These spectacular modern art pieces are in fact totally edible cupcakes. ATC reader Nicola make them for the diner she works at in Watertown, MA. Nicola says that they’re just your usual chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, with the secret ingredients being food coloring and Nicola’s expert frosting skills. “To make the spikes I use round tips and just pull away while loosening my grip”, says Nicola.

Nicola wrote to us with a puzzling quandary concerning her amazing technicolor cupcakes:

Everyone that comes into the store is amazed by the cupcakes, but I get asked a dozen times a day if they’re real! How can I make my cupcakes look more “real” and edible? I also get told that they are too pretty to eat. Am I supposed to make them uglier? Any suggestions??

I say that she keeps them just the way they are – I think they look great. Besides putting up some “yes, they’re real!” signage, the only thing I can think of to do is to get friends and regulars to become “cupcake models”. It shouldn’t be too hard to get some folks to eat those awesome-looking cupcakes in a public place, right?

Our 3,000+ Facebook fans love to upload their cupcake photos. We see everything from cupcake clothes to cupcake wedding cakes to cupcake art.  Here are some of my favorites from the past month.

Cupcake Halloween Costume from Danielle

Flower cupcakes by Victoria

Cupcake pants (at Macy’s) by Christine

Sidra made her own birthday cupcakes to share at her work!  I want to work with her!

Join in the fun and become a fan!

Happy Saturday cupcake fans! Just a reminder that Sunday is the last day to enter our cupcake topper giveaway sponsored by Etsy seller Kidscakes. Please click here to enter!

 

I know I have said this before but it is worth saying again: I love Etsy!  Where else can you find millions of amazing and unique handmade cupcake items all in one place? 

This week’s sweet giveaway comes to you from Etsy seller, Kidscakes.  In her shop you can find custom handmade fondant cupcake toppers perfect for your kids’ birthday parties and other special occasions.  I was so pleased to open a  package containing these little lovelies:

Each one was well-made and oh-so-cute.  These toppers are an easy way to embellish your cupcake creations.   

This week, Kidscakes is giving away one set (winner’s choice) of fondant toppers.  Just go the their Etsy shop then come back to ATC and click on the comment area below.  Tell us what topper you would pick to win AND what topper you think Kidscakes should make next.   One winner will be chosen on Monday, May 24th.  Special thanks to Kidscakes for sponsoring this giveaway! 

photo by ATC Reader Amber

Why are we posting pictures of Chinese food? Because these little takeout boxes are actually full of cupcakes. Reader and ATC fan Amber writes:

I just wanted to share with you some cupcakes that I was able to make this past week. I just bought the new “What’s Up Cupcake book” and was so inspired! I made these for a friends Chinese food party she had and they were a huge hit!

Chow Mein Cupcake by ATC Reader Amber

Fried Rice Cupcake by ATC Reader Amber

These are amazingly creative cupcakes – thanks for sharing them with us, Amber, and thanks for taking that inspiration and running with it.

I love how everyone interprets things differently.  A few months ago we posted The Periodic Table of Cupcakes according to Women’s Day.  Over the weekend I came across this picture of someone else’s version of the Period Table Cupcakes.  This would be such a fun project to take on for school or to try to earn some “brownie” (cupcake) points with a chemistry teacher!

Sometimes it is hard to find a cupcake wrapper that suits your needs.  Here is a template so you can make your own cupcake wrappers, that way they will be exactly what you imagined. Below are the directions but don’t forget one essential, the template!

I rcently tried the Cricut (pronounced cricket) Personal Cutting machine and I found it so amazing.  They can cut beautiful paper designs at the touch of a few buttons.  Well, here is the newest Cricut machine: The Cricut Cake.  I have yet to try this one but it looks like it may revolutionize the cake/cupcake decorating process.  I’ve seen it on sale this week for $349 at AC Moore and Michael’s.    Here’s the description from Michael’s:

The Cricut Cake™ Personal Electronic Cutter is specifically designed for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies and confections in no time at all.  Just choose a shape, a size, and press “cut.”  The Cricut Cake machine also works with all Cricut Scrapbooking cartridges, with Gypsy™ and Cricut DesignStudio, giving you more variety in your designs!

Roller and cutting blade are constructed from stainless steel. FDA approved for cutting food and specifically designed for gum paste, frosting sheets and more. Decorating like a professional has never been faster or easier. Bon Appetit!

The Cricut Cake machine includes:

• 12×12-inch food-safe mat
• Power Adaptor
• Cricut Cake Basics Cartridge with up to 600 images
• Silicone Keypad Cover

Cricut’s website had a lots of useful info, videos and photos of completed projects.

My mom recently got me some new products that  are supposed to make  decorating cupcakes easier. I have not had the time to bake cupcakes yet but I thought I would share the products.  If you have either of these, let us know how they work for you.

From The Pampered Chef I was given the Decorator Bottle Set. The set includes three easy-squeeze bottles, each with a different tip and a cleaning brush for $12.00.

The second, by Kuhn Rikon, is a Cookie and Cupcake Deco Kit. This kit contains 2 tall bottles, 3 short bottles, 5 tips and an offset spatula for $24.00.

This kit would be great for a theme party – there are 24 toppers and wrappers and they’re cute as all get out.  They’re available at Williams-Sonoma for $24.

The biggest winner of last weekend’s Cupcake Camp Seattle was the Hope Heart Institute: 5,000 cupcakes donated by 70 bakers and consumed by nearly 1,000 people raised $5,276.50 for the charity in just three hours. Carrie Middlemis, owner of Cupcakes Couture and one of the organizers of the event, says, “For our first year we estimated maybe we would have about 300 people attending. We were blown away by the response and already planning to make it bigger and better.”

As for the competitive prizes, see below or Bella Cupcakes’ post on the winners. There were three competitive categories, Most Unique Ingredients, Best Seattle, and Healthiest, with a Professional and Amateur division within each category. Last but not least is the youth division’s best cupcake prize. And of course no competitive cupcake event is complete without a cupcake eating contest (you can see the video here).

(most pictures courtesy of Barbie Hull Photography)

PROFESSIONAL DIVISION:
Most Unique Ingredients
1st: NY Cupcakes / Limoncello with Raspberry drizzle.
2nd: Rocket Queens /”War Pig” Chocolate cake, smoky chipotle, bacon; topped with white chocolate buttercream and candied bacon.
Honorable mention: Kimm of Spitfire- Kimm-chi (Korean pickled cabbage) with grated carrot, zucchini and ginger frosting. Sweetened with agave nectar.

I guess first and second prize must’ve tasted really good, because I don’t think that those are particularly unique ingredients, though I admit I may be jaded by the flavor proliferation of the Seattle cupcakery scene .  I still say that if you’re giving prizes for the weirdest stuff you can put in a cupcake and still be edible, kim-chi definitely takes first prize.

Best Seattle:
1st: : Bella Cupcakes / Pacific NW Sustainable Granola NY (left)
2nd: NY Cupcakes /Orca Whales and salmon (middle)
Honorable Mention: Rocket Queen Cupcakes / Unhappy Hipster – my favorite! (right)

Healthiest:
1st: Immortal Bakery / Banana with Honey and Cinnamon
2nd: Kimm of Spitfire / Vegan delight Banana-Orama (not pictured)

AMATEUR DIVISION
Most Unique Ingredient
1st: Tina Campbell / Strawberry Pop Rock (right)
2nd: Ronnie Porter and Nicole Lucas / The TCB Velvet Elvis (not pictured)
A banana, chocolate chip cupcake with peanut butter frosting and a slice of bacon on top. A treat the King would have surely loved.
Honorable Mention: Anisha Hathiramani, Rootbeer Float (right)

Best Seattle:
1st: Ani and Amber Butler / Uptight Seattleite (left)
2nd: Melynda O’Brien Captivating Creations/ Ferry, Orca, Seattle scene (middle)
Honorable Mention: Vicki Bushnell / Destination Seattle (right)

Healthiest:

1st: Teigan Walker / Red Goat- Chocolate beet cake with goats cheese frosting and candied beet. (left)

2nd: Jana Bailey-Bailey-Hessler (The Cake Diva) / Vegan Chocolate Mocha (right)

Personally, I think that the Red Goat should’ve gotten an special prize for unique ingredient too – I can’t say that I’ve ever seen goat cheese and beets in a cupcake before.

YOUTH
Best Tasting/Design Kids
1st Choice: ? Unknown, Space Needle with Whale; (left)
2nd Choice Tie between Jazzmyn (middle) & Tycie Engberg (right)

I was particularly impressed by the youth category…kids in grade school did better cupcake decorating than I ever could. I salute the next generation of cupcake makers!

I have new used cupcake wrappers but they look like an easy way to spruce up any lovely cupcake! I have found some that are perfect for spring time.

I found these at Bake It Pretty. They have 3 colors — blue, green and pink!

Enjoy!

Just in case the Easter cupcake ideas we shared with you earlier this week weren’t enough, here are a couple more easy  ideas sure to please anybunny!

Nested Easter Egg Cupcakes by Bakers Royale

Easy Baby Chick Cupcakes

Chocolate Coconut Easter Cupcakes

Spring Chick Cupcakes

A Simple Easter Cupcake by Simple Bites

Like many of you out there, I am planning on baking several dozen cupcakes this week to celebrate Easter.  Although I do love cupcakes (duh!) I have to admit that sometimes I am not the best at completing recipes above a beginner level.   So today I went to three of my favorite online spots to find cupcake decorating ideas and recipes.  They needed to be relatively easy but have a cuteness level that was through the roof!  Just try to look at these cupcakes without saying “Awww…” !

Food Network’s Chick and Egg Cupcakes

Food Network’s Little Lamb Cupcakes

 Food Network’s Easter Flower Cupcake

All Recipes’ Easter Surprise Cupcakes 

 Family Fun’s Edible Easter Basket Cupcakes

I know you too have some great Easter cupcake decorating tips and recipes so please click on the comment area below and share!

If you have furnishings that are of a higher quality than a college dorm room, you want to keep them in good shape. What better way to protect your tables and countertops from the perils of water damage than adorable cupcake coasters? Two birds with one stone – cute and functional!

The coaster sets come in pink or black, and can be found at iamladycupcake’s Etsy store, along with her lines of non-cupcake related furniture furnishings.

Cupcakes have a natural nostalgia about them – as sophisticated as they’ve gotten, they still have roots back to the days when we regularly ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and watched cartoons on TV on Saturday mornings.

That’s why I find this week’s nerdcakes to particularly appropriately themed – the geeky nostalgia of Space Invaders aliens and Super Mario Bros. 1up mushrooms meets the childhood nostalgia of cupcakes to create a tasty snack that is somehow cooler and more up-to-date than all that nostalgia might imply.

Thanks to Rakka and her fantabulous Flickr photostream for these lovely pictures! (Also, bonus points for no fondant :)

I found these adorable little cupcake friends on MagicBeanBuyer’s Flickr Photostream. MagicBeanBuyer’s got all kinds of painted polymer clay preciousness on her Etsy site, many of whom are just as cute as these little buttons and also have baked goods on their heads. These cupcake buddies run between $16 and $20.

This past week we had some great cupcake finds from our wonderful

Facebook fans.

Amy found these three items at Homegoods:

Christine found these luggage tags at her local Target for only $3 each and this bib at Babies R Us. 

Thanks girls!  Keep those photos comin’. 

Join in the fun on our Facebook Fan Page!

Have you ever wanted to make one of the giant cupcakes but didn’t want to spend the money on the pan?  Well, you could always be as creative as The Cake Mistress and make a giant 3D cupcake without the pan.

This cupcake measured 10cmX15cm and I think it came out really well for not using the mold.  The website has detailed instructions for how to create the 5 layer cupcake cake with ganache frosting.

As a kid I loved watching the cartoon, Smurfs.  Mr. P, from Delicious, Delicious, Delicious made Smurf Cupcakes; Using Smurf Marshmallows, blue sugar crystals and peppermint cream cheese icing he made these cupcakes are as cute as the little blue cartoons.  Here’s the frosting recipe:

Peppermint Cream Cheese Icing

150g cream cheese, at room temperature

350g sifted icing sugar

1/8 tsp peppermint extract

This picture cracked me up. I grew up eating Teddy Grahams so I know exactly how much fun it must have been to set this up.  These cupcakes get extra points from me because, as you’ll note, this was done without any fondant whatsoever.

Also: this picture is posted in celebration of the gorgeous 60 degree weather we’ve been having in Seattle the past few days. I know what you might be saying, “Sixty is hardly bikini weather!” But if that’s what you’re thinking, you’ve never been in Seattle when the sun comes out. And I’m telling you, the minute it hits sixty in the Pacific Northwest, it’s bathing suit time.

(Thanks to Bakerella for her excellent cupcake decorating skills and for the great picture!)

The Great A'Tuin

Fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld will recognize the giant space turtle that carries the fictional flat realm and it’s supporting quadruplet of elephants through space.  What we didn’t know was that underneath the turtle was a delicious cosmic cupcake.  Thanks to Kelly’s Cakes and the Space Cupcake Throwdown for this incredible piece of dessert sculpture.

Last August Cake Journal had a series of posts on Cupcake Decorating as part of a “How To” section. I thought these tips might be helpful for anyone struggling with their cupcakes. In part one, her favorite tool of the trade are discussed.  Part two moves on to the author’s personal favorite cupcake recipes.  For step three, you learn how to create buttercream domes and fondant circles.  Finally part four teaches you how to swirl!  If you have additional tips or advice, please share!

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

This Friday, March 5, the newest Alice in Wonderland comes to theaters.  In honor of the movie, Disney offers ideas for Cheshire Cat Cupcakes and fun cupcake toppers.  Candy and creativity turns a basic chocolate cupcake into the wacky cat Alice encounters.  For simple decorations the cupcake toppers only require a printer, glue and toothpicks.

Looking for a clever (and yummy) way to teach the little ones in your life their ABC’s?   How about ABC cupcakes?  Family Fun magazine shows you how to create cupcakes for each letter of the alphabet.  Here are a few of my favorites:  

G is for Grapes

 J is for Jello

 R is for Roses

 Check out all of Family Fun’s themed cupcakes.