During the summer’s hottest and most humid days, there are times when you want a cooler alternative to cakey cupcakes with thick and sugary icing. Those muggy days are where cheesecake cupcakes can be the perfect substitute. Their density isn’t overly sweet and they’re usually at their tastiest when served chilled. While cheesecake cupcakes work with or without toppings, the fresh fruit of summer is often the perfect finishing touch. So here are recipes for several cheesecake cupcakes to try.

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At a different end of the spectrum from the other day’s Nerdy Nummies Do-It-Yourself cupcaking, we have Craftsy’s understated but valuable tips to achieve professional cake decorating effects through simple means. With their Project Cupcake videos, in less than two minutes you can learn how to turn gelatin and food coloring into edible sequins to decorate a cupcake (turns out it just requires a textured acetate sheet and a hole puncher). Or learn how to create a gorgeous ruffly fondant flower to sit atop delicious icing (it only takes a few cookie cutters, a shaping tool, and some piping gel).

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There are many different kinds of cupcake toppers out there to choose from if you don’t want more than just icing to entice. Some are like little toys that can easily be stuck into delicately piped mounds of frosting (or they can be used to cover up the sloppier last minute jobs before a bake sale you forgot about). Others are personalized for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, weddings, etc. and allow you to slap dozens of copies of a loved one’s face onto treats that allow you to, literally, bite their head off. Then there are cupcake toppers like those produced by blogger Tikkido who has posted a number of cupcake topper tutorials. Read the rest of this entry »

Coffee cake already borders the boundary between breakfast treat and decadent dessert. It doesn’t take much to turn your favorite weekend brunch or late morning snacks into an excuse to have cupcakes for breakfast. Many of the recipes I found for coffee cake cupcakes labeled themselves “coffee cake muffins” but if the word “cake” appears anywhere in the description, I think calling them “muffins” is misguided. You can use a muffin pan, but they’re still cupcakes. Especially when they’re glazed or have any kind of icing. These three recipes rightly asserted themselves as cupcakes.

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For some people, cupcakes and cake are just a vehicle for sugary frosting. For others, the frosting is the paint and the cake or cupcake serves as the canvas. Some of us cook or bake as a kind of therapy, a way to handle stress, to blow off steam (beating eggs and sugar lead to a much tastier mess than beating the feathers out of your pillow). Whatever the reason for pulling out the decorating tips and pastry bags, each cupcake is an opportunity for creative expression. As Penny Alexander of A Residence, blogger and mother of two, who had little regard for cupcakes discovered, the right materials and the right attitude can turn anyone into a cupcake fan. Read the rest of this entry »

The popular obsession with cupcakes continues to spread its influence around the world. Some Singaporean students were studying in Australia when they were introduced to the cupcake shop trend and brought it home with them to Singapore. After sixty years in business, the owner of a Chinese provision shop retired and the space in Tiong Bahru became available. The three friends, self-taught bakers, bought it and made the necessary renovations and fashioned it into Kisses Bakery, which officially opened its doors just over a month ago. Keeping aspects of the old shop like the signboard on the storefront and a cupboard in the shop, Kisses Bakery pays homage to the space’s past while bringing a delicious modern touch to their neighborhood.

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The craft and baking blogger known to many as Big Bear’s Wife has a few how-to posts for baking and decorating your cupcakes in a Disney (and Pixar) fashion. To accompany the recent release of Monsters University, there is a cupcake decorated to resemble the big, blue, and furry Sully. With a little advice from one of Disney’s own cupcake decorators, Big Bear’s Wife shares many of the tips and shortcuts she used in recreating the kid-friendly confections. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes you just want a cupcake. But, only one cupcake. And not everyone has a bakery close at hand where you can run in quickly to purchase the single cupcake you are craving. So, do you go without the cupcake you long for or do you waste time and energy baking more cupcakes than you really want or need? Japanese company, Daiso, has come up with a solution that means you do not have to settle for either of those options. They believe you can microwave your cupcake, and eat it too.

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As much as I love all the crazy and unique cupcake flavors my favorite cupcake is usually a simple vanilla cupcake.  I noticed She Makes and Bakes blog post for the perfect vanilla cupcake and it peaked my interest.  My favorite vanilla cupcakes usually have real vanilla beans in them in addition to vanilla extract so we will see how these, which only call for extract, turn out.   I haven’t tried these cupcakes yet as I decided to give up desserts for lent but as soon as Easter arrives I’m going to test these out.  Click “continue reading” for She Makes and Bakes’s recipe. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently read about Chasing Delicious’s blog as part of The Sweetest Occasion’s 2013 up and coming blog list from Alt Summit.  Every one of Chasing Delicious’s recipes looks amazing.  These rum caramel chocolate cinnamon cupcakes are complicated, requiring making three different parts, but the picture makes me think they would be worth all the work.  I really wish I was one of his friends he talked about in the blog post and I could have tried one of these cupcakes!

It snowed last night in North Carolina! Sadly it didn’t stick but I still managed to get a delay from it!  Thinking about the snow has me longing for a real snow day where the bare trees end up looking like these let it snow cupcakes created by Not Your Momma’s Cookie.  She used melted chocolate and a tree template to create the trees.  White chocolate and sparkling sugar were added to create the snowy effect.  She says she entered the cupcakes in a creative holiday recipe contest, I hope she won!

For a few years now I have been reading The Little Red House’s blog but I somehow didn’t realize these Almond Cupcakes with Chocolate Coconut Buttercream were from her blog when I repinned the cupcakes on Pinterest.  I  have been trying to eat more almonds since the fall when I learned some of the latest research about almonds which help keep you full longer and keep blood sugars steady hours after consuming them.  Almond cupcakes would count as eating almonds, right?  Even if they don’t count, I still think these cupcakes sound and look great based on The Little Red House’s picture shown above.

This time of year is when everyone is on a healthy kick, my local whole foods is crowded with those looking to eat healthy.  My local gym is crowded with those looking to be physically fit.  With that in mind I’m sure a lot of people are avoiding cupcakes right now.  But what if you chose a “healthy cupcakes”?  I spotted these Beet & Kale Chocolate Cupcakes on The Realistic Nutritionist’s blog.

A little side note, I’m really excited to have found this blog, it means there are other nutritionists and dietitians who love cupcakes as much as I do.  Continuing with the cupcakes, the realistic nutritionist claims that these cupcakes are a dream come true because they have vegetables in them but do not taste like vegetables!  There are only 191 calories per serving and low in fat, so all of the resolutioners out there can enjoy a little “healthy” cupcake.

If your house is anything like mine I’m sure your spending today baking and cooking!  We already have three types of cookies made and a fourth cookie dough chilling.  I have a feeling we wont have time to make cupcakes but if we were going to I would bake these skinny gingerbread cupcakes with sweet cinnamon glaze by The Scrumptious Pumpkin.  Gingerbread and cinnamon are two flavors and smells that remind me of Christmas and these cupcakes are supposed to be healthy!  What kind of cupcakes does your family bake for the holidays?

Looking for a kid-friendly cupcake idea? Here it is! Rudolph cupcakes from Welcome Sunshine Home! All you need is chocolate frosting, marshmallows, animal crackers, and m&m’s! That’s one yummy looking herd!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all had lots to be thankful for! Image via Sweetopia for Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Icing.

Well these are pretty clever. Dip a marshmallow in some chocolate, add a chocolate coated cookie, and voila–a pilgrim hat! Visit Tonya Staab’s blog for complete instructions. You can also visit Tonya on Facebook and Twitter! Catch ya later. I’m off to get a bag of marshmallows.

Once fall hits I get on a pumpkin baking kick!  I crave sweet pumpkin desserts and what better way to satisfy that craving than with cupcakes?  How Sweet It Is shared a recipe for pumpkin s’more cupcakes.  The pictures of these cupcakes look amazing!  The cupcakes are made up of a graham cracker crust, pumpkin cupcake, fudge ganache filling, and marshmallow icing!  I’m tempted to bake these cupcakes in place of pumpkin pie which no one in our house eats anyway.

Looking for something original and clever to do with your cupcake pan this Thanksgiving? How about stocking up on some salty Bugles and creating a cupcake cornucopia? That’s what Hoosier Homemade did and it looks great! Visit Liz’s blog for other great Thanksgiving cupcake ideas!

Here is yet another take on the Oreo-cupcake combo. And I bet this is one rich combination!

Visit Things that Make You Say Mmm for recipe and instructions. Then let us know how they taste!

Check out these eerily beautiful black velvet rose cupcakes from Diary of a Mad Hausfrau. Visit her blog to also see the severed tongue truffles. ewww…

What a terrific use of pretzels! These skeletons aren’t so scary! These Halloween delights are courtesy of Buttercream Baroness.

In much of our world, hunting season has officially begun. For some of us, reason to groan. For others, reason to celebrate. For all of us, reason to cupcake. Here are some pin-worthy camouflage cupcakes from Crafty Mama. Visit her very crafty blog for complete instructions!

We’re getting closer to one of cupcakes’ favorite holidays–creepy crawly time! So today, courtesy of Little Birdie Secrets, we bring you icky looking but likely delicious spider web cupcakes! The pictured spider isn’t edible, but you could probably find some spider candies somewhere if you really needed an edible spider to make your Halloween party complete!

A cupcake in a cupcake. Ingenious. Cupcakes perched atop other cupcakes. It’s cupcake chaos. And I love it.

The genius behind this cupcake madness is Nina’s Little Food Blog. Visit for recipe and decorating instructions. (You’ll probably want to hit the Google translate button.)