I’ve heard of some strange collections on my journeys, such as Graham Barker’s Navel Fluff Collection, or the Air Sickness Bag collection, both of which I would rather not have in my own home!  But what about cupcake pans?

Naturally I say I have a collection, from your standard cupcake pan to your mini, your loaf style and the mini Bundt style which is my latest addition, but they hardly feature on my walls.  The only time these are visible is stacked beside the sink covered in baked batter.  So I was surprised when I stumbled upon a question in the Sun News which asked, “when were the earliest muffin or cupcake pans made in the United States?”

The answer is that the origin of most pans date back to the 19th century and if you have a rare one it could be worth up to $500.

So it got me thinking and I wondered exactly how old the first cupcake is?  The answer, according to Crazy About Cupcakes, is that they were first mentioned in 1828 in E. Leslie’s ‘Receipts’.  Apparently according ‘The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America’ the ‘cup’ part of the “name had a double meaning because of the practice of baking in small containers – including tea cups”.

I’m now feeling educated, but I don’t think cupcake pan collecting is for me.  The image above comes from Go Antiques where you can pick up this cupcake pan for $85USD.

For more  strange collections check out Neatorama.

We recently shared with you a few fun cupcake salt and pepper shakers.  Today, my sister who is in Europe just showed me this great cupcake salt and pepper shaker from Urban Outfitters Europe.  I am jealous of anyone who lives in Europe and can order themselves this cute set for only £7.00!

How do you know when your cupcakes are done? When your cupcake timer goes off! This cute timer can stand up on its own, clip on to an apron or magnetically stick to your refrigerator.

What are mothers dreaming of the week of Mother’s Day?

US Mother’s Day is Sunday May 9, 2010

I rcently tried the Cricut (pronounced cricket) Personal Cutting machine and I found it so amazing.  They can cut beautiful paper designs at the touch of a few buttons.  Well, here is the newest Cricut machine: The Cricut Cake.  I have yet to try this one but it looks like it may revolutionize the cake/cupcake decorating process.  I’ve seen it on sale this week for $349 at AC Moore and Michael’s.    Here’s the description from Michael’s:

The Cricut Cake™ Personal Electronic Cutter is specifically designed for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies and confections in no time at all.  Just choose a shape, a size, and press “cut.”  The Cricut Cake machine also works with all Cricut Scrapbooking cartridges, with Gypsy™ and Cricut DesignStudio, giving you more variety in your designs!

Roller and cutting blade are constructed from stainless steel. FDA approved for cutting food and specifically designed for gum paste, frosting sheets and more. Decorating like a professional has never been faster or easier. Bon Appetit!

The Cricut Cake machine includes:

• 12×12-inch food-safe mat
• Power Adaptor
• Cricut Cake Basics Cartridge with up to 600 images
• Silicone Keypad Cover

Cricut’s website had a lots of useful info, videos and photos of completed projects.