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!

Birthdays and cupcakes go hand -in-hand, which is why this Birthday Calendar from Linda & Harriett is perfect.  The calendar which features only months and numerical dates but no week day names or calendar years so it is great for keeping track of what day individuals were born on.  If you were lucky enough to be born in August, your birthday month features the image of cupcake  liners!

I’m really not sure what to make of this:

Or this:

 but these creative cupcakes were entries in Washington D.C.’s Hello Cupcake‘s “Design Your D.C.” cupcake challenge.

 The top one was titled “Foggy Bottom,” while the bottom one was called, “Bo and Michelle Obama’s Organic Garden Cupcake.”

Hmm… that’s some food for thought.  If you dare to eat it.

But it was all in good fun, as a panel of judges chose winners for:  most creative use of fondant; most likely to be eaten; best use of theme; and best-designed political statement.

The winner of the “best overall cupcake design” was awarded a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, while the other winners were awarded Kitchen Aid Hand Mixers.

Want to see the grand prize winner? 

Here she is:

 This one was simply called “Chinatown Cupcake” and it was also awarded the most likely to be eaten ribbon.

A while back I had seen the picture, shown above, of garland by Petunia that was made using cupcake liners.  Sadly directions were not included and I, unfortunately, am the type that needs to follow instructions when it comes to crafts.  Then today I came across a new (new for me) website, 100 Layer Cake.  The site has the cute tag line, “crafting your wedding layer by layer” which means they have lots of great DIY tutorials.  One of these tutorials is for cupcake liner garland which of course you can use for any occasion, not just weddings!

So this is a bit of a different post for me.  I was cruising some news items and happened across a headline in the Huffington Post ‘How a Cupcake Ruined My Day (and No, I’m Not On A Diet)‘ and I was intrigued.  The crux is that she was served her cupcake in an “excessively large plastic container,” and when she asked the man serving where the recycling bin was when she was finished, she was told “we don’t recycle”.

I understand her angst, doing what we can is important, everyone helping could make a difference. I understand commercial reality too, but supplying recycling bins shouldn’t be that hard.

Anyway instead of dwelling on the poor, I wanted to give a thumbs up to another bakery which is the opposite and while it may not be possible for every bakery to go to this extreme, there are certainly ideas a plenty on the Birdbath / Build a Green Bakery website!

Their cups are made of biodegradable corn, the countertop and shelves, from recycled paper, they are wind powered, their paper bags are not wax lined, the floor is reclaimed timber. They use organic flour, sugar and butter, deliver by bicycle-driven cargo rickshaw and compost their coffee grounds daily.  Also they offer a 25% discount to customers arriving on a bicycle or skateboard. Sounds very GREEN to me!

We recently shared with you a few fun cupcake salt and pepper shakers.  Today, my sister who is in Europe just showed me this great cupcake salt and pepper shaker from Urban Outfitters Europe.  I am jealous of anyone who lives in Europe and can order themselves this cute set for only £7.00!

Oh My Cupcakes! of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sponsored a cupcake eating contest on June 5th.  Oh My Cupcakes! is Sioux Falls’ first and only gourmet cupcakery.

Contestants were challenged to eat as many cupcakes as they could in 30 seconds.  The five winners each received a sugar buzz and a pair of tickets to see Sugarland in an upcoming concert.

Remember Easter when we shared with you Nested Easter Egg Cupcakes by Bakers Royal?  Well Bakers Royale has impressed me once again with her Creme Brulee cupcakes.  Having found most creme brulee cupcake recipes to call for filling the cupcake hole with swiss or butter cream frosting she instead wanted real creme brulee.  I think she has captured the true dessert in cupcake format with her recipe below.

Crème Brulee Cupcakes

Heat oven to 300 degrees and prepare water bath. Place kitchen towel on bottom of a roasting pan or cake pan.  Place one ramekin in the pan to determine the water level. The water needs to be two thirds the height of the ramekin. Bring determined water amount to boil while assembling the custard.

Custard
1  teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
½ cups sugar
5 large egg yolk (room temperature)
8-10 teaspoons Demera sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine and bring vanilla paste, 1 cup of the cream, granulated sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Stir every now and then to prevent the cream from forming a skin.  Once boiled, remove the pan from heat and let steep for 15 minutess.
2. After the mixture has steeped, stir in the remaining cup cream to cool down the mixture.
3. Whisk the egg yolks together in a large bowl until uniform. While whisking eggs with one hand use your other hand to slowly pour in the cream mixture. Make sure your cream has cooled enough so that your eggs will not curdle. Push final mixture through a fine mesh strainer, discarding any solids. Pour into the ramekins.
4. Place custard filled ramekins into pan.
5. Pour boiling water into pan, being careful not to splash water into ramekins.
6. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until custard either reads 170 degrees and/or until custards gives a gentle wiggle when moved.
7. Transfer baked ramekins to cooling rack. Cool to room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
8. To store, place plastic wrap directly on custard surface to prevent skinning.

Magnolia’s Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozens

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12 cup muffin pans.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (*see  note)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Note: To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for approximately 5–10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5–10 minutes.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
5.Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before filling with custard.

Assembly
1. Using a paring knife cut a shallow cone from the top of the cupcake.

2. Fill hole with custard.
3  Generously sprinkle  Demera sugar on top of custard.
4. Keep torch six inches from sugar to brulee.

Recently I discovered Donica, an amazing woman and artist who is exploring art therapy and is enrolled in a Transpersonal Psychology program.  Simply put, transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the spiritual aspects of the human experience.  During this study she was introduced to Jung’s Archetypes, which effectively are differing but repeating patterns of thought and action that reappear time and again across people, countries and continents.

Effectively Jung indicated that we are all made up of basic archetypes, these represent a way of feeling and acting, for example ‘the mother’ – feeding, nurturing, soothing, or ‘the maiden’ – purity, desire, etc.  Jung’s Archetypes, are fascinating to read about.  Donica, has used her study to self-identify 12 archetypes which guide her.  Creatively she then matched each of these archetypes to 12 cupcake flavors, and then developed a menu of her cupcake archetypes and crocheted each.    Her cupcake archetypes are:

Warrior –  Red Chili Mango
Artist –  Starry Blueberry Night
Lover –  Strawberry Cheesecake Delight
Prostitute – Mint White Chocolate
Magical Inner Child – Funfetti Birthday Cake
Saboteur – Wild Berry
Victim – Uh-oh upside Down Pineapple
Femme Fatale – Titillating Tiramisu
Secretary – Pumpkin Danish
Messenger – Golden Angel Food Cake
Hedonist – Pink Lemondae Pleasure
Storyteller – Spicy Vanilla Chai Latte

Etsy seller Funkyshique has created a burlap cupcake banner and gift bags.  The banner, for only $18, would make a nice and simple decoration for any birthday party. The gift bags, which cost $12 for a set of four, would make wonderful goodie bags since they are reusable unlike the plastic bags we got when I was growing up.

Yesterday we shared with you a cute Betsy Johnson Cupcake Bikini.  Why not get this cute pink cupcake beach towel to keep you dry? For only $25 it’s available from Jeanie B: Gifts and Homewares.

Here’s a cupcake idea that’s been getting a lot of buzz this week and certainly one that I hope catches on in my hometown: city-wide cupcakery bicycle tours.  Hyedie Hashimoto recently founded the Toronto Girls’ Cupcake Bike Ride. Ever since the Toronto Star did a story on it last week, she and her new ride have been all over the cupcake blogs.

Image by Happy D Designs

Why a cupcake ride? Because cupcakes are awesome (hello!) and because Toronto has the right density of cupcake places for a good city-wide bike tour. Why ladies’ only? “I heard last year about a report that said less women were riding bikes than men,” says Hashimoto, “I wanted to do something to help promote girls on bikes.”

These are so cool!  Oh my gosh, I just have to try this!  I don’t have much of a green thumb, but these “plants,” I can handle!

 KansasCity.com featured a post recently on these delightful flowerpot cupcakes!

We have Bernard Shondell of Roeland Park to thank for these tasty works of art.  If you’d like to try to create your own, here are his words of advice:

These veterinary-themed cupcakes come to us courtesy of a  grad party and Clever Cupcakes in Montreal. And to quote Clever Cupcakes flickr feed, “Yes, in case you are wondering that is a dissected fondant frog :)”

I feel like I really should just change this to “Clever Cupcakes Most Awesome Cupcake of the Week” since the Montreal-based cupcakery gets featured here so often.  But what can I say – they make great nerd-themed cupcakes.  Perhaps this will be a challenge to our readers and cupcake bakers the world over to make more nerdy cupcakes. And to send us the pictures :)

Lily Evans Unbirthday Cake soap

Not your birthday? Well a very merry unbirthday to you!
It doesn’t need to be your birthday, but it can still feel like it. This smells like a slice of vanilla and butter cream special day cake, with sprinkles!

Creamy lather, creamy scent, happy you.

Listing is for one 4oz slice of soap.

Gift wrapped?! YEAH! It wouldn’t be unbirthday cake without it!

Available at Lily Evans’.

And the winner is…

Linda Ann Brown
June 5th, 2010 at 7:28 am

I have to say I like the silly swirl hearts! I actually love all the swirl variations. Not to mention this site is going on my list for stocking stuffers! lol

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

It’s summer which means it’s time to hit the pool or the beach and why not look cute-as-a-cupcake in Betsy Johnson’s Hello Cupcake Embroidered Halter Top bikini.  You can find this whimsical bathing suit featuring cats, birds, flowers, and of course cupcakes, on Betsy Johnson’s website or Bloomingdale’s and remember since this is a designer piece of swimwear it is more expensive.  The top and bottom are perchased separately with the halter top costing $98.00 and the tie bottoms are $78.  An additional bonus of you order from Bloomingdale’s is you recieve a free towel with every $100 swimwear purchase.

From a small town in Brisbane, Australia, Westside News brings us the story of Emma Lulham who is baking up a storm!

However there is a difference about her treats, they are not for us two legged humans, but for our four legged friends.  Her company ‘Sweet Chops‘ is a small outfit dedicated to creating gourmet treats especially for spoiled dogs. And it is not limited to cupcakes! Emma also stocks a range of dog ‘lollipups’ and personalized birthday cakes.

All of her treats use natural ingredients, no sugar or preservatives and the treat decorations are made with carob or yoghurt, instead of chocolate.  Healthy and delicious! – for dogs!

Emma’s latest addition are paw shaped carob treats called ‘Box O’ Choco Licks’!  I am sure Noogie, her labrador and gourmet taste tester, is quite the envy of all his doggy neighbours!

A Baked Creation has some of the best decorated cupcakes I have seen.  I always envy those who are skilled with fondant, mostly because I am so inexperienced when it comes to using the ingredient.  A Baked Creation recently made Grrday cupcakes which are cute little dinosaur topped cupcakes that were used to celebrate someone’s birthday (get it birthday, grrday).

A Baked Creation has made dinosaur cupcakes before which included an assortment of dinosaur types. This time around one addition was made, Nessy, the Lock Ness Monster who lives on a cupcake.

An added bonus for all of us needing help with fondant is the How: T-Rex Cupcake Topper post which includes both written and visual directions on how to create the cute little dinosaurs.

I think these dinosaur topped cupcakes would make any grrday memorable! Be sure to checkout their website for tons of other fun and impressive cupcakes!

I love to read blogs, but they don’t usually make me cry.  Then enter Love in the Time of Cupcakes!  Darn her, she pulled on my cupcake strings!

Mary T. Wagner is the author of two books, Running with Stilettos and Heck on Heels.  She’s a mother of four and an attorney, and yet she somehow still manages to write the touching and tear-jerking blog, Running with Stilettos.

In her essay Love in the Time of Cupcakes, Mary shares how, even though she was a busy career mom, she always made time to celebrate her children’s lives, and to be involved through cupcakes.  She made two dozen “ghost cupcakes” for each of her three children in grammar school to help celebrate Halloween.  Each tennis season, she made “tennis ball cupcakes” for her son’s and daughter’s teams.  (She bemoans the fact that the girls would scream with delight at the cupcakes’ cuteness, but the boys would just inhale them!)  This essay celebrates mothering and cupcaking at the same time, and was so beautiful that, even this early in the morning, I’m thinking of going to wake up my daughter.  She won’t mind when I tell her we’re going to make some cupcakes!

Any of you out there Sex and the City fans? If you are or if you have even seen the movie than you have seen this lovely gem of a purse I am about to show you.

For the past year this purse has been out of stock but it is now back in stock at the Judith Leiber boutique!

They also have 2 mini cupcake key chains as well.

Singer Katy Perry has also been seen adorning one of these purses.

Good morning sweet cupcake fans!  This is just a reminder that Sunday is the last day to enter our cupcake crayons giveaway sponsored by Etsy seller GaddyNipperCrayons. Please click here to enter.

Carolina Cupcakery wants to test your foodie skills in helping them create their record-breaking 150th cupcake flavor!

Carolina Cupcakery currently has 144 flavors and counting.  I couldn’t really contemplate 150 flavors of cupcake, until I visited their full menu.  It was a mouth-watering experience.  Each cupcake is sorted under a heading of chocolate, coconut, coffee, fruit/veggie, misc, nut, spice, vanilla/butter and special needs.  I have a special need for a cupcake now!

This isn’t the first time Carolina Cupcake has called on the public to be part of their cupcake design team.  Jaina’s ‘Raspberry’ cupcake was the winner of cupcake flavor 100, – a chocolate cake stuffed with raspberry mousse, drizzled with dark chocolate ganache. The photo below shows Jaina tucking into her creation and holding aloft her icing filled trophy.

Contest entries should be emailed to [email protected] and must be received before 9pm on June 9, 2010.  The contest winner will be announced on June 10, 2010, at the store’s second anniversary celebration. Click here for more information.

Hmm, I have a real craving now for the Apple Martini cupcake, it sounds divine!  Rather fitting huh?

Now this is a cupcaking event! They do things big in Texas, especially at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop in Austin.

Jess Pryles, of Sugadeaux Cupcakes in Melbourne, Australia, will be visiting the Lone Star State this month! Sugadeaux’s motto is, if you’re going to indulge, you should do it properly.

Debating whether to make the trip across town, or across Texas?  Check out Sugar Mama’s ratings on Yelp!  There are a lot of Sugar Mama fanatics out there!  One happy customer wrote, “Sugar Mama’s is a cupcake lover’s dream come true.”  Oh, how sweet.