Having sold more than 98,000 cupcakes in 14 months since opening, Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery in Madison, Wisconsin  is poised to sell its 100,000th cupcake.

Seriously, that’s a lot of cupcakes.

The person who purchases the lucky cupcake will be presented with a prize package that includes: dinner at the Daisy Café & Cupcakery, a night’s stay at any one of seven North Central hotels in the Madison area, a bottle of Champagne, and two Strawberry-Champagne cupcakes. In addition, the Daisy Café & Cupcakery will donate $1,000.00 in the name of the winner to Porchlight Inc, the Madison non-profit organization committed to reducing homelessness in the city.

Would it be silly of me to fly to Madison just to buy a cupcake?  I’m thinking about it.  I really love Wisconsin this time of year.  

Further, the Daisy Café & Cupcakery will donate $100.00 to Porchlight Inc in the name of each of the next five customers who buy cupcakes. So, I should probably bring five friends.

Daisy’s co-owner, Daryl Sisson, says, “We were the first to bring premium cupcakes to Wisconsin and, although we hadn’t thought 100,000 cupcakes would come so soon, we’re thrilled to be here. And we are not standing still–we’re rolling out new cupcake flavors every month.” Co-owner Kathy Brooks adds, “We are especially happy to continue our support of Porchlight with donations in the names of our loyal customers.”

Here is a video about the 4 C’s of Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery!  Gosh, I don’t know when I’ve been so impressed!  Gotta go now, I’ve got plane tickets to buy.

these ones will be soon if we all don’t start eating them!

Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream Cupcakes

If you need some cupcake relief in the sweltering weather without firing up the oven Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream Cupcakes are the way to go!

The cupcake craze, which has resulted in new cupcakeries springing up in each major city of America, has not quite yet invaded Australia. However we are not to be excluded entirely, as our love of cupcakes is equally as strong, so much so that we have declared August 16th as the national day of cupcakes!

National Cupcake Day is a fundraiser for the RSPCA, and encourages the involvement of companies and individuals around Australia to raise money by throwing a cupcake party.

These funds go to support the important work of the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  The RSPCA provide an ongoing service to step in and defend mistreated animals, find new homes for abandoned animals and generally be the voice for our furry, feathered and scaly friends.

Last year 350,000 cupcakes were baked around the country and over $1.1 million Australian dollars was raised. This year they have set the target at $2.5 million and need your help in reaching it.

If you are in Australia, get involved by registering a team or as an individual and scheduling your party. Let us know about your entry so that we can support you. If you are not in Australia you can still get involved by making a donation or voting for your favorite cupcake.

Cupcake bakers interested in a new monthly challenge can try Sweetest Kitchen’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge.  Think of Iron Chef only you’re always making cupcakes.  Each month a new ingredient will be chosen and cupcake bakers (you!) submit your cupcake creation using the ingredient.  This month is the first ever challenge and the ingredient is TEA! And there are great prizes including an electric gift card from one of my favorite sites, Bake It Pretty! Any cupcake bakers interested can enter by visiting the competition information page.

Lingerie Cupcakes by Look Cupcake (photo courtesy of Look Cupcake)

Wow, these lingerie cupcakes are lookin’ good.  I’ll be sure to keep Look Cupcake in mind next time I hear someone needs treats for their bachelorette party! They’re stuff isn’t cheap, but it’s conveniently located next door to me in Seattle (on Queen Anne Hill) and you cannot beat their presentation. Too bad they only do events – if they had a storefront, I’d stop by to see if these taste as good as they look!

photo courtesy of Taekwonweirdo

photo courtesy of Taekwonweirdo

photo courtesy of Taekwonweirdo

I thought these little guys were just charming as all get out. They were made up by Bittersweet Bakery for a little boy’s first birthday party.  Bittersweet is an outfit out in Chicago that has a full menu and does cakes and cupcakes for events like weddings and wee little birthday parties.

(see Taekwonweirdo’s photostream here)

Cupcake Dress Display by Alice in Cakeland

This lovely dress, which is possibly the best cupcake stand ever, was created by Alice in Cakeland for the kickoff of Amsterdam International Fashion Week at Maison de Bonneterie.  Alice in Cakeland was founded by American transplant Rebecca Treherne, who decided to start up her own bespoke, American-style cupcakery because she “was disappointed to not find an American cupcake that tasted as good as it looked” in the fine city of Amsterdam.  These are some fine looking cupcakes, so I hope that Rebecca has succeeded in her mission to make them taste as good as they look.

That is what springs to mind when reading and watching the news clip on NewsNet5 about Ohio based American Greeting Cards‘ new range of cards called Tasties.

So ‘yesterday’, are cards which stimulate the other four major senses, visual cards, textured cards, cards which play music or that smell.  We now have cards that we can lick and apparently ‘eat’.

Each ‘Tasty’ will be themed and come with a deliciously dissolvable flavor-strip, safely sealed inside the card which matches the theme.  One such card will feature a mouth-watering image of a cupcake and reads “If nothing else, birthdays are a great excuse to eat cake”.  Of course you want to know the flavor, this one is vanilla cupcake!

Though this isn’t the limit of the new ‘Tasty’ cards, you can get everything from donuts to margaritas, though I am not sure if they meet the newsreaders requirement from the above article and have a bacon card just yet.  No doubt the bacon, burger and hot dog cards are not too far away!

Are cupcakes in danger of losing their popularity to other desserts? Back in March we shared with you an NPR article which claimed macaroons to be the new cupcake.  Now two other desserts are threatening to take the cupcake’s spot.  The August issue of Food and Wine Magazine had an article about the increasingly trendy pie which asked “Are pies the new cupcakes? They’re becoming just as ubiquitous at online stores and new restaurants with pie counters.”

And now that the hot summer here, the popsicle is another proposed successor to cupcakes.  On July 7, 2010, a blog post from Allegations of Deliciousness titled “Popsicles are the New Cupcakes” claimed unique popsicles are all the rage. Last summer, Hooks for Cooks might have prediected the future with their post titled “Popsicles will rival cupcakes”  She even quoted a friend saying ” I predict they will take over from cup cakes as the hottest new craze this Summer.” I know here in North Carolina, we have Locopops, a hand-crafted, gourmet popsicle company that began in Durham, NC and has expanded to have four locations and various venders in the Research Triangle Park region.  So cupcake fans, what do you think, will cupcakes lose their top spot?

You’ve got to see it to believe it! 

“Sweet Cake” as one is called, is a gift for anyone who loves a fun, yet practical design.  Or for someone who loves cupcakes, of course.  Not only are they versatile in use, but they also come in 10 different colors. 

Dutch product designer Beerd Van Stokkum says the giant cupcake liners can be used as a sandbox, baby bath, planter, or dog bed, but really, the options are probably endless.    A”Sweet Cake” measures approximately 11×28 inches and costs € 149 or $225.

For those of you who buy or sell on Etsy, on Monday July 12th their weekly Craft Night will be a lesson on how to make cake-inspired felt confections.  If you live in Brooklyn you can join them in person for free from 4-8pm or at 5pm in their online chat room.   Unfortunately, I will be far away from Brooklyn so look for me in the chat room that evening.  Click here to see all the details. 

Another trip to Michael’s craft store this week and more sweet cupcake finds to share with you!  Check out these beauties:

Cupcake and Ice Cream Pencils and a Cupcake Pocket Calendar

Cupcake teacher supplies- birthday badges and nametags.  They also had cupcake birthday certificates and scratch and sniff stickers.

Cupcake wall calendar.  They also had mini calendars.

And now here is the best part my friends:  every item was just $1 each!  Get them while you can!

Every bakery has a story, about the people and the passion that over time, combined with lots of hard work has formed part of its success.  In this particular case, Joanne (now 62) proved that there is no barrier, not even age there to stop you from living your dream.

Joanne gave away her career in nursing and with her husband opened a home based cupcake bakery in Naples after recognizing that although there was a cupcake craze sweeping the nation, it hadn’t yet reached them.  Every Saturday she would be up early to sell her cupcakes at the Farmer’s Market, and every week she would sell out.  Joanne, without the money to invest in a physical store, decided instead to build an online cupcakery.  They established the website and are now the successful owners of  Simply Cupcakes of Naples.

Joanne and her husband Ken, learned a lot from the numerous trials and errors they faced over the past years of building their cupcake business from Farmers Market to retail store and now have extended their business model to include Cupcake Training.  This isn’t ‘how to bake a cupcake’ but a concise series of training sessions on how to establish your own cupcake business.  In fact if you are interested, the 2010 session is due to be held on July 30 to Aug 2 and more information can be found on their website.

I have fallen in love with this necklace from Lucius. 

This Sterling Silver necklace is handmade by a Chicago artist. 

This is a cupcake necklace you could get away with wearing to work.

Lucius offers this pendant with a 16″ or 18″ double rolo chain and toggle clasp. It measures approximately 1″W x 1.3″H and costs $85.  (With free shipping to US and Canada!)

I personally am a fan of themed parties and  who could resist an unbrithday party?  Found via Oh Joy!, the pictures from Adele’s 10 year old daughter’s party look like as much fun as a tea party with the real mad hatter would be.  Both adults and children dressed up like the characters and enjoyed what look like delicious cupcakes! An unbirthday party would also be the perfect time to make the Alice in Wonderland cupcakes we shared with you.

Phister & Philina who create clothing for children have a few pieces named after cupcakes.  Available from Huset, these cupcake  shorts are $36.00 and range in sizes for children aged 6-10 years old and the coordinating top is $44.00.

Or if you are looking for a cute sundress for your child,  the cupcake ocean bam dress is $52.00.

Is it pink and pretty or evil and foreboding?  It surprises me how much variation we see in the different styles and takes we receive on the cupcake when it becomes art.  This collection is no different.

Melissa (right) had her Tattoo sleeve designed by Dana Tyrell in Santa Rosa at Inky Cells Tattoo Co. and says that her inspiration was her sweet and loving daughter Denae.

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   Would you like to be part of the next Cupcake Wars? 

              Here’s your chance! 

                       And here’s the official casting call …

NOW CASTING SEASON 2 OF THE FOOD NETWORK’S HIT NEW COMPETITION SHOW, “CUPCAKE WARS”!

 We are casting bakers (store owners, caterers, pastry chefs, new bakers…)

NATIONWIDE, so get in touch with us ASAP to apply for the show.

 If you think you and your cupcakes have what it takes to compete against the best bakers in the country, then we want to hear from YOU! The winner of the show will have their cupcakes featured at a HOLLYWOOD EVENT and receive WORLDWIDE PRESS!  The winner of each episode also wins $10,000!!!

 We’re looking for great bakers with AMAZING personalities in every city.

 To be considered for the show, please e-mail us your name, phone number, photo (and website if available!) to: [email protected]

Be sure to tell us what makes you the perfect candidate for “Cupcake Wars”!

And this week’s winner is…

Wani
June 28th, 2010 at 1:27 pm

I just had my third kiddo less than two months ago. I love the whole process of putting together really fun and personal birthday parties for my children and that includes the cake (or cupcakes). I would love to get Hello Cupcake to learn some skills that would help me to make all of their special days even more special!! ;-)

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

I love birthdays which is probably why I like cupcakes so much, since the two go hand-in-hand.   I also love when it turns July, which is my birthday month, and the snail mail begins to arrive.  Today I came home to find a little padded envelope from Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores.  Inside was a flat cardstock card that read as follows

“Happy Birthday! Make a wish…And treat yourself to something special! Use this card for 15% off your total store purchase any day in July.  Your candle necklace is for you to keep.”

Attached to the card was a little candle necklace atop a perforated cupcake! Anthropologie really knows how to make a cupcake lovers birthday!

Every week I meet fans our Facebook page and on this main site that have little girls and love to dress them in our precious sweets. I too am included in this wonderful group of moms who have turned their daughters into walking advertisements for cupcakes. There are so many clothes lines out there now for our little princesses that have cupcakes on them.   Just looking in my daughter’s closet today, I counted no less than 15 cupcake shirts, dresses and pants.  I also even had a cupcake birthday party for her just a few years ago.   Well, what about the little men out there? Where are their cupcake items? Are they doomed to Spiderman and Thomas the Tank Engine (my son wears both!) or can they too share in the cupcake fun? Well, I went hunting on Etsy today and found some great items for the boys in our lives!

 

                                                                                                                                                        Cupcake Birthday Frame $16           Cupcake Boy Print $9

 

 

Cupcake Crown $24

 

Share a link to a favorite cupcake item for boys in the comment area below!

It appears according to a story in the Christian Science Monitor that in Jordan, what is Western, is cool. This is particularly so, with what is American and to be honest, what is better than an American style cupcake?

The Sugar Daddy is one of a number of businesses that have set up in Amman over the past decade inspired by successful American businesses.  It is a small market, at a little over $2 a cupcake, only the top 5 percent of Jordanian’s can afford them, but this hasn’t stopped business from booming.  Most customers speak English, and Mr Jaber the owner felt that in this way, kids that had studied abroad could remember their time overseas, with this little piece of America in their city.

Mr Jaber’s Sugar Daddy Bakery stores have also opened in Dubai and in Beirut.

photo courtesy of CakeJournal

When I was tooling around CakeJournal‘s site after getting info about Louise’s cupcake needle felt pillows, I found her collection of cake decorating tutorials. This made me happy because it reminded me that the creation of fancy cupcake decorations are indeed within even my beginner’s grasp.

In my quest to find new and interesting cupcake news for ATC, I see the incredible craft and artistry that goes into decorating cupcakes and cakes. I’m always  impressed by the creativity of these pieces.  However,  most of the time  I can’t say that I find inspiration in them because it often looks like a level of composition and sculpture that’s well out of my league. I think that CakeJournal’s collection of tutorials is just the thing to bridge that gap.

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Looking for a last minute 4th of July cupcake idea?  All you need for these semi-homemade firecracker cupcakes are 24 cupcakes, angel flake coconut, cool whip, food coloring, and red licorice.  Follow the three easy steps in the directions which include dying the coconut red and blue.  Then top each cupcake with cool whip then coconut and finish by inserting the licorice into the top of each cupcake.

The Meringue Bake Shop of Placentia, California is celebrating the 4th in creative style with cupcake kabobs!  They almost look too sweet to be true.  Click here for a complete tutorial on how to make your own kabobs!  I am thinking these would be fun for the winter holidays as well (of course, with a slightly different color scheme)!