BAKING TRENDS

The Cupcake: When Carrie Bradshaw first ate a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery on television show Sex and the City, cafes the world over started to recreate the frosted minicakes. The cupcake’s roots go back much further and with the first mention traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of ‘‘a cake to be baked in small cups’’ was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simmons.

The Macaroon: The delicate cookie was first created in Italy by the chef of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France from 1547 till 1559. The original macaroon was a simple cookie made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites and it wasn’t until the early 20th Century that a filling was sandwiched between by Pierre Desfontaines. Macaroon has the same origin as macaroni; both mean ‘‘fine dough’’.

The Cronut: The donut-croissant hybrid was invented in 2013 by New York chef Dominique Ansel. It led to lines around the block from dawn every morning at his New York bakery. While the name is a registered trademark of the bakery, many variations of the popular treat have since arisen worldwide.

The Eclair: The eclair’s origins are a bit of a mystery, but it is known to have originated in France around the turn of the nineteenth century. The word eclair means lightning. Like the macaroon, it is a French chef who is changing up the traditional treat. Chef Christophe Adam is reinventing the classic chocolate, cream-filled choux pastry with varieties such as apple, vanilla and salted caramel.