By Stefanie Wass
When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile.
~Anne Byrn
It's birthday treat time. My daughter, about to turn six, requests cupcakes for her party. "Yellow cake with lots of white frosting," she pleads.
When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile.
~Anne Byrn
It's birthday treat time. My daughter, about to turn six, requests cupcakes for her party. "Yellow cake with lots of white frosting," she pleads.
"Sure!" I agree, thankful she has chosen a simple treat. But my mind is already spinning with ways to make the cupcakes extra special. "Maybe we can add some gummy bears on top," I suggest. "Or even rainbow sprinkles."
Cupcakes have evolved from the plain frosted desserts of my childhood. These days, the little cakes are artistic masterpieces — complete with rose petals, candies, and gooey chocolate centers. Cupcakes have gone gourmet with cupcake bakeries like New York's Magnolia Bakery and L.A.'s Sprinkles Cupcakes drawing rave reviews for their innovative recipes. When Main Street Cupcakes opened in my hometown of Hudson, Ohio, my children were ecstatic.
"I want the one with chocolate chips!"
"Can I have the Oreo cupcake?"
Choosing a red velvet cupcake for myself (red velvet cake smothered in white buttercream frosting), I sat in the bakeshop and marveled at the menu.
"Standard Items" included such flavors as:
Mimosa (moist champagne and orange cake covered in a champagne and orange buttercream)
Pomegranate Punch (pomegranate cake made from fresh juices and a tropical punch buttercream)
Cup of Java (classic chocolate cake mixed with espresso and topped with white buttercream frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with espresso beans)
There were cupcakes for all seasons, too:
"The Beverage Collection" featured summer flavors like Pink Lemonade, Margarita, and Mojito.
"The Fall Collection" offered warm spices like Carrot Cake, Apple Cider, and Banana Nut.
"The Holiday Collection" came complete with Hot Cocoa, Candy Cane, and Eggnog cupcakes.
As I bit into the rich buttercream frosting piled into a tall peak atop my cake, I understood — the cupcake is comfort food, indulgent yet small enough to justify the caloric intake. Decorate it with candy, cookies and nuts, and a gourmet delicacy is born. Cupcakes are making a comeback. My niece, graduating from high school this year, plans to serve mortar board-shaped cupcakes at her party. The online blog "Hello, Cupcake!" posts recipes and contests for "cupcakers." Even children's author Laura Numeroff is into the act. Her book If You Give a Cat a Cupcake tells the tale of a feline who prefers sprinkles to plain frosting.
At $2.50 apiece, gourmet cupcakes are a rare indulgence for my family.
"Maybe we can make our own birthday treats," I suggest to my daughter.
Flipping through Current Cupcakes for Kids, I find the perfect idea for my teddy bear loving little girl. "These are teddy bears having a picnic," I explain, pointing out the graham cracker bears sitting under paper parasols atop green-frosted cupcakes. "I think we can make these for your party."
With the help of Betty Crocker, we bake and frost, tinting white icing a light green for "grass." We add colored sprinkles and paper umbrellas before arranging teddy grahams in various poses under the parasols. The result? Cute, somewhat lopsided desserts that are a delight to create and, of course, eat. The sweetest part? Spending a morning with a six-year-old, spreading frosting, love, and cherished memories.
Cupcake bakeries are certainly trendy, fun, and convenient. But in this fast-paced world, it's nice to occasionally remember the pleasures of home baking.
The cupcake is back, filling me with simple sweetness, bite after decadent bite.
Cupcakes have evolved from the plain frosted desserts of my childhood. These days, the little cakes are artistic masterpieces — complete with rose petals, candies, and gooey chocolate centers. Cupcakes have gone gourmet with cupcake bakeries like New York's Magnolia Bakery and L.A.'s Sprinkles Cupcakes drawing rave reviews for their innovative recipes. When Main Street Cupcakes opened in my hometown of Hudson, Ohio, my children were ecstatic.
"I want the one with chocolate chips!"
"Can I have the Oreo cupcake?"
Choosing a red velvet cupcake for myself (red velvet cake smothered in white buttercream frosting), I sat in the bakeshop and marveled at the menu.
"Standard Items" included such flavors as:
Mimosa (moist champagne and orange cake covered in a champagne and orange buttercream)
Pomegranate Punch (pomegranate cake made from fresh juices and a tropical punch buttercream)
Cup of Java (classic chocolate cake mixed with espresso and topped with white buttercream frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with espresso beans)
There were cupcakes for all seasons, too:
"The Beverage Collection" featured summer flavors like Pink Lemonade, Margarita, and Mojito.
"The Fall Collection" offered warm spices like Carrot Cake, Apple Cider, and Banana Nut.
"The Holiday Collection" came complete with Hot Cocoa, Candy Cane, and Eggnog cupcakes.
As I bit into the rich buttercream frosting piled into a tall peak atop my cake, I understood — the cupcake is comfort food, indulgent yet small enough to justify the caloric intake. Decorate it with candy, cookies and nuts, and a gourmet delicacy is born. Cupcakes are making a comeback. My niece, graduating from high school this year, plans to serve mortar board-shaped cupcakes at her party. The online blog "Hello, Cupcake!" posts recipes and contests for "cupcakers." Even children's author Laura Numeroff is into the act. Her book If You Give a Cat a Cupcake tells the tale of a feline who prefers sprinkles to plain frosting.
At $2.50 apiece, gourmet cupcakes are a rare indulgence for my family.
"Maybe we can make our own birthday treats," I suggest to my daughter.
Flipping through Current Cupcakes for Kids, I find the perfect idea for my teddy bear loving little girl. "These are teddy bears having a picnic," I explain, pointing out the graham cracker bears sitting under paper parasols atop green-frosted cupcakes. "I think we can make these for your party."
With the help of Betty Crocker, we bake and frost, tinting white icing a light green for "grass." We add colored sprinkles and paper umbrellas before arranging teddy grahams in various poses under the parasols. The result? Cute, somewhat lopsided desserts that are a delight to create and, of course, eat. The sweetest part? Spending a morning with a six-year-old, spreading frosting, love, and cherished memories.
Cupcake bakeries are certainly trendy, fun, and convenient. But in this fast-paced world, it's nice to occasionally remember the pleasures of home baking.
The cupcake is back, filling me with simple sweetness, bite after decadent bite.
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