Guest blogger: Debbie of Freakgirl

Greetings, fellow cupcake enthusiasts! I'm Debbie, aka Freakgirl, your guest blogger for the day. Thanks to the ladies here at Cupcakes Take The Cake for asking me to contribute. CTTC is one of my favorite sites on the web, and I get such a thrill any time they feature some of my cupcakes.

First, a bit about me -- I'm not a professional baker or anything like that. I just like to make cupcakes. I first got into cupcakes when I read about Amy Sedaris and her famous cupcake recipe. I made a batch for a friend's birthday and was immediately hooked. People just love cupcakes, and the oohs and ahhhs you get when you bring them to a party is just too addictive! Over the past few years, I've baked tons of cupcakes -- some good, some not-so-great (but even a bad cupcake is still a cupcake, right?). During my time as a cupcake baker, I've tried out a lot of tools and accessories. Today I'm going to share my favorites with you.

FREAKGIRL'S FAVORITE THINGS

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer -- Mine is canary yellow with a tilt head and it's the centerpiece of my baking world. Totally worth the investment.

Beater Blade -- This replaces the paddle attachment that comes with a stand mixer. It's got little silicone blades on the sides, which continually scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. Genius! Tip: Don't put it in the dishwasher -- wash it by hand.

Regular Cotton Dishtowel -- Why would I choose a dishtowel as one of my favorite things? You know how when you're making frosting, and you put the confectioner's sugar in the mixer and then turn it on and a big cloud of sugar envelops everything in the room? Just take a dishtowel, wet it under the faucet, wring it out and drape it over your mixer. It will absorb the cloud and you won't have to dust your own kitchen after a day of baking.

King Arthur Flour -- I love everything about this company. One of my dreams is to visit their flagship store in Vermont. I know, aim high, right? All of their products are first-rate and I use their flour exclusively. I also recommend their flavors and extracts, especially their Fioiri Di Sicilia.

Tip: And while we're talking about extracts, always buy the best vanilla you can afford. It really does make a difference. I typically use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla.

Satin Ice Fondant -- Listen, there are people who are okay with fondant and people who are not. I don't need my cupcakes to be fussy and completely covered in detailed fondant. Cupcakes are all about the frosting! But I do think fondant accents can really make a cupcake into a work of art. Now, do I need to tell you to stay the hell away from Wilton Fondant? You know it tastes like metallic death. Satin Ice, however, is not so bad. It's sugary and kind of melts in your mouth and doesn't taint the rest of your cupcake. Plus, it comes in all sorts of colors and takes well to flavor oils. Tip: Look at tiny pastry cutters for fondant topper ideas.

Reynolds Foil Baking Cups -- These are so simple, you can get them at the grocery store, and they match everything. Plus, they come in nice little plastic containers. Tip: If you save the containers, you can store your specialty liners in them, and the liners will hold their shape. There's nothing worse than nice liners that end up stretching and wrinkling in the cupcake pan.

Offset spatula -- You need one of these for frosting cupcakes. A butter knife is not going to give you that luscious Magnolia swirl.

Wilton 1M Frosting Tip -- If you'd rather pipe big swirls on your cupcakes, here's the tip you need to use. It's also called an "open star" tip. And speaking of frosting tips, if you're like me and routinely drop yours in the garbage disposal, pick up a small mesh bag. You can put your tips in the bag and then run them through the dishwasher without losing any.

Wilton Tool Caddy -- This "tackle box" will keep all your decorating gear in one organized location. It's great for storing icing tips, pastry bags, color gels and anything else you can think of.

Cupcake Courier -- If you're routinely lugging a few dozen cupcakes here and there, the Cupcake Courier is a godsend. It holds 3 dozen and has room for a decent amount of frosting. Tip: If I'm not carrying 3 dozen, I'll use the empty shelf to carry any paper toppers I might be using, as well as emergency touch-up supplies.

So, those are a few of my favorite things. Hope it was valuable to you -- let me know! You can visit me every day at www.freakgirl.com, where I blog about pop culture, cupcakes, and countless other bits of entertaining minutia. You can check out my cupcakes on Flickr, or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks again to CTTC, and Happy Holidays to all!