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What's in a name? tracing the cup in cupcakes
Although cupcakes have seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years, recipes for cupcakes go back as far as the late 18th century. There is some debate about how the first cupcakes earned their name. One theory is that the name refers to the vessels in which the little cakes were originally baked. Before muffin tins were a household staple, cupcakes were baked in what home cooks had on hand--usually small pots and ceramic cups. The first cupcakes may have literally been cakes in a cup. Single-serving cakes may have also come to be called cupcakes from their novel use of the new American cup measuring system. Before standardization of measurements by volume, home cooks had to follow recipes by weight, which was impractical and difficult. Early cupcake recipes usually involve simple cup-based measurements, making them easy to remember and easy to prepare. Like the 1234 cake and the pound cake, individual cakes may have developed the name “cupcake” as a reference to their ingredient proportions. If you’re feeling adventurous, try baking this 1828 recipe at home. It’s perfect for a tea party!
Cup cake
5 eggs
Two large tea-cups full of molasses
The same of brown sugar, rolled fine
The same of fresh butter
One cup of rich milk
Five cups of flour, sifted
Half a cup of powdered allspice and cloves
Half a cup of ginger
Cut up the butter in the milk, and warm them slightly. Warm also the molasses, and stir it into the milk and butter: then stir in, gradually, the sugar, and set it away to get cool. Beat the eggs very light, and stir them into the mixture alternately with the flour. Add the ginger and other spice, and stir the whole very hard. Butter small tins, nearly fill them with the mixture, and bake the cakes in a moderate oven.
From Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats by Eliza Leslie
Cup cake
5 eggs
Two large tea-cups full of molasses
The same of brown sugar, rolled fine
The same of fresh butter
One cup of rich milk
Five cups of flour, sifted
Half a cup of powdered allspice and cloves
Half a cup of ginger
Cut up the butter in the milk, and warm them slightly. Warm also the molasses, and stir it into the milk and butter: then stir in, gradually, the sugar, and set it away to get cool. Beat the eggs very light, and stir them into the mixture alternately with the flour. Add the ginger and other spice, and stir the whole very hard. Butter small tins, nearly fill them with the mixture, and bake the cakes in a moderate oven.
From Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats by Eliza Leslie
Yoga in the Gallery: pause and re-energize
While most people on campus are scurrying to and from the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center for lunch, a handful of students, faculty, staff, and community members gather in Faulconer Gallery. In the midst of a typically busy Thursday, these Grinnellians meet for Yoga in the Gallery. Instructor Jenn Mavin, who leads the weekly midday sessions, describes them as an opportunity to re-energize and prepare for the afternoon.
Holding the sessions in the gallery provides an opportunity to stretch body and mind. Mavin says Faulconer is a “warm, inviting space. It’s somewhat quiet, while there are a lot of things here that are stimulating. It’s a different stimulation than we get in our normal day.” Taking the time to get in touch with movement in such a creative environment helps people of all ages let go of their morning tensions, she explains.
Just as the artwork infuses physical activity with an imaginative spark, many people have noticed a change in their relationship to the gallery as well. “Yoga in the Gallery provides a great opportunity to interact with faculty, students, staff, and community members while experiencing the exhibits in a new and interesting way,” says Amy Roberson, an assistant professor in the library. “It provides me with a convenient and fulfilling way to relax during the day.”
In addition to making Faulconer more accessible to wider audiences, Yoga in the Gallery also encourages attendees to open their minds to new ways of viewing art. Mavin believes that “yoga and art are both practices of observance,” and that increased awareness of the physical body goes hand in hand with deeper, more visceral artistic experiences. Yoga brings people into the gallery and takes them to a place where they’re ready to contemplate instead of just look.
When an exhibition is on view, Yoga in the Gallery is offered every Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in Faulconer Gallery in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. Classes typically last about 35 minutes. All ages and all members of the Grinnell community are welcome to attend. No experience is necessary, and mats are provided. For more information, contact instructor Jenn Mavin or Tilly Woodward, Faulconer’s curator of academic and community outreach. Yoga in the Gallery is co-sponsored by Grinnell Wellness Program
Holding the sessions in the gallery provides an opportunity to stretch body and mind. Mavin says Faulconer is a “warm, inviting space. It’s somewhat quiet, while there are a lot of things here that are stimulating. It’s a different stimulation than we get in our normal day.” Taking the time to get in touch with movement in such a creative environment helps people of all ages let go of their morning tensions, she explains.
Just as the artwork infuses physical activity with an imaginative spark, many people have noticed a change in their relationship to the gallery as well. “Yoga in the Gallery provides a great opportunity to interact with faculty, students, staff, and community members while experiencing the exhibits in a new and interesting way,” says Amy Roberson, an assistant professor in the library. “It provides me with a convenient and fulfilling way to relax during the day.”
In addition to making Faulconer more accessible to wider audiences, Yoga in the Gallery also encourages attendees to open their minds to new ways of viewing art. Mavin believes that “yoga and art are both practices of observance,” and that increased awareness of the physical body goes hand in hand with deeper, more visceral artistic experiences. Yoga brings people into the gallery and takes them to a place where they’re ready to contemplate instead of just look.
When an exhibition is on view, Yoga in the Gallery is offered every Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in Faulconer Gallery in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. Classes typically last about 35 minutes. All ages and all members of the Grinnell community are welcome to attend. No experience is necessary, and mats are provided. For more information, contact instructor Jenn Mavin or Tilly Woodward, Faulconer’s curator of academic and community outreach. Yoga in the Gallery is co-sponsored by Grinnell Wellness Program