the cupcake debate

I seem to be hearing lots and lots about cupcakes lately. They are all the rage. My friend Andrea seems to be particularly creative in her attempts (I only wish I lived closer to enjoy the spoils). The latest reference to them was an email from a colleague that her niece has started a cupcake making business.

Over coffee with some friends yesterday I discovered I missed a debate at work discussing the differences between fairy cakes and cupcakes. When I told Neil about the debate he defined the difference with very little hesitation. His definition: a fairy cake is a version of cupcake where the top is removed so the center can be filled with whipped cream, the top is then replaced in two halves, which are arranged to look like wings.

A bit of research on Wikipedia tells me that fairy cakes are just another name for cupcakes, whereas what Neil described are actually Butterfly cakes.

In a final attempt at meaningful procrastination, I used my reliable Google define search (I placed "define: fairy cake" into the google search box), and I rather liked the two definitions that popped up:

1. A small cake baked in a small paper cup, in multi-compartment pan; a cupcake en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_cake

2. Fairy cakes are cakes made of fairy juice.The faeries can usually be found in Neverland.Faerie cakes have bean outlawed since Tinkerbell was used in one. People such as GamerGod351 often attempt to steal them. This is most rude.
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fairy_cake

Although I plan to eat a cupcake when offered, and I admire the creativity behind most I've seen (Cake Wrecks publicises cakes that are not to be admired), in this house we make muffins. We're too lazy to bother with the paper cases or the impressive decoration. Our level of complication is making sure we have a container of creme fraiche before we make cinnamon sugar muffins... which I may just have to do after all this cupcake talk.