Are you a fan of cupcakes in a jar? I’m still undecided about the cupcake trend mostly because I love the look of a perfectly frosted cupcake.  I also wonder what makes it a cupcake in a jar and not just a cake in a jar.  I do, however, like this recipe from Family Kitchen for Cupcake Crumble in a Jar since the recipe uses left over cupcakes that other wise would most likely go to waste.  The cupcake crumble reminds me of a parfait or trifle based on the layering technique.  There are lots of options for ingredients beyond the cake and frosting so you can be as creative as you want when making your own cupcake crumble.

Now that March is just around the corner, I find myself daydreaming about sunshine, blue skies and days spent outdoors.  For those of you who are eagerly awaiting spring’s arrival (or for those of you who live in a warmer climate than I do), here are some cupcakes to help usher in the spring season.

These “potted” cupcakes are topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting and green candy leaves, with oreo crumbs around the edges.

The carrot cupcake in the foreground is topped with crushed lemon poppyseed cookie and a smidge of orange cream cheese frosting.

These would make a lovely display at a spring luncheon or shower.  I’m not much of a gardener, but I think I could get into this!

I love this changing face cupcake stamp set from Memi The Rainbow.  The Parisian Etsy shop offers the set of 9 stamps for $35.00 that form different faced cupcakes.  You can make your cupcake laugh, smile, wink or sleep then add star or circle sprinkles to make a unique cupcake.

It’s easy to forget, here in the northern U.S., in the doldrums of almost-March, that there is green grass in other parts of the world. Here is some evidence for you–some yummy flowers and butterflies from dapur Difa. Let’s think spring! Visit dapur Difa for more great cupcake decorating ideas, photos, and even cupcake bouquets!

Now that Valentine’s Day has past the stores have all their St. Patrick’s Day merchandise on display.  I saw this cute cupcake baby onesie at my local TJMaxx.  A baby would look very festive in the onesie, tutu, and headband, if you can get the baby to keep the headband on!

Got a birthday coming up?  Having trouble deciding whether to do a cake or cupcakes?  (Of course, if you ask any of us at ATC, we will tell you to go with the cupcakes)!

You can truly have your cake and eat it, too, with this tiered birthday cake made from chocolate cupcakes from the Duncan Hines website.

Each tower is made of one standard-sized cupcake, a mini cupcake, and a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup (for the top tier).  Sounds delicious, and it looks beautiful, too!

We’ve seen this idea before, but somehow, it just bears repeating. Here is another Periodic Table of Cupcakes, this time from engineering student Rachel Howden.

This is my new favorite cupcake photo. Ever. Today is Janey the orangutan’s 50th birthday. And of course, she’s celebrating it with a cupcake. She is celebrating at the San Diego Zoo, where she has lived since 1984. She is looking mighty good for 50! Happy Birthday fellow cupcake lover!

Just last year, a Hobby Lobby store opened near my home and I have found this store to be my new favorite place to find amazing things.  It is mostly a store for craft supplies, but it also has a large amount of home decor.  My mom loves to call these “chachkies” (a Yiddish words for trinkets that gather dust).  My last trip to Hobby Lobby this week made me exceptionally happy because they have a new display of cupcake items! Check out these adorable wall hangers and trays.  

They also had utensils with cupcakes on the ends, single cupcake pedestals, ceramic cupcakes, plates and cupcake shaped measuring spoons. So worth a visit to your local Hobby Lobby!

Pantone paint chips are really popular right now, remember the cupcake yellow mug?  My sister loves paint chips and I had thought about making her paint chip cupcakes, thinking my idea was original but it turns out Pantone cupcakes have already been made! I found Bocaditos y Colores (Erika) flickr page which features her version of Pantone cupcakes.

World Market is one of my favorite stores to just wander around in.  Over the summer I found the cute cupcake take out bags and on a recent visit to my local store I noticed a red velvet milk chocolate bar.  The chocolate bar is only $1.99 and sounds like the perfect solution to cure a cupcake craving when cupcakes are not available.  My store also had the wine charms shown below.  I did not see them on World Market’s website but they are worth a trip to the store for if there’s a birthday coming up!

Hello, Cupcake! is a cupcake cookbook by the creative food stylist Karen Tack and coauthor Alan Richardson.  The original book in the series came out in 2008, followed by What’s New, Cupcake? and the most recent book, Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! was released just last month.  Over the years we have shared with you many recipes from the books and from the Hello, Cupcake What’s Newsletter.  We here at ATC were sent the latest book to review.

Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My! Goes beyond cupcakes to include cakes, cookies, pies, rice crispy cereal bars and more!  When I first flipped through the book I was impressed by all the new ideas.  Since I have Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New, Cupcake? I initially wondered how many more unique cupcake ideas could there be?  The answer was lot! I actually had a hard time deciding which recipe to test.  For every occasion you’ll find a new quirky and cute idea. Continue reading »

Happy Valentine’s Day cupcake lovers! I hope today is extra sweet! If you’re looking for something to make your valentine I think these Love Bug Mini Cupcakes are really cute and perfect for guys or girls!  Confessions of a Cookbook Queen created these love bugs using peanut m&ms, heart shaped sprinkles, pink melting candies, and a black food marker.  Have a lovely day!

Do you pinterest?  I am obsessed with it! I love seeing what everyone else is pinning and coming across great finds like this Paris vs New York print titled L’Obsession.  It’s so true that in Paris macarons are available everywhere while New York is filled with cupcake shops!  The print is available on society6 starting at $35.00.

Do you remember when caboodles were popular? I had a bunch growing up, I think I even had one for my Polly Pockets. I saw this cupcake caboodle at my local TJMaxx/Homegoods.  Even though it was only $12.99 I resisted the urge to buy it!

Cupcakes Gourmet in Pennsylvania is offering you all a fabulously delicious way to propose to that one very special person in your life this Valentine’s Day.

Picture a delicious red velvet cupcake, topped with cream cheese frosting – but look again – is that a eight-carat diamond engagement ring perched in the frosting? Why, yes it is!

Cupcakes Gourmet is offering this perfect diamond encrusted cupcake for Valentine’s for $55,000!

Any girl who gets this cupcake this Valentine’s Day is one lucky gal!

(read more here)

These simple (and gluten-free) cupcakes from the Betty Crocker website would be perfect to make with your kids for an after-school treat this Valentine’s Day (as if they didn’t already get enough sweets at school, right?).

You will need a few special materials in addition to the cake mix and frosting: a pair or two of decorative scissors, a heart-shaped paper punch, and a box of ‘Fruit by the Foot’ strawberry fruit snacks.  Let your kids use the scissors and the paper punch to make fun shapes out of the fruit snack to decorate their cupcakes.

Happy Saturday everyone! I found this fabulous cupcake item today during one of my internet cupcake searches!

Have you ever wanted to go straight from the oven with your cupcakes to storing said cupcakes? If you said yes, then you have to see this.

Bake & Store Silicone Cupcake Holder from The Kitchen Outlet

$24.50 from Tiedwitharibbon

Happy Saturday cupcake fans! If you are anything like me, organizing your little ones hair clips can be a daunting process.  But why not have cupcakes lend a hand?   Take a look at this sweet and useful hair clip hanger I found on Etsy this morning.   And how cute would this cupcake hairbow look on your new hanger? 

$6 from Rainbowbow

This zig zag bowl from Lekker Home is so fun! I love the fact that it looks like a cupcake base! Since it costs $18.00 I think it would make a great gift for a friend or for myself!

I know over the past few years we have posted links to these type of color gradient cupcakes but I just can’t get enough of them. I am sure your honey would adore some of these Sweetheart Cupcakes from All Recipes for Valentine’s Day.  So pretty & very easy to create!

All Recipes is my favorite place to find new recipes.  The best part are the reviews left for each recipe from other cooks & bakers who have tested them out.  You can find great tips to make each recipe a perfect one!

I know that Easter is a few months away but, I can’t help but share this great cupcake tutorial/recipe with you.

Crazy, creative bakers our there are always coming up with new amazing techniques for baking cupcakes and this one takes the (cup)cake!

Simply, Amazing!

Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Egg Shells from Cupcake Project 

I just paid my first (apparently overdue) visit to the Sugar Shack of Lansing, Michigan. Think cupcakes are a fad? This bakery has been a family business for forty years!

Sugar Shack offers a wide and impressive variety of creative cupcakes with a rotating menu. And should someone grow tired of the menu, which would be completely impossible, the menu is completely wiped out and recreated every June 1st. So, though I’ve only paid one visit to the Sugar Shack (so far), I’m confident that no two visits could be the same.

Offerings included the “White Trash Cupcake,” a cupcake packed full of pecans, pretzels, and marshmallows, and iced with fudge frosting, then topped with more pecans, pretzels, and marshmallows, then topped with chocolate and caramel sauce. The cupcake of the day was the Menage a Trois, a cupcake with layers of strawberry and chocolate cake, topped with vanilla frosting and fresh coconut. My co-cupcaker enjoyed the Confetti Cupcake–a bubblegum flavored confetti cake. I was sorry to miss the Root Beer Float Cupcake and the Chocolate Turtle, but am grateful for a reason to go back to Lansing.

Of course, the traditional flavors were there, and I enjoyed a Mint Cookies and Cream cupcake straight from heaven: rich dark chocolate cake topped with perfect mint frosting.

While I was there, I heard another customer ask the baker what his favorite cupcake was, to which he responded, “That’s like me asking you which of your kids is your favorite.”

Seriously, I usually leave a new cupcakery happy and ready to discover the next one. But leaving this cupcakery, I just couldn’t wait until my next visit! These are cupcakes at their best!

Still looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Check out this ceramic cupcake night light from Angel Heart Designs. This night light measures a little larger than an actual cupcake at 3″ by 2 1/4″ by 4 1/4″. These ceramic cupcakes are handmade and show a soft yellow light. It could be yours for $19!

One of our readers recently spotted this gigantic cupcake in Honolulu.  If you live in Hawaii or are planning to visit anytime soon, go take a look at this deceptively real-looking cupcake at Ala Moana, a large shopping complex on the island of Oahu.  It is part of a Louis Vitton display.  I have to say that the frosting really makes me hungry for a cupcake!