A cupcake is a small cake baked in a cup-shaped paper or foil liner, designed to be the perfect size for one person. While regular cakes need to be sliced and served on plates, cupcakes come in their own individual portions, making them easy to hand out at parties or pack in lunchboxes.

The typical cupcake has a soft, sweet cake base (often vanilla, chocolate, or another flavor) topped with frosting swirled on top. Bakers often decorate cupcakes elaborately for special occasions: birthday cupcakes might have colorful sprinkles, while Halloween cupcakes might be decorated to look like spiders or ghosts.

Today, cupcake bakeries create fancy versions with creative flavors and artistic decorations, but the basic appeal remains the same: a personal-sized treat that feels special.

People sometimes use cupcake as a playful nickname for someone they find sweet or endearing, though this usage is becoming old-fashioned. In sports, calling someone a cupcake can mean they're not tough enough for serious competition.