My mom and 21-year-old sister came to visit for Memorial Day weekend, and when my sister walked into my kitchen on Saturday, she gasped.

"Cupcakes!" she said, gazing raptly at their pink-frosted, sprinkle-bedecked, butter-enriched beauty.

	Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Sprinkles are among the things children of all ages love on top of homemade cupcakes. Click photo for larger image.

Yep, I said.

"Can I have one?" she asked, longingly and a little hesitantly.

Of course. I had saved them for her and for Mom.

"Really?" Like she could hardly believe it.

Really, I said.

She peeled off the paper and ate her cupcake over my kitchen sink in about three bites, smiling with satisfaction as she munched.

Funny to think that such a small thing, something that took just a few minutes to make, could be such an object of wonder. Such is the state of home-baked goods in the 21st century, I guess.

Unlike previous generations, many Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers didn't grow up with homemade cakes, pies and cookies on the table. Often, parents had divorced; Mom and Dad were both working long hours to make ends meet and had neither the time nor the energy to bake.

Baking began declining in popularity as more and more women entered the workforce and as prepared sweets became widely available in stores in the 1960s. After years of erosion, even the institution that had always defined itself with baking -- the biennial Pillsbury Bake-Off -- in 2002 eliminated its only remaining category dedicated to baked goods.

Pillsbury, however, might have given up too soon.

Baking, it seems, is rebounding in popularity among young women in their 20s, who are more likely than women in their 40s to bake, according to a recent study by Betty Crocker Kitchens.

While 20-somethings take short cuts in meal prep (using sauce in jars rather than making their own, for instance) more often than 40-somethings, the study found, they are more likely to prefer home-baked treats to store-bought ones, and they say they have more baking confidence than cooking confidence.

Those tendencies might just strengthen as those young bakers get older and have families; older women are already more likely to bake than they used to be, according to a survey of 1,153 moms last year by Wilton, a bakeware company. That study showed that 56 percent of women said they are more likely then than five years ago to bake.

Maybe that trend is part of the post 9/11 nesting impulse, which for many people made home suddenly seem like the best place in the world to be. But I think it goes deeper than that.

Many 20- and 30-somethings have divorced parents, and most of us had both parents working outside the home. After school, we ate Oreos in front of the television rather than chocolate chip cookies at the kitchen table, and pizza or fast food for dinner instead of roasts or casseroles.

We might not have been sure what we were missing, but we knew it mattered.

As a result, we (and especially we women) are a nostalgic bunch, and we tend to idealize our grandparents' generation -- and in many ways, their vision of a safe, secure and peaceful home life -- as the ideal.

Unlike our mothers, many of whom welcomed day care and baby sitters and nannies as a way to pursue a career outside the home after having children (about 85 percent of 20-somethings have a mother who worked outside the home), many young women I know are trying to figure how to work from home after they have children of their own. We remember our latchkey days, and, if we can help it, we'd rather our children didn't repeat them.

Increasingly, baking seems like an essential part of that idealized family life: We are going to eat dinner together, and there will be homemade dessert (at least sometimes), just like Grandma used to make.

I've got baking religion now, too.

I have been a cook, in some form, since I was in first grade. By middle school, I was making many meals on my own. By high school, I was cooking dinner for my mom and brother and sister nearly every night, using the faded, gingham-covered Betty Crocker cookbook my mom -- by then divorced from my dad, raising us kids on her own and often working late -- had gotten as a wedding present in 1970, when she was 21 years old.

Baking, however, was another matter. While one of my grandmothers is a highly skilled pie maker, the women in my family are strictly by the box, so to speak, when it comes to cakes, muffins and cookies. When I made dinner for family or friends, I made pie or fruit crisp, but not cakes, which always seemed so complicated and time-consuming.

So it wasn't until I received what has become one of my favorite cookbooks, "The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook" by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey, from a friend a few years ago that I really delved into baking. It was an epiphany.

For one thing, the recipes are old-fashioned and not particularly fancy, but they produce cookies and bars and cupcakes and pies and cakes that taste the way they should -- they way your grandmother made them, and she just gave you the biggest slice.

For another, they contain just a few widely available ingredients and take only a few minutes to make. You might need to sift the flour or run an electric mixer for a few minutes, but that's about as complicated as it gets.

Lastly, the few minutes you spend on baking a cake or cookies or cupcakes will be rewarded with gratitude, even awe, by your friends and family. With everyone's time in short supply, they will be amazed that you took the time -- any time -- to bake something from scratch, and touched that you did it for them.

And somehow, once you've seen how easy it can be to make people happy with a moist slice of cake or a pretty cupcake, it can be hard to stop. I, for one, am hooked on baking.

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LEMON LAYER CAKE

This recipe and those that follow are from "The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Baker," by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour three 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottom with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with milk and lemon juice and zest, beating well after each addition. Divide batter among cake pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

When cake has cooled, spread the icing or the curd evenly between layers and over top of cake.

Makes 1 three-layer 9-inch cake.

TRADITIONAL VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE OR CUPCAKES

PG TESTED

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Divide batter among the cake pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Spoon batter into cups with three-quarters full. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.

When cake has cooled, ice between layers, then ice top and sides of cake.

Makes 1 three-layer 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

PG TESTED

This rich, versatile frosting goes well with lots of different kinds of cakes and isn't so sweet that it will make your teeth ache. Add several drops of pink or blue food coloring for birthday party cupcakes (don't forget the sprinkles!) or cake. To make Lemon Buttercream, skip the milk and vanilla and add 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest instead.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
  
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar). If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled. Can store in an airtight container up to three days.

Yields icing for 1 two- or three-layer 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.

LEMON CURD FILLING

You can also try this on toast or scones for a breakfast or teatime treat.

• 12 egg yolks, at room temperature
  
• 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (if you can't find this, substitute an additional teaspoon lemon zest)
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In medium saucepan, whisk first five ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly over medium heat. Cook about 20 minutes until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add butter, one piece at a time, stirring to incorporate. Place in refrigerator overnight until firm.

Makes 3 1/2 cups, or enough filling for 1 two- or three-layer 9-inch cake.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

PG TESTED

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  
• 2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
  
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice, drained (about 1 cup)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  
• 1 recipe Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)
  
• Coarsely chopped or whole pecans for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the oil with the sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat until light, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Add bananas and pineapple. Add dry ingredients in thirds, beating after each addition until smooth. Stir in pecans. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice top and sides of cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Garnish with pecans if desired.

Makes 1 two-layer 9-inch cake.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

PG TESTED

This tangy and not-too-sweet icing goes well with Hummingbird Cake and also is delicious on poppy seed, pecan and carrot cakes and breads.

• 1 pound (2 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened slightly, cut into small pieces
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened slightly, cut into small pieces
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In a medium-size bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add sugar and beat until well incorporated.

Yields icing for 1 two- or three-layer 9-inch cake.