including labor as well as parts/supplies (ingredients, in this case.) Why is this a bad thing?

Most of what we complain and hear about is what gets called “corporatism,” or the misbehavior of folks in companies. Enron is a big deal here in Houston, and well, they messed it up for everyone else.

Capitalism is the same whether it’s me baking a cupcake and selling it to someone individually, or a car company building and selling cars. Capitalism is what allows Sophie and Katherine to start their own business and do well enough to be given a TV show. (Disclosure: I have never seen this TV show, but I am not knocking it.) The TV show increases their business, and they do well enough to make a bigger profit.

Why is that bad?

A lady here in Houston many years ago found herself gluten intolerant, when there were limited options for folks with that problem. She founded a company called Gluten Free Houston.  She started off small, and now stocks not only local grocery and health food stores, but her gluten-free buns are sold at Astros games, and gluten free pizza crusts are available at local California Pizza Kitchens. She now ships nationwide.

That’s capitalism. She found a niche and started a business to help other gluten intolerant folks.

Here’s another example: Erin McKenna, owner of BabycakesNYC, found herself having issues with food allergies after scarfing down baked goods of all kinds as a teenager. Over time, she began experimenting and working with nonstandard ingredients to create allergy-free vegan baked goods and treats. The result is nothing short of amazing: she now has four locations, the NYC flagship store, two in the Los Angeles area, and one at Walt Disney World in Florida. Additionally, two books add to the number of fans, including me. I’ve not been to any of the bakeries, but if ever I am able to visit them, I will. I’ll have to be happy with using the cookbooks until then. From the site:

BabyCakes offers all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.

Erin McKenna found a different niche–people who have allergies and can’t have the usual cupcakes, muffins and cakes, and turned it into a business that provides her and her employees a good living. Make no mistake–not everyone who is a fan of Babycakes has gluten or other allergies, me included. Babycakes treats are a healthier option than something from a “regular” bakery, and that’s why I love baking from those books. The waffles and maple-flavored agave syrup from her second book are FANTASTIC, and will hold up against anything out of a yellow box and a plastic bottle.

That’s capitalism, folks, and a lot of gluten-free vegan cupcakes. There is NOTHING wrong with Ms. McKenna doing something she loves and making a living–not to mention a profit–with it. She makes a lot of people happy, too.

Look at it this way: I am babysitting a cat named Jezebel. She prowls around, sharpens her claws on a little thingy I bought at Petsmart, eats a meat-based diet, has whiskers, paws, sharp senses, and a tail that’s an extension of her spine, used to keep her balance.

A mighty tiger (my favorite animal) prowls around, sharpens his claws on a tree trunk, eats a meat based diet, has whiskers, paws, sharp senses, and a tail that’s an extension of his spine, used to keep his balance.

Size doesn’t matter. They are essentially the same animal. One is just bigger than the other. Both are equally fierce when confronted.

Same thing with capitalism: whether it’s a guy with a taco van, a cupcake shop, or a company selling cars, an oil company, or whatever. . .it’s the same animal. It’s ALL capitalism, no matter how you, um, slice it. Whether it’s a guy fixing computers out of his garage for extra money or Apple Computers, it’s all capitalism, too. Some folks don’t seem to get this.

Cupcakes are just one delicious part of it.

Sure, you can do what Laura Ingraham says and buy a boxed mix. You can do what Martha Stewart & Co. do, bake them from scratch. That’s your choice under the free-market, or “Laissez Faire” system. This is not a bad idea. It’s worked well all this time, even with the problems that have come with it. Best part: anybody can do it!

Be a capitalist, that is, not just bake cupcakes.

Now I’ll leave y’all with some pictures of delicious cupcakes from Central Market, taken just this afternoon, who started making them this way after they became popular. Enjoy some tasty capitalism!

Ahhhh. . .such deliciousness.

A Cranberry-Orange cupcake. Very seasonal.

Oh, yeah. . .more tasty cupcakes. Ifi the raspberry ones had chocolate cake, I would move someone out of my way to get to it!

How about this cross-eyed cutie?

His brother and the rest of the family.

Yum. Take your pick, or two and split each with someone else.

I love capitalism. Don’t you?

Happy Dining!