Cupcakes Take The Cake

Treat's chocolate banana cupcakes and more custom logo cupcakes

2009-11-21T11:59:00.003-05:00

And these are the chocolate banana cupcakes that I bought from New York City custom cupcake company Treat...also delicious! The chocolate on top was a thin layer of very rich chocolate and the banana cake was kindof like a banana muffin, in a good way, dense and delicious.

And while I'm here...me and Treat owner Harley with the custom cupcakes with my face, and another closeup. I can justify this not as narcissism but as a recommendation of somewhere to get custom image cupcakes; I had actually asked around local bakeries a while ago and hadn't found anyone in Manhattan willing to do it (I believe Ivy Bakery in Brooklyn does offer this). So yes, check out Treat if you want your face (or logo, or your dog's face, or whatever) on a cupcake.

Chocolate mint cupcake perfection

2009-11-20T18:58:00.003-05:00

These mint chocolate cupcakes by Sugar Siren Cakes in Queensland, Australia look so good I don't even know what to say. I want them. All of them!

photos via Sugar Siren on Flickr

The cake was my Midnight Delight (a moist dark chocolate mud cake) which I paired with a pale green peppermint Swiss meringue buttercream that was generously studded with chunks of top quality Lindt dark mint chocolate.

For the crowning glory each cupcake was then topped with a perfect whole square of Lindt dark mint chocolate & the final indulgent touch was a lavish drizzle of rich home made chocolate sauce.

You can also find them on Facebookand they can be reached at sugarsirencakes at gmail.com

My face on a cupcake = delicious!

2009-11-20T18:11:00.005-05:00

After seeing the work of new New York custom dessert company Treat, I had a feeling that they'd be able to make my image in cupcake form, and they did! Based on a drawing of me by our cupcake-loving friend Molly Crabapple, Treat made these cupcakes:

How incredibly cool is that? And they were glittery. This is me about to eat it - I must admit that biting my own head off was a little odd. I was given a choice of these flavors for the cake: chocolate, vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, chocolate mint, mayan chocolate (has a bit of heat), dulce de leche, pink champagne, chocolate merlot, red velvet. I chose mint chocolate and got a rich chocolate cake with a delicious mint frosting. The dozen logo cupcakes were $5 each ($60) and then the chocolate banana were $4 each ($48) - a very special treat indeed, from Treat.

Taking the plunge:

I also bought some of their chocolate banana cupcakes (photos TK). Delicious! There was a rich, dark chocolate frosting on top and the bottom tasted like a banana muffin (in a good way).

Find out more about Treat on their website as well as Twitter and Facebook.

And for those attending our 5-year Cupcakes Take the Cake anniversary party on December 3rd at Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan, Harley from Treat will be in attendance, with cupcakes. And yes, it booked up fast, but do get on the waiting list and also join our NYC Meetup Group because we have a lot of cupcake fun planned for 2010.

CakeWalk: Cutting back the weight gain during the holiday season with less sugar

2009-11-20T17:06:00.004-05:00

CakeWalk is a weekly column by Mary Ann Porch dedicated to every baker who has ever struggled to achieve the right consistency with their icing, unsuccessfully searched for the perfect cupcake topper or just wants to learn something new. Because with a few helpful tips, cupcakes are a cakewalk.

I have something I need to admit. This is really hard to say, but here it goes: I’m a food pusher. I come from a family of food pushers. You know the type – every time you’re in one’s presence and food is involved, they keep offering you seconds and thirds. “Just one more bite” turns into “It’s okay to unbutton the top button on your jeans if it means you’ll eat another slice.” So, with the holiday season kicking into full gear next week and lots of food/family on the menu, I thought it would be worth talking about the sweeteners we’ll all be forced to consume while enjoying our favorite sweet treats and appeasing the food pushers in our lives.

AllRecipes.com has a fantastic blog post on sugar alternatives. They’ve broken sweeteners into two categories - natural and artificial:

All refined sugars--brown sugar, white sugar, "raw" sugars such as demerara or turbinado--are equal from a nutritive standpoint. Brown sugars simply contain a higher molasses content. Refined sugar is 99 percent pure sucrose, a simple carbohydrate.

Other sugars, such as honey, taste sweeter on the tongue than granulated sugar. You can therefore use less honey to sweeten a batch of muffins than you would sugar. Maple syrup tastes less sweet than sugar, but its unique flavor is prized in baked goods and desserts.

Natural Sweeteners
Honey consists of several components: fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose. It is 25 to 50% sweeter than sugar, and has a distinctive flavor. The flavors and colors of honey can vary depending upon the bees' diet--buckwheat honey, for example, is darker and stronger than clover honey. Baked goods made with honey are moist and dense, and tend to brown faster than those made with granulated sugar. Use ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons. Unless the recipe includes sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.

Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees, and is a combination of sucrose and glucose. The sap is boiled down into a sweet, delectable syrup. Grade A maple syrup is golden brown and has a delicate flavor. Grade B is thicker, darker, and is better for baking because it has a stronger flavor--and it costs less. Although maple syrup is only 60% as sweet as sugar, use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons to compensate for its liquid state.

Molasses is a byproduct of refined sugar production. It is made up of sucrose, glucose and fructose, and also contains small amounts of B vitamins, calcium and iron. Molasses imparts a dark color and strong flavor to baked foods, but is not as sweet as sugar. When substituting molasses for sugar, use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons. Molasses is also more acidic than sugar; add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of molasses used. Replace no more than half the sugar called for in a recipe with molasses.

Corn syrup is known as an "invert sugar;" it is useful in cooking and candy-making because, unlike other sugars, it does not crystallize. Corn is treated with enzymes to break down starch into glucose and maltose. Corn syrup is less sweet than sugar, and does not add flavor like molasses or honey. "Golden Syrup," common in the United Kingdom, is a refinery syrup made from sugar. It is used in place of corn syrup. Some cooks believe sugar syrups have a livelier flavor than corn syrups and add more character to dishes such as pecan pie.

Artificial Sweeteners
These sweeteners have been approved by the FDA and are available for home use. While they provide a sweet taste, artificial sweeteners lack the browning, tenderizing and moisture-retaining properties of granulated sugar. Sucralose is the one sweetener than can be substituted cup-for-cup for granulated sugar in baking.

Saccharine is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used in baked goods. However, the manufacturer recommends substituting it for only half of the sugar in a recipe. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup sugar. It is sold under the name Sweet and Low®.

Aspartame is 160 to 220 times sweeter than granulated sugar. This sweetener is heat-sensitive: it loses its sweetening power when heated, and cannot be used for cookies or cakes. The manufacturer does recommend trying it in no-bake pies and in puddings after they have been removed from the heat. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup of sugar. It is sold under the names Equal® and NutraSweet®.

Acesulfame potassium is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is heat-stable, so it can be used in baking and cooking. Use acesulfame K in combination with granulated sugar when baking. Substitute 6 (1-gram) packets for each ¼ cup sugar. It is sold under the brand names Sunette® and Sweet One®.

Sucralose is made from sugar, but is not metabolized by the body like sugar. It is 600 times sweeter than granulated sugar. Granular sucralose is the form used when baking. Substitute 1 cup granular sucralose for each cup of sugar called for in the recipe. Recipes made with this product tend to bake faster than usual, so check for doneness sooner than the recipe specifies. It is sold under the Splenda® brand name.

With this in mind, I’d love for you to share your cupcake recipes that use something other than plain old white or brown sugar. Leave them in the comments section!

Mary Ann is the founder of the New York City chapter of CupcakeCamp NYC, an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and eat cupcakes in an open environment. She is also the founder of Puff and Choux, a blog dedicated to the pastry and dessert arts. You can contact her at mary_ann_porch@hotmail.com with any questions, ideas or just to chit chat. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MaryAPorch.

Cupcake invite at Bent Objects

2009-11-20T11:04:00.003-05:00

Terry at Bent Objects posted this party image invite he made for OXO International. The cupcakes are "getting ready to party." Very cool. I love to see cupcakes making mischief.

The Simpsons cupcakes

2009-11-20T10:14:00.001-05:00

Strawberry cupcakes with a slice of strawberry baked into the center and whipped strawberry cream cheese icing. Hand painted fondant toppers by death by cupcake on Flickr.

New Moon and Planet 51 cupcakes at Yummy Cupcakes

2009-11-20T09:52:00.004-05:00

Yummy Cupcakes, of Burbank and Santa Monica, California, is selling these Planet 51 and New Moon cupcakes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Subject to availability. They are $3.25 each. Follow them @yummycupcakesLA on Twitter to keep up with their latest news and cupcake freebies (yesterday's were pumpkin pie cupcakes and Monday's were cookie dough cupcakes). I will be in LA next weekend, hopefully I will have a chance to try some of their cupcakes for myself if I can get a ride (being in LA without a license is...challenging, but that is another story). I will definitely be cupcaking it up - and no, "cupcaking" isn't a dictionary word, but I think it counts for our purposes.

Here's more info on the special flavors:

FORBIDDEN APPLE CUPCAKE
Chocolate cupcake frosted with a chocolate buttercream rolled in red sanding sugar accented with a buttercream leaf and a rolled chocolate pencil "stem"

NEW MOON CUPCAKE
Chocolate cupcake frosted with a chocolate buttercream topped with a fondant crescent moon with buttercream accents

VAMPIRE BITE CUPCAKE
Vanilla bean cupcake filled with a raspberry whip, topped with a vanilla bean buttercream glaze with two blood red raspberry "bite" marks

PLANET 51 CUPCAKES
Chocolate cupcake frosted with a vanilla bean buttercream topped with 2
rolled green fondant "alien ears"

Yummy Cupcakes
2918 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burban, CA 91505
818-558-1080

313 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-393-8283

A cool-weather treat

2009-11-20T01:49:00.005-05:00

I am most partial to fruit-flavored desserts. I know, I know, it's supposed to be all about the chocolate, but I really only like chocolate cake when it's rich, fudge-y, moist and clingy. I bet I'd love these vegan chocolate decadence black apple-amaretto cupcakes though. Apple treats make me happy for the cold weather.

Mmm...

And, check out these apple fritter cupcakes she made!

More wonderful work by NorwichNuts. Recipes may be posted here.

Cupcake illo: Lucius Kwok

2009-11-20T01:36:00.003-05:00

I met Lucius at a cupcake event (loving his cupcake tee). Nice to see his cupcake illustration for NaNoDrawMo.

Dazzle & Chunk cupcake necklace

2009-11-20T01:06:00.001-05:00

Dazzle & Chunk recently sent us some samples to look at.

and

I love cupcake jewelry! You can see all their adorable cupcake charms here.

Delivery SNAFU: Frosting Gourmet Filled Cupcakes

2009-11-19T22:05:00.007-05:00

It's been said before and I'll stand by it: Cupcake delivery is an issue that plagues the industry. Cupcakes are portable yet fragile, and come in all shapes and sizes. This in turn makes it hard to squeeze a bunch of them into a container that will keep them in prime condition while they turn hands. My heart goes out to each perfectly prim and pretty cupcake that meets its untimely demise at the hands of poor delivery.

The cupcakes featured above are from Frosting, a gourmet filled cupcakes business who was kind enough to ship a complimentary box of a dozen different cupcake flavors to us all the way from Ocean Springs, MS. Unfortunately, they suffered a bit of damage en route via USPS. Not to fear, these slightly less photogenic cupcakes were no less tasty due to their condition. You can find much prettier pictures of what they should look like at Frosting's website here.

My favorite cupcakes are those two in the front of the picture, the Caramel Banana topped with crunchy crumbles and a generous caramel filling, and the White Chocolate Heaven, which I think is self explanatory. I'm a supporter of ambitious cupcake creations, so the Strawberry Lemonade and Bourbon Pecan were pleasant surprises. On their daily specials, the French Toast and Pina Colada flavors imply dangerously high levels of deliciousness.

I was impressed by how moist the cake portions are, even into the next day. The promise of a special filling makes eating each cupcake a mini-discovery adventure, so much that I found myself peeking under the less appealing frosting to get to the center. Makes me wish I had seen these in their original presentation so I could get a full sense of the cupcakes, but I don't think my stomach is quite as picky!

Frosting (Ocean Springs)
1204 Bienville Blvd., Suite 6
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Berkeley cupcake truck Cupkates shuttered, now selling at Modern Coffee

2009-11-19T17:26:00.006-05:00

Berkeley and Oakland, California cupcake truck Cupkates has been in the news this week over a permit dispute. Owner Kate McEachern posted on her site on Tuesday:

In August of 2009, I was issued a permit to operate my cupcake truck in the city of Berkeley. During the permitting process, I submitted a route map and explained that I would be operating in commercial zones on public streets. A week after I opened, a code enforcement officer located me in a yellow parking zone and instructed me to park in a legal, metered space at all times—I complied. Two months later, on Friday, November 13th, the same code enforcement officer and his supervisor approached me in a legal, metered space and informed me that—according to a city municipal code—it is illegal to vend from a metered parking space and that I was to shut down immediately or be issued a $500 citation. I showed him my permits and documentation and referenced our earlier conversation, but he insisted I close.

On Monday, I met with two departments: one who assured me my permit is still valid and I am authorized to vend in legal parking spaces, and another who told me that it is against city law to do so. The deputy city manager assured me that she would resolve the discrepancy and get back to me on Tuesday. Today, I went to meet with her and was informed that she was too busy to see me; Berkeley Police then escorted me out of the building.

I stressed to the city that I quit my job and invested my life savings building a business that the City of Berkeley permitted and endorsed just three months ago. The city’s response to my crisis has been to continually ignore me and to have an armed officer escort me out of city hall.

Therefore, we will be operating tomorrow according to our normal, approved route. Please check our Facebookand Twitter pages for continued updates. We’re asking supporters to contact the Mayor’s office at 510-981-7102 or email Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us to voice their disapproval of the city’s actions.

Here's something from California Taco Trucks on Wednesday:

Update (2:11 pm, November 18):

I just got off the phone with Julie Sinai, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Bates to inquire as to the status of this dispute with Cupkates.

“According to us, we’re not in dispute,” she said.

Sinai told me that the city has an ordinance (Berkeley Municipal Code 14.48.220.b), which states: “Other street vending is permitted from vehicles which are lawfully parked upon streets which are not regulated by parking meters or other posted parking time limits.”

Therefore, she added, Cupkates is not allowed to park in an metered space. She also said that Cupkates was not cited, nor fined, but rather was given a warning to not park in such spaces.

For the latest news, follow Cupkates on Twitter (@cupkatestruck) and Facebook and know they are seling at Modern Coffee, 411 13th Street, downtown Oakland.

They've managed to rack up 42 reviews on Yelp, and are part of a cupcake truck trend in the Bay Area.

photos via Cupkates on Flickr

s'mores cupcakes from Cupkates

Bliss Cupcake Cafe opens today in Fayetteville, Arkansas

2009-11-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

Yay for new cupcake bakeries! Bliss Cupcake Cafe opens today in Fayetteville, Arkansas at 2 pm.

The Fayetteville Flyer tells us:

After their opening party today, Bliss will be open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and Friday and Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Here are some of the cupcakes that owner Shelley Cassar has posted on Facebook over the past few weeks:
Lemon Bliss – Light lemon cupcake with a lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream icing
Brownie Cupcake – With marshmallow frosting and chocolate sprinkles
Cinnamon Toast Cupcake – Moist cinnamon cake brushed with butter and sprinkled on top with cinnamon and sugar. A dollop of fresh cream tops it off
Raspmataz Berry – dense Madagascar vanilla bean cake with a raspberry filling and white chocolate cream cheese frosting and a raspberry on top. The three flavors together are melt in your mouth delicious!
Pumpkin Spice Cupcake – a moist spicy pumpkin cake, with a crunchy, pecan struesel top and maple cream cheese frosting

Here are some photos from their Facebook page:

Chocolate Milk Shake Cupcake topped with a chocolate cookie "straw"

Raspmataz Berry - dense Madagascar vanilla bean cake with a raspberry filling and white chocolate cream cheese frosting and a raspberry on top.

Bliss Cupcake Cafe
112 W. Center St.
Fayetteville, AR, 72701
Shelley at blisscupcakecafe.com

Let it snow...cupcakes!

2009-11-19T11:43:00.003-05:00

These are some of 1,300 (!!) snowflake mini cupcakes Little Miss Cupcake Paris made for The Gap for their Champs-Elysees store. It was her biggest order to date. Congratulations! (via Flickr)

Crumbs Bakeshop now posts cupcake calorie counts in New York City

2009-11-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I stopped by the Crumbs Bakeshop in Midtown Manhattan, near Grand Central. I like to see what new flavors they have...but I wasn't expecting to see calorie counts next to them! I'm assuming it's part of New York City's calorie count law

The carrot cupcake seemed to be the one with the most calories: 600.

The most fun cupcakes, Love at First Bite:

I bought an assortment, which included coffee toffee (filled, very gooey), chocoberry, chocolate pecan pie and the Love at First Bite - $15 for the 4 cupcakes.

The smaller ones are a bit more manageable calorie-wise:

Speaking of Crumbs, they are expanding to Washington, DC, as announced in the press release below. The first one will open in March and the others will open in the months afterward.

NEW YORK, NY (November 16, 2009) – Due to a tremendous demand, CRUMBS Bake Shop, the first bake shop to introduce the gourmet cupcake, will debut their signature sized cupcakes and delectable sweet treats in the Washington, D.C. market in March 2010. The stores will be found in several neighborhoods including the downtown central business district, Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Foggy Bottom, Rockville (Maryland), Clarendon (Virginia) and Reston (Virginia), offering a variety of their delicious cupcakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, coffee and other baked goods.

“The D.C. market was the next logical choice for our expansion,” said Jason Bauer, CRUMBS CEO and co-founder. “The CRUMBS brand has strong name recognition in the market and we decided to listen to our fans who have been asking us for many months to come to D.C.”

Special thank you to Kiri in England

2009-11-18T22:17:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Kiri from the UK for mailing me vegan gelatin! I cannot wait to expeiment with it. You are a peach!

Love,

Stacie of Cupcakes Take the Cake

Rockette red velvet cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery

2009-11-18T18:32:00.004-05:00

New York Daily News food blog A Touch of Rosemary (by Rosemary Black) brings news of Magnolia Bakery's new red velvet Rockette cupcakes!

“We’ve had a year’s lead time to develop a really cool cupcake,” says Tyra Abrams, owner of Magnolia and its creative director. “Our illustrator had images of the Rockettes and came up with a new cupcake for this year.”

When you purchase one of the cupcakes, you get a 25 percent discount off the ticket price for the Christmas Show, she explains. Since the bakery is close to the theater (Magnolia is at Sixth Ave. and 49th), it’s convenient to pick up a cupcake and discount voucher at the same time. The cupcakes themselves are like all the great Magnolia baked treats: moist, fresh and gorgeous. Definitely worth the $3.50 price tag. for a little taste of the Yuletide season.

I don't have a photo because I didn't have my iPhone on me but I tried their Snickerdoodle cupcake the other day at their Rockefeller Center store (a seasonal cupcake, $3) and it was good. The cake was a cinnamon cake and it had a meringue frosting topped with I think sugar that may have been cinnamon sugar. Let's just say I'd planned to eat half because I am trying to watch my weight but I ate the whole thing! I am a big fan of their meringue frosting. The cake could have been a smidge moister, but that's okay; I liked that it was a little different than just a vanilla or chocolate cake and the pairing of the cinnamon and meringue worked really well. You can eat a whole one of those and not feel like you just ate a ton of sugar (which happens to me sometimes when I OD on cupcakes).

I think Magnolia Bakery is one of many that are bringing cupcakes to our big 5-year anniversary party December 3rd at the Roger Smith Hotel, which is already so popular there's a waiting list. (Those who are interested in bringing cupcakes, contact us at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com - the more cupcakes, the merrier!)

Team Jacob and Team Edward Twilight cupcakes for sale at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop

2009-11-18T11:55:00.003-05:00

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford, New Jersey is selling these Team Jacob and Team Edward Twilight cupcakes all week! (via Sweet Avenue Twitpic)

Austin, Texas cupcake meetup tonight!

2009-11-18T10:58:00.005-05:00

Tonight is the second Austin, Texas cupcake meetup (photos above from the first one), run by our pal Jackie Nadel of hamburger cupcake fame. Also, Nichelle and I will be back in Austin in March for SXSW and will be reprising our Cupcake Social 2.0, which was a huge hit and tons of fun last year, so stay tuned! (I'll be posting about all of our upcoming travels so local bakeries and readers can connect with us.)

Tonight, Austinites can enjoy cupcakes and cocktails at 6:30 at Rio Rita; see the Austin Cupcake Meetup Group to RSVP..

For our November meetup, the Austin Cupcake Meetup will have a happy hour eating madCakes cupcakes and drinking at Rio Rita. madCakes owners Rebecca and AnneMarie will be joining us. The event is $5 per person for the cupcakes, and we'll have the following flavors to choose from: double chocolate chip, white chocolate, red velvet, “Longhorn” orange, and pumpkin spice.

madCakes wedding cupcake photo via their Facebook page - photo by Diana M. Lott Photography

Vegan sweet potato cupcakes from Bake & Destroy

2009-11-18T10:55:00.003-05:00

Get the recipe for these delicious-looking vegan sweet potato cupcakes (yes, they're vegan marshmallows) over at Bake & Destroy (via Flickr).

Cute turkey cupcakes with Nutter Butters

2009-11-18T10:51:00.003-05:00

We'll be posting more Thanksgiving-themed cupcakes (if you've made some, send us a link/photos to cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com) but I wanted to share this cutie with you, from Meringue Bake Shop of Orange County, California via kristin_a on Flickr (see her Flickr account for a photo tutorial on how to make these). See the Meringue Bake Shop blog for more fun cupcake photos.

Cupcakes In Pop Culture Flashback: Lazy Sunday

2009-11-18T09:21:00.002-05:00

I remember four years ago when many of my friends email me the link to the YouTube video of the SNL short, "Lazy Sunday". With Magnolia Bakery being featured, it was the first viral YouTube video that I remember, and loads of parodies came soon after. I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so here it is again for your enjoyment.

Say happy holidays with chocolate mint cupcakes

2009-11-17T16:08:00.002-05:00

by Abigail's Bake Shop via Flickr.

From their blog:

Our Holiday Cupcake Gift Box comes with 12 dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes made with Belgian imported Callebaut chocolate. Each cupcake is covered in peppermint buttercream and topped with more callebaut chocolate sprinkles and a fondant topper. What a delicous way to celebrate the holidays! Call us at 919-247-2927 or email sarah@abigailsbakeshop.com to place your order today. We can only accept a certain amount of orders during the holiday season so be sure to book your order as early as possible. Delivery is available in the RI and Southern Massachusetts.

photos via Abigail's Bake Shop on Flickr

Animal print cupcake tower

2009-11-17T15:41:00.001-05:00

This is so fun...and notice the cupcake apron in the background!

72 handpainted cupcakes. Margarita, Pumpkin Roll and Chocolat Hazelnut cupcakes by death by cupcake on Flickr for a friend's birthday.

Turkey cupcakes by Sugar Inc. Cupcakes

2009-11-17T15:26:00.002-05:00

These turkey cupcakes are by Sugar Inc. Cupcakes of Dublin, Ohio, via Twitpic.