Cupcake: meaning, definitions and examples

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cupcake

[ ˈkʌpˌkeɪk ]

Noun

^{Context #1 | Noun}

baking

A small cake baked in a cup-shaped container and typically iced.

Synonyms

fairy cake, patty cake.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
cupcake	Commonly used in American English to refer to small, sweet, individual cakes often decorated with frosting. Suitable for casual, everyday conversations or settings like birthdays, parties, and bakeries. She baked a dozen cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party
fairy cake	Primarily used in British English to describe small, light sponge cakes often decorated simply with icing. Used in informal settings such as home baking and children's parties in the UK. At the tea party, they served fairy cakes along with tea and sandwiches
patty cake	More often associated with the children's hand-clapping game 'pat-a-cake', but can occasionally refer to small cakes similar to cupcakes. Used in contexts involving children or nursery rhymes. They played patty cake together in the playground

Word

Description / Examples

cupcake

Commonly used in American English to refer to small, sweet, individual cakes often decorated with frosting. Suitable for casual, everyday conversations or settings like birthdays, parties, and bakeries.

She baked a dozen cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party

fairy cake

Primarily used in British English to describe small, light sponge cakes often decorated simply with icing. Used in informal settings such as home baking and children's parties in the UK.

At the tea party, they served fairy cakes along with tea and sandwiches

patty cake

More often associated with the children's hand-clapping game 'pat-a-cake', but can occasionally refer to small cakes similar to cupcakes. Used in contexts involving children or nursery rhymes.

They played patty cake together in the playground

Examples of usage

She baked delicious cupcakes for the party.
I bought a box of cupcakes for dessert.

Translations

Translations of the word "cupcake" in other languages:

🇵🇹 cupcake

🇮🇳 कपकेक

🇩🇪 Cupcake

🇮🇩 kue mangkuk

🇺🇦 капкейк

🇵🇱 babeczka

🇯🇵 カップケーキ

🇫🇷 cupcake

🇪🇸 magdalena

🇹🇷 kapkek

🇰🇷 컵케이크

🇸🇦 كب كيك

🇨🇿 dortík

🇸🇰 koláčik

🇨🇳 纸杯蛋糕

🇸🇮 kolaček

🇮🇸 bollakaka

🇰🇿 капкейк

🇬🇪 კაპქეიქი

🇦🇿 kapkeyk

🇲🇽 magdalena

Etymology

The term 'cupcake' originated in the late 19th century, where it was initially used to describe cakes that were baked in small cups or molds. The modern cupcake as we know it today, with frosting and decorations, became popular in the 20th century. Cupcakes are now a beloved treat enjoyed by people of all ages.