Super Bowl and Choclate Raspberry Ganache Cupcakes

I'm not that into sports myself, but all these Super Bowl cupcakes are making me take an interest!



These are from Happy Cakes in Denver.

They say in their latest mailing:

We'll have a chocolate stout cupcake with a head of vanilla buttercream topped with red & blue sprinkles this Saturday, Feb 2 for the Super Bowl. We can wrap your box up to keep overnight so you'll be the hit of your Super Bowl party!

And in case you aren't counting the days, Valentine's Day is just 2 weeks away. We'll offer our Valentine's flavors for the whole week, Tue - Sat: passionfruit tart, chocolate raspberry ganache, and red hot velvet in addition to our everyday flavors. Please note the regularly offered special flavors for the days of the week will not be available for the week. We're all booked up with advance orders for the 14th, but will have lots in the Bakeshop for you to pick up that day. And, we can still take orders for any other days of the week!

Cupcake interview: Chicago's Swirlz Cupcakes

We emailed Swirlz, and they had a lot to say! Most of what's below comes from Pam Rose of Swirlz. See their website for more information.



Names: Margot Chapman, Pam Rose, Brandon Mayberry and Neil Tormon
Ages: M & P : 50’s B & N : 30’s
Location: Chicago
Occupation: Margot and Pam: marketing, Margot: owner of Zoom Unlimited, Inc., a branding and marketing company, Brandon: Opera singer (bass baritone), Neil: Licensed respiratory therapist/owner of several Home Health Care Businesses
URL: www.swirlzcupcakes.com

How long have you been baking, and when did you first get the inspiration for Swirlz? How did the four of you come to own and operate Swirlz?

Of the “Four Unlikely Friends,” none of us actually does the baking for the store. We have an amazing pastry chef.

Margot, who owns a marketing company, bought a spa weekend at a charity auction and asked me (I worked with her in her marketing company) to go along. That weekend Margot had a cold and just caught up on reading a stack of magazines. I worked out like an animal, Margot lost weight. Guess who did not? She read the now famous article in New York magazine on the cupcake wars and then passed it along for me to read, convinced that cupcakes was a topic worth knowing more about. We drove back cupcake-inspired.

Since Margot was Celiac and gluten intolerant, she had never tasted a commercially bought cupcake. As Margot and I started to learn more about the cupcake world, we were introduced to Brandon, an opera singer, and Neil, owner of both health care and respiratory consulting firms, who were also interested in cupcakes. The four of us thought that with our diverse backgrounds and skill sets, we felt confident that together we could build a strong brand and open a wonderful cupcake store.

How long did it take from that moment until you opened, and why did you decide to focus exclusively on cupcakes?

It took one year from conception to open. The decision to make Swirlz a discrete cupcake store was a marketing decision. We hear people say, “It’s just a cupcake.” That type of statement indicates that they may generally have low expectations. Our philosophy was that we wanted to bake the best cupcake possible and create a strongly branded product.

You have an “anatomy of a cupcake” on your website. Is there any part of the cupcake that’s more important than another? What makes a good cupcake vs. a bad cupcake?

This is a loaded question for cupcake lovers. When we developed our recipes with our pastry chef, we were looking to create a cupcake that was different from what was already on the market. With cupcakes, a lot of the taste relies on the cupcake to frosting ratio but it’s the “anything else that goes between the cake and the frosting” that serve as the “highlights” and make the cupcake more dynamic. Swirlz cupcakes are traditional buttermilk cakes, topped with either a ganache or a curd and finished off with a delicate whipped Italian butter cream. Our cupcakes offer a unique taste sensation. As a customer of ours from Gourmet magazine commented, “Swirlz cupcakes are delightfully unexpected.” One bite into our cupcakes reveals many hidden taste treasures.

The incredible balance of our cupcakes is the secret to what makes us so unexpected. When you’re done with a Swirlz cupcake, you want more. Our size is generous but not overwhelming. We thought carefully about both the size and anatomy.



Ganache, for example, is one of the most versatile recipes in a pastry kitchen. It is both the simplest and most decadent. It may be the chocolate center of a truffle, the icing on a cake, it may be whipped and a multitude of flavors added to it for a mousse. Ganache always adds a rich chocolaty taste and texture. We don’t make it overly sweet or gloppy. Swirlz adds a thin layer purely for its punch—our own Swirlz zing.

Curd can be a weird word for people but as used by Swirlz, it always equates to fresh. Lemon curd is made from fresh squeezed lemon juice and it’s tart and sweet with a complexity all its own.

We strive for many components: First you sink your teeth into a mixed bite of cake with frosting⎯your ratio depends on how large the bite. The mouth feel starts out as light and buttery and it’s a flavorful taste. Soon you are experiencing the creamy, soft whipped Italian butter cream as it rolls over the lips, palate and tongue. The cupcake has now presented itself and just when you think you can go, “Mmmmmm” you are surprised by the unexpected taste sensations. Balance. Balance makes the cupcake special.

There is also a huge difference between rich and fatty. To bring out the richness, we stress contrast. This is what gives you a more rich mouth feel. People say our frosting is “light and rich” and it’s hard to imagine achieving both but it is in the mouth feel. Our cupcakes are not for everyone⎯we know that. This is no simple grocery store, box-mixed sugar fix here. Our cupcakes are not what many people have “come to expect.” We don’t make yellow cake and powder sugar frosting. Swirlz butter cream alone has 4 ingredients: egg whites, sugar, premium European butter and pure Vanilla extract—yes, the fancy kind. People who care about Swirlz qualities will welcome them and others will just be surprised. But face it: People will always like cupcakes—no matter what. We understand this and don’t take ourselves too seriously. We feel that we have defined who we are, though.


Pam and Margo with their cupcakes

Is there anything specifically Chicago-related about your cupcakes?

Cupcakes are currently subject to a lot of hype that extends to both coasts and beyond. What we hear back from our customers is that we have beautiful cupcakes and packaging, the store is warm and inviting, the staff fun and friendly (our store won the 2007 award for "Ten Best in Chicago for Superior Service" and our cupcakes—are plain old yummy with a capital “Y.” Swirlz steps beyond the hype and offers a great tasting product. We depend on a loyal following and repeat business. Let’s face it⎯people from the Midwest are known for being practical. If we didn’t offer great cupcakes, people would not be back for more. And hey, the pizza guys down the street love our cupcakes, the local hot dog/fry joint loves them⎯the martini bar loves them, the kids from the local kindergarten adore our Vanilla on Chocolate⎯we appeal to everyone.

Your cupcakes are uniquely decorated with several layers of frosting and colorful additions. How long did it take you to perfect this look, and how important do you feel the design of a cupcake is when it comes to marketing them?

Swirlz cupcakes is all about gourmet fun. We went through several incarnations of our garnish design, but I think we were sold on the first round of cupcakes created by our talented pastry chef. Our cupcakes have a distinctive look, are complex and balanced and are extremely desirable to our customers, who order our cupcakes for corporate events, extravagant parties, weddings, to Sweet Sixteen parties and Quinceañeras. They all like how special we make every occasion feel.


Image via Gapers Block - "Dining Out With Celiac Disease and Food Allergies"

Your flavors include banana nutella, malted milkshake, and chocolate turtle (chocolate cake, bittersweet ganache, caramel butter cream with toasted pecans and a caramel drizzle). Which flavor is the most popular, and do you have plans to introduce new flavors?

Customer flavor favorites vary with the seasons. Red Velvet holds its own at all times, but at Swirlz, we introduce a chef’s surprise every day. Some flavors repeat because of customer requests (sometimes actual begging!). We have already created and sold over 285 flavors of cupcakes. We have a loyal following of people who come in daily just to sample what we’ve baked that day. Our “Childhood Favorites” collection has been widely successful (as seen in Daily Candy), which consisted of a PB & J, Malted Milkshake and S’Mores, as was our Tea and Tropical collections.

Our own Swirlz tea box consisted of varieties of Vanilla Chai, Green Tea and a bold yet delicate Earl Gray. Our Tropical collection was originally created for a bride and groom who had been married in Hawaii and returned to Chicago for their reception. They wanted to recreate the tropical flavors that they had experienced. Our pastry chef brought their wedding to life with Chocolate Passion Fruit, Coconut Mango with candied hibiscus flowers, Piña Colada and Pineapple Pineapple. We look forward to 2008!

You offer one gluten-free cupcake flavor each day. Are a lot of your customers requesting gluten-free items?

Partner Margot Chapman suffers from a gluten intolerance so when we were first developing the store concept, we felt it would have been lame of us not to include this underserved market in our daily offerings. Margot had to be able to taste along with us! As a result, we have established a large and loyal following of gluten free customers from all over the country. We don’t ship them yet but people send friends, spouses and business associates on road trips to bring them back. We established our baking protocol with guidance from the leading medical Celiac group in Chicago.

Is there a typical Swirlz customer? Do you get a lot of walk-in traffic or are people mostly seeking you out?

As well as having a very unique cupcake, we are also fortunate enough to have a very unique location, which affords us an extremely varied demographic. We are directly across the street from Children’s Memorial Hospital and as their neighbor, we have partnered with them on several charitable events since opening ours doors. As a result of our mass exposure at a large medical institution, we not only have our “regular” daily business, but we have a steady following of Chicagoans as well as out-of-towners seeking treatment. We have the most amazing stories to tell about our experiences—we have become an “oasis” of sorts to those seeking a break from the hospital environment. We have celebrated births, mourned losses, comforted parents and grandparents, hugged our nurses, and been part of lives facing extreme crisis. It puts what we do in great perspective. We are also down the street from DePaul University; we have students coming in all day, studying, making use of our free Wi-FI. They are a joy to us; so many young people. On any day, we are host to people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds.



Do you do catering, and if so, how far in advance should someone book you? Do you do custom cupcakes for large events? What’s been the most interesting event you’ve catered?

Yes, we do quite a bit of catering. Swirlz does the most beautiful weddings, nearly every weekend—my favorite was the Hawaiian one. We do more corporate events though, and yes, we design and create custom cupcakes but we always try and remain true to our brand also. The requested lead time always depends on the quantity and we’re very accommodating.

I think one of the “most interesting catering jobs” was the one we did for a local Chicago bank celebrating their 125th anniversary. As a thank you to their employees, the bank sent out over 9,000 mini cupcakes, being delivered concurrently to 217 locations. The Swirlz team baked, coordinated the flawless deliveries and never skipped a beat in the store’s usual production. It pushed our group to operational limits and brought us all together in ways that will never be forgotten. To keep morale high for the nearly 48 hour time commitment, we had a 3:00 a.m. celebration buffet on the morning of the delivery, consisting of all fresh fruits and homemade biscuits, sausage and gravy! By the time all the deliveries had been made by 5:00 p.m., we collapsed. Swirlz has become a family.

What’s your dream cupcake catering job?

Our pastry chef contends that his fantasy job would be an event that celebrated being in the company of his “dream-team” of pastry chefs. He states, “Because a chef will truly have an appreciation for the most wonderful, simple food, executed well, as opposed to a fancy 5-Star dessert that misses the mark.” Jeremy kind of already was able to fulfill this fantasy when Swirlz was a participant in the 2007 “Chefs and the City” event (Swirlz Cupcakes was a prominent dessert presence at the Vital Bridges http://www.vitalbridges.org/ event; a multiple services agency for assisting those impacted by HIV and AIDS).

“My fantasy catering event – Barack Obama being inaugurated as president,” says Margot.

As “cupcake pushers,” we all “dream” of that star-studded, attention-grabbing, media-frenzied, opulent event but as I mentioned previously, our unique location has allowed the team at Swirlz a more unusual perspective—on almost a daily basis. When I reflect over the catering jobs of the past year: Swirlz executed over 9,000 pieces delivered concurrently on one day to 217 locations all over Illinois and Northern Indiana, our pastry chef was the CRAZY host to the Museum of Contemporary Art’s 2007 annual dog costume pageant, “HOWLoween”, Swirlz “catered” the treats for a PAWS (the City’s largest no-kill humane organization) soiree, we provided 500 custom Pink Ribbon cupcakes for the October Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Fundraiser hosted by the wildly fun and exciting Fran Drescher⎯but I personally still come back to a tiny, tiny cupcake party hosted by Swirlz in our first few months of business. Fantasies and dreams mean different things to different people. My dream cupcake catering job has already been fulfilled.



We opened at the end of September in 2006. Starting in October, a young woman would come in, get at least 2 milks and once in a while a cupcake and bury her face in her laptop. She was very shy and barely spoke and would stay for hours. Weeks went by and she’d sit in front of the now steamed up fall/winter windows. One day we finally spoke and we came to know that she was a doctor and her infant daughter had been born unexpectedly with Down’s Syndrome. The baby was at the children’s hospital across the street so we were a convenient and friendly safe-haven and a comfortable place to work. On the day that her baby was to be released to go home, it was discovered that the child had leukemia.

Through all these obstacles, this young woman never let her situation bring her down—she remained hopeful and optimistic⎯even when the latest setbacks were discovered. Another ten days went by and it was determined that she and her husband could finally bring their daughter home. The Swirlz team put together a small party of sorts—it consisted of a few simple baby gifts and some cupcakes. It was frigid out so the baby had to stay in the heated mini SUV to stay out of the elements. When we opened the door to their car, here were two of the happiest and most proud parents I’d ever witnessed (and I’m a parent myself) and the most beautiful pink-faced baby girl I’d ever seen. As a party of few, we all knew that this young couple had given us one of our best Swirlz moments. We were humbled.

What are your busiest hours of the day and week?

It’s so unpredictable that we actually keep a store pool going to see who “wins” for predicting case pars most successfully.

Will you be offering any special Valentine’s Day cupcakes?

Most definitely:

Chocolate Raspberry Rhapsody
Rich chocolate cake, bittersweet ganache,
tangy raspberry curd, two-toned raspberry butter cream swirl
and a ganache heart on top.

Personalized Valentines Cupcakes
For your sweetheart, our Pastry Chef will be on hand to custom pipe a Valentines message in chocolate -- Valentines Day (Thurs. 2/14, 10am-7pm). Available in Chocolate, Vanilla or Red Velvet only.



These cupcakes exude decadence and perfectly illustrate the balance that I have discussed.

You say on your site that you’ll start franchising Swirlz this year. Can you give us any insight into where we’re likely to see the next Swirlz?

We look forward to sharing this information in the spring of this year.

Why do you think cupcakes have become so popular in the last few years?

Because they make people happy.



And now for some personal questions…

How often do you eat cupcakes?

This is quite incriminating…I’m the worst offender. It’s a running joke in the store that “Pam” isn’t in the store for more than , oh…I’d say 15 minutes before a taste of the daily surprise isn’t being sampled. I contend that I taste for quality control. (Great excuse) Neil and Brandon are known to not resist and Margot does love those gluten-free lemon.

What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?

The best thing about eating cupcakes is that they truly make people happy. Margot owns a marketing company and has worked on products in every category and has never worked on something that makes everyone happy. Having a cupcake store is the most unique retail experience that one could ever imagine. Customers are happy to come in, no one complains, even if there is an occasional slip up with a flavor or a delivery. Swirlz makes it right. We have great staff here and we all go out of our ways to make sure every customer has had a good experience. We are very proud to have won the Customer Service award that I previously mentioned.

What's your favorite type of cupcake?

Our current “Childhood Favorites” group, consisting of PB&J, S’Mores and Malked Milkshake are real contenders because to Margot and me they are so nostalgic. Neil agrees with the neighborhood cult: Banana Nutella and Brandon says that Banana Nutella, Chocolate Passion fruit and Peanut Butter Chocolate are tied in his book. My absolute personal favorite though, is Mexican Hot Chocolate with candied jalapeños and cinnamon frosting while Margot indulges in the Lemon Gluten Free.

How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?

Cupcakes are cupcakes. Let’s make no mistake. Cupcakes are moist, fabulous, sweet treats—a portable indulgence. Do I love a giant lemon meringue pie? Hell yeah. Do I occasionally eat cookie dough out of a tub….absolutely, who doesn’t? And ice cream is ice cream⎯a food group of its own. Cupcakes are just fun though and when eaten with friends, it’s happy times. To our pastry chef, though, perfect cupcakes are a serious business of taste and balance.

Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?

This was a hard question to answer. We tend to think cupcakes are the perfect food⎯that’s why we got into this business. With anything, of course there is always room for improvement, but with a cupcake⎯you can put it on a stick, dip it, fill it, slice it, layer it⎯all kinds of crazy stuff⎯but then when does it stop being a cupcake? Does it lose its identity? In general, consumers tend to want what they know. We set out to make the best cakes and frostings that we could. We think we have, and maintain that “sometimes simple is the best” and the fact that we bring our gluten-free and reduced sugar cupcakes to under served markets is tremendously satisfying.

Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?

I bake all the time but we leave the real deal up to our pastry chef. My personal specialty is homemade ravioli.

What's your first cupcake-related memory?

Brandon’s is the most fun recollection (I could just see myself trying to pry the paper out of my kid’s clenched little mouth….then think: HA! It’s just paper! Chyll!”):

Brandon can't remember exactly how old he was, or the flavor of the cupcake but his first memory is quite clear: Brandon was so enthralled by this new food that he has fond recollections of eating the cupcake and then chewing the paper to extract every possible remnant of cake and still not letting go of the precious sweet paper---keeping it in his mouth until it had almost dissolved! Hooked for life!

Pam: My grandfather was a professional chef at a very famous Chicago hotel but my grandmother was the baker of the family. For birthdays, she always made us kids her special Lady Finger Chocolate Mousse cake and a baby cupcake version for our party⎯great memories.

Margot: My first memories of cupcakes were from a party at about age 5 or 6. I had a birthday cake that was made with a real doll and the skirt was cake and icing. And she was on a serving plate, surrounded by cupcakes for everyone to take home.

What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?
.
Margot was in the shop one cold, cold snowy disgusting night⎯did I mention frigid? About two hours before closing time, the weather gods turned against the retailers and it looked as though we may not be selling out that night. Margot passes one of the largest Chicago Police Department precincts on her way home every night so she took along a couple boxes to spread some cupcake love. When she arrived at the police station, a distraught mother and her five children in various states of fear and sadness, were sprawled all over the floors of the area by the main sergeant’s desk, with what looked like to be everything they owned and could carry. Margot approached the officer’s desk and indeed confirmed that the woman was seeking refuge from an abusive partner and they’d left and had nowhere to go. They had been waiting hours for Family Services. Margot handed two boxes to the helpful officer and then walked up to the mother and handed her the box of beautiful Swirlz cupcakes. The woman expressed her gratitude and she and her children opened the box; within seconds, frosting and smiles were everywhere. Chicago police officers don’t have it easy. This night, Margot brought a smile to everyone’s faces with our little cupcakes. That’s fun with cupcakes.

Using cupcakes as currency is also a great time! (Parking lots, video stores, doormen, etc.)

Pam: Living vicariously through Margot’s story.


Pupcakes from Swirlz

Cupcake polling!

On the right hand side, we've added a little cupcake poll, this one on "How do you eat a cupcake?" - it goes through February 8th, and we'll be adding new ones along the way. Just a fun littl thing to find out your cupcake preferences. We also plan to have more contests, so if anyone's interested in sponsoring one and has a fun cupcake-related prize, get in touch.

2nd anniversary cupcakes

I like these because they're simple, but very striking - they're samples made for the 2nd anniversary of Adobo Magazine (their site appears to be down), from Manila's Baked in the City (via Flickr)

Cupcakes in Johannesburg, South Africa

I don't have a URL or any photos/contact info, but this article in The Times from South Africa called "I Love my shop with ilovecupcake" is pretty interesting. If anyone has any more information on this shop, please let us know.

Update: Ask and ye shall receive: the owner of ilovecupcake just contacted us to tell us that they have a website and she has a blog, where I got this photo below from.



Christa Kearns puts the cherry on top of a perennial favourite

What kind of shop is it?

ILOVECUPCAKE sells only cupcakes. We offer a variety of 18 cupcakes to make absolutely sure that there is something delectable for every palette.

The delectable flavours range from classic vanilla, strawberry and chocolate to the deluxe blends of flourless Black Forest, delicate rose and Maraschino cherry.

While caramel mud and peanut cupcakes will satisfy the sweetest of children’s taste buds, the brandy chocolate, tiramisu, lemon meringue and white chocolate topped with a Ferrero Rocher, have been created for the discerning cupcake candidate.

Who runs it?

Myself. I’m the co-owner and creative mastermind behind the selection.

Tell us the story behind the name of the shop
We believe in the KISS principle, Keep it Simple, Stupid! So, the name needs to tell you exactly what the product is, and secondly connect with you emotionally.

When did it open?

The Johannesburg shop opened in the first week of November. The Centurion shop opened the first week in January. We are planning the third shop in June in Parktown North.

"Why Cupcakes Take the Cake" by Rachel in Escape Adulthood magazine

Escape Adulthood magazine, which publishes in print and online, asked me to write about the awesomeness of cupcakes. I penned an article called "Why Cupcakes Take the Cake," and you can get a free download (pdf format) of the issue from their website or by clicking below. There's even a photo of me as a little kid!

Pretty frosting, indeed!

While surfing around (unfortunately I don't remember exactly where I saw it!), I discovered a cupcake business called Pretty Frosting, which I thought was just the coolest name for a cupckae bakery. They've also got a blog and have some beautifully frosted photos up.



Here's what they say about cupcakes:

Cupcakes are the little darlings of the cake world – exquisite, delicious mouthfuls that are just enough to satisfy your cake-lust, but not enough to weigh you down.

Whether it’s their individual size or their pretty frostings, cupcakes are the ultimate treat-appeal.

Every generation seems to love them and they make the perfect treat for any occasion, whether it’s for a birthday party, baby shower, wedding, dinner party, cake sale or your mid-morning coffee break.

Big celebration cakes are a thing of the past. For birthdays, pile up cupcakes on a tray and stick each of them with birthday candles.

For real impact at your wedding, go for pretty white wedding cupcakes arranged on tiers. This will definitely make your event extra special and serving so much easier.



Shelf life

Our cupcakes contain no preservatives – they are best eaten within 3 days at room temperature. For longer periods, put in air-tight containers and store them for up to two weeks.

Flavors

Cake: Choose from Chocolate Mud, Butter, Carrot Walnut and Banana.

Frosting: Traditional Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream, Fondant, Ganache (white or dark chocolate and Cream Cheese.

BabyCakes NYC coming to LA, new cupcake boxes

photo by Flickr user jslander, who has a whole ultra-mouth-watering Flickr set of LA cupcakes and thinks another LA cupcake bakery is "totally unnecessary:"

Do the owners of Babycakes (in NYC) really not know the over-saturated market they are jumping into?

Maybe some of our LA friends like Tara, who runs the Los Angeles Cupcake Meetup Group, can share their thoughts on this.

(via Caroline on Crack

The latest newsletter from gluten-free bakery BabyCakes NYC tells us:

The rumor mills have been churning ever since BabyCakes NYC’s sign was removed from the building on Spaulding and Beverly. Some believed we were scared off by Los Angeles’ red tape. Others thought we just didn’t feel like opening up anymore. Both were wrong. BabyCakes NYC is still moving to West Hollywood, but, now, we won’t be doing it alone. The bakery, slated to open June of 2008 at 7501 Beverly Boulevard on the corner of Garner, will share the renovated "Tire Town" space with denim designer, Earnest Sewn.

They've also got these new boxes available, which they call "cupcake insurance" - so cute!



We are pleased to present our new, cupcake insurance boxes. Inserts hold your cupcakes in place and keep them safe en route to your party, restaurant, house or wherever.

Also, they'll be closed on Monday, February 18th and Monday, February 25th.

See our cupcake interview with BabyCakes NYC owner Erin McKenna (sorry those photos no longer work)

Last day to vote for us for a Bloggie!

We are finalists for Best Food Weblog in the 8th annual Bloggie Awards, which are a pretty big deal in blog land (and the ceremony takes place at SXSW in Austin, so anyone going can try out Hey Cupcake! and the other Austin cupcakeries. If you like our blog, we'd love your vote (and if you want to spread the word on your blogs/to your friends, we'd super appreciate that too).

The deadline is TONIGHT (Thursday, January 31st) at 10 pm EST!

Cupcakes in Austin American-Statesman

Photo from Toot Sweet Cupcakes

There's a new article from the Austin American-Statesman, "Cupcake business thrive in Austin"

Last year, while in town for SXSW (which I'm sadly not going to this year), I got to try some of Babycakes' cupcakes. The article quotes Wes Hurt of Hey Cupcake!, and also lets us know about somewhere we hadn't heard of, Toot Sweet Cupcakes.



From the simple to the gourmet, new cupcake businesses are prospering in Austin.

With a trend that began with New York City's Magnolia Bakery, which was partially made famous by its cameo on HBO's "Sex and the City," cupcake-centric businesses are now popping up nationwide. Austin is already home to three cupcake-delivery services, a cupcake cafe and a cupcake stand, and more businesses are on the way.

Cupcake expert Rachel Kramer Bussel attributes the trend to portion size and childhood nostalgia. She began her Cupcakes Take the Cake blog in December of 2004 and the site now lists more than 100 bakeries in the U.S. and internationally. She said cupcakes are ideal for small businesses because they don't require a lot of baking experience or overhead costs.

"There's something about cupcakes," said Bussel, an editor and writer in New York City. "The amount of growth I've seen in the last three years is pretty amazing."...

"There's just been bakeries popping up really all over," Bussel said. "So I think there's even more of a market for people who are wanting to open bakeries."

She also refutes the idea that cupcakes are a passing fad.

"I keep thinking, 'Oh, eventually I'm gonna get sick of cupcakes.' I haven't at all because there's always something new out there," Bussel said.

Red Glazed Heart Cupcakes

Red Glazed Heart Cupcakes from Cupcake Recipes (via Flickr) - click through above for details on how to make them. She also says:

These heart cupcakes could have fresh raspberries and slices of fresh strawberry on the top and then have the red glaze. I think they are very attractive to look at. They could also have fresh fruit inside and fresh cream in all types of combinations. Raspberry jam or cherry jam would also be a good alternative. I have also seen lots of pomegranates in the shops so perhaps they could also be used as an attractive fruit for valentines cupcakes.

Cupcake interview: Donna, owner of London's Buttercup Cake Shop

While I was in London about a month ago, I visited London's Buttercup Cake Shop (no affiliation with New York's Buttercup Bake Shop. I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to properly write it up, but I can tell you the cupcakes were DELICIOUS. Truly amazing and some of the best I've ever had, especially the banofee and sticky toffee ones (also the Elvis, with peanut butter frosting, was quite yummy). The shop was small and rather tucked away, and Donna gave us some mini cupcakes along with the larger sized ones, which I took to visit a friend in Hitchin, and she and her husband and 3-year-old son also adored the cupcakes.

If you are in London and are looking for yummy cupcakes, I highly recommend Buttercup. These photos were taken during my visit.



How long have you been baking, and where did you get the idea for an all-cupcake bakery? Why did you choose the all cupcake route vs. a more varied bakery?

I've been baking from the age of 8. I never did get my own Easy-Bake oven, but my Mom let me use the "big oven.” I asked her what goes into a cake, and shd answered flour, sugar, butter, eggs. So I mixed those together (I was too young to appreciate the importance of order and methodology, but we all have humble beginnings.) I kept
asking her "What else?" until we'd covered all the basics, we baked it up, and what I named "Joy Cake" was born. I covered it in blue icing and spelled out "Joy" with m&ms. Not the lightest or tastiest cake, but I was so proud of myself I just kept on baking after that.

My idea originally for the bakery was to provide a place where kids and adults could come to ice and decorate cupcakes, cookies, etc. But unfortunately the rental market in Central London didn't bode well for making a profit, so the idea morphed into the current one. I decided to specialize so that we could really concentrate on offering a very
high quality and very broad range of flavours of cupcakes. Also, as Buttercup would not be the first "posh bakery" in London, I needed to be different, so specializing made sense all around. I love cupcakes and because the demographic trends supporting their popularity ring just as true in the UK as the US, I believe others will love them, too.

What's special about Buttercup's cupcakes?

While we have a wider variety than other London bakeries offering cupcakes, customers tell us what makes the big difference to them is the taste and quality. We use American recipes which are designed to make a moist flavourful cake and creamy icing. I spent a lot of time alongside my baker trying the recipes with ingredients from various suppliers until we both felt we'd got it right. Then because my background is in Marketing, I did blind side-by-side comparisons with potential consumers (i.e. friends and colleagues) until they felt the cupcakes were just right.

England has a tradition of fairy cakes. How are they different from cupcakes and is there anything specifically British about your cupcakes? Are they seen as a distinctly American treat that has invaded London?

Cupcakes are different in a number of ways. Starting with the objective facts... a) fairy cakes are much smaller and traditionally have wings (cake cuttings cut into semi-circles and stood upright to resemble wings). b) fairy cakes use what we call icing - sugar and water or flavoring but no butter, cream, etc. Cupcakes can use icing but also buttercream frosting, seven-minute (egg) frosting, etc. At Buttercup, we use buttercream-based recipes but have also topped cupcakes with meringue. c) Fairy cakes tend to be a bit dry and are best eaten with plenty of tea to wash them down.

Our cupcakes are definitely American style rather than fairy cakes. However, with a couple flavors so far, we've "tipped our hat" to some of my favorite British desserts (or puddings, as they say here): sticky toffee and banoffee. Some British do see cupcakes as American and some see them as a derivation of their well-known fairy cakes. Someone recently gave a rebuttal to a radio show that talked about cupcakes invading the UK, and he said that like so many other famous "American" food items, cupcakes aren't really American in origin but just commercialized well there. He said that cupcakes came from England and got their name because they used to be baked in teacups.



I tried your banoffee, based on the British pudding, which features banana cake, butterscotch frosting, and toffee shavings, and sticky toffee, and found them both to be quite incredibly delicious and unique. How did you go about creating this recipe and how do you come up with new flavors?

I think about my favorite desserts/sweets and try to replicate them in cupcakes. Sticky toffee pudding is my all-time favorite British dessert. The chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are from one of my favorite candy bars. When I lived in Paris I discovered Berthillon ice cream on the Ile St. Louis, and they make a seasonal special in the winter of "marrons glaces" or candied chestnuts. So that was the inspiration for our vanilla chestnut cupcakes. I'm better at adapting recipes than starting from nothing, so that's usually what I do -- substitute ingredients then make adjustments until the taste and texture feel right. Sometimes I find my food memories aren't widely shared, like the persimmon cupcakes we made that reminded me of the persimmon bread my neighbor growing up used to make and share. Almost no one had heard of persimmons or "sharon fruit" as they're called here, much less tasted them before.

Some of your special rotating flavors are banana split, cookies n cream, mocha and chocolate zucchini. Which flavor(s) are the most popular?

So far the derivations of vanilla and chocolate are the most popular. And we hear about it if we run out of cookies 'n' cream by the time the kids get out of class! Funny enough, our French customers seem to have a more curious palate and seek out the original or exotic flavors.

You're located on St. Albans Grove, which you call "hard to find, but worth the hunt!" Why did you decide to open your bakery there, and who are your main customers? Is most of your business from passersby or word of mouth, or do people come seek you out?

I spent about 5 months looking for a retail location. It was challenging to find a small space I could afford in a neighborhood where internationally-savvy customers would frequent. This area is hidden but that gives it a nice "villagey feel" and friendly ambience. There are very few passersby, so we rely on word of mouth from the neighbors and now our growing customer base, of course, plus any press we're fortunate to get. People have started to seek us out and have come from as far as Cambridge (an hour's train ride) expressly to try our cupcakes. Our daily customers are a combination of neighbors, the
children and parents from the primary school down the road, the university students from Richmond American University (just around the corner) and some nearby office buildings.



You offer takeaway boxes for mini cupcakes or regular size, with each cupcake held tightly in place. Are these boxes popular, or are most people buying one or two cupcakes?

People love the boxes, and they especially make a big difference to our cupcakes that are being delivered across London because they ensure the presentation remains beautiful. But people are often buying for immediate consumption, so they're also happy to walk away with a cupcake on a napkin.

What's been the most exciting event you've provided cupcakes for?

Well, the one I'd most have wanted to attend was for a 21st birthday at a posh club where tables have a minimum consumption requirement of £1,000....

What's the most and least exciting thing about running Buttercup?

Most: hearing people's stories and making new cupcake fans. Least: the frustration and admin associated with a retail location – having to apply for a license for everything from music to chairs!



Do you plan to introduce new and/or seasonal flavors?

Yes! We try out new flavors every month and see what takes. This month we introduced Lemon Cream Cheese which has proven popular. We've also been previewing one of our upcoming Valentine’s specials - Chocolate Sweetheart. It has a rich chocolate glaze with a white chocolate heart on top of a chocolate cake. It also has a layer of cream cheese/marshmallow in the middle. (It's so rich it's really best shared with a friend or loved one.)

Why do you think there's been so much interest recently in cupcakes? Are they seen as a novelty or are they becoming more accepted as a dessert option?

Underlying demographic trends support the growth and interest in cupcakes. a) We have increasingly on-the-go lifestyles, including our eating/snacking, so portability is important. b) Work and other stress means we look for small indulgences to reward ourselves. c) Household sizes are changing, with households of one person never before achieving such high levels. So we want individual portions, less wastage and more portion control. Cupcakes fill the gap. And because they can be as fancy as you'd like, they are perfect as an everyday dessert option and for special celebrations, too.



And now for some personal questions...

How often do you eat cupcakes?

On average, one per day. I'm ultimately responsible for quality control, so seeing as it's my duty...Sometimes I skip a day, but just as often I have one in the day and another at night :))

What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?

It satisfies a sweet craving but unlike many other sweets, it is also filling so the satisfaction lasts.

What’s your favorite type of cupcake?

Sticky toffee - it has brown sugar, dates, butterscotch icing and caramel curls. Definitely our sweetest option!

How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?

They are more of a celebration vs. cookies, brownies, etc. and they are more personal than regular cakes.

Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?

Yes, improved portability without messing up the frosting!

Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?

I make the innovations myself. But fortunately we have an artisan baker to entrust our recipes to once consumers have vetted them. He makes everything by hand and is willing to start work at 3 a.m., unlike me!

What’s your first cupcake-related memory?

I made my first friend in kindergarten, and her mom was a terrific baker. I fell in love with her mom's chocolate cupcakes with bittersweet chocolate frosting. That friend, Cindy, and I were roommates in college and baked this for each other's birthdays, and it's this frosting recipe -- Viv's bittersweet chocolate icing -- that we use now at Buttercup!

What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?

We've asked customers to vote with their mini cupcake wrappers when we've tried out competing recipes. They love getting involved (and getting free cupcakes of course!)

Do you have anything else to add?

Just that cupcakes are a happy business! I've concluded that people who come in for cupcakes are generally more fun-loving and happier than average, so it's an unexpected benefit of the business to be surrounded by them.

Fun Toronto cupcakes

Cupcakes from Toronto's The Cupcake Shoppe, via Flickr user emilybean

Super-cute colorful cupcakes

From Flickr user dahliascakes

Closeup of Cupcakes topped with Hidamari no Tami figures hand-sculpted in marzipan.

Kumquat Cupcakery in Time Out New York

Photo by Shani Bar-on, for Time Out New York

One of our favorite local bakers (is there a word for a cupcake bakery that doesn't have a storefront?), Kumquat Cupcakery, maker of super yummy mini cupcakes, is featured in this week's Time Out New York. Here's what they say:

Fortunately for relationships—and taste buds—there’s Kumquat Cupcakery, a homegrown operation run by Keavy MacPherson Landreth, a recent art school grad who bakes the signature miniature cupcakes in her tiny Williamsburg kitchen. In an inspired move, Landreth is offering a fresh alternative: a collection of “box of chocolate” cupcakes especially for Valentine’s Day, whose six flavors, such as chocolate-covered strawberry and caramel-chocolate, are inspired by the fillings in bonbons. The truffle-sized confections are as delicious as they are beautiful, and unlike some dry and too-sugary cupcakes we know, Landreth’s sophisticated bites are moist and robustly flavored. The 25-year-old minimalist has already acquired a fan base with her emphasis on unusual, seasonal flavors; she keeps busy with custom orders and by selling her baked goods at Williamsburg’s Artists and Fleas Market and the nearby Blackbird Parlour. -- Rebecca Flint Marx

Visit Kumquat at kumquatcupcakery.blogspot.com or email Keavy at kumquatcupcakery at gmail.com - and we have more international Valentine's Day cupcake coverage coming soon!

Heart-themed cupcake papers and more from King Arthur Flour

Someone from King Arthur Flour got in touch with us, and I'm so glad they did, becaues they have some cool cupcake products and...they are hosting a cupcake class on February 11th:

Elevate the everyday cupcake to new heights with this class on baking and decorating cupcakes to rival the best bakery-bought. Of course, the theme is Valentine's but you'll find ways to personalize these pieces of perfection and learn how to take your cakes to the next level!

Class held at The Baking Education Center, King Arthur Flour, Norwich, Vermont.

Adult Hands-On Class
Monday, February 11, 6 to 9 pm

Here's some of their cupcake-related products (we'll be testing some of them out soon and will give a full report):

Creamy Coconut Cupcakes

Tender, moist coconut cupcakes, frosted with a rich swirl of coconut icing–a piece of cake with our King Arthur mix!

• Serving delicious coconut cupcakes iced with rich coconut frosting doesn’t have to take a lot of skill or effort–we make it easy for you.


• Mix features King Arthur Flour, coconut milk, and coconut, butter, and vanilla flavors.


• Creamy coconut icing mix included.


• Garnishes sold separately; add your own toasted coconut for garnish.


• Makes a dozen cupcakes, or a 9" round cake.

Heart cupcake papers

Colorful Swedish cupcake papers are ideal for your Valentine cupcakes.

• Standard 3” cups are greaseproof, perfect for a potluck.


• Surprise! "Happy Valentine's Day" message is printed on the bottom.


• Package of 60.


• Did you know that if you grease cupcake papers before adding batter, it prevents them from tearing baked cupcakes or muffins when you peel them off?

Cupcake caddy

Squashed cake? No more. Cupcake Caddy offers safe transit for your pretty cakes.

• Sturdy plastic carrier keeps cakes safe from the rough and tumble of any trip–to the potluck, the school party, or a picnic.


• Lock-tight base and carrying handle prevent spills.


• Base holds a 9” x 13” sheet cake. Add the reversible insert to carry 12 standard cupcakes/muffins, or 24 minis.


• Plenty of clearance: carry cakes and cupcakes up to 3 1/2” tall.


• Made in the U.S.A.


• 18" x 13" x 7" tall.

Giant cupcake pan

Celebrate the cupcake craze with a GIANT cupcake–it’s easy, with this pan.

Bake the fluted bottom in one side of the pan, the swirled conical top in the other. Sandwich together with icing, frost, and decorate.

Cake looks EXACTLY like a cupcake topped with a towering swirl of frosting!

Makes an 8” dia. Cupcake, tapering to 6” at the base.

Easy-release non-stick pan is a breeze to clean.

Lifetime warranty.

Comes with a chocolate cake recipe, and instructions.

Need an illustrator or designer? Hire our logo designer!

You probably know that the three of us, Allison, Nichelle, and Rachel, run this blog. What you may not know is that our AWESME logo above was designed by our friend Lalena Fisher.

If you are looking for a designer or illustrator, contact her. She's just started her own business, and has worked for The New York Times, Blue's Clues, and The Wonder Pets, among others. Here are some logo examples and here's what else she can do:

Design of packaging, brochures, books, posters, business cards, and logos

Scientific and medical diagrams and other information graphics

Illustration for children and adults

Character design for animation and trademark

Web design

And this isn't cupcake-related, but I thought it was cute:

Cupcakes as window dressing

BCBG window 5th Ave and 40th street
Originally uploaded by Fanny Brown Rice

I guess BCBG likes cupcakes as much as we do! Thanks, Susie, for snapping this.

Boston creme cupcakes

From Flickr user PastriesAnyone who writes:

bottom of cupcake is chocolate and espresso top of cup cake is vanilla Pastry creme in middle with Chocolate glaze and white and semi sweet shavings on top

Batter Up Cake Bar cupcakes

I go to a local (NYC) trivia night called Big Quiz Thing and they've been giving away cupcakes from the new custom only Batter Up Cake Bar. I didn't get to try these so can't vouch for their taste, but they look pretty! Maybe next time (next one's Monday and it's a lot of fun, for those into New York and trivia).

Trial wedding cupcake design

From Couture Cupcakes (via Flickr) - it's a "Rich Soprano Mud Cupcake"



Here are some of the responses these cupcakes elicited:

Close to the best cupcakes she has ever made. The richness of the cupcakes wasn't too sickly sweet, the moistness meant they had been cooked to the perfection and the icing was delicate - perhaps not as suited to the style. 9/10.

Was divine and texture lighter than a mud cake! looks deliciously dense and rich and decorations are ace!

Awesome - nice and fudgey - the decorations will work well for a wedding but I suggest something a bit more sinister for the Soprano theme. red wine-based jelly or similar jellied lollies perhaps?

Yummy - one of the best - more please. lovely and moist - good amount of topping.

The cupcakes look fantastic! I tasted a hint of coffee in there.

It was like a cupcake crossed with a brownie. That would have to be one of my favourites!!! It was up there with that white chocolate one with the berries in it....mmmmmmm.

Cupcakes at formal parties?

Food blogger Dana McCauley poses a query on her blog:

I’m a huge fan of cupcakes not just for kid’s parties where they are a brilliant choice that allows guests to be served quickly and easily, but also for more swish affairs. At my own 40th birthday I had a cupcake tree laden with gorgeous fluffy white cupcakes generously swathed in pink buttercream frosting. Likewise, cupcakes have become a popular feature at stylish weddings.

Recently the ProChef Smart Brief (an online aggregate newsletter for the foodservice industry conducted a poll where they asked chefs, “Would you consider adding cupcakes to a gourmet menu?” I was on the ‘yes’ side of the argument, as were over 70 per cent of respondents.

To the other 20+ per cent all I have to say is check out an Eini Cupcake– and yes, gentle readers, they taste as good as they look! — and think about revising your (wrong) answer.

Would you serve cupcakes at a formal party? Why or why not?

Our visit to The Frank DeCaro Show

Yesterday, we went to the Sirius Satellite Radio studios to go on The Frank DeCaro Show. Here are some photos from our visit; view them all in Rachel's Flickr set. (and those on Flickr, add rkbcupcakes, my new all-cupcake-related Flickr account.

In our cupcake t-shirts (Rachel's and Allison's from Newark, Delaware's Sweet-N-Sassy Cupcakes and Nichelle's from Rocklin, California's Icing on the Cupcake)



We brought cupcakes from our favorite bakery, sugar Sweet sunshine



Frank liked his - a lot!



We each enjoy our cupcakes too:







Red velvet yumminess:



We left the remaining cupcakes at Sirius, and, after a hard sell, convinced the very nice guy (whose name I can't remember, but whose mom bakes cupcakes!) doing tech to have one:



Thank you to Frank DeCaro and his co-host Doria Biddle for having us on!

How to frost cupcakes: a video tutorial

Several people have asked us recently, about bakeries like Magnolia and Billy's: how do they get their frosting to look like that?

Well, here's a video of Magnolia's Bobbie Lloyd icing some red velvet cupcakes. Via Our Kitchen Table, which also has other cupcake-making videos and a recipe. They got this video from Epicurious, which has a lot of cupcake recipes, including ones from the inspiration for this blog, Clare Crespo's Hey There, Cupcake! Clare now runs "roving bakery" Treat Street in L.A., as well as t-shirt company Yay Me!

Sweet Avenue Bakeshop: Giants Cupcakes and Oscar party free cupcake tasting

Lots of news from Rutherford, New Jersey's Sweet Avenue Bake Shop (check out our interview with Sweet Avenue here). I will always associate Sweet Avenue with making the famed subway cupcakes. Be sure to keep checking out Sweet Avenue's blog for pretty cupcake photos and fun news; they're also on Flickr.

The first thing is that they are offering Super Bowl cupcakes this Sunday only. Here's what owner Danielle Vance says:

Hey football fans! We’re doing Superbowl cupcakes for Sunday! These will only be available on Superbowl Sunday, so come early. You can also special order any amount you like for your Superbowl party, just call us! Cupcakes will be chocolate and vanilla with Giants-blue frosting, topped with footballs and gameday pennants. They’re going to taste as good as they look, trust me.



They are also doing a FREE vegan ice cream giveaway on February 23rd (you still have to pay for cupcakes), in partnership with Wheeler's Black Label vegan ice cream (I went to a tasting recently and it was yummy!) Here are the details from Wheeler's:

Where? Sweet Avenue Bake Shop: 153 Park Ave, Rutherford, NJ, 07070
When? Friday, February 23rd.

Tastings are at:

12:00pm
12:30pm
1:00pm
1:30pm
2:00pm
2:30pm

How do I get in on this? Simply send us an email (icecreamproject2007@yahoo.com) with "RSVP: SWEET AVENUE" as your subject, and include in the message which time slot you're going for as well as how many people you're reserving for. We're going to be capping it at 7-9 people per session, so only invite people you think deserve it.

Welcome Frank DeCaro listeners!

Thank you to Frank DeCaro and Sirius for having us on the radio today to talk about (and eat) cupcakes! We'll have some photos of us and Frank enjoying our cupcakes from sugar Sweet sunshine up soon.

If anyone found us through that show, please browse our archives - yu can use the search function in the upper left hand corner to see what we've covered, or randomly look around.

We forgot to mention, and wanted to remind regular readers, that you have 2 more days to Vote for us for Best Food Weblog in the 2008 Bloggies! We really, really appreciate your support. The voting deadline is Thursday, June 31st at 10 pm EST.

Also, Allison mentioned the Samoas® cupcakes, and the recipe and image below are from Chockylit.



Happy baking!

A platter of lovely cupcakes

From Flickr user Daniel Simas Cupcakes! - if anyone can translate this there's some more info on his cupcakes.

An afternoon at Billy's Bakery

Saturday afternoon, I went with my friend, blogger T.A. Hines, to Billy's Bakery for some post-brunch cupcakes. We watched the frosting process and speculated about how it's done, and each enjoyed a yummy cupcake - hers chocolate buttercream frosting with vanilla cake, mine the opposite, vanilla buttercream frosting with chocolate cake. Yum! We were there around 3, and at first, it wasn't too crowded, but by the time we left, there was a line out the door!

The cupcakes:



About to eat:



Froster in action:

Cupcake in red

From Flickr user anija, who says the following - can anyone translate? Whatever it says, it's a gorgeous photo!

Cupcakes base e con mini-ripieno di marmellata alle fragole decorati con pasta di zucchero.

Listen to us talk about cupcakes on Sirius today!

The three of us, Allison, Nichelle, and Rachel, will be on The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius Satellite Radio today (Tuesday) at 1:15 pm EST to talk about cupcakes! Apparently, Frank is a huge fan and they asked us on the show, so tune in - click above for details. It's Stream 109 or get a free 3-day trial at www.siriusoutq.com

And another reminder: you have until Thursday, January 31st at 10 pm EST (that's 2 days from now) to Vote for us in the 2008 Bloggies - we're up for Best Food Weblog.

The Shoppe opens in Denver

I think I was supposed to post about The Shoppe: Cereal + Cupcakes + Design Goods opening in Denver and I forgot! Well, on opening day they sold 600 cupcakes! They also sell cereal and you can read more at their blog.

Also, Yourhub.com was there to cover it, snapping the photo you see above, which is linked below, but I just loved it and wanted to share it here, and reporting:

The kitchen was a flurry of activity as Emma and company worked to satisfy the cupcake-hungry blob that had been devouring their supplies for three hours without so much as a ten-minute break. By the time we reached the counter, there were only three plates of cupcakes left. But loneliness becomes a good-looking pastry; without the distraction of the usual myriad flavors, the remaining cupcakes had a quiet nobility to them, daring us to eat them.

The cupcakes: I'm not a food critic, and as a novice I have not developed the vocabulary required to dive too deeply into the tawny noses and baroque undertones of food, so I'm just going to say it: These cupcakes are damn good.

Sarah went with "pink" (we just pointed at the display case when we ordered and forgot to see what flavors they actually were) and I went with "chocolatey." The Bill-Gates-rich pink frosting had a certain tang to it that made me think it was at least partially cream cheese-based. The cake portion was soft and moist and tasted the way you remember birthday cake tasting when you were young, even though your past-cakes were probably not nearly this good.

Sarah dove in first and attempted to eat hers the old-fashioned (read:cavewoman) way. This is not advised.

Toms River, New Jersey's Brown Sugar Cupcakery

To order from custom bakery Brown Sugar Cupcakery (in Toms River, New Jersey) owner Jasmine Brown, email her at lacupcakeheiress at aol.com

Ths first one is of the Mi Corazon- vanilla cupcake filled and topped with chocolate ganache and a strawberry lollipop heart.

Bee cupcakes

From Flickr user sugarcups

AM NY on the new Magnolia Bakery

Photo by Kristen E. Olson from AM NY

"Cupcake Institution moves northward," AM NY

"It's been beyond expectations. Opening day, we ran out of product," Abrams said. "I think the volumes are going to be very similar [to downtown]. Just the way they manifest will be different. Downtown is touristy. ... They're not buying a dozen cupcakes. Here it's all families. People buy in bulk."

The success of Magnolia, he admits, is an anomaly. "If anyone thinks they're going to open up a cupcake shop and make millions they're kidding themselves," says Abrams, 50. "Magnolia is lucky. It's a very well-known brand and is able to do enormous amount of volume on its history, its quality and its product."

How is the new spot different? First, there may not be as many long lines wrapped around the block, as is the case with the Bleecker Street site. The space is twice the size of the West Village bakery. "We weren't looking for this much space … but it's allowed us many more opportunities to expand and offer what the space commands," says Abrams, for example a sitting area for customers and a separate room for private parties. Already 15 families have inquired about reserving the party room.

Tropical flowers cupcakes

From Flickr user dots treats

Albuquerque's Cupcakeology opens

Cupcakeology just opened in Albuquerque, and they're also on Flickr. Below is their sign and some cupcake photos; hopefully they'll have more up now that their bakery's actually open. Here's what commenters at Duke City Fix has to say.



Sin-amon and caramel apple cupcakes:



Caramel Apple cupcakes with Mac logos for the Apple Leopard OS X launch party:



Mocha cupcakes with leopard spots for the Apple Leopard OS X launch party:

"for the chocoholics"

From Flickr user foodcore who says:

Hershey heaven! Jumbo chocolate cupcake topped with a huge amount of chocolate fudge frosting and a mini Hershey bar. I am not much of a chocolate on chocolate fan but these tasted so amazing.

1st birthday cupcake tower

From Flickr user kristin_a

Chocolate cupcakes with creme filling topped with Billy's Chocolate buttercream and sprinkles and Vanilla bean cupcakes with Cotton Candy buttercream

January NYC Meetup Recap: Out of the Kitchen and Jacques Torres

I'm two weeks late in getting these up, but have finally figured out the intricacies of Flickr Uploader, and have a whole photo set from our last NYC Meetup, which involved two cupcake places: Out of the Kitchen and Jacques Torres Chocolate. Please join us for our next NYC Meetup when we head to Brooklyn to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. to try out Little Cupcake Bakeshop. If you were there, let us know what you thought about the cupcakes in the comments or by email.



They only offered four kinds of cupcakes at Out of the Kitchen: vanilla or chocolate frosting, with vanilla or chocolate cake, pictured below.



This in itself was a bit disappointing, as I was expecting more flavors. As for the cupcakes themselves, I don't think many people were too bowled over with them. The cake was pretty dry, but the frosting was quite thick and gooey; I thought the chocolate one tasting like thick chocolate pudding.

Nichelle and meetup members at Out of the Kitchen:





Despite not really loving the Out of the Kitchen cupcakes, we did a pretty good job of tasting them:



We'd heard rave reviews about this place so decided to check it out, but between it soon wore out its welcome, so we headed on over to the nearby Jacques Torres Chocolate, where some of us tried their famed spicy hot chocolate, and others cookies and cupcakes.





I thought this stuffed animal frog was the most adorable thing in the chocolate-filled Jacques Torres:

Photos from Minneapolis's Cupcake

Blogger Aaron Landry visited Cupcake in Minneapolis and took these photos; click above to see what he thought. The official Cupcake site is here, but again, the address isn't listed. What's UP with that, bakeries?

Thankfully, Aaron's got their details for us. See all his photos in his Flickr set.

3338 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-378-4818

From his post:

I enjoyed a S’mores Cupcake which was very tasty and looked fantastic but got sticky marshmallow all over my face. Added to the experience. Anna enjoyed a Chocolate Pistachio which she described as “mainly just a chocolate cupcake with a pistacio frosting.” She liked it.



S'more cupcake:



Chocolate pistachio cupcake:



Raspberry lemon cupcake:

Cupcakes from Houston's The Cookie Jar Bkaery

I love the photos Houston's The Cookie Jar Bakery puts up on Flickr. Here are a few.

Flourless chocolate raspberry:



Harvest peanut cupcake:



Triple lemon cupcake:



Tiramisu:

Tiffany blue vanilla cupcakes

From Flickr user paulahennig

Vanilla cupcakes with lemon filling and cream cheese cupcakes

Edible glitter gorgeousness from iCiNG

Oh my goodness...these are so beautiful. They're chocolate cupcakes with lavender-flavoured buttercream icing.

From iCiNG, (where you can get the recipe) via :Flickr

Gala says:

I am not a master cupcake baker, but I do enjoy it — the baking process as well as the eating part! It feels good to make something tangible, something that can be photographed & enjoyed & admired.

Obviously, these cupcakes are not raw, & they weren’t vegan originally either, but it’s way easier to vegan-ify cupcakes than you might first think! I also think that the vegan version of these cupcakes tastes better — the cake stays moist for longer & the icing doesn’t go hard, it stays soft & creamy for days.

Mint chip cupcakes

From Flickr user NoWheyKatie

Red Velvet Cupcake Art

Cupcake Print, originally uploaded by margscupcakes.

Artist and cupcake lover Kimberly Petruska emailed me to let us know that prints of her sweet art is available for sale.

Cupcakes vs. ice cream in L.A.

photo by Piper Ferguson via Paper

"SusieCakes vs. Scoops - The L.A. Dessert Wars," Paper

It's an all-out battle for the best dessert in Los Angeles. Which do you choose? The old-school frosting-filled cupcake like your mama used to make? Or the best-ever ice cream—created by a culinary wizard—that you'll taste this side of the Atlantic?

"Straight up, it's all about baking," says SusieCakes founder Susan Sarich, whose one-stop bakery, situated on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood, claims credit for feeding everyone from Candy Spelling to Bob Dylan. Why, she recently even baked a birthday cake for five-year-old Romeo Beckham! Sarich, who originally hails from Chicago, formerly worked in hospitality for Ian Schrager before breaking loose in August 2006 and opening the doors to her pastel-colored neighborhood bakeshop. In addition to producing countless cupcakes daily, SusieCakes also specializes in other sentimental favorites, including cakes, puddings, cheesecakes, pies and cookies, and Sarich's eager-beaver, '50s-inspired, headband-bedecked team of employees greets each and every customer who enters the store with "Welcome to SusieCakes."

How early is too early for cupcakes?

I don't know what time of day these photos by Flickr user kukita were taken, but the coffee cup reminds me of morning. That along with the new Magnolia Bakery opening at 7 a.m. leads me to ask...how early is too early to eat a cupcake?

From Cupcakes on Pitt in Sydney, Australia.

Cupcake art on Etsy

And yes, there is a LOT more great cupacke art and products on Etsy - search for cupcakes on there for tons of great stuff! We try to feature things when we can, and appreciate your emails, but can't promise to get to everything cupcake-related on that site or we'd be blogging 24/7! That's how popular cupcakes are. Also check out All Things Cupcake for, well, all things cupcake!

From Flickr user razzieswirl, who's selling these in her Etsy store

Vote for us!

We're so excited to announce that Cupcakes Take the Cake is a finalist for BEST FOOD WEBLOG in the 2008 Bloggies.

You have until 10 pm EST on Thursday, January 31st to vote. Please vote for us now! And tell your friends...THANK YOU!

Baltimore's Charm City Cupcakes opens 2nd location

Lots of cupcake bakeries are doing so well they're opening up another branch! Go cupcakes!



The latest is Baltimore's Charm City Cupcakes. Baltimore Business Journal reports:

Sandra Long, owner of Charm City Cupcakes, is opening her second retail location Thursday at the Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade.

With varieties such as Black-Eyed Susan and Gourmet Turtle, Charm City Cupcakes opened its first bakery and retail store on downtown Baltimore's Charles Street in 2005. Long said she opened in the Charles Village hotel near Johns Hopkins University because the hotel's owner was seeking out new small retailers. Opening in the location required a "minimal" investment since the hotel's owners funded the store's buildout, Long said.

The 700-square-foot store includes a café that serves Starbucks. To celebrate the new location, Long is offering 24 flavors of her mini-cupcakes --including strawberry banana and red velvet -- for 50 cents. The store's most popular flavor is the dark chocolate cupcake, topped with vanilla butter cream and Ghirardelli chocolate.

Here's their two locations; visit their site for directions and more information.

Bakery & Cupcakes To Go
326 N. Charles Street (Inside Brown's Arcade)
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 244-8790

Charm City Cupcakes @ the Colonnade
4 West University Parkway (Inside the Doubletree Colonnade)
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-7584


Photo from Flickr user mdm173http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgan_miller/461669216/

Cupcakeology opens tomorrow in Albuquerque

Laurie English, owner of new Albuquerque, New Mexico bakery Cupcakelogy wrote in to tell us of their grand opening tomorrow, January 25th. She listed below some favorite flavors; check out the rest such as Butterscotch Top Hat, Cherry Cola, Rocky Road and Swiss Orange Chip. They'll serve a dozen flavors daliy along wtih espresso, coffee and other beverages.

And send us photos if you go to the opening!

Monkeybutter – banana cake topped with butterscotch buttercream

Grandma Betty – brown sugar cake with toffee bits, topped with caramel buttercream, mini chocolate chips & more toffee bits

Raspberry Truffle – rich, dark chocolate cake topped with fresh raspberry buttercream

Bun Bun – chocolate cake topped with pink marshmallow frosting and shredded coconut

Tropical Treat – pineapple, mango, coconut cake topped with pineapple buttercream and toasted coconut.

They're located in the Altura Shops at 2000 Carlisle Blvd NE, Suite B (Just South of Indian School) and will be open from 10am to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

The Swallow Bakery, Chichester, England

Photos from The Swallow Bakery (unfortunately nothing's on their site - bakeries, PLEASE put basic info on your sites! - but they are open, as you can see) in Chichester, West Sussex, England via their Flickr account. Looks like in addition to cupcakes they've got lots of adorable cupcake-themed merchandise in their windows. Also, we'll be doing a Valentine's Day cupcake roundup soon, probably around the end of next week, so bakeries, if you have specials, tell us about them. I know lots of bakeries are already gearing up for the big day. Here's Swallow Bakery's address and phone number, and we'll have an interview with them here soon:

A: 81 North Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1LQ
T: 01243 533008 M: 07825 090 324

Mocha marble cupcakes

This is Flickr user porcalina's entry into this month's Cupcake Hero contest - deadline January 25th! The theme ingredient is coffee, and these are mocha marbles cupcakes with espresso buttercream!

Bakery for sale in Denver

Note: Cupcakes Take the Cake does not have any more information about this bakery. Just came aross it online and thought it might be of interest.

Retail Cupcake Bakery for sale

Location: Denver, Colorado

Category: Restaurants for sale

Asking price: $135,000.00

Description of the business for sale
Fun and wonderful opportunity to create a new sensation in Denver!

I'm selling my retail cupcake bakery and concept, which I created from scratch. It has not yet been open for business but it is fully equipped and (almost) ready to open. I've done all the work for you... the bakery was custom designed and built for me from a gray shell. It is a must see! The store is delightful inside and one look will demonstrate its quality and potential. The store's ideal location, concept and ambiance will make this a Denver hot spot.

Cupcakes are hot! Cupcake-exclusive bakeries are the talk of the town in other cities. This shop was designed to create that experience here in Denver. This place will be a fun and delightful place to operate.

Support / Training provided by seller
Support & training will depend on new owner's experience and preference.

Description of the facilities
The store has already generated a lot of buzz and ads have appeared for it in 5280 Magazine.

The bakery is located in an ideal location in a new 5-story building in the popular Uptown area of Denver on 17th Street. It is walking distance from downtown and in a mixed used commercial-residential area. There is free parking behind the building. Honestly, there is not a better spot in Denver. The building is anchored by Horizon Bank and there is an upscale coffee cafe on one side and a hair salon that is soon to open on the other side.

Seller has cash flow projections for 3 years that demonstrate a viable and successful business. Figures and product are well-researched and documented.

Cupcakes from Just Cakes in Bethesda, MD

We heard about Just Cakes in Bethesda, Maryland from this Washingtonian.com article about a book signing by Anna Post, great-granddaughter of Emily Post, for the book Emily Post's Wedding Parties: Smart Ideas for Stylish Parties. (There's a photo of the mini cupcakes there.) These photos via the Just Cakes site, which says:

Cupcakes are great for weddings, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, holiday parties or any special event. Best cupcakes in Maryland, DC or Northern Virginia.



I've never seen Peeps (!!) on a cupcake before:

The Six Dollar Cupcake

Remember the TV show, "The Six Million Dollar Man"??! Well, I just wrote about the $6 dollar Sticky Toffee Cupcake at Charbonnel Et Walker on NewYorkology.
Here's a bit:

Charbonnel et Walker is a legendary British chocolatier founded in 1875, and they came stateside three years ago and set up a lovely cafe in Saks Fifth Avenue. Though tempted to try a pink champagne truffle, when I saw the Sticky Toffee Cupcake on the menu, I could not resist.

I was amazed. The chocolate cake is rich and infused with dark chocolate sauce. There is no buttercream frosting, but a yummy hot toffee sauce more than made up for it. It was so good that I considered licking the plate. (I didn't.) The service at the cafe is excellent and if you sit at the counter, you can see the conveyor belt of confections rotate around like a candy factory.

It's also linked on Grub Street.

Our 5 favorite Manhattan cupcake bakeries

The Resident asked us what our top 5 cupcake bakeries are in Manhattan. Read their "Takes the Cake: Cupcakes Mania Takes Manhattan" article. Here's a snippet:

The goodies at Magnolia Bakery have the power to transform otherwise rational adults into rabid sugar fiends. Now, the sweets shop that ignited New York’s insatiable appetite for cupcakes is bringing its sugary treats – and perennially long lines – to a new location on Columbus Avenue. But no matter where you find yourself in Manhattan, you’re never far away from a cupcake fix. The Resident asked blogger Rachel Kramer Bussel, founder and one of the editors of Cupcakes Take the Cake (cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com), where to find the city’s best cupcakes. —Heather Corcoran...

Lower East Side - Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington St., 212-995-1960
“They inspired me to start the blog, and have one of the coziest bakeries in the city, a great place for dates or just hanging out for hours on end,” said Bussel. “The staff is courteous, cupcakes are simple, flavorful and moist, and the place smells wonderful.” The Lower East Side spot was opened by two former Magnolia employees, and “there’s a real sense of community, from comments and customer photos on the wall to artwork.” You won’t leave Sugar Sweet Sunshine with any leftovers, though, “their cupcakes are consistently delicious, and just the right size.”

Keep reading to find out our other favorites.


Photo via sugar Sweet sunshine's website

Wedding cupcakes 2: Personalized cupcakes

A reader sent these in of her friend's wedding mini cupcakes that she made - cupcakes bear fondant hearts with the initials of the bride or groom, and they're piped with royal icing.

Wedding cupcakes 1 - Ritch Duncan

Our comedian friend Ritch Duncan recently got married (to a woman named Rachel, who's not me) and had cupcakes at his wedding! (A theme for comedian weddings?) Not sure yet where these cupcakes are from, but we'll find out. Our other friend Susie Felber snapped some photos:



Photo below is of comedian Bob Powers, who, if I may say so, looks high on cupcakes:



ANd possibly the cutest cupcake photo EVER, of yet another comedian, Andres du Bouchet and his girlfriend Sara:



Thanks, Susie, who is a longtime CTTC fan, and congratulations to Ritch and Rachel!

"Chocolate Visions"

I love how some cupcake photos are about the cupcake as a whole, and some focus on one part of the cupcake, like the frosting, in this case. It really just makes you want to lean into your computer screen and take a lick of it, doesn't it?

It's from Flickr user littlerottenrobin who says:

I got inspired the other day these are Pillsbury (Reduced Sugar) Devils food Cupcakes. I can't do Large amounts of sugar. They tasted pretty good.

Babyface cupcakes

From Kimmy's Kakes via Flickr

The Columbia Spectator on the new Magnolia Bakery

Photo via The Columbia Spectator

"An Upown Magnolia Makes Avoiding the Freshman 15 a Whole Lot Harder," The Columbia Spectator

From the moment owner Steve Abrams opened up shop, the new bakery was packed with people, just like its flagship location in Greenwich Village. Yet the frenzy did not seem to faze dedicated staff members, who took care to attend to every last detail while anxious customers waited for doors to unlock. Cupcake trays were gingerly placed upon counter tops, fresh flower bouquets were primped and primed, and vintage lace curtains were carefully tied back with perfect ribbon bows. Magnolia’s warm interior hues, sweet aromas, and old-fashioned charm certainly have a way of catching the unknowing passerby by surprise.

“The Upper West Side was in need of a homey place,” said store manager Rosella Albanese. “Everything here is homemade in our kitchen that customers see right in front of them, and then served fresh.”

Watching the kitchen staff is a bit like watching a family of worker bees toiling together, each a master of his own rhythm. The resulting confectionery marathon is itself a spectacle: as fast as the sweet treats disappear, they are replenished, always
looking and tasting just as irresistible as the previous batch.

The original Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996 and was purchased by its current owner in 2007. But does the quick expansion maneuver portend future branches throughout New York and beyond?

“That’s something to think about down the road, but right now we are concentrating on the Upper West Side,” Albanese said. And judging by the reception the second store has received in just its first few days of business, the prospect of further expansion seems more than likely.

tennis wedding cupcakes

tennis wedding cupcakes
Originally uploaded by whitesquirrel

These are some of the most creative wedding cupcakes I've come across. This is also one of those photos that just gives me so many questions. I love when people personalize cupcakes in really unique ways and think they're one of the few desserts truly suited to such creative endeavors.

"Magnolia Bakery Not Just About Cupcakes"

According to the New York Observer (original home to Candace Bushnell's "Sex and the City" column), Magnolia Bakery isn't just about the cupcakes. They'll have a big story and interview by Chris Shott tomrorow with owners Steve and Danny Abrams tomorrow. Who knew?

In oter Magnolia news, Gothamist visited the uptown location yesterday at 4 p.m., only to find them temporarily out of cupcakes. The horror!


Photo of Magnolia's red velvet cupcakes by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Pretty cupcakes from Crumbs and Doilies

From London bakery Crumbs and Doilies - the first ones are green tea cupcakes, January's Flavour of the month (via Flickr) and the next is "Armadisco," the winning title for their monthly "Name that cupcake" contest.

Wicked-inspired cupcakes

Birthday Treat
Originally uploaded by ShanRoseSlav

Homemade cupcakes inspired by the musical Wicked.

New NYC cupcake bakery coming this spring: Sweet Revenge

From Crain's New York (via :Grub Street):

This spring will bring a new cupcake bar called Sweet Revenge to 62 Carmine St., between Bedford Street and Seventh Avenue South, in the West Village.

Entrepreneur Marlo Scott signed a 10-year lease for the 780-square-foot space. The asking rent was about $125 a square foot.

Sweet Revenge is the latest addition to what has become a cupcake-shop explosion in New York City. In recent years, independent operators as well as chain bakeries have opened dozens of new locations in the city.

Before leaving her career in media marketing to launch Sweet Revenge, Ms. Scott spent two years testing cupcake recipes in her tiny West Village kitchen.

“I want to create a fun, fabulous place where life is grand,” Ms. Scott says. “This is a town that loves its cupcakes, and there’s an opportunity to make cupcakes a little more sexy and hip.”

Cherry limeade cupcakes

From one of our favorite bloggers, Ooh, you tasty little things... - she's got the recipe and lots more photos of these scrumptious-looking cupcakes.

These cupcakes were originally intended to be Pink Lemonade cupcakes, but they ended up being Cherry Limeade cupcakes, which is just fine by me, since I happen to be a bigger fan of limes myself, and being a big lime fan, I always have a couple extra cans of limeade in the freezer...

Lemon ginger and mint chocolate cupcakes

From Flickr user sabrina knits

Chinese New Year cupcakes

From Rebecca's Cakes in Enfield, North London, via Flickr (you can see more of these in our Flickr pool)- it's the Year of the Rat, and Chinese New Year begins February 7th

Sibby's Cupcakery cupcakes at Four Seasons San Francisco Wedding Fair

These chocolate cupcakes from Sibby's Cupcakery were on display at a wedding fair. I liked what blogger The Art of Tasting Chocolate wrote about cupcakes:

I once wrote that cupcakes were the puppies of the food world. People go nuts when they see a platter of cupcakes. They quiver. They giggle. They look from side to side as they reach for one as though they expect their hand to get slapped by mom. They stuff them into their faces as fast as they can. Very silly behavior around cupcakes.
The cupcake was represented by SIBBY'S CUPCAKERY again this year.

Pacman cupcakes!

From Flickr user hello naomi - these are so amazing. See also: Ms. Pacman cupcakes and Pacman cake and cupcakes.

Cupcake class in Kentucky, February 21

Click here to register (via)

CUPCAKES GALORE

Cupcakes aren't just plain cupcakes anymore. We will make themed cupcakes, ie Valentine, Father's Day. What about baby shower, pig face, chick or dog? Use a new medium to decorate. We will use Buttercream frosting, Cupcake glaze, Candy clay and fondant. Be sure to bring a container to take your cupcakes home.

Tuition
$28.00 Pay online with credit card or make check payable to Boone County Fiscal Court and send to Boone County Parks PO Box 566 Burlington, KY 41005

Time & Date
7:00-9:00 PM
Thursday February 21

Location
Conner High School
3310 Cougar Path
Hebron, Kentucky 41042

Instructor
Mary Jean Gunter

Sponsor
Boone County Parks Department

(859) 334-2117 for additional information

You can never have too many Hello Kitty cupcakes

At least, I don't think so. Long live Hello Kitty! (I even have a Hello Kitty toaster...but it was a gift. My giant Hello Kitty pillow was purchased by me! I'm sure there are other (not so) secret Hello Kitty lovers reading this blog.)

Photo from Flickr user criscastro

Banana and chocolate cupcakes

Banana & Chooclate
Originally uploaded by PMT CUPCAKES

These look SO yummy! Click through on PMT Cupcakes to see more.

Banana Cucpakes filled with Homemade Caramel Sauce and topped vanilla buttercream, drizzled with caramel and topped with a caramelised Banana slice.

Chocolate Cupcakes Filled with Peanut Butter and topped with Chcoclate Ganache and a sugarpaste Star.

White chocolate blueberry cupcakes

From Flickr user jajagapgirl

Finally, the full Magnolia Upper West Side photo set

Thanks to the divine Stacie Joy, who helped me get the photos onto Flickr, I now have a big (114 photos though a few are duplicates) Flickr set from the new Magnolia Bakery on the Upper West Side. Here are some of my favorites - see our previous post for quotes from Bobbie Lloyd ("Chief Baking Officer") and Steve Abrams (Owner). All photos by Rachel Kramer Bussel.



Nichelle and Matt enjoy their cupcakes:



"Chef Baking Officer" Bobbie Lloyd, daughter, and cupcake:



Adamma is an icer at Magnolia:



This woman was very nice:



Ready and waiting:



The chocolate cupcakes that stole my heart:



Rows and rows of cupcakes:



Frosting!



This cute boy was serving champagne:



Inside the bakery:



A lone cupcake on the windowsill:



We say goodnight to Magnolia:

Cake and Icing

Blogger and Flickr user Cake and Icing describes herself thusly:

I'm a writer, designer, food fancier and aspiring photographer. If it's sweet & yummy, I'm all for it.

The photos below are from Berkeley, California's Love at First Bite Bakery



These are gingerbread cupcakes with lemon icing:

Franklin Street Bakery, Minneapolis

from Flickr user Anne Russo - vanilla strawberry cupcake...with strawberry jelly inside

Blogger and Flickr user Aaron Landry, who took the chocolate ganache cupcake photo below, told me about Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.



Girl Friday did a Chocolate Cupcake Taste-Off and had this to say about their chocolate ganache cupcake:



A "ganache" is a smooth chocolate glaze created by pouring warm heavy cream over chopped chocolate. FSB has separated the two ingredients and topped this cupcake with a fluffy whipped cream frosting and milk chocolate curls. Magnificent! Though the cake is the same recipe used for the regular cupcake above, the saltiness is tempered quite a bit by the creaminess of this frosting. ($2.25) [EDIT: I finished this cupcake today and discovered a dollop of milk chocolate ganache in the center!]


City Pages named them Best Bakery in 2007:

The cupcakes are light, petite, almost silky, and topped with swirls of buttery frosting that stay just this side of decadent.

Photo below by Flickr user smcgee

Green tea cupcakes

From Flickr user auxpetitsoiseaux

Magnolia Bakery opens on the Upper West Side

The uptown branch of Magnolia Bakery at 200 Columbus Avenue (at 69th Street) was filled with kids, sugar, employees and friends of the bakery celebrating its new location last night. They opened this morning at 11 a.m. When asked what he expected opening day to be like, owner Steve Abrams replied, "Mayhem." Their biggest task this week, according to him, has been "keepig people from banging down the door." Passersby have been trying to get some of their beloved cupcakes, and now will finally be able to. Update: See more Magnolia Bakery photos here.



Bobbie Lloyd, who goes by "Chief Baking Officer" but prefers not to have a title, said that cupcakes were always popular at Magnolia, "but Sex and the City and Saturday Night Live blew it out of the water." She estimates that the new store staffs 40 employees. While she wouldn't reveal how many cupcakes the downtown bakery sells in a day, she did say they were hoping not to run out of cupcakes at the new one. Asked about the cupcake explosion in recent years, Lloyd, said, "I'm saddened by what I see out there. There's a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon. There's a lot of inferior product out there."

Staff told us that their #1 bestselling cupcake is the vanilla buttercream/vanilla cake, followed by the red velvet. Cupcakes are their biggest-selling item, followed by their to-die-for banana pudding, then their red velvet cake. The clear crowd favorite, from our informal polling, was the red velvet cupcake.



So what's new at this Magnolia? For one, more space. Waaaay more space. Seating is still being worked out, but there is a side room, which has a restroom, where in the morning people will be able to sit and enjoy their snacks, and later in the day, if it's not booked. If you'd like to reserve the room, you can call and see what dates are available (we can already tell you February 15th is saved for Bobbie's daughter 6th birthday party!).

They'll also have breakfast items like muffins, which Lloyd says the downtown Magnolia carried at the beginning, "but once cupcakes took over, there was no oven time." Otherwise, the menu, including cupcakes, will be exactly the same.

Also, that annoying you-can-only-buy-one-dozen-cupcakes-at-a-time rule? Gone at the uptown bakery. You can buy as many as you like...within reason. Lloyd advised that if you're looking for several dozen or any specific types of cupcakes in bulk, call ahead. They plan to do offsite catering as well so all you brides and grooms and party freaks out there, get ready to place your orders.



Judging from the seemingly neverending rounds of cupcakes that kept being placed on trays, only to be scooped up by kids decorating them with as many kinds of sprinkles as they could, to adults carefully selecting their favorites, they've got the knack of making and icing their cupcakes down.

Here are some photos from Nichelle, many more coming soon:

Here's me (Rachel) about to eat my first cupcake of the night, a vanilla/vanilla one. I entered the party sure that vanilla/vanilla was my all-time favorite. The cupcakes were incredibly fresh and moist and the vanilla did not disappoint. But oh, the chocolate buttercream...I think it might be even better than vanilla. It's a tough call!



Frosting's always better when it's on your nose:



Maple pumpkin cupcake:



I know our tagline is "All Cupcakes All The TIme," but Magnolia's banana pudding really is quite delicious:



Many more photos coming soon, and look for a Magnolia Bakery interview here in coming weeks. If you've been to the new Magnolia, let us know how it compares!

Here's the official press release, and their hours:

Monday – Thursday, 7 am – 11:30 pm
Friday, 7 am – 12:30 am
Saturday, 8 am – 12:30 am
Sunday, 8 am – 10:30 pm

A commenter at Eater reports: at 10:05 p.m.:

I live a block away and saw the line at noon when the place opened. It seemed packed all day (no, I'm not a stalker, but was running a bunch of errands today so passed by several times. Wait, maybe I am a stawker given that one incident in college), including at around 7:30pm when I went by on my way to dinner (yea, early, I know, but I have a kid so was just sneaking out for a bit and 2 year olds tends to notice if you are gone for too long). When the wife and I were walking back to the apt at around 9, Magnolia was sold out. The owner was at the door turning people away saying that there was nothing left. We managed to get in (I could tell you how, but the reason is even less intersting that the normal post about cupcake shops) and buy three of the remaining five cupcakes (having to elbow out one nasty 70 year old bitch and reach around (did I just use that phrase?) one indicisive couple). What a pain in the ass. In the 5 minutes that we were in there, the owner must have turned away literally 50 people, including one group of about 10 pretty cute Barnard girls (or at least I think that they were Barnard girls. What other 19 year olds would be in the UWS on a Sat night? I wanted to tell them to watch the cupcake intake, but perhaps they were just there for the novelty of the 1st day opening). OK, so on to the cupcakes. I do like a Magnolia cupcake, so perhaps I'm a little biased (although the Cupcake Cafe is my favorite), but pretty damn good I must say. Quite fresh, with a ton of frosting. The cake is just better. Oh and I didn't have to wait in a 30 minute line like an ass to get it. Thumbs up I say.

Spotlight on: Sugadeaux Cupcakes

Here are some photos from Melbourne, Australia's Sugadeaux Cupcakes (via Flickr) - they've also got a Facebook group.

Pastel cupcake variety tray:



Caramel toffee cupcake:



Butterfly cupcakes:



An assortment - orange poppy, chocolate, cosmopolitan and red velvet:



And last but not least, their Turkish Delight cupcake, which has pomegranate cake with pink Turkish Delight-flavored frosting!

Little Miss Birthday turns 2 with cupcakes!

My friend Rebecca Woolf took these photos - the birthday girl is 2-year-old Kennedy, in a Little Miss Birthday t-shirt, and the other is of Rebecca's son Archer. More in Rebecca's Flickr stream.





Archer eyes his cupcake:



Then chows down:

Simply beautiful flower cupcakes

From Flickr user creamycakes - sometimes simple and small yet lovingly detailed cupcakes are the most gorgeous ones (though we are partial to all kinds of cupcakes):

These are Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips frosted with Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache topped with Sugar Sprinkles. These are my classic swirls topped with Sugar Flowers and Dragees.

Brisbane's The Cupcake Company

Brisbane, Australia's The Cupcake Company is a custom cupcake business (they do delivery or you can pick them up) that describes themselves thusly:

A chance meeting in a gourmet food shop several years ago brought two like minds together to form a friendship bound by a love of food, baking, design and style.

Inspired by all things beautiful and gorgeous, Keren and Sharnel are two friends with a passion for cupcakes and love nothing more than being surrounded by books, magazines, ribbons, paper, yummy cuppie batter and their fabulous Kitchenaid Mixers!









Here's their Valentine's Day offerings (and look for a special Valentine's Day cupcake preview from us soon):

Frosted designs

cupcake
Originally uploaded by yatt's li'lkitchen

I'm a little teapot...giraffe cupcake

Only the wonderful Flickr user abbietabbie could come up with something this ingenius!

Cupcakes from Letterbox Creative

Note: We'll have our writeup of Magnolia Bakery's pre-launch party last night and a roundup about their first day (today!) soon. Sorry for the delay - technical difficulties. We'll also be checking in with Magnolia throughout the week to see how the launch of their Upper West Side store is going and will have an interview with them here soon.

And now back to our regularly scheduled cupcake blogging...

These are all from Letterbox Creative in Minneapolis. Photos by blogger/Flickr user Aaron Landry.

Strawberry macaroon cupcakes:



Vegan lemon cream cheese cupcakes



S'mores cupcakes



Check out Sheela the Cupcake Lady to find out which cupcakes she'll be bringing each week!

Cupcake cookie jar

That sounds so strange but here it is...from This Next

Pretty hearts and pink velvet cupcakes

Sarah of Cuppin' Cakes made these pink velevet cupcakes with marzipan hearts, and writes:

How did they taste? Excellent. The frosting is not a "cream cheese overload." It was more sweeter, which paired nicely with the tang. The cupcake was also quite delicious, but it tasted more like a dense vanilla cupcake than a white chocolate cupcake. I searched long and hard for a good recipe, and finally settled on Food and Wine's white chocolate cupcakes. I picked this one because, out of the recipes I've seen, it was the one that included the MOST white chocolate in the batter. When I sampled the batter, it first tasted like a yummy vanilla batter, and then the white chocolate hit you as a pleasant aftertaste. When I baked them, though, the "white chocolate-ness" did diminish some. I think one of the problems is that white chocolate tastes so much like vanilla anyway...

She's got the recipes and some making of photos on her blog

Google cupcakes

From Flickr user Kevin P via Search Engine Land

Around here, we heart Google, though are sad to have fallen in the "cupcakes" search rankings from 1 to 4. We love all things cupcake though, so that's okay! (Before us are Cupcakes in Chicago, Chockylit, and Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco.

La Provence's GIANT cupcakes!

Giant cupcake alert! La Provence Patisserie and Cafe in Beverly Hills and Brentwood Gardens, Los Angeles, sells this giant cupcake that Variety blog The Knife posted about yesterday:


Photo via The Knife by Tom Sorenson

Here's what The Knife says:

This came courtesy of La Provence in Beverly Hills, eager to promote their HUGE HONKING CUPCAKES (Discovered! The bakery treat that frightens small children!) for Valentine's Day in particular. Even for cupcake burnouts like myself, it was impressive: Buttercream icing that tastes like chocolate and butter instead of powdered sugar. And while it's a French bakery, the chocolate cake was moist and crumbly-dense like a class-A Duncan Hines.

As Yumsugar puts it: "If you've ever dreamed of eating cupcakes the size of your face, then you are in luck."

Here's some other cupcake photos from La Provence:



Red velvet



Chocolate chocolate cream cheese



Chocolate cream cheese

And some assorted ones:



This is what they sell by way of regular cupcakes:

1. Velvety chocolate cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting.

2. Real southern buttermilk Red Velvet.

3. Coconut chiffon cake with coconut frosting.

4. Vanilla bean cake with vanilla frosting.

5. Velvety chocolate with chocolate ganache frosting.

Spotlight on: Babushka Bakery

We found Babushka Bakery, part of Garden Delights, on Flickr and are now drooling over their gorgeous cupcakes. Check them out:



Birthday cupcakes



Dark chocolate cupcakes with a surprise center of vanilla pastry cream, dipped in dark chocolate ganache flavored with rum.



Red velvet mini cake



Red Velvet spike up a notch with rum soaking syrup and topped with a fanciful buttercream flower.



Rum marshmallow cupcakes (I sense a theme with the rum!)

Peanut butter chocolate cupcake bliss and blinged-out cupcake t-shirts

I know we've been raving about Kumquat Cupcakery's chocolate peanut butter mini cupcakes, but they're really that good. These went like wildfire last night:



And here's a shot of your cupcake bloggers (L to R: Allison, Nichelle, Rachel) all blinged out with sparkly cupcake t-shirts that Allison picked up from Delaware's Sweet-N-Sassy Cupcakes when she was there in December.

Cupcake blossoms

From Trish Cupcake Momma via Flickr - for a photo shoot for Manja magazine. Hers are consistently gorgeous and creative and she is one of the most prolific cupcake bakers around! Also, she's the top contributor, with 374 photos, to our Cupcakes Take the Cake Flickr pool!

Cupcake interview with Brisbane's Carousels Cupcakes & Coffee

Name: Vandra & Keira (mother & daughter)
Age: 20 something and not telling ;)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Occupation: Cupcake Bakers & business entrepreneurs
URL: www.carouselscupcakes.com.au



How long have you been baking, and what made you decide to open a cupcake-only bakery? How long did the process take from coming up with the idea to opening up your own shop?

We have no professional skills in baking, we have just learnt from our mother/grandmother and had lots and lots of practise.

We had been looking for a great business idea to work on together for a while when someone suggested cupcakes as they had been following the trend over in the U.S, we did some research and wondered why there weren't already any in our town.

The whole process took about 3-4 months from idea to completion.

What makes your cupcakes unique?

We aim to compromise between amazing flavours and decorative detail. We love love love beautiful cupcakes that you see on wedding stands, but we all know they don't always taste so hot, so we strive for a middle ground where they are still really beautiful and cute, but look so yummy to eat you are almost drooling by the time it gets to your mouth!

You say on your site that now Brisbane's cupcake drought is over -- what was the scene like for cupcakes before you came along?

There really was no scene! As the buzz about cupcakes and cupcake themed everything has been hitting the stores like there is no tomorrow, along with cupcake books and cupcake baking tools, there were no actual CUPCAKES! It has started to become popular for wedding cakes (there are a lot of delivery-only cupcake businesses here), but we are generally about 5 years behind the U.S. so we are just starting to catch up now. Other 'major cities in Australia though have a few great stores that we have read about, and we suspect a few more might be opening up here in Brisbane which would be great!

Is there a typical Carousels customer? Do you find that kids and adults treat cupcakes differently, or are they each just as excited about them?

Oh, the adults are just as or even more excited than the kids! The typical Carousels customer is a happy one for sure, people come in for casual get togethers, a gossip catchup in the cosy booths or just a quite coffee and bite to eat before they head off to work.

You offer a mix of traditional flavors and some unusual ones, such as mellow yellow, a banana cupcake with passionfruit icing, a gluten free orange and almond cupcake with white chocolate ganache and chilli chilli bang bang, which you say is "not for the faint hearted," and contains chocolate & chilli topped with tia maria chocolate frosting. How did you come up with the more exotic flavors, and which flavors are most popular so far? Do you plan to add new flavors?

I think we bake what appeals to us, the possibilities of cupcakes are endless so we search high and low or make up our own recipes to suit what we are craving or what we feel we are missing. Some are seasonal such as bananas or mangos, then there are some which are holiday themed, like the Christmas pudding cupcakes.

Because our theme is the 50's sometimes we think of a famous star from back then and figure out how we can accomodate a cupcake to suit their style! We have lots of fun coming up with cupcake names.

We have so many flavours now we can't keep up, we seem to come up with a new one each week, in fact we might have to start making it a weekly special.



One of your flavors is the Ava, a special vanilla cupcake named after Ava Rosemeyer, with 10% of the profits going toward Royal Children's Hospital. Can you tell us more about both the cupcake and Ava herself?

Yes, our special girly & pink cupcake is dedicated to our niece/cousin's 3-year-old daughter Ava Rosemeyer who tragically passed away recently in a terrible accident. We wanted to honour her in some way as she was a very girly little girl who absolutely loved pink and her nickname was the "Super Princess" (aptly given by herself) and we know that if she was still here so would have loved our very pretty shop.

Her mother Sheye Rosemeyer, who is a wonderful children's photographer (and has so many beautiful images of Ava) has been wanting to spread the message about Ava's Rule regarding children and car safety and also to share with everyone how beautiful she was inside and out.

Lots of mums from all over the world read Sheye's blog also have little boys and girls and the ones that can bring them in to the shop just to try an Ava cupcake. She has become something of a legend with these beautiful portraits of her created by Belle & Boo.



Do you have any special events or cupcakes themes/flavors planned for Valentine's Day?

Of course! We love to create specially themed cupcakes. Our next focus however, is Australia Day [January 26] which is only about a week away. We are about to reveal our Australia Day cupcakes for anyone who wants to order some for their festivities.

You've set up your bakery with a 50's style theme and decor, with books and artwork on the tables harkening back to that earlier time. How much of the appeal of cupcakes do you think is a nostalgic throwback, and what about the 50's have you drawn inspiration from?

Oh that's what cupcakes are all about, aren't they? Everything today is so fast paced and there is no service at all, cupcakes are from a time where everything was home baked and there was time and effort put into making things look nice. We pride ourselves on old fashioned service with a smile!



You offer a special children's party package including not just mini cupcakes, but snacks, punch, decorations and games. What's the ideal number of guests at such a party, and what else happens at them? What's the ideal age range for such a party?

Our decor is just perfect for a children’s party! The ideal age for this type of party is probably from 0 up until 7 or 8. After that older kids might like to have a more informal affair minus the games and more of a grown up menu. The ideal number of guests is about 5-10 kids, this makes it a little more intimate for the birthday girl or boy. What else happens depends on the individual, if the parents want us to include something a little different or special, we are happy to accommodate them.

You also do custom cupcakes for special events. How long in advance should someone call to book you for custom catering, and should they know exactly what they want on their cupcakes, or do you brainstorm/work with your clients? What's been the most fun event you've catered so far?

A few weeks is a good timeline but if that can't be done then 3-4 days should be sufficient. They can tell us what they want, or it they have no idea, we can help them come up with some ideas. We are both very creative ladies and love the decorating side of the custom cupcakes so we have some good ideas when it comes to that. The funnest ones to cater for are kids' parties, especially the look on the child’s face when they see how special their birthday cakes are!

I understand that cupcakes are as popular in Australia as they are in the United States. Is there a cupcake tradition in Australia? Do people tend to buy or make them for birthday parties and the like?

It might just be where I'm from in Australia but we tended to call them "Patty Cakes" until this new cupcake trend took over. They are a bit of a staple item at little children's parties and are preferred over full cakes at day care and kindy as nobody needs to cut anything up!!!

As we said earlier, there aren't many places to buy this sort of thing off the shelf, most people tend to make up the packet mixes from the supermarket. We have a lot of people that come in on the day and pick out an assorted 12 for a birthday dinner or just a casual get together with friends.

What are the busiest times of the day or week?

We are still trying to figure that one out! It's been a bit topsy turvy as we opened just before the holidays so we are not quite sure yet what 'normal' is. We still haven't had a chance to do any marketing properly so not many people know we are here besides from word of mouth.

What's the best and worst parts of your job running Carousels Cupcakes?

The best part is making everyone happy with a special cupcake and coffee. We meet the best people and it is a fun environment to work in. The worst part is when we go home we realise just how many more cupcakes we have to make that night and we can work long into the night baking and icing. That is the only downside.



And now for some personal questions…

How often do you eat cupcakes?

We use our husbands and friends to test our cakes. Occasionally we can't resist one at the shop but we thought we would be eating them all of the time but not so. We do love to test the new ones though.

What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?

The fact that they are such a wicked little package. Cake with a fix of sugar, just enough to satisfy that sweet craving.

What's your favorite type of cupcake?

Mine is "The Archie" - a choc orange with jaffas and Vandra's is the Wascilly Wabbit - the carrot cake.

How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?

The fact that they are completely homemade with all natural ingredients and fresh butters and eggs make them special. Often cakes bought at supermarkets have a lot of preservatives etc. in them.

Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?

Just would love to have a lot more paper cup varieties and colours. You seem to have a lot more to chose from in America than we do here in Australia. We have imported a few from there to have the variety. Also maybe a yummier alternative to the hard icing that looks so nice but tastes like plastic!

Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?

Yes, we bake every night. It is a big job but we are getting it down to a fine art now.

What's your first cupcake-related memory?

Vandra's is remembering her mum cooking patty cakes for one of her birthday parties when she was about 7.

What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?

We enjoy making the orders for birthday parties with the little animals etc. on them. They do come to life when added to the cake.

Do you have anything else to add?

Thank you for talking to us! We are thrilled at all the interest in our little shop and hope that everybody who can will get a chance to come in and enjoy it for themselves.

Caramel apple pie cupcakes!

Get the recipe and more at Ooh, You Tasty Little Things...

Well-decorated cupcakes

From Flickr user deheart

Getting ready for Valentine's Day...

Pretty little sprinkle hearts from Flickr user Jemnifur

Cupcakes on book covers: Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms

Another cupcake-themed book cover for Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile, authors of I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. Out from Chronicle Books in April.

Winner of the Dollyday Swarovski crystal cupcake necklace!

I am soooo sorry for the long delay in posting this contest winner (and promise more contests soon!). But I wanted to officially announce the winner of the Dollyday Swarovski crystal cupcake necklace contest is...Anna Conklin!You can get one of your own from Dollyday, who we greatly thank for donating the necklace. Have a cupcake product you want to give away on Cupcakes Take the Cake? Email us with the details!

Holy cow!

I don't know what I could possibly say about this cupcake from Flickr user matuko amini except that I'm not sure I've ever seen that much frosting on a cupcake!

Sugar Hill Cupcakes, Los Angeles

Sugar Hill Cupcakes is yet another entrant in the Los Angeles cupcake frenzy. They don't have a storefront yet but they do catering and have a mobile bakery, and say they are opening a retail location soon. Mostly, they're at the Westwood Village Farmer's Market on Sundays and the Culver City Farmer's Market on Tuesdays.



Here are some of their more interesting flavors:

Nutella (Hazelnut Chocolate) — Dark chocolate and hazelnut cake made with real hazelnut praline, topped with a Nutella-chocolate frosting.

Pistachio — Pistachio cake made with real ground pistachios and topped with creamy vanilla frosting.

Madeleine — The rich-yet-delicate flavor of a classic Madeleine. Almond-y goodness in a cake with a hint of orange and lemon zest, topped with a light vanilla frosting. So French it’s irresistible...absolutely de rigeur.

Green Tea — A green tea-infused vanilla cake made with real matcha green tea powder, topped with vanilla frosting and sprinkled with matcha green tea powder.

Chai — Chai-flavored vanilla cake topped with a vanilla frosting sprinkled with aromatic chai spices.

Honey — Honeybush tea-flavored, honey-sweetened vanilla cake with our signature vanilla frosting.

Chocolate Mint (Grasshopper) — A long-time favorite of refined palettes and wise sensei masters alike...dark chocolate cake topped with a refreshing mint-vanilla frosting.

Here's what blogger Weddingbee had to say about their cupcakes:

The cake is very moist and pretty good - definitely not as flavorful as Sprinkles, but it has more flavor and better texture than Magnolias. I would have to say that they’re pretty delicious, and one good thing about them is that I can eat more than one! Usually with Sprinkles, after eating one I feel like my teeth are rotting because of the sweetness of the icing. The Sugar Hill Cupcake girl did tell me that their icing is not as sweet as Sprinkles, so it’s not an overbearing sweetness which I appreciated.

Cash-filled cupcakes at Fast Money party

Dealbreaker reports on a very interesting cupcake party concept: money hidden inside cupcakes! (see Dealbreaker for a step by step find-the-$5-bill-in-the-cupcake roundup - photos taken by camera phone so a little blurry)

Last night CNBC held a little party for the one year anniversary of "Fast Money." I wouldn't call it the "best" party for a cable show about finance I've ever been to (that would be Mark Haines's last soiree. Theme: nude congo line), but it wasn't the "worst" party for a cable show about finance I've ever been to (that would be Cody Willard's short-lived telephone hotline singles 'party line'). I would peg it as a "very good" party (for a cable show about finance)...

The single greatest part of the evening was the genius dessert gimmick. In the center of every "Fast Money" cupcake was a rolled up five dollar bill (wrapped in plastic). Watching guests lunge for every mini cake they could get their hands on no matter the obstacle (physical or conversational: Melissa Francis nearly got trampled by two asset managers, and Ron Blarney got cut off talking about proxy access by at least four different people), you'd think there were, I don't know, tens in them. Obviously, DealBreaker was not above this sort of animal behavior, which you can see after the jump. The pics were taken on a camera phone and are a bit grainy and classless, but so is shoving money in dessert food and making your guests fight for it, without the promise of at least one cupcake having a 100.

Upper West Side Magnolia Bakery to open this Saturday 1/19

As we posted yesterday, the Upper West Side branch of Magnolia Bakery is slated to open very soon, and, as posted today at Eater and The New York Times, "very soon" does indeed mean this Saturday, January 19th.

More info as we get it, and photos coming soon. I will always associate Magnolia with the little park diagonally across the street, which is one of my favorite outdoor spots to eat cupcakes. Plus it's fun to see so many other people hovering over their cupcake treats and a nice break from the lines and crowdedness of the flagship Magnolia. Now they just need to update their website!

Update: See our exclusive Magnolia Bakery photos here and here.

New cupcake bakery: Mini's Cupcakes in Salt Lake City

Image via Your Heart Out - photos below via Mini's site

Salt Lake City has a new cupcake bakery called Mini's Cupcakes specializing in, yes, mini cupcakes. We were tipped off by the blog Your Heart Out, which says:

The new Mini’s Cupcakes is dainty and feminine and sweet: everything you want your cupcake shop to be. This place serves up lots of fancy shmancy cupcakes, but our favorites are those with basic flavors, like the semi-new Breakfast at Tiffany’s cupcake: Vanilla cupcake with Tiffany blue vanilla frosting, topped with edible gems. It’s as cute as it sounds. And tasty, too.

They also have a a previous post up about Mini's.



Here's what Mini's website has to say:

In 2006 over the Christmas Holiday I was craving a coconut cupcake from my favorite shop. I went on-line to order some, not available, so I called. Much to my disappointment they did not deliver. I called three more shops in NYC and one in San Francisco, all had the same answer, "we do not deliver outside our area."

This made me mad because I really wanted a really good cupcake. I figured that if I wanted an upscale, not from a box sweet treat then others would too. So I started baking. Hundreds of recipes and over 1000 cupcakes later Mini's emerged. In my research, yes I was forced to eat 100's of cupcakes, I found most were way too sweet, had way too much frosting, and were often dry. So, I created what I think, and so do others, to be the best cupcakes. My cupies are not too sweet, very moist, and have an overall balance with the amount of frosting to cake ratio.

Why Mini's?

I like the idea of a "mini" cupcake, not too many calories, not so big you get sick eating it, and small enough that if I want to try two or three flavors, what the heck. And just as important, I drive a Mini Cooper and I love it!

Look for an interview here soon with Mini's Cupcakes!

Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

From Flickr user Tasquah - my favorite flavor combination!

Possible bakery coming to Missouri

"Aides to Rep. Akin contemplate sweet idea," Thehill.com

She has the idea, he has the business plan, and together they could create the city’s next cupcake bakery.

But the woman behind the idea, Kate Mersman, first has to tackle her day job: working for the office of Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), where she recently climbed from legislative aide to legislative assistant.

She says running a bakery that specializes in cupcakes is more than a lofty dream; it is a 15-year plan.

While she and her roommate have a logo already designed — a little cupcake with “Katie and Kate’s cupcakery” beneath it — there is one small hitch.

“We don’t have any recipes yet, but we’ve got some ideas,” said the 25-year-old Mersman, who has worked in the Missouri congressman’s office for almost four years.

Mersman’s possible future partner is her co-worker Gene Diamond, who moved from staff assistant to legislative aide in Akin’s office this month and took on some of Mersman’s policy responsibilities, such as housing and Social Security.

Cupcake Sudoku

Cupcake Sudoku
Originally uploaded by candiedyams.

I love cupcakes! I love SuDoKu! Robert sent me this image of one of the online greeting cards from Objet De Carte.

Big Sugar Bakeshop, Studio City, California

Photo via Big Sugar Bakeshop's site

Big Sugar Bakeshop in Studio City, California, is where the next Los Angeles Cupcake Meetup is being held on Saturday, January 26th at 1 p.m. They offer vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, and daily specials including red velvet, double coconut, hummingbird, chococcino, German chocolate cake, and more). They've also got their own blog. Here are a few photos of their cucakes:

From Flickr user blue439



From Flickr user jleighb - click through for more details from her, but her quick take was the vanilla/vanilla



And here's another shot. Read reviews at Yelp and Chowhound.

Homemade pink cupcake

From reader Doreen, who made this adorable cupcake:

Cupcake interview: Kumquat Cupcakery

We've become big fans of Brooklyn bakery Kumquat Cupcakery and their adorable mini cupcakes, which are perfect for taking a few to visit friends or ordering a bunch for a party. Here founder/owner Keavy McPherson Landreth shares her cupcake-baking secrets...(all images via the Kumquat site - the one below features her about to eat one of her own creations)



Name: Keavy MacPherson Landreth
Age: 25
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Occupation: Freelance Baker and Painter
URL: kumquatcupcakery.blogspot.com

How long have you been baking, and when/why did you decide to start Kumquat Cupcakery? Why'd you pick the name "Kumquat?"

My mother was a baker, so I basically grew up in the kitchen learning about baking and watching her bake the most beautiful desserts.

I started Kumquat Cupcakery about a year after I graduated from Parsons School of Design; I was doing a lot of traditional portraiture, but getting really antsy with it. Since baking has always been my great procrastination tool, as well as a source of comfort for me, I started baking all the time. It got to the point where it was taking up the majority of my free time. I quickly became obsessed with the thought of making cupcakes that weren't the traditional vanilla vanilla, but almost gourmet in their appearance and taste. I started making so many that the transition to minis (which is why I picked the name Kumquat) was ultimately due to the fact that my tiny Brooklyn apartment wasn't big enough to accommodate them all.



You sell your cupcakes at Williamsburg's Artists and Fleas. What's the reaction like there – do you usually sell out? Are people surprised to see you selling cupcakes amidst jewelry, books, and clothing?

People are a little shocked to see me sitting there amongst the jewelry and books, and it takes them a little while to actually come over and try a cupcake, but in the end most people do. People’s initial hesitation towards the cupcakes doesn't seem to have an effect on the sales though, because I usually end up selling out at least 30 minutes before they close.

What makes your cupcakes unique?

Well the obvious reason is that they are mini sized instead of normal sized cupcakes. The second reason would be the amount of different flavors I offer, and I'm constantly working on more to add to the menu. I play with flavors like white chocolate and raspberry, as well as sometimes adding alcohol into the mix to spice things up a bit. I think of cupcakes as mini cakes, and there are so many different delicious types of cakes in the world that I'm not sure why most cupcake companies tend to only stick to chocolate and vanilla.



You not only specialize in cupcakes, but mini cupcakes. Why minis, and what are the advantages and disadvantages for you as a baker to do minis vs. regular size cupcakes?

I do this because I think it's fun for people to get to test out a bunch of different flavors, instead of eating one giant vanilla cupcake, with a mountain of frosting, that leaves you feeling like you just ate a pound of sugar.

What are the main flavors you offer, and do you take flavor suggestions?

Of course I take flavor suggestions; some of my closest friends’ favorite pastime is telling me what types of cupcakes I should make next.

As for flavors, I tend to change the menu depending on what's in season at the moment, i.e. gingerbread around Christmas, and cherries in the summer.

I know you probably won't tell me all your secrets, but your peanut butter frosting is truly divine, and definitely in my top five cupcakes I've ever had. What do you do to get them to taste so good?

Well, the not so big secret as to why people love chocolate and peanuts together is the balance between the salt and the sugar. So when I make the cupcakes I add a little bit more salt to the middle filling, but keep the frosting on top smooth and nicely sugary.

You experiment with different flavors each week at the flea market. Which flavors are most popular, and where do you get ideas for new flavors - are they seasonal? Which are your personal favorites?

I've had great feedback from the flavors that I bring to the flea market, it's often where I'll bring my newest flavor to see how people respond to it. I would have to say though that my best seller is still the red velvet. It always seems to sell out first. Something about that bright red cake gets people so excited.



You do custom cupcakes for parties and events. What areas of New York City do you offer services to, what's your minimum order and how far in advance does someone need to book you?

Right now I'm delivering cupcakes to areas around Manhattan and Brooklyn. My minimum order is 24 cupcakes, and I usually need at least 3 to 4 days notice.

What's been the most fun cupcake event you've catered so far?

I'm going to have to say hands down the Cupcakes Take The Cake anniversary party! I met so many fantastic new people who are all as equally obsessed with cupcakes as I am, and I even won an apron! You can't top that.

How long does it take you to make your weekly cupcakes?

It depends on how many different flavors people order that week. Some days I'll spend only an hour, and others I'll spend a full eight hour shift baking cupcakes.

Do you have any plans to open a storefront?

I would love love love to open a storefront somewhere in Williamsburg. It's where I live and where I started the cupcake business so it just seems right. It might take a while, but I promise that it is somewhere in the near future.

What would your dream cupcake catering job be?

I would love to one day cater my own gallery opening. I'm not sure if the cupcakes would be the art, or would just be there for people to chow down on while looking at the art. Either way it would be delicious.

What's the best and worst thing about running Kumquat Cupcakery?

The best thing would have to be dropping off cupcakes for someone that was unaware they were going to get cupcakes. I've made a couple deliveries to girlfriends with long distant boyfriends, and it's way too cute to see how excited they get.

The worst thing about running Kumquat Cupcakery would be the amount of responsibility it takes. Starting up my own business is really fun, but if something goes wrong the only person that suffers from it is me, so it's quickly forced me to become way more organized than I ever have before.



And now for some personal questions…

How often do you eat cupcakes?

This varies a lot. If I'm making a flavor I've made a hundred times then I do pretty well at not tasting it, but if the cupcake is a newbie I might end up eating four or five of them in the same day. Then of course I love tasting other cupcakes so if I'm walking down the street and I see a new bakery there's no hesitation and going in and buying one.

What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?

mmmm, if it's made right, everything.

What's your favorite type of cupcake?

This is a tricky question for me since I have such a big sweet tooth. Usually my favorite ends up being the most recent cupcake that I've made, but if I had to pick two I would have to go with the Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Mousse Filling, and the Banana Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?

I've just always liked cakes better than any other dessert item, for me the richer the dessert the better. The combination of the creamy frosting and the dense moist cake is just so perfect, and when this combination comes in a bite-sized version that was made just for you, it's love.

Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?

I'm actually working on a couple things that I think will be really fun for the cupcake world, but you'll just have to wait for that.

As for other bakeries, I think I would like to see them put a bit more love and attention into each cupcake instead of just trying to copy Magnolias.

Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?

I'm sure one day I'll be able to hire someone to take my place in the kitchen, but for now it's just me.

What's your first cupcake-related memory?

I believe that would have to be when I was 4 or 5 and I snuck into the kitchen the night before my mom was throwing a party and ate all the pink frosting off of the cupcakes she had just baked.

What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?

hmmm, I'm going to say when I was back in Seattle over the holidays and my little sister convinced me to combined all the leftover batters into one big cupcake. It was not the best cupcake I’ve ever made I'll admit, but playing with food every once in a while can be so much fun.

Do you have anything else to add?

Yes! A shameless plug! Check out the January 31st edition of Time Out New York. Kumquat Cupcakery's box of chocolate cupcakes for Valentine’s Day is going to be featured in it!

Barnyard animal cupcakes

From French Kiss Pastries, via Flickr

Chinese New Year cupcakes

From Love-a-Cupcake (click through for lots more photos) in Penang, Malaysia, via Flickr - this is the Box of Prosperity:

Julia Allison's dog gets a cupcake

In the Vimeo video below, blogger and Star Editor at Large Julia Allison feeds her dog Lilly a cupcake:


Christmas 2007 Part 3

Free cupcake Thursday at The Cupcakery

\
Lance Bass with Hairspray cupcakes from The Cupcakery
(all photos from The Cupcakery's website)

Las Vegas bakery The Cupcakery is opening a second location in Summerlin and giving away cupcakes on Thursday! I'm a little confused because this says "Thursday, January 14" but am assuming they mean January 16th.



The Cupcakery, Las Vegas’ premier cupcake bakery, will celebrate two years of success with cupcakes and the first look at the new Summerlin store on Thursday, January 14. Due to The Cupcakery’s tremendous success a second location was added to accommodate residents on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley, with the new store located at 7175 W. Lake Mead Blvd. at Interstate 95 in the Rock Springs Plaza.

Customers are invited to stop this Thursday into either The Cupcakery bakeries for a complimentary cupcake of choice- including the famous ‘Southern Belle,’ a red velvet cake smothered with cream cheese frosting and red sprinkles. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held to christen the new store at 4:30 pm and attendees can register for a chance to win a dozen specialty cupcakes and a pair of tickets to see George Wallace.

“We are so fortunate to have such great and loyal customers that allow us to celebrate two outstanding years in business,” said Pamela Jenkins, owner of The Cupcakery. “Our fans come from across the Las Vegas valley and a location in the Summerlin area was a perfect fit. The new store is gorgeous and we can’t wait for everybody to see it!”

Violet fondant flowers on chocolate cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache and fondant from Flickr user Janset1

How many candles will fit on a cupcake?

In this case, 18, from Flickr user ansy

"I Spy Cupcake" Art Exhibit tonight in Sarasota, Florida

From This Week in Sarasota - if you go, let us know how it is and take some photos!

January 15, 7 pm - 11 pm

'I Spy Cupcake' Art Exhibit
Cupcakes A Go-Go joins Digital Three Gallery for 'I Spy Cupcake' art exhibit, Saturday, January 12, 2008. Cupcakes A Go-Go is providing cupcakes of the edible variety to gallery visitors. The D3 gallery is known for it's underground art exhibits providing Sarasota with one of kind shows and events. D3 has been working with Derek Raulerson, a graduate from the Ringling College of Art and Design, to create this one of a kind art exhibit. 'We've brought a wide collection of local artists together to exhibit over 30 original pieces of Art'. All art is for sale to help support artists and benefit Sarasota.

D3 is located at 1419 Blvd Of The Arts, off Central Ave. and Blvd. Of The Arts. Parking is on 5th street next to the Olive Oil Company. Follow the well lit path and the D3 gallery is across the street. Saturday's event will be from 7pm till 11pm.
The Exhibit will be open to the public for the following two weeks from 10am till 4pm.

Visitors will be asked to either pay $5.00 or $10.00 upon entering. The $5.00 is a donation to help the homeless and galleries efforts. The $10.00 entry fee is for admittance and all you can drink. We are donating 20% of all proceeds to the Salvation Army to help support the homeless.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:
Digital Three
1419 Blvd Of The Arts
Sarasota Florida 34236
phone: (941) 330-9159 e-mail: digitalthree.com
Kyle Cross

Magnolia Bakery's Upper West Side location opening soon!

photo by Flickr user lorenaperez as part of her Sex and the City Flickr tour set

Events by JES reports that the Upper West Side location of the famed Magnolia Bakery is opening next week! A call from Cupcakes Take the Cake to Magnolia's Bleecker Street location reveals that they just passed their inspection and are opening soon, possibly as soon as this Saturday. The minute we get the details confirmed (they told us to call back later today), we will let you know and will of course be there to cover it!

Update: The official grand opening of the new Magnolia Bakery, located at 200 Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side, will happen on Monday, January 21st. Their normal hours will be 7 am - 11 pm weeknights (though they may not open right at 7 on Monday) and I'm not sure about the opening time on weekends but they will be open until at least midnight on Saturdays. They may be open this Saturday, January 19th, but aren't sure yet. Rigth now they are focused on baking ("we're going to start baking like mad tomorrow morning" said Bobbie), and this location will offer breakfast items like muffins and coffee cake. Expect a sneak preview and full report from us very soon!

Update: See our exclusive Magnolia Bakery photos here and here.

Vanilla butterfuly cupcake

A gorgeous butterfly cupcake from Flickr user black raspberry bakery - a vanilla bean cupcake with white chocolate butterfly

Inside Johnny Cupcakes

The store, not the man, courtesy of Flickr user dannyjones

Boston's Kickass Cupcakes, in phtos

Flickr user Kelly G. recently visited Boston's Kickass Cupcakes and got some wonderful photos:







See also our interview with Kickass Cupcakes

Cupcakes go to college

Okay, not literally, but an interesting article from the Daily Tarheel nonetheless...

Cupcakes led Kelley Gill to enroll in UNC's first artistic entrepreneurship course - BUSI 509.

After baking vegan, gluten-free and special-diet cupcakes for fun, Gill said she realized the demand for these types of desserts in the community.

Before long, she had requests flowing in for custom-designed cupcakes, and she decided to start a business out of it. But her business knowledge was limited.

"I decided 2008 was the year to focus on the business side," Gill said. "I've done a lot with the arts side, but I want to learn more about how to set up a business."

This spring, UNC opened two classes - one for graduate students and one for undergraduates - on artistic entrepreneurship, making it one of the first schools in the country to offer this type of course.

Chocolate raspberry cupcakes

From Flickr user soundless_space

Revenge Of The Cupcake Kid

Last week on ABC's "October Road", there was an episode called "Revenge of The Cupcake Kid" which is about a series of comics about a high school kid who eats cupcakes. You can see it online at ABC.com

There was a motto about the comic that totally fits us here at Cupcakes Take The Cake:

Butter, Sugar, Eggs and Flour,
Frosting, Sprinkles, Superpower!

Rows of cupcakes

From Flickr user sem07 - from Broadway Market in London

Beautiful butterfly cupcakes

From the one and only Kylie Lambert, via Flickr

Cupcake recipes from The Journal Gazette

Fort Wayne, Indiana's The Journal Gazette offers up several cupcake recipes, including basic cupcakes, brownie cupcakes, dried fruit cupcakes, and lemon meringue pie cucpakes, in an article on our favorite dessert:

Cupcakes have been around since at least the 18th century, although they were called “queen” cakes way back then. Often, they were baked in decorative molds, but some simple recipes called for baking them in earthenware cups. Hence, the probable origin of the name. By the 19th century, cupcake recipes were included in all kinds of cookbooks. Some food historians say that, much like the pound cake recipe that included a pound of this and a pound of that, cupcake recipes used a similar cup of this and a cup of that strategy.

Cupcakes used to be classified as “kid food” and served at kids’ parties because they are so easy to make, not so messy to eat and can be served to a ton of kids at once. The traditional cupcake is either vanilla or chocolate batter with a butter cream frosting. But there are tons of variations that could include almost any ingredient you can think of. (Well, almost. Truth to be told, I’ve never seen a recipe for a salami cupcake.)

They also highlight The Goody Tw-Shoes One World Café, about which they say:

Your perfect cupcake: Something as delicious and eco-friendly as you are. Banana nut, dairy-free, wheat-free. Contains free-range eggs, organic flour and organic sugar. Doesn’t mind being called a hippie.

Pink and white curlicues

From Flickr user suzanneduda

Space-themed cupcakes