Swirly Girls Gourmet Bakery

The newest cupcakery, Swirly Girls Gourmet Bakery, can be found at Daybreak on Soda Row. They make gourmet cupcakes, cake bite truffles, and lots of other fancy desserts and pastries. My Mom and I went and checked it out ("stalked it" as we call it) the day before their grand opening and to our surprise they were having a soft opening. I have to mention how cute this place is decorated. They have cute little tables and even a tiny table for the kiddies.

I got a red velvet cupcake and a cake bite truffle. Did I mention all of their cupcakes are filled? Well, they are. You'll have to take a drive to Daybreak and check it out. You can also find them on facebook.

Poundcake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This week I made poundcake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They turned out beautiful and the frosting was really good.

Poundcake bakes more like a muffin than a cupcake so they are a little harder to frost.

Here is a very easy and basic cream cheese frosting recipe:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powered sugar

Mix the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together until blended. Add powered sugar slowly until smooth.

Cream cheese frosting is great on cupcake flavors like spice or chocolate. It is also really good on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Cupcake Chic

My Mom and I discovered a new cupcake store over the weekend in Orem, UT called Cupcake Chic. The owners were inspired to start baking after visiting the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York City. In the summer of 2007 the decided to start baking cupcakes and opened their first store this past weekend. Cupcake Chic makes all of their cupcakes with the freshest and finest ingredients and they are delicious. They have a ton of fun flavors including orange cream, strawberry chocolate, banana, neapolitian, and even carrot ginger. They also have fun seasonal flavors like peppermint and pumpkin.

We loved their cupcakes and their customer service and will definitely visit again!

cup.cake chic

function: to satisfy

Located at: 727 East 1000 South in Orem, UT

http://www.cupcakechicutah.com

Big News

Big News! Mini's Cupcakes have a cookbook coming out! YAY! If you have never had a Mini's Cupcake you should head over to one of their two Salt Lake locations. They are mini cupcakes which which means you can eat more, right? Right. They are also made with the freshest and finest ingredients - which makes them delish! The book is set to be released in March 2011. You can preorder it on Amazon.com right now by clicking here.

Also, my favorite little cakebites from The Sweet Tooth Fairy are going to make an appearance on QVC on February 7.

Way to go Utah cupcakes!

Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes

Sprinkles Cupcake is my favorite cupcake shop. Unfortunately I don't live close to one. They have about ten locations across the United States with more coming... but I still think a location in Salt Lake is a long way away. Lucky for us we have Williams Sonoma which sells Sprinkles Cupcake mixes. For $14 you can bake your very own Sprinkles Cupcakes at home. They have a lot of different flavors including chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, and more. You even get a package of their signature buttons to put on the top. I found a can of the red velvet mix in my Christmas stocking this year and they were delish!

Don't forget to watch the founder of Sprinkles Cupcake, Candace Nelson, judge on Cupcake Wars (Tuesdays on the Food Network).

I Heart The Sweet Tooth Fairy

The Sweet Tooth Fairy sells my favorite cupcakes in the Salt Lake Valley. It doesn't even matter which flavor because they are all amazing. The cake is so moist and the frosting is so thick and delicious. From my favorite flavor, pumpkin chocolate chip, to my husband's favorite, Sweet Potato Pie, they have a favorite for everyone. They don't only sell cupcakes; they have cakes, cookies, brownies, and other sweet treats.  

The picture above are of their cakebites and they will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. They are tiny bites of cake dipped in chocolate and they are divine! I am truly addicted. 

The Sweet Tooth Fairy now has several Salt Lake locations. Check out their website, friend them on facebook, and go by and pick up one of the best cupcakes you'll ever taste.

Chocolate Cupcakes With Yummy Buttercream Icing

Over the weekend I made Chocolate Sour Cream cupcakes with blue Buttercream frosting. The cupcakes were so rich and delicious. The chocolate in the cupcakes was real dark chocolate melted in a double broiler which made these cupcakes even more chocolatey and amazing.

The buttercream frosting is one of my favorites and it's so easy to make.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup Butter (room temperature)

2 Tbsp. Milk

1 Tbsp. Vanilla

3 cups Powdered Sugar

In a mixer, beat butter for 1 minute, gradually adding milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix for 3 minutes until frosting is smooth.

Cupcakes On TV

It seems like everywhere we look these days there is something cupcake. A new cute cupcake store opening, fabrics covered in cupcakes, cupcake bandaids, lipgloss, and even cupcake floss. Well now there are even two shows on TV all about cupcakes - Cupcake Wars and DC Cupcakes.

Cupcake Wars is cupcake vs. cupcake. Food Network is trying to find the best cupcake baker in the country. The winner will get a sweet prize - $10,000.

Katherine and Sophie - DC Cupcakes

DC Cupcakes is a reality show about the two sisters, Sophie and Katherine, that started Georgetown Cupcake in Washington, DC. I have actually had part of one of these cupcakes and they are fabulous! They sell 5,000 cupcakes a day and usually have a 45 minute wait just to get in to the store. You can find DC Cupcakes on TLC.