I remember the first time my dad tried a cupcake I made. “It’s good,” he said, “but isn’t it a bit too hard to eat?” he seriously questioned as he wiped away that dollop of buttercream on the tip of his nose.
There’s no denying that cupcakes are delicious and the perfect party treats, but they can get really messy. To combat that, people get creative! Making a sandwich out of a cupcake is by far the most recognized as the proper way of eating a cupcake.
I’m Angie. Having made cupcakes for over 10 years, I can say I’ve seen just about all the different cupcake eating methods people have come up with.
In this article, I will share with you several different ways to eat a cupcake so that you can stuff your face with cupcakes as gracefully or strategically as you want.
Let’s get started!
Contents
1. The Cupcake Sandwich ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For this method, you’ll need to first peel off the cupcake liner. Next, cut the cupcake in half, horizontally. You can also do this with your bare hands (sanitized of course) if you don’t have a knife at hand. At this point, you should be left with a top cake layer with frosting on it and a bottom cake layer.
Now take the bottom layer and stack it on top of the frosting and you have yourself a cupcake sandwich.
This, my friends, is the so-called “proper” way to eat a cupcake.
What makes this the proper way? Among other reasons, it is a method that gives you the best cake-to-frosting ratio, meaning that with every bite you take, you will get an equal amount of both in your mouth for maximum satisfaction.
Moreover, covering the frosting with a layer of cake means your nose won’t stick right into it. It’s also less likely to stain your face. You still get that awesome sensory experience of eating with your hands, but it saves you from the unnecessary mess.
2. Traditional ⭐️⭐️
If you’re like most people, all you’d simply do is remove the cupcake paper on one side, hold the cupcake on its other side, and try to open your mouth as widely as you can bite into the cupcake without getting frosting on and up your nose.
Now unless you have the mouth of a lion and the nose of a pug, I assure you this is not going to work out in your favor. But I mean, it can be a cute look?
Or you can try this slightly less messy alternative.
The Romantic ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Similar to before, you’re still holding your cupcake half peeled. But this time, you’re tilting your head to one side – as you would going in for a kiss, but better, cause it’s a cupcake.
This method is when you want to keep it traditional but a little smarter, and with a romantic twist.
When you tilt your head, you get a nice big bite with the cupcake securely out of your nose’s way. That said, many have done this wrong and ended up tilting the cupcake with or instead of their heads.
If you do this, your frosting will fall off and you’ll feel like that raccoon that tried to wash its cotton candy.
3. A Little OCD ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For this method to work you’re going to need utensils. The goal is to not have any physical contact with your cupcake outside of your mouth. Using your fork and knife, carefully peel off the cupcake liner and set it to one side.
There are a few variations for this. Some like to first separate the frosting and the cake then spread their desired amount on each small individually cut piece. Or if you’re less meticulous, you can simply eat it as one would eat steak, piece by piece.
If you’re one of those people who can’t bear the thought of your hands getting dirty, this method is for you. This is also popular amongst mothers because let’s face it, the only thing worse than getting frosting all over our hands is frosting getting all over our kid’s hands.
Gloves it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
If a knife and a fork are a little much, try disposable gloves! Yes yes I know, it’s definitely not the most environmentally friendly method out there but at least it gets the job done.
Put on a pair of disposable gloves and freely devour your cupcake, you can break it into smaller pieces, stuff the whole thing in your mouth, or whatever your heart desires. Go wild!
Disposable gloves are commonly offered at bakeries where I’m from but they may be less accessible in other countries. Otherwise, a very convenient option!
The Asian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A pair of chopsticks is all you need for this, that is, assuming that you know how to use them. The goal is the same, to avoid getting any cupcake grease or frosting on our hands. To do this, you want to first peel off your cupcake liner.
Poke one chopstick in the cupcake to secure it to the surface, then run the other chopstick around the cake’s edges while applying some pressure downwards to flatten the cupcake paper.
Once you’ve undressed your cupcake, you can “cut” it into bite-sized pieces with your chopsticks and put them in your mouth.
This is an alternative I like to use not just for cupcakes but to pick up cheetos, fruits, tissue, anything, and everything really. I promise you it works wonders, the only thing is you are going to be adequately good at using chopsticks.
But you know what they say, practice makes perfect 😉
4. Save the Best for Last ⭐️⭐️
This isn’t so much a method per se, more like a preference. Some people prefer to eat their cupcakes upside down, getting through the cake layer and eating the frosting afterward.
After removing your cupcake paper, flip it upside down to have better access to the cake. You can also scrape off the frosting and place it on the side to avoid it falling off of your cake. Eat the cake, saving the frosting till the end.
The opposite of this is also an option, which is where you eat the frosting first and then the cake. I don’t know why one would do such a thing because after tasting the sweetness of the frosting, the cake will just taste bland. Welp, to each his own.
I’m giving a two-star rating to this method because you simply cannot get a good cake-to-frosting balance. It can get messy and I can’t imagine eating frosting by itself.
FAQs
Here I’ll answer some commonly asked questions related to eating cupcakes properly.
1. Do you eat a cupcake with a fork?
I don’t, but you certainly can. Using a fork can help you gain better control over the cupcake and avoid making a mess, and getting your hands sticky.
2. How many cupcakes should you eat?
As much as we hate to admit this, cupcakes are not the healthiest. They’re very high in calories, fat and sugar and should definitely be eaten in moderation. On average, a cupcake has around 400 calories and 50g of sugar.
The AHA recommends an added-sugar limit of no more than 25g a day for most women and 38g for most men. You can see how even one cupcake exceeds this limit, so I recommend not going over one cupcake a day.
3. Is it okay to eat cupcake wrappers?
Cupcake wrappers are generally made of parchment paper or foil. They are both inedible.
Final Thoughts
There are countless ways to eat a cupcake correctly. I’ve listed four that I see regularly but they’re by no means the only ways. If it works best for you, it’s the “proper” way!
How do you like to eat your cupcakes? Share it with us in the comments below!
About Angie