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From ABC-7 in Collier County, Florida.
One Naples woman is on a mission to bring joy to those in need on their birthday this year.
Maria Wassef is visiting homeless shelters like Saint Matthews House and shelters for abused woman.
On every visit she brings cupcakes.
She believes every person should be recognized on the day they were born.
Even though it's a small gesture, she says the impact it has on people's lives is enormous.
I love Twitter, and the internet, and Mad Men. I don't watch all that much TV but I am glued to that show and got all aflutter last week when @cupcakeblog (aka, us) got a DM (direct message) from @BettyDraper. Woo-hoo! Anyone else want to try their hand a Mad Men cupcakes? I personally would love to see Joan and Peggy cupcakes. 'Tis indeed true; ask and ye shall receive!
This is a white cake with Jack Daniels frosting and a candy cigarette with "ashes," aka cookie crumbs, by Cupcakes N Cones of Santa Clara, California (@cupcakesncones on Twitter) who can be reached at:
408-768-3168
cupcakesncones at gmail.com
Most of our cupcake photo Spotlight posts are from posters to our Flickr cupcake photo pool, but sometimes we make an exception when there are especially gorgeous cupcake photos that catch our eye. (To be considered for a Spotlight post, drop us a line with your Flickr URL to cupcaketakethecake at gmail.com - if you're not on Flickr, we highly recommend getting on there, but you can also send your regular URL or submit photos. I'm extremely behind on these posts so cannot guarantee yours will get posted but we do our best.)
That happened when I opened the email from Vanessa, one of the owners of ShiShi. Here's how they describe themselves:
ShiShi is a home-based bakery in Montreal, specializing in signature cupcakes, fairy cakes & miniature desserts. Made with the highest quality ingredients and attention to detail, we also specialize in vegan, diabetic-friendly & gluten/casein free options. A little about us — We are Joanne & Vanessa, collectively with over 40 years experience in baking and cooking, we would like to bring something new to your table!
These are the ways they categorize their cupcakes: basic cupcakes, fruit cupcakes, gluten-free cupcakes, liqueur cupcakes, stuffed cupcakes, vegan cupcakes
What I love about that is that these chocolate and vanilla cupcakes below are their BASIC ones. Hello, basic, sign me up!
These are assorted photos from their site, do explore more (descriptions theirs):
Strawberry shortcake cupcakes - "Strawberries glazed over a delicious strawberry cupcake."
Coconut lime cupcakes
Tiramisu cupcakes
Sesame Street cupcakes
Fleur-de-Sel cupcakes - "These cupcakes combine some classic flavor favorites: sweet and salty caramel, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! Filled with a satin caramel and fleur-de-sel, topped with whipped chocolate ganache, yes — whipped chocolate ganache — a sprinkling of fleur-de-sel and caramel candy for a decorative touch."
Creme brulee cupcakes - "filled with the traditional crème-brûlée custard, and topped with the classic browned caramelized sugar on top."
Sambuca shooter cupcakes - "A delicious anise-flavored liqueur paired with chocolate make these miniature delights the perfect companion to a cup of espresso."
ShiShi
info at shishimontreal.com
514-743-9009
514-777-8214
This pendant is for sale by prettywhimsical on Etsy for $5, here's some more info (via prettywhimsical on Twitter):
Pendant will be sent on a pretty card, in a clear bag~~ready to wear or give as a gift.
♥ Pendants are assembled by me, from repurposed scrabble tiles, silver plated bails and quality papers. They are sealed with a non-toxic sealer and glaze that give the pendant a glass-like shine.
♥ Please do not wear this pendant while swimming, showering or in the rain, as it is not waterproof.
♥ Tiles are rectangular~approx. 3/4" (1.9 cm)
I don't know if I've ever seen an actual hedgehog in my life, but these adorable hedgehog cupcakes by Ladybug Luggage Gourmet Cookies and Cakes, via her blog and Flickr account, are beyond adorable.
This one, of Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog (aww...) won Martha Stewart's cutest cupcake contest for 2009! I'm really digging the eyelashes. For a super large closeup, click here.
It's not posted yet, but you can see the 2008 winners here and 2,172 (!!) contest entries here.
I was browsing at the Strand Bookstore last night - mind you, not something I at all needed to be doing considering the hundreds, possibly thousands of books I own and the countless I want to/am reading right this minute. But anyway, I was there browsing as I tend to do and I already had my selections in hand and wandered by the paperback fiction section and look what I found:
A novel I'd never heard of, Emma's Table, by Philip Galanes.
The most hilarious part is that when I went to look for the cover to blog it, I found two other covers:
(This was, I believe, the hardcover cover.)
Here's part of the description from the author's website:
From the moment Emma Sutton walks into the esteemed Fitzcoopers auction house, the one-time media darling knows exactly what she wants: an exquisite antique dining table. What she doesn’t realize is what she’s finally getting: the chance to set things right.
I'm glad cupcakes, which based on a quick glance, don't factor into the story, made it onto the cover, just because they're fun. Yes, I am a total book cover marketer's dream, because I would, indeed, and did, buy a book simply based on their being cupcakes on the cover!
One of the reviews says it's about a "fictionalized Martha Stewart" so perhaps cupcakes do get mentinoed.
We posted this back in March 2006 but since even I had forgotten seeing it, I figured you might want to check out this Photojojo tutorial on how to make photo cupcakes. They make it sound so easy!
photo by Amit Gupta
I've been looking up Chicago bakeries on Yelp because I'm going there in 2 weeks, and I found Sweet Honeybee Bakery. There are a LOT more photos on their website and I am adding them to my list of bakeries to visit.
I love that they have all these cool-sounding cupcake flavors daily:
banana with chocolate chips cupcake
carrot cupcake with cream cheese icing
champagne cupcake with white chocolate ganache icing
chocolate cupcake with buttercream, chocolate buttercream or
fudge icing
chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache topping
coconut
german chocolate cupcake
lemon cupcake
keylime
mango
oreo
red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing
rocky road
strawberry with chocolate chips cupcake
tiramisu cupcake
yellow cupcake with buttercream, chocolate buttercream or fudge icing
This one is totally not seasonal but too cute to pass up.
Sweet Honeybee Bakery
1918 West Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
773-275-0697
sweethoneybee at mac.com
"Lovely orange cupcakes with hints of star anise, Mediterranean anise, ginger, citrus and vanilla, topped with orange buttercream frosting!"
I owe you a real cupcakes in the news roundup, hopefully will have time for that this weekend along with many overdue cupcake review posts. I'm way behind on the cupcakes but I will catch up.
Just wanted to share that New York cupcake truck (will every city soon have their own? seems that way!) CupcakeStop, which just introduced a tiramisu cupcake to its menu, along with cream cheese brownie and caramel apple, among others, and did a promotion with Joonbug in which it gave away 500 cupcakes, is a finalist in the Vendy Awards, dessert category.
CupcakeStop carrot cupcake photo by @lttlemisscupcake
CupcakeStop CEO Lev Ekster also spoke at the Cool Twitter Conference, reports NYConvergence:
Lev Ekster, the JD-turned-CEO of NY's first mobile cupcake truck Cupcake Stop, talked Twitter at the Cool Twitter Conference in Times Square yesterday, the eighth stop in the conference’s world tour.
Judging from the tweets which we read online about Ekster’s keynote (hashtag #ctc), his Twitter strategy was baked into his company from the get-go. He actually launched his business with the help of a publicist instead of a an ad agency; besides updating his truck’s whereabouts through Twitter, he also actively searches and follows conversations about party planning on the platform to not only find new customers but to build relationships. By offering free samples of Cupcake Stop’s creations to attendees, Ekster probably got some new fans who will now have to follow his business’s tweets (@cupcakestop) and truck for their next cupcake craving.
Watch our interview with Lev Ekster here. Our event intern Melissa Zhang also got a free cupcake from CupcakeStop this week on her birthday (you show proof of your birthday and get a freebie).
Also, Tuesday I'll be posting the September cupcake events calendar, so get your items in ASAP (by Sunday, August 30th) but also, in the meantime, I updated the RSS calendar at right. It's looking like the Chicago Cupcakes Take the Cake meetup will be Sunday, September 13th at Molly's Cupcakes, I'm just finalizing the time (probably something like 11 am or noon), and afterwards we will be heading over to visit our favorite cupcake artist Cakespy at the Renegade Craft Fair.
This interview was done by our events intern, Melissa Zhang.
Amy Scherber, Melissa Zhang, Toy Kim Dupree
Upon first entering the cozy interior of Amy’s Bread, your attention might be drawn to the warm smell of fresh baked goods drifting over from the kitchen or the bountiful display of breads and pastries. If, however, you squeeze between the constant flow of customers and look closely, you’ll find a dedicated shelf section for cupcakes. I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with the head staff over at the original Hell's Kitchen location, to focus not on their famous breads or cakes, but specifically the cupcakes this time.
Name: Toy Kim Dupree
Age: 63
Location: 672 Ninth Ave (between 46th & 47th st.)
Occupation: Executive Pastry Chef , General Manager of Hell’s Kitchen Amy’s Bread
URL: www.amysbread.com
* additional comments by Amy of Amy's Bread and other staff included
How did you get into baking, and how did you come to work at Amy’s Bread?
Toy: I remember my first cookbook from when I was seven years old. It was Fanny Farmer’s Cookbook and I made peanut butter cookies. We actually use a modified version of that same recipe here at Amy’s Bread. As for how I came to be here, I became tired of the computer world and left to go to culinary school. I worked with Amy at a restaurant and learned how to bake bread from her. When she started her own store, I was right there the first day.
What flavors of cupcakes does Amy’s Bread offer? I see that online, it just says “Selection changes daily."
Toy: Yes, we bake our cupcakes fresh so the flavors change often. Currently the flavors are Devil's Food with Chocolate Silk frosting, Devi's Food with Sweet White buttercream (B/W cupcake), Vanilla with Sweet Pink buttercream, Vanilla with Milk Chocolate frosting, & last but not least Red Velvet. We usually make red velvet about 3-4 times a week, and alternate with chocolate or vanilla.
A freshly made Black and White cupcake
What would you say makes Amy’s Bread’s cupcakes unique?
Toy: Often with cupcakes, because they are so small they dry out. It is difficult to make a small moist cake. Our cakes have a tender crumb, and are lighter.
Who came up with the first cupcake recipes, or rather, what was your inspiration?
Toy: The cupcakes are made from our regular cake recipes with slight variations to maintain moisture. The vanilla is usually the same, but we had to go through a lot of cake development to keep the chocolate from drying out.
How do the cupcakes compare with some of the more famous products in the store? Is there a following for the cupcakes like there is for the breads and cakes?
Toy: Oh, sure. We’ve had customers think that we’re “Amy’s Cakes” instead of “Amy’s Bread”! New Yorkers are enamored with cupcakes. When we branched into sweets, it was a natural segue to do cupcakes. It’s all about the kid in you. With regular cake, it’s more about the cake. With cupcakes, it’s about the frosting. The proportions are different.
Amy: We once tried to reduce the frosting because it was affecting packaging, and so many people complained that we had to restore it!
Are there any requests for new cupcakes? Do you make any special cupcakes on the holidays?
Toy: A lot of customers call and ask for other flavors, such as lemon or carrot cake. But there’s just so much that goes into production that we think it’s too much to handle right now. We do put festive colored sprinkles on holiday cupcakes.
Are there any cupcake recipes in your new cookbook, The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread, or it just cakes?
Toy: There is a section at the end of the cake recipes that offers adjustments if you wanted to make it into cupcakes.
Why do you think cupcakes have become so popular in the last few years?
Toy: [laughs] I think people like frosting! Cupcakes are mostly frosting, after all. The extra amount of sugar makes you feel better, so you’re happier maybe.
Kerrie, another staff member: I think that cupcakes are nostalgic. We think of childhood. They’re smaller, so they’re like treats. We can eat them on the go, unlike a huge slide of cake.
Now for some personal questions, Toy. How often do you eat cupcakes?
Toy: I eat them every once in awhile. I primarily eat them when I’m doing quality tests.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
Toy: You know, I’m not really a cake person. I like our red velvet cupcake a lot though. The texture and the balance is just right for me.
How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?
Toy: Let’s just say if you gave me a choice between a pie, a cupcake, and pudding, I’d choose the pie or pudding before it. And I prefer breads over sweets.
That’s curious that you’re the Executive Pastry Chef then. Why is that?
Toy: When Amy’s Bread expanded out of the original Hell’s Kitchen location, we had all this space for new production. We all split up jobs and I kind of became the executive pastry chef by default.
Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?
Amy: I’d change the packaging. I want fabulous packaging that’s not horrible for the environment. They are flimsy or they slide around in the box. The good ones are expensive and we don’t want to pass that cost onto the customers. Right now cupcake packaging is just a nightmare.
What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?
Toy: I love watching kids decorate their own cupcakes. They have so much fun with them. Their faces just light up.
Amy: Yes, my son Harry brought his class here today for a field trip to the bakery. They all decorated their own cupcakes.
Do you have anything else to add?
Amy: Come and buy our cupcakes, and enjoy them! 
I was offered a variety box of the cupcakes flavors that day, pictured above. Going clockwise from the top, we have the Simply Yellow Cupcake with Milk Chocolate icing, a Black and White Cupcake, Devil’s Food with Silk Chocolate frosting, and the cupcake version of the famous Pink Cake. The main appeal of these cupcakes is that they dismiss the bells and whistles of many modern cupcakes and stick to the traditional aspects that make cake (and cupcakes!) such a nostalgic treat. I found a quote from their new cookbook, The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, that I think sums up their philosophy nicely:
"We knew we wanted our cakes to be basic old fashioned layer cakes like the ones our mothers used to make. Simple, but they would have to be delicious."
The cupcakes were indeed, simple and delicious. The buttercream was a purist's dream, and the ratio of frosting to cake was spot on. I have to agree with Amy that the Devil's Food cupcake being "so moist it is like pudding. [They] worked so hard on the recipe and now it's just phenomenal." I was also hoping to try the Red Velvet cupcake but it was not part of the cupcake lineup that day. It simply means I will have to return.
Amidst all of New York's saturation of cupcake bakeries, this bread bakery deserves a visit. Stop by for a slice of bread or any of their other delicious products, but don't forget the cupcakes!
Amy's Bread
Hell's Kitchen Location
672 Ninth Avenue
(Between 46th & 47th Streets)
New York, NY 10036
Telephone: 212-977-2670
amysbread at aol.com
Directions and other branches at Chelsea Market and the West Village can be found here.
More photos can be found in Melissa's Flickr set.
I read this rave review of the Georgetown Cupcake key lime cupcake, which is only available through the end of August, and it made me think about key lime cupcakes, a personal favorite, so I went looking for some photos and found these.
I know here in New York Butter Lane makes a mean key lime cupcake, though it's nowhere near as green as the ones seen here, and I think from the outside hardly even looks like "key lime" but sure tastes like it! What other bakeries make a good key lime cupcake?
by _vina on Flickr - the white part is vanilla pudding and confectioner's sugar! YUM.
by Mistress Cupcake on Flickr:
Citrus Cupcake with
Lime Curd Middle
Topped with Baked Coconut Meringue
by cherryogarcia on Flickr
key lime cupcakes made with fresh limes. topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with graham cracker.
by jslander on Flickr
Coconut key lime cupcakes by nikolina100 on Flickr
Graham cracker crust, key lime cake, key lime cream cheese frosting, crumbled graham cracker by ClaudiaLP on Flickr
And here's the inside of ClaudiaLP's key lime masterpieces:
Cake: white cake flavored and tinted green with sugar-free lime jello mix. Icing: Buttercream with fresh key lime juice. Edges coated with graham cracker crumbs.
By Kathie92 on Flickr
Key lime cupcakes with coconut buttercream; photo by massdistraction on Flickr, cupcakes by Sheela Namakkal of Minneapolis's Miel y Leche
from Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Barbara, photo by *kimmie* on Flickr
And here's a recipe I found at BonAppetit.com - it's by Buttersweet Bakery in Hapeville, Georgia.
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 3/4 cup self-rising flour
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
* 1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
FROSTING
* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
CUPCAKES
* Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
* Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.
FROSTING
* Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.
This just arrived in my American Airlines Advantage miles mailing:
So Chicago is already a huge cupcake city, which I know because I am trying to hit up all the bakeries there over a span of 2+ days in September. Now, thanks to the local blog Live Here Oak Park we've learned about two new exciting Chicago cupcake developments.
As blogger Becca writes:
Cupcakes have invaded every nook and cranny of the city over the last few years, and unfortunately Oak Park has been late to the party. Well, we'll be getting our very own a cupcake joint close by in the very near future with the arrival of the Cupcake Gallery at 5934 W. Lake Street in Chicago.
I'm most intrigued by their flavor listing, which includes caramel and green apple (!!), white chocolate raspberry, apple pie a la mode, honey lavender vanilla, green apple martini and an Arnold Palmer cupcake (lemonade cake with a sweet tea frosting) - and those are their premier flavors, they also have more traditional ones.
You can currently place orders for delivery on their website, and can reach them at 773-822-2377 or via email at service at cupcake-gallery.com.
And as if the owners of The Bleeding Heart Bakery weren't busy enough creating a punk rock cupcake cookbook and doing a reality show and running kid-themed bakery Smash Cake, they're opening a second location!
Here's what Becca wrote about The Bleeding Heart Bakery coming to downtown Oak Park:
The folks at the bakery made their announcement on Twitter (@Bleeding_Heart) a few days ago and since then, I’ve had visions of tasty cupcakes dancing in my head. As a matter of fact, as I’m writing this blog post, I’m enjoying the cupcake topped with the rose petal pictured below and I can tell you it’s deliciously wonderful.
For those of you who haven’t been to their Chicago location, you’ll quickly see The Bleeding Heart isn’t your typical bakery. As a matter of fact, their tagline says it all: Local – sustainable – punk rock pastry. And for a ‘burb, I’d say that Oak Park is pretty punk rock, so they should fit right in. Their bakery at 1955 West Belmont has a fun, funky feel that I hope they bring with them to the new shop.
This is an oldie but goodie photo by The Bleeding Heart Bakery on Flickr of a sangria cupcake!
vanilla cupcake w/ sangria syrup swirl, orange zest,red wine butter cream, grapes, apple chip, vegan
The Bleeding Heart Bakery
1955 W. Belmont ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60657
773-327-6934
info at thebleedingheartbakery.com
Even diet cupcakes can be good for you, relatively speaking...
Even when you're trying to eat sensibly, sites like Weight Watchers.com offer terrific cupcake recipes that help you stay on track
I found Mina's Cupcake Art on Twitter. She's an Etsy seller and makes, yes, cupcake art! And for a few more days (until the end of August), she's even offering free shipping. I like the "Just Because" cupcake postcard, because indeed, who needs and excuse for a cupcake?
Her postcards are $5 or $6 and each is a hand-painted watercolor postcard. It would totally brighten someone's day to get one of these (hint, hint). :)
Here's a few samples culled from her blog, all artwork available for sale on Etsy.
From a series of fairy cupcakes:
