There are few comfort foods as efficiently comforting as cheesecake. 

That might be why St. Louis Today choose to feature cheesecake cupcakes on Saturday! 

Check out how simple this is:

You will need:  15 to 18 vanilla wafers, 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese (softened), 2 eggs, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 (21-ounce) can cherry or blueberry pie filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in muffin tins, Read the rest of this entry »

Just saying Chocolate Olive Oil Cupcakes makes my mouth water! They sound so moist and decadent. I have cooked with Olive Oil before and everything comes out lighter and fluffier.

Jenni from the blog In Jennie’s Kitchen test drove these cupcakes for us! Click here to see her recipe!

I recently went looking for a baking cookbook for a friend and found a great site called Snubbr,  a recommendation site.  You ask them for recommendations, and they’ll find an expert to give you advice on what to buy.   Check them out here.

I decided on one of our fan favorites (and mine too!),  Hello Cupcake! 

I love this book and am amazed by the clever use of ordinary food.  The step by step photos allow those visual learners (like me) to succeed in making wonderful looking cuppies.   My personal favorites are the spaghetti and meatballs and the pumpkins!  So many cupcakes for so many different ocassions.

This week we are giving away a free cookbook of your choice (could be baking, cupcake, whatever), thanks to the kind folks over at Snubbr.com.  First,  click here  to see what books you can choose from and then leave a comment in the comment area below telling us the title of the book (must be under $30), and a reason why you want to read it.  We’ll choose our favorite comment on July 4th, and announce it here.

No idea what cookbook to get? Why not head over to Snubbr.com?

Check out AliCakes Blog, where she shows off her Tiffany cupcakes! 

Helping to decorate for her friend Tiffany’s bridal shower, she thought, 

why not create some Tiffany & Co. themed cupcakes for table centerpieces!   

  And what a great idea it was! 

Check these out! 

Last Sunday was Fathers day and we have had the joy of seeing a number of great fathers day cupcakes.  Yesterday one of our readers Catherine from Sweet Surrender sent us this great cupcake!

Even though the big day for Dads in the U.S. has passed for another year we wanted to share it with you as it would be great for birthdays as well!

Katy Perry decked herself in Cupcakes for her new video ‘California Gurls’.

Katie has also been seen wearing a cupcake purse as well, she is following the cupcake trend.

Snoop Dogg also wore a suit that had cupcakes all over it. I never thought that I would see Snoop Dogg covered in cupcakes!

Click here to see California Gurls video  by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg

This is my summer jam, I will be playing well into the summer!

Enjoy!

Sea Life Cupcakes! (photo by Ashley of The Cupcake Cauldron)

The BP Oil Spill is a disaster of such proportions that it can seem like there’s nothing people like us can do to help…until cupcakes show up on the scene. Ashley of The Cupcake Cauldron decided to do her part the best way she knew how – by making and selling cupcakes and donating the proceeds to help wildlife affected by the BP disaster.

Ashley’s delicious Sea Life Friends Cupcakes are available for $35 a dozen and all proceeds go to the National Wildlife Federation.  These ocean-friendly cupcakes come in any variation of chocolate or vanilla cake and frosting that you’d like, along with adorable Sea Life cupcake toppers.  Get ahold of thecupcakecauldron(at)gmail(dot)com if you’d like to have your cake and save the ocean too.

Food52 was recently ranked as one of the top 50 mom bloggers by Babble.  Since they were awarded #2 best recipes and #4 best photography, in addition to being co-founded by a New York Times food editor, I knew I had to check out the website.  The site is impressive with a blog, videos, recipes, and even a shop.  Of course I had to check to see what cupcake recipes they might have come up with and I was intrigued by the Grand Gold Cupcakes. The description you will think these are “the best cupcakes ever,” even before you know the contain alcohol.   I think this recipe would be great to make this summer, especially for the 21+ crowd.  Adults like cupcakes too, especially those containing gold tequila and grand marnier! Below is the recipe but be sure to checkout their site for other recipes!

Read the rest of this entry »

Does the name Johnny Cupcakes ring a bell to anyone? Well if it doesn’t, it should and it will.

Johnny Cupcakes all started when a young man named Johnny was given the name Johnny Cupcakes while working at Newbury Comics. He used this nickname as inspiration for designing t-shirts with the  name ‘Johnny Cupcakes’ on them, obviously the t-shirts had Cupcakes on them! (click here to read more about his story)

He started selling these t-shirts out of the back of his trunk, and people went wild for them. And people are STILL wild for them. He has 2 east coast shops, one in Hull Massachusetts and one in Boston Massachusetts. He also has a brand new store that just opened up on the west coast in LA.

Read the rest of this entry »

Before I start talking up the cupcakes.  I just want to say that I hate horns.

I am starting to dream that we are suffering a plague of mosquitos (millions of them) and am slapping myself awake at a very unfriendly hour!

If you do not know what I am talking about, then you obviously haven’t got a fever! :) World Cup Fever that is!  But some amazing bakers around the world have and they have been cooking up their support since the opening game on the 11th June!  And speaking of that game, Grace who bakes at Cupcakes by Design in South Africa created these for a client’s Friday Football celebration.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carrie Middlemiss with her couture

I’ve written before on ATC about how cupcakes can make jobs and how cupcakes can be classy. Because of the success of Bella Cupcake Couture, purveyor of chic textile-inspired cupcake wrappers, I now get to write about how cupcakes can do both at the same time.  BCC founder Carrie Middlemiss, formerly a marketing and events rep at the now defunct Washington Mutual Bank, went from “pink slip to pink frosting” when she was laid off early last year because of the bank’s collapse due to the economic downturn. Read the rest of this entry »

And the winner is…

Kristina
June 20th, 2010 at 10:20 pm

Mr Big’s first name, John, was not revealed until the last episode of the last series. =D

Congratulations! Please send your mailing address to [email protected]. Thanks to all who entered and commented on the crayons. Special thanks to Screentours for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this before, but of course we can have cupcakes for breakfast!  Just call them something else!

According to SeriousEats.com, these cute little cakelets make the perfect brunch!

Brown Sugar Breakfast Cakelets

-makes 12-
Adapted from The Improvisational Cook

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, preferably room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk mixed with 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a standard 12-cup muffin tin (you can use a bit of the melted flour and a teaspoon or two of the flour to do this).

2. Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine thoroughly.

3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until blended and frothy. Whisk in the sugar and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.

4. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg-sugar mixture, using as few strokes as possible and stopping just before the two are fully combined. Then whisk in the milk-yogurt mixture, the melted butter, and the vanilla. Pour the batter into the muffin tin; each well will be a little more than half full.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a tester emerges clean. Set the muffin tin on a rack for 1 minute and then use a knife to flip each cakelet sideways in its well to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt

Procedure

Beat all ingredients together until uniformly combined, soft, and fluffy. Use immediately or store in refrigerator.

Reading about the new release of 4.3.2.1, an new gritty thriller-action style movie in which the main characters, four women, encounter diamond thieves I came across a cupcake loving actress. Jo, is one of the four leading women in the movie and is acted by up and coming American Emma Roberts, star of Hotel for Dogs and Nancy Drew.  Apparently she loved her time in London, especially visiting the Hummingbird Bakery.

Of course I was intrigued and had to check out their site, and it is mouthwateringly good. The red velvet cupcake is reputed to be heavenly, and it seems Emma Roberts agrees.  In a story on Music Rooms, she explains her lack of love for vegetables, and admits that in fact the cupcake diet was her favorite!  Who could disagree with that!

This is just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to enter our Sex and the City Tour giveaway sponsored by Screentours. Please click here to enter!

Show your dad how much he means to you by baking him something special for Father’s Day!

A Grate Gift for Dad Cupcakes from Disney’s Family Fun Website

These are so cute and it is something you can make with the kids for the man in your life.

What else do you plan on baking for your father on Father’s day?

I know that cupcake obsession appears to be a predominantly female hobby but let’s not forget those awesome men out there that love these sweet treats too!   I know that we  have a strong male following here at ATC and I want to recognize their cupcake needs too.   So today I found some items on Ebay and Etsy that would make great Father’s Day gifts. 

Johnny Cupcakes Shirt $49.98

Have you seen another good Father’s Day cupcake gift? Click on the comment area below and leave us the link!

All you cupcake bakers out there this is the necklace for you…

Baker Charm Necklace with Antiqued Cupcake Tin and Measuring Spoons found on SaritasJewelryBox Etsy Shop.

I think that this is the most ADORABLE necklace ever! I want it!

Now this is a first for us here at ATC!  This week we are hosting a giveaway for a Sex and the City Hotspots Tour by Screentours.

The giveaway is for a gift certificate for two tickets to Sex & the City Hotspots Tour, which runs daily (an $84 value). The gift certificate never expires so you can use it during you next planned trip to NYC.  Perhaps you are wondering how this tour relates to cupcakes?  Read the tour highlights to find out!

*Shop at the store where Charlotte bought her “Rabbit”
*Stop at “Scout,” the bar owned by Aidan
*Enjoy cupcakes like Carrie and Miranda
*Go on location to the art gallery in SoHo where Charlotte worked
*Shop at the hottest boutiques & stores in Greenwich Village
*Visit Buddakan, site of Carrie and Big’s wedding rehearsal dinner
*See new locations from Sex and the City: the Movie

To enter this giveaway, please click on the comment area below and tell us one Sex and the City show fact.  Please only enter this giveaway if you have the ability to travel to NYC!! One winner will be chosen on Monday, June 21st. 

Do you have a love for cupcakes and wine? If you do you can share those loves in one spot! On the The Tasty Cupcake & Wine Tour put on by Santa Barbara Adventure Company.

The cupcakes that they serve are of course wine infused cupcakes from Enjoy Cupcakes. The tour also includes wine tasting in the valley of Santa Ynez, a deli lunch and well versed tour guides. Check out their website for more information.

I know Heather Lynn is rooting for her own homestate of Massachusetts in what I think is All Things Cupcake’s new favorite show, Cupcake Wars. I just wanted to take a moment to mention that I will be in the cheering section for Team California, or really, Team Southern California.  I grew up around Los Angeles, which just happens to be one of the cupcake meccas of the U.S., so I’m happy to see my former home well represented.

During tonight’s episode I have been rooting for Catarah Hampshire of Southern Girl Desserts (LA) and Todd Becker of Becker’s Bakery (Manhattan Beach, CA).  I’ll do my best not to spoil anything for folks who might be catching the repeat shows later tonight, but while I am loyal to my homestate, I was actually most impressed by Hollis Wilder of Sweet! (Orlando, FL). Ms. Wilder was hands-down the most adventurous cupcaker of the bunch.  I cannot believe she pulled off good cupcakes with salmon in them!  I wonder if this will be the beginning of a new wave of savory cupcakes?  Watch out bacon!

Southbank Centre, an arts and culture center in London, recently spearheaded a new project of interest to us cupcake-lovers:  Poetry Cupcakes!

GPS, otherwise known as Global Poetry System, is a Southbank Centre project that tries to explore and map the poetry of the world.  The project is built on the idea that poetry is all around us, from gravestones to graffiti.  GPS invites people to take a fresh look at where they are and to find the poetry that inspires them.

And today I have:  poetry on a cupcake.  The project has earned a nickname:  Poetry Digest!  Ha!  Get it?  Digest!

Why didn’t my English teachers think of this?

Well hello there all my fellow cupcake lovers! How many of you out there have heard of the new show on the Food Network’s new show Cupcake Wars? Well if you havent you should check it out. It premieres tonight at 10PM on the Food Network!

I have invested extra interest in this show because one of the local bakeries here on Cape Cod will be on the show soon! Cupcake Charlie’s was founded by a husband and wife team right here on the Cape in Mashpee Massachusetts. They also have a shop in Plymouth Massachusetts. Their Cupcake War will premiere on the 29th of June @ 10pm! Check out the article on Cape Cod Times about Cupcake Charlie’s and Cupcake Wars. Also make sure to check out their audition video on there as well. Also become a fan on the FaceBook Page

I hope everyone is glued to the TV with Cupcake in hand watching the preimere tonight. And I hope all of you will be rooting for Cupcake Charlies on the 29th as well.

The Eat My Blog Bakesale will be held next Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 10am to 4pm at  Zeke’s Smokehouse in West Hollywood on.  The charity bake sale will donate all proceeds to  the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.  While the bakesale will have over 1000 sweet items to choose from, daring cupcake lovers will be inticed by Kurogoma Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting.  If you’re like me and have never heard of Kurogoma, it is black sesame seeds. According to a Los Angeles Times article, Cathy Danh started the bake sale because she found herself looking at food blogs thinking, “I wish I could eat that.”  She decided to turn that desire into a reality and put the proceeds towards a worthy charity.

Some of the things that bakers create are amazing!  Quite often I can find myself a little put off by the amazing work that the magazines and books display.  How is a humble baker like me supposed to create that?

Noelle however showed me that it is possible!  As her company’s ‘unofficial’ official baker, she was given the challenge of creating something for her mother who works in the same office.  But this was no ordinary birthday, it was her mother’s 50th,so she wanted to create something ultra special

Inspiration struck in the form of the May 2010 Food Network Magazine, and she took the idea and made it her own with these amazing topiaries!  The magazine used a 6 inch ball, but Noelle used upscaled to an 8 inch ball and covered it with red velvet cream cheese cupcakes along with a large cone shaped topiary base which she covered with Oreo cupcakes.  The combined topiaries had just under 200 cupcakes in total!

Apparently Noelle advises that the construction is not for the faint of heart, but that the end result was well worth it!