Chocolate, red wine and goat cheese cupcakes, plus recipe link!

Blogger Buttercream Blondie made these beautiful chocolate and goat cheese cupcakes for an Oscar party menu, and has the recipe!



From her post:

I opted to go with a cupcake because it's fitting for any party you're having. In order to dress up my chocolate cupcake, I decided I would incorporate goat cheese. I made a goat cheese frosting that is light and airy like a mousse. Light brown sugar in both the frosting and cupcake add a wonderful layer of flavor. That slight tang of the goat cheese frosting paired with the chocolate cupcake is a flavor combination that should not be missed! This is also a great way to try goat cheese in a dessert if you haven't gone there yet. At this point the cupcake was good, but it needed that finishing touch. That's when the red wine popped in my head. I got a sweet red wine and let it reduce till it got nice and syrupy. I spooned a little of the reduction over the frosting, and that's when the magic happened. Besides adding a fantastic color to the cupcake, the wine added a sweetness that was needed. With underlying hints of cherry and pomegranate shining through, it balanced the cupcake beautifully. The final product is incredibly luscious, yet refined at the same time.

While I'm posting about her, I must also include her penguin cupcakes, not because they're related to the goat cheese ones, but because they are so cute!

Dr. Seuss The Lorax cupcakes

Tied to the release of the movie The Lorax based on the book by Dr. Seuss, blogger Hoosier Homemade has some Lorax cupcakes for you and instructions on how to make them using sanding sugar and some decorating techniques. I love the moustache! Via Flickr.

April 14: Cupcake Eating Contest In Waterloo, Iowa

(left to right- Crazy Legs Conti, Badlands Booker, Eater X at a book party in 2006)

Major League Eating, the organization for professional eaters, is having a cupcake eating contest in Waterloo, Iowa on April 14. The contest will be held at Isle Casino and Hotel. [ I am just now learning that there is a casino in Iowa.] The winner will get $5000. Last year Tim Eater X (he's on the right in the photo above) set the World Record of 42 cupcakes in 8 minutes to win. Will he repeat?!

Wizard of Oz Witch Cupcake

Ding dong the wicked witch, the wicked witch is dead...

Super-cute shot courtesy TNLNYC.

Cupcake Baker of the Week: Melissa Ward, Cupcake Friday Project

The problem many cupcake bakers have is finding time to work on new creations, and finding people to test out those new combos. Melissa Ward has tackled both of these issues with her Cupcake Friday project. Melissa makes a new treat every week, and uses her lucky co-workers as taste-testers, making her quite popular at the office. She also shares her experiences with fellow cupcake enthusiasts through her blog. Keep reading to find out more about the Cupcake Friday Project.

Name: Melissa Ward
Location: Philadelphia, PA (metro area)
Website: www.cupcakefridayproject.com

1. How did you get started making cupcakes? 
   I learned to bake with my Grandma Betty, but I really got into cupcakes about a year ago when I brought in a batch to work on a Friday. A bunch of my work buddies went nuts and said they wanted every Friday to be "Cupcake Friday." So, the blog was born and I began bringing in cupcakes—or other baked goodies—almost every Friday. For 2012, my goal is to not miss a single week, so 52 different cupcake flavors in a year. 
2. Do you have any formal training? 
   No, but I have begun a part-time apprenticeship with a local bakery. 
3. Do you have a signature cupcake or personal favorite? 
   If you ask my cupcake taste testers, that would be my Salted Caramel Cupcakes. However, I'm a big fan of my Orange Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream ... they're so flavorful! 
4. What inspired you to start the Cupcake Friday Project? 
   Aside from the baking aspect, I wanted a blog to keep me accountable and allow taste testers to leave me feedback—good, bad and ugly—about the cupcakes. This way I learn what works and what doesn't. 
5. How do you come up with the recipes for your projects? 
   I decide on my flavors first, then I either create a cupcake or frosting off of one of my base recipes OR I surf the web to get ideas from other bakers. I try to be seasonal and tie flavors in to holidays when I can. 
6. What has been the biggest challenge with the project? 
   There's been a few: keeping up with the regular writing (I work full-time as a magazine editor and freelance on the side for another publication); staying creative; and not beating myself up too much when a cupcake doesn't work out perfectly. I have to remember that I'm still learning. 
7. Do you have any goals for expanding the project into a business? 
   I would love to either have my own cupcake catering business or a full bakery in the next 2-3 years. 
8. What’s the biggest thing the project has taught you? 
   To believe in what I'm doing and to keep doing it. This project is my test kitchen, my nano-bakery, and if I keep working my butt off it can become my dream bakery, too.
9. What’s your favorite thing about baking? 
   The first bite someone takes of a cupcake and the smile that lights up on his/her face. I love making people happy. 
10. Any cupcake horror stories? 
    Nothing too awful, though early on in the project I ended up with horribly sunken cakes the night before I was bringing them in to work for my taste testers. I had to regroup and try again, which ended up working. I called the first batch Sad'cakes. 

Happy Leap Day! Leap Day babies get free cupcakes today at MyDelight Cupcakery in Ontario, Caliofrnia

If you've got a Leap Day birthday, bring your ID and get on over to MyDelight Cupcakery at 1520 N. Mountain Avenue in Ontario, California! Via their Facebook page. Visit mydelightcupcakery.com for more information.


breakfast cupcake: "Light and fluffy buttermilk cake, loaded with bits of apple wood smoked bacon, frosted with a light, and buttery maple frosting, topped with a drizzle of syrup and freshly crisped bacon"




"Blueberry Cinnamon Crunch: Fluffy, flavorful cinnamon cake stuffed with fresh blueberries, frosted with a light blueberry mousse, edged in crunchy granola bits, and topped with a fresh blueberry!"


"Red Velvet Deluxe: decadent Red Velvet cake, dipped in ganache, frosted with our signature cream cheese frosting swirled with chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate curls."

(Cold Hearted) Cupcake-Embroidered Apron

I would love to know the story behind this Cold Hearted Cupcake embroidery:

I believe it's a roller derby name and a damn fine one at that. Instagram courtesy Spec-ta-cles.

Lady Gaga love, bravery, acceptance cupcakes by Sweet celebrating her visit to Harvard

Cupcakery Sweet in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, is sweet on Lady Gaga and celebrating her visit tomorrow to Harvard University and her Born This Way Foundation, with cupcakes! This, of course, is not the first time Lada Gaga has been immortalized in cupcake form.

In honor of Lady Gaga’s visit to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education tomorrow to unveil her Born This Way Foundation, Sweet has created the Be Sweet cupcake with custom-made Lady Gaga and inspirational word edible fondant toppers.

100% of the proceeds of Be Sweet cupcakes sold at Sweet’s Harvard Square location tomorrow will go to the singer’s non-profit Foundation. Prices are $4.25/each, $48/dozen and $64/for 16. After tomorrow, Be Sweet cupcakes will be available by special order online (sweetcupcakes.com) until March 29, 2012.

Photo by Michael Blanchard

Mission of Born This Way Foundation, via their website:

Led by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, the Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2011 to foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a braver, kinder world.

We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love.

Wedding cupcake tastings at Main Street Cupcakes in Ohio

Main Street Cupcakes, with locations in Medina, and Rocky River, Ohio, is offering wedding cupcake tastings. Find out more at mainstreetcupcakes.com and keep up with them on Facebook. The photos below are a wedding cupcake tower, appropriately, and groundhog cupcakes, just because they're cute!

3 opportunities to test out the wedding cupcakes at Main Street Cupcakes in Ohio.

Saturday, March 3rd at our Medina Location
Sunday, March 4th at Rocky River and Hudson
Sunday, March 11th at Rocky River and Hudson

$5/person 12:00pm-2:00pm (Reservations required! Try an array of our cupcakes and learn more about Cupcake Wedding Cakes: the cutest trend in Weddings! Due to the size of our shops we kindly ask for a limit of 4 persons per wedding. So no more than you and 3 friends ;)
Reservations and pre-payment required: Please Call 440.331.3661 for our Rocky River shop, 330.342.0833 for our Hudson shop and 330.725.6421 for Medina.

BOOK YOUR WEDDING WITH US AT ONE OF OUR GROUP TASTINGS ($150.00 deposit) AND RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY 6 INCH CAKE TOPPER. ($45 value!) This is one of the only wedding events we do all year and it books up most of our availability so mark your calendars and call us for reservations!

"I wish I knew how to quit you" cupcakes

As seen at Eleni's in Chelsea Market today...cupcakes with various sayings, including "I wish I knew how to quit you." Not sure who you'd give this to or what it means regarding cupcakes, but I was amused.

When Squirrels Attack!

Oh no!  An animal pastry raid!

How sad. A squirrel calling card. Mr. (or Mrs.) Squirrel was here (and ate your cupcake).

Shot courtesy Horno Magico.

Win Bella Cupcake Couture Easter cupcake wrappers

Win one of 5 sets of these Easter themed cupcake wrappers by Bella Cupcake Couture. Featuring a Faberge-style pattern with a bunny silhouette, a little Chickie and four stylishly decorated Easter eggs. The contest is just for the wrappers, not cupcakes. enter at Formstack by March 7th at 7 pm EST. US residents only.

Chocolate-covered strawberry, Tim Tam, caramel and more cupcakes by Viva La Cupcake

These luscious-looking cupcakes are all by custom cupcake company Viva La Cupcake in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, via their Facebook page. They can be reached at vivalacupcake at hotmail.com or +61 407006599. Find out more at vivalacupcake.net.

Make chocolate cupcakes in your microwave!

Blogger Casa Veneracion shows you how to make chocolate cupcakes in your microwave! In a coffee mug!



From the post:

These cupcakes are my first attempt with microwave baking. Really easy. No mixing bowls needed. Just a fork to stir. And the really wonderful thing? My trepidation was that they’d come out hard and dry. But they were soft and moist. Granted, the texture is coarser than that of a cake or cupcake that had been mixed using the regular procedure. But, oh, the effect is really rustic and I love it. The cupcakes rose higher on one side but they were uniformly baked.

Sparkly red, white and blue and soaked amaretto cupcakes by City Cakes

Red, white, blue and silver star and soaked Lush amaretto cupcakes by New York City's City Cakes via Twitpic. Follow them @CityCakes on Twitter. No, they're not really related seasonally or thematically, but I saw them on Twitter and liked them both!