New at Batch: Mocha Caramel cupcakes

True confession: This is my third visit to Batch in NYC's West Village
in one week. Taste report TK but I can tell you that their Lemon Yuzu
Lemon cupcake is my new favorite go to comfort food cupcake. It's a
perfect mixture of tart and sweet and I can't get enough. I must give
a special shoutout to chef/owner Pichet Ong who is one of the nicest
people in the cupcake business, not to mention most hardworking. I
live that Batch is continually updating their offerings. New Yorkets
and visitors should put Batch on your must try lists.

Parklife outdoes itself with its glamourous cupcakes

These cupcakes by Parklife Cakery in the UK via Flickr are just dripping in cupcake beauty. (Yes, I'm a sucker for glitter.)







And even though I could never eat this many, seeing row upon row of pretty cupcakes lined up like this always puts a smile on my face:

Crumbs.com relaunches and Crumbs now ships their cupcakes

Crumbs Bakeshop, the primarily cupcake bakery that started in New York and has since expanded across the country, just relaunched their website Crumbs.com. Snapshots from the site, which now features news clippings, a cupcake of the week, and photos of all their cupcake offerings, plus maps of the East and West coasts with markings where Crumbs are located.





They've also joined the list of bakeries that ship their cupcakes to the contiguous 48 U.S. states. See this section of their site for details. Yesterday I got a delivery of 12 mini cupcakes and 6 of their large cupcakes. The large ones got a bit jostled, which could have been me getting them out of the box; the minis were perfectly intact. All had flags to help keep them in place, but not to identify which cupcakes were which.

I personally prefer their minis because I think they are a perfect size for a cupcake and would much rather get an assortment than just one or two super-huge ones, especially if I don't know what flavors people like. I shared my cupcakes and got mixed reviews, and everyone had a different favorite. Here's some photos of the cupcakes. I especially liked the cookie dough, and I even liked the carrot cake, and that's not normally my favorite. I liked the vanilla filling in the Hostess cupcake, and find Crumbs' chocolate cake preferable to their other cakes.





The cookie dough mini had chocolate inside:



Another reason to love mini cupcakes: they can pose!

Say hello to Mr. Cupcakes and his cupcake cakes

As I just posted about, Mr. Cupcakes is a cupcake bakery in Clifton, New Jersey. They specialize in cupcake cakes! Yes, they are made from cupcakes, even if some of them you can't tell from the top. I love the way cupcake cakes serve double duty and give the best of both worlds: a fun party cake and individual cupcakes for all!

Check out some of them below. The next time I'm in NJ, I plan to visit. These photos are all from Marisa at Mr. Cupcakes on Flickr. Thanks, Marisa!


Hannah Montana guitar cupcake cake


globe cupcake cake


Thomas the Train cupcake cake


Ghostbusters cupcake cake


Redbird at Rockefeller Center book cover cupcake cake


Jonas Brothers guitar cupcake cake
And this isn't a cake, but cupcakes with Chinese symbols (anyone know what they say?):



And last but certainly not least...a cupcake-shaped cupcake cake!



For those who just can't get enough of cupcake cakes, see this Flickr pool all about cupcake cakes.

Mr. Cupcakes
1216 Van Houten Ave.
Clifton, NJ 07013
973-859-0180
info at mrcupcakes.com

M&M cupcakes

I'm going to be posting more about the lovely store in Clifton, New Jersey (go Jersey! I'm from Teaneck myself) Mr. Cupcakes soon but wanted to share these M&M cupcakes from Mr. Cupcakes' staffer Marissa via Flickr because they are absolutely adorable.

Cupcake camera cake

by Flickr user CakewalkBU3 who writes:

The request was for a black & white effect with Canon EOS40D on it.

Camera was done using the frozen buttercream transfer method.

Cupcake was double choc with choc chips, 50 pcs.

Side view:

Valentine's Day prettiness in cupcake form

I'm thinking this is homemade, but not sure:



A lovely Valentine's Day celebration with/for a loved one. Image courtesy photographer Mags.

Cornflake Cupcakes!

The breakfast of, if not champions, then well, contenders, I would think. Yes, the breakfast of contenders:



(I coulda been a contender...)

Photo courtesy foodistablog, recipe link here.

Pickle and ice cream cupcakes!

Out of all the very weird cupcake concoctions we've blogged about over the years, I think this one from Cupcake Project (via Unique Daily) truly takes the cake!

Cupcake Project bloggers Stef is pregnant (congratulations!) and due August 8th, and writes about these highly unusual cupcakes:

Shockingly, I really liked the pickle and ice cream cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves tasted like a pickle in cake form. The prominent flavor was definitely dill and they were somewhat eggy like a dill quiche - not very sweet. If you like dill and you like pickles or you have a pregnant woman in your life who has a good sense of humor, you might consider making these cupcakes.

But, my favorite part of eating these cupcakes was actually dipping the pickle in the ice cream and sucking it off. I couldn't believe that I liked that combination of flavors. Weird! Do pregnant women like pickles and ice cream because they are phallic? Do I realize that my grandma reads this?

A reminder about Kelly Ripa's Virtual Cupcakes!

From our Kelly contact:

"I wanted to remind you and your readers that Kelly Ripa’s Virtual Bakesale is coming to an end this Saturday! There are still a few days (so still plenty of time) to create and send your Virtual Cupcake to friends and family. Remember, for every virtual cupcake sent in February, Electrolux will donate a $1 to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). Along with sending a virtual cupcake, Electrolux is selling “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve” T-shirts, designed by Kelly Ripa, on its Website. For each T-shirt sold, 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the OCRF to support research to find a cure.

Visit the Virtual Bake Sale and purchase your T-shirt here."

This means you have until tomorrow to get your free Virtual Cupcake, buy a T-shirt, and help support the OCRF. We here at Cupcakes Take the Cake would love to see your virtual cupcakes people!

Torontoist Birthday Bash Cupcake Bake-Off

original photo by whoaa buddy

From Torontoist:

We want you to create a cupcake that says "Toronto"—to you. (And by "says," we simply mean that we want your cupcake to somehow channel the essence, or an aspect of, "Toronto.") And then we want you to send us one (just one!) photograph of your finished creation by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday March 4, 2009. On the eve of March 6, Toronto's 175th birthday, we'll have judged your submissions—they'll be voted on by Torontoist staffers—and we'll be ready to announce the winners (and post as many cupcake photos as possible)...

We want your submission to be: a) original (writing "T.O." in pink frosting is nice, but...); b) pleasing—or at least intriguing—to the eye; c) as tied to the "Toronto" theme as possible; and d) obviously, we want you to make and decorate these cupcakes yourselves (no bakery sub-ins, puh-lease). Also, please note that by sending us your submission, you're giving us permission to publish your name, your cupcake photo, and accompanying blurb.

See Torontoist for entry details, and good luck! May the best cupcake win.

Camper van cupcakes

These are from London's Crumbs and Doilies via Flickr

All about the cupcake wrapper

These photos are from the Flickr account of Couture Cupcakes (aka The Blushing Bakeshop), which is based in Maryland and sells their cupcakes via custom order and mail order, also sells their cupcake wrappers under the name The Blushing Bakeshop (the wrappers sell for $1.75 each).










(I know Christmas is long past, but these are beautiful)

The Blushing Bakeshop
301-926-7333
bake at theblushingbakeshop.com

Free cocktail cupcakes every Friday at More Cupcakes in Chicago

I saw a Tweet today about this, and just got confirmation from Chicago Reader:

Gold Coast cupcake shop More is breaking into the happy hour market with its new cocktail-themed cupcake giveaway on Fridays. Walk in between 5 and 7 PM every Friday to score margarita, piña colada, Cuba libre, mojito, and champagne cupcakes. And those who need their end-of-the-week booze fix needn't fear: there's alcoholic icing on all of the cupcakes. While there's "no strict limit" on the number of cupcakes per customer, the bakery does reserve the right to cut you off if you've had too many.

Beautiful butterfly lemon curd cupcake

This cupcake beauty is from New Zealand's 4 Goodness Cake!, via Flickr, where she writes:

Little sponge cupcakes filled with the most delicious lemon curd, whipped cream & topped with 'butterfly wings' and a dollop of jam.

Ina Garten Lemon Curd (Food Network)

Ingredients
3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

Assault on Cupcake Hill

I'm often tempted to have a sniper guard my cupcakes, so why not? Maybe it runs in the family? True story: my father once stabbed me with a fork in the back of the hand as I tried to cadge a bit of his cake. So you see? Sometimes cupcake protection is mandatory.




This fantastic shot is from Vermin Inc.

Don't be a hater...

I feel that someone probably blogged this before me, but this is the first time I'm seeing this, so maybe it's your first time too!



And you love it, right?
Don't be a hater, eat a cupcake. <==Perfect.

Tee shirt from The Shoppe in Denver, Colorado; image from neko 4343.

Diet Coke and Nutella-frosted cupcakes?

Diet Coke and Nutella-frosted cupcakes? A bit unusual, but so what? I'd snarf one.

"1 box yellow cake mix
1 can of Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper
1 tsp Nutella per cupcake
Swirl nutella with a toothpick and bake according to the box's directions.

Result...Amazing! "

Not sure if Diet Coke or Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper was used though. Maybe the photographer will let us know?

Image and info courtesy Tamie Snow *Roxycraft* -- thank you!

Isn't it always cupcake o'clock?

I had a meeting with someone the other night, and I tend to always suggest cupcake bakeries to meet at, because they're so cheerful, and you always endear yourself to people by buying them a cupcake. We met at Butter Lane in the East Village (NYC).

The sign outside said:



And then I got a special treat: the Elvis cupcake! Not officially on the menu, but they will make it for you. It's banana cake with peanut butter frosting and two mini marshmallows on top. Absolutely delicious. That banana cake rocks on its own, or with the cream cheese frosting.

Glamour blogger says cupcakes are evil

And here we are after a fashion week which featured cupcakes at several shows, and it's time for another round of Cupcake Hate, this time from Glamour Vitamin G blogger Sarah Jio, who writes that while she cupcakes are her weakness and I think I could have one every afternoon of my life," they are also "evil" because they can help a girl pack on the pounds.

Given that I know we have plenty of readers who are also weight/health-conscious, what do you think? I say: moderation. You don't have to eat a whole cupcake. Eat a little frosting, a little cake, a few bites; share! Mini cupcakes. There are so many ways to indulge without going wild. Below are Jio's cupcake avoidance steps. What do you think?

Here's my five-step plan for cupcake avoidance:

1. Look at the frosting, now imagine all that ooey gooey creamy goop injected into your thighs or belly--because that's where it's going!
2. Would you want to look like a cupcake? Didn't think so. One Vitamin G reader uses this trick: She avoids foods that she wouldn't want to look like (imagine a greasy pizza).
3. As soon as you start craving a cupcake, eat a piece of fruit instead. Do it fast, before you brain convinces you that you need the cupcake. Wait 15 minutes and the craving will most likely fade. (You could also drink tea, too.)
4. In a pinch, turn to a bran or carrot muffin instead--at least you'll be getting some healthy fiber and whole grains.
5. Still want one? OK have one. But go to the bakery with a pal and make her promise that she won't let you have more than one.

Cupcakes so pretty they almost look fake

These seriously look like they're made of...I don't know what, but something not edible, don't you think?

And yet they are!

They're all from Candy Cakes in the UK, which does custom cupcakes and ships them within London. You can add them on Facebook and who are also on Flickr.





Here's how Candy Cakes describes their business:

Candy Cakes was established in 2006 with the express intention of bringing innovation to the cake world. By combining the freshest flavours to the best of cake design the Candy Cakes muffin style range was born. Their combinations are always intriguing, mixing vibrant colours with exotic candy toppings, some just should not work but they do!

Candy Cakes cater for a range of tastes favourites including Spider Lovin, Strawberry Sundae, Techno Mouse, Alphabet City and the Chocolate Flyer. The flamboyant names reflecting the nature of the cakes. We take care to ensure that each individual Candy Cake is made from natural ingredients - with no artificial colourings, preservatives or additives used in the manufacturing process.



Their publicist had sent us the above photos, but then I found these ones below on Flickr, and I just couldn't resist. The season has passed but these are so adorable, and again, look like children's toys or something, rather than cupcakes (I mean that in the best possible way).







Candy Cakes
Tel: +44((0) 207 631 5041
Fax: +44((0) 207 631 5112
email: admin at candycakes.eu

Celebrity Apprentice cupcake episode this Sunday, a preview

From BuddyTV, a preview of the cupcake episode on the new season of Celebrity Apprentice. Go there for many more clips.

Spongebob Squarepants cupcakes!

Sorry for the lack of posts from me yesterday; I lost my glasses and then spent the day getting my eyes checked and dilated and buying new ones. Now I can see! And blog!

These adorable and oh-so-happy Spongebob Squarepants cupcakes are from Flickr user pink_apron

Periodic Table of Cupcakes

Science nerds rejoice!

Well, not exactly, but thanks to reader Lara, we see that Women's Day magazine has an adorable Periodic Table of Cupcake Elements online now. (It reminds me a bit of this post.)


Each element takes you to its corresponding recipe. Thanks, Lara, and thank you, Women's Day magazine!

birthday cupcakes, minus one

I have done this more times than I care to admit. Here, I made you a dozen cupcakes only I ate one on the way over...




Still, who turns away a woman with eleven cupcakes?

Thanks to photographer Flukeshot for this image.