Baked by Melissa, a New York City bakery specializing in a line of mini-cupcakes, has a fun, new feature on their website where you can create your own edible cupcake art.  Begin by choosing the number of mini-cupcakes you want (anywhere from 100- 2,500, arranged in a rectangle).  Then select from 18 different cupcake flavors (s’mores, cookies and cream, peanut butter and jelly, red vanilla and pink vanilla are some of the options) to create your own colorful design.  Read the rest of this entry »

So my daughter is about to have a birthday, and she’s getting this! (Shh… don’t tell!)

Newly released in May, the Princess Cupcakes kit includes cute cupcake liners and reusable crown wrappers, a book featuring recipes (including one for “Pink Velvet”), and decorating tips. It was only $16 at Barnes & Noble, and I know she’s going to love it. (Okay, so I’m a little excited as well!)

Kate from See Kate Sew used a template to create her own cupcake wrappers from old magazine pages.  The wrappers are easy to make and you simply place the cupcake inside the wrapper after baking.  I found this pdf template for cupcake wrappers if you are interested in making your own wrappers.

I was treated to a truly chocolate experience yesterday: the Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Blackout Cupcake! The cake was moist and sweet, but the frosting … seriously, there is something special in that frosting. It was so rich! When you try one, I recommend pacing yourself!

This felt cupcake idea would be a simple and relatively cheap (not to mention mess-free) way to keep your young kids occupied over the summer, especially on a long road-trip.  All you need is some different colors of felt and a pair of scissors.  If you are a tad-bit artistically challenged like me, then you can download a free template here for all the pieces (cupcakes, liners, and frosting). Read the rest of this entry »

Cake Mixes or Cupcake Mixes?

Is the only difference between a ‘cake’ and a ‘cupcake’ the wrapper?

I’ll tell you why I’m asking.  I am probably 50/50 on making cupcakes from scratch and making cupcakes from a box.  But, now that I’m blogging, I’m rethinking everything.

So, when I pulled out a Pillsbury box from my cupboard, I noticed the picture of the cake.  It took me to the baking aisle at my local Wegman’s grocery store, where I found that every box mix pictures a cake.  There wasn’t a single cupcake promo among them.  And, on the Pillsbury website, they don’t even list their cake mixes and frostings among their products.

Pursuing this further, I found a poll on Quibblo of whether a cupcake and a cake are the same thing, but only 9 people have answered (8 yes, 1 no).  WikiAnswers wasn’t much of an analysis.

And, while doing my research, I bumped into this:  the world’s record for a cupcake is 150.7 pounds!  Now how is that still a ‘cupcake’?

It’s graduation season which means you might be looking for a fun way to decorate the grad in your life’s cupcakes.  How about these fun Jumping For Joy cupcake toppers from Queen Bee Inspiration’s Etsy shop.  The set of 12 is only $8.00 and you choose from either the guy or a girl.

Happy National Iced Tea Day everyone!  What better way to celebrate this fun little holiday then with this Iced Tea Cupcake recipe found via Tastespotting.  Hannah from BitterSweet blog created this cupcake recipe that seems perfect for today, especially since here in the south it’s 95^oF outside!   They also seem like a good recipe for fathers day, which is only 9 days away!  Read the rest of this entry »

Mojito Cupcake

By now, you have probably all seen or read the news that two cupcake “recipes” were used in an MI6 British Secret Intelligence cyberattack of an al-Qaeda e-zine.  What I read several days ago and took as a bit of humor in The Guardian, a British newspaper, has now become worldwide news.

So I thought:  what recipes?

According to United Press International, the two recipes used were from Main Street Cupcakes (Hudson, OH).

Wrong.  The two, specific cupakes used in the cyberattack were the “mojito cupcake” and the “rocky road cupcake.”  Yes, the mojito is from Main Street Cupakes and it’s a “white rum cake with hints of mint and lime covered in vanilla buttercream with a Mojito buttercream garnish.”  But, the “rocky road cupcake” is from Cupcake (Charleston, SC), and it’s “dark chocolate cake plus chocolate icing with toasted almonds.”  This I found out by locating the original .pdf from the Ellen Degeneres show parodied by MI6.

What I did not find were “recipes.”

We may have to file this report of recipes from “The Best Cupcakes in America” entering the public domain under “false intelligence.”

Cupcake Invitations

Are you planning your child’s next birthday party and feeling like you’re running out of creative party ideas?  Why not follow the cupcake trend and throw a cupcake-themed celebration?  Cupcakes are a staple at birthday parties these days, and you can extend the cupcake-theme to the invitations, decorations, and games, too! Read the rest of this entry »

This week my local newspaper, The News and Observer featured an article by a cupcake critic.  I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and as a cupcake lover I am biased to support cupcakes and be upset upon reading anything that says the cupcake trend is over.  The newspaper article, titled Keep Your Cupcakes; Cute Doesn’t Cut It, was written by Debbie Moose who states that she “doesn’t like cupcakes.  They’re so 2009.  They’re done.”  She goes on to say that her issue with cupcakes is that they are cute and that is what people are concerned with rather than caring what they taste like.  As a baker myself I will admit that I like it when people compliment my baked goods appearance but the highest compliment is when they tell me how good it tasted or go back for a second serving.  It’s not merely what the cupcake looks like, although it has to look good to make you want to eat it.

Moose goes on to argue that cupcakes are time consuming and impractical claiming that they go stale too quickly and frosting cupcakes takes too long.  I feel that cupcakes are individual cake saving you from having to cut a cake at a party.  I also feel that with all good baked goods  you need to consume them quickly or they will go bad.  Fresh bread from a bakery will go stale quickly.  If you use a little planning and bake the cupcakes within an appropriate time frame they will be fresh for your celebration.  Read the rest of this entry »

Still wondering what to bake on the third Sunday in June? Here are some ideas from Simply Sweets from Scottsdale, Arizona!

What a perfect way to start off your summer BBQ’s with these colorful cupcakes in a jar. They remind me of the tie dyed cupcakes, but in a jar. I think they are fabulous! They are super easy to make, and a great project to do with the kids. These would also be great done in red, white and blue for July 4th!

Colorful Cupcakes in a Jar from Celebrations.com

S'Mores Cupcakes: Graham Cracker Batter and Roasted Marshmallow Topping

Looking for some cupcakes to take to a cook-out or on a camping trip?  Are you in need of something that won’t melt in the sweltering heat?  You don’t need to look any further, because we’ve found a s’mores cupcake recipe just for you.  The best thing about them?  The toasted-marshmallow topping is super easy (just throw some mini-marshmallows on top before sticking them in the oven) and it won’t melt in the summer heat like frosting does! Read the rest of this entry »

Magnolia Bakery (c Sam Dow)

Let the cupcake wars begin!

Magnolia Bakery – of Sarah Jessica Parker fame – is about to face some serious competition from Georgetown Cupcake – of DC Cupcake fame.  The official announcement, made June 7, forecasts the opening of the NYC store in winter 2011.

Can anyone weigh in on who will win this war?

Will it be Magnolia with their “delicately textured lemon cupcake filled with a tart lemon cream and topped with lemon meringue buttercream,” now on its second owner, having already been sold once since its 1996 opening in Greenich Village?  Or will it be sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne with their “Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting topped with a fondant flower” at the shop in SoHo?

If the yumminess of website photographs is factor to handicap this competition, my money is on Katherine & Sophie.

Lipstik Factory creates hand made lip glosses in small batches. Larry G is the owner and creator of Lipstik Factory which has several flavor lines including a line of cupcake lip glosses.  Larry hand-blends, pours, shrink-bands, and labels each of his one-of-a kind creations.  ATC was sent the cupcake lip glosses to review which arrived in two different packaging styles.  In the five pack tin for $49.00, the flavors were orange cream, strawberry shortcake, pralines and cream, red velvet, and cupcake.  We were also sent an individual tube of angel cake lip gloss which costs $15.00.

The  Angel cake really did smell like angel food cake and because of Larry’s layering technique it actually looked like a slice of cake, with sprinkles on top, inside a tube.  When applying the lip gloss a little bit goes a long way and once it is on your lips you can smell the cake flavor more.  I especially liked that the lip gloss was glossy but not sticky, something that normally deters me from using lip gloss.  The angel cake flavor was a good neutral color on my lips.  The cupcake scented lip gloss had a fruity smell, and because of this it seemed perfect for kids or young teens. Read the rest of this entry »

Chocolate + Guinness= A Man's Cupcake

Looking for a special Father’s Day treat for your father or husband this year?  Sugar Blossom Bake Shop in San Clemente, CA has put a manly spin on the cupcake.  This bakery will be selling Guinness cupcakes from June 10-19.  If you don’t live within driving distance, they have been kind enough to share the recipe with us.

Since he’ll probably be asking for more, be sure and check out other beer cupcake recipes that ATC has posted in the past: Beer, Cheese, Bacon & Cream Cheese Cupcake, St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes, and winning recipes from the Scharffen Berger Cupcake Adventure Contest. We hope Dad will be impressed!

How Charitable is Your Cupcake?

I can’t remember a school or church bake sale that didn’t include cupakes.  I fondly remember the ladies of my home church for their baking.  And who doesn’t have memories of counting all the shiny change after a bake sale – didn’t it seem like riches?

Publicly traded Crumbs Bake Shop has partnered with the non-profit “Success for Kids” to help at-risk children.  Their May 2011 Initial Public Stock Offering was a reported $66M, and it’s currently trading at $12.90/share.  (Look forward to a future post on just how much of that is going to be donated to the charity — I’m on it!)

The Cupcake Kids raises money through cupcake sales to help a ministry in Uganda, Africa.  It’s an international idea by kids for kids through cupcakes that has raised nearly $50k.

And, on an everyday basis, community groups, school groups, and individual people use the power of cupcakes to bring people closer together through events like a “Random Act of Cupcake.”

Looks like a little cupcake goes a long way.

Allergy Riders makes eating cupcakes easier for those with food allergies. Allergy Riders produce bright colored cupcake liners and flags that inform party goers what ingredient is not inside the labeled baked good. I think this is a great idea, instead of repeatedly having to inform guests that the baked goods are safe for them to consume they can simply see for themselves.

Teacup cupcake

I collect odd bits of china – the only real criteria being at least a touch of gold.  How about using the teacups to serve your cupcakes?  It’s one idea for creating an inviting scene to share cupcakes with your adult girlfriends, while evoking those wonderful scenes from our childhood of playing at tea time.

If you’re looking for china to set a table out of Victoria Magazine, you won’t want to miss the CNY Regional Market on Sunday mornings during the summer.  Syracuse was home to Syracuse China from 1871-2009, and I’ve purchased pieces of their bone china for as little as $1/plate.  And Rochester’s Public Market offers Sunday morning fleas with nice china too, if you’re there early.  I’ve left with Lenox and even Limoges for less than $10/each.

Though a little bit more than paper or plastic, if you’re serving a cupcake work of art, why not complete your artistic presentation?

I absolutely love these cupcake kits. They are a perfect way to quickly decorate any cupcakes.  The kit includes 24 cupcake liners (2 different design)s and 24 cupcake toppers. I found this Flowers In Bloom kit at Patina.

This kit goes perfect with the gorgeous flowers I see popping up everywhere around me!

Our winner is…

Carrie 
The cupcake one is so cute and I like the measuring tape one a lot as well. I would love to see a film strip one, I think that would be neat!

Congratulations!  Please email your mailing address to [email protected].  Thanks to all who entered and special thanks to Lafashionista for sponsoring this giveaway.

The Om of Cupcake

Who isn’t living a totally over-committed life these days?  If you can’t slow down, especially while you’re whipping up buttercream frosted cupcakes for end of school year parties, can I persuade you to steal a quiet moment with a cupcake?

Here’s my recipe for the Om of Cupcakes.  Take one part chocolate raspberry-infused buttercream cupcake and add one part local coffee shop with a window seat.  Omit cell phone; substitute “oops!” if you later see missed calls.  Variation includes reading a copy of “Hello, Cupcake!” or “What’s New Cupcake?”

This recipe for about twenty minutes of relaxation should be repeated daily to enjoy the full, long-term benefits.

What better way to begin your summer than lounging by the pool with a mojito cupcake?  With a hint of rum, a little bit of lime zest, and a sprig of mint to top it all off, it’s the perfect treat for a hot summer day.

While you savor its unique flavor, you can also take pride in knowing that this particular cupcake was used in an important cyber-warfare operation this week, which was appropriately called “Operation Cupcake”.  A group of British spies hacked an al-Qaeda magazine and replaced bomb-making instructions with a list of the best cupcakes in America.  The mojito cupcake from Main Street Cupcakes in Hudson, Ohio made the top of the list.

Joy Cho, founder and editor of Oh Joy! seems to always be eating something delicious.  Most recently she shared her sweet treat, a cupcake in a cone from Milk.  Located in Los Angeles, California, Milk seems to have something for everyone with a bakeshop, ice cream parlor, food, and drinks.  If you live to far away to visit Milk yourself, you could always make your own cupcakes in ice cream cones using the recipe from Real Simple or this recipe we shared with you a while back.