Make Lemon Cupcakes

Cupcakes Are Happiness

Cupcakes Made "Oprah's Favorite Things 2011" List

I absolutely love Oprah's Favorite Things list that she puts together each year. This year was no exception, even though I am sad I didn't get to watch her give it all away on TV. She has a lot of fabulous things on the 2011 list that also includes two cupcake items, check them out: 

Baked by Melissa "In Chocolate" Miniature Cupcakes

www.bakedbymelissa.com

$25 for a box of eight

Oprah says "A perfect hostess gift, these miniature cupcakes come in flavors like Cinnamon and Cookie Dough. They're also - ingeniously - doused in chocolate." 

Feeling Smitten Cupcake Bath Bombs

www.feelingsmitten.com

$10.50 ($8 if you use the code OPRAH)

Oprah says "I love these calorie-free bath bombs, which come in scents like Mellow Mimosa and Mint Condition and fizz with essential oils and Dead Sea salt when you drop them in the tub."

You can find the complete list in O Magazine and online. While you're online, don't forget to enter to be one of twelve lucky winners that will win all of her 2011 Favorite Things.

I Pin Cupcakes

Picture and recipe for Lime Cupcakes from Whisk Kid

I pin, do you? I have no idea what I did with my spare time before I discovered Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard were I can collect all the beautiful, fun, creative, and delicious things I find on the web. In the past I would print, save, or bookmark cupcake recipes and now I have one place to keep all of my favorites.

On Pinterest you can browse through pins created by other people or you can create your own. If you browse through the millions of pins already on Pinterest you can discover new ideas and be inspired to try new things. Pins are pictures (or quotes) and if there is a how-to or recipe just click on the picture to get the web address. You can create categories for all of your pins. I have 16 different categories, including; things I want to make, places I want to go, things I love, styles I love, ideas for my little one, cupcakes (of course), and more.

There are so many cupcake recipes on Pinterest. So, if you are looking for beautiful photos along with delicious cupcake recipes, Pinterest is the place to find them and keep them organized.

You can follow my cupcakes and cake pops pinboard (and my other boards that interest you), here. Happy Pinning!

The History Of Cupcakes

Click on picture to enlarge (this will open a new window - click again to zoom)

These fun facts are brought to you by All Culinary Schools. Are you are interested in starting your own cupcake business? You can learn more about baking school, here.

The Cakery Fakery

Don't the cupcakes in this post look good enough to eat? Well, don't do it. They aren't edible. They are adorable cupcake creations by The Cakery Fakery. The creator of these faux cupcakes calls them "cupfakes." She stated that she is a terrible baker so when she feels like making cupcakes, she goes to Home Depot instead of the supermarket for her ingredients. They are all fun, without the fat. 

The are the actual size of a cupcake but are heavy enough to be a paperweight. They would make a "sweet" desk accessory. The Cakery Fakery sells them online and has a lot of choose from. You can find their Etsy site, here. Also, you can find their blog, here, or follow them on facebook, here. 

Something else that is pretty sweet, The Cakery Fakery donates 10% of all sales to the St. Judes Children's Research Hospital. I love that!

Scentsy Cupcake

The Scentsy warmer of the month (July) is a cupcake. As soon as I heard I called my good friend, and Scentsy consultant, and ordered one. It is a mid-size warmer and very cute. Also, Scentsy's fragrance of the month is Happy Birthday (fragrant wax squares you melt in your warmer). I love having a Scentsy warmer on all the time, it makes my house smell so good.

Scentsy is a company that sells wickless candles, ceramic warmers, and other fragrant products. To purchase Scentsy products you need to go through a Scentsy consultant.

Cupcakes For Baby Girls

Just about every where you shop for baby you can find something with a cupcake on it. I just wanted to share a few of my personal favorites. (I apologize I don't have anything for baby boys. Cupcake baby products are just not very manly.)

The cupcake nursery clock and crib set are by Trend Lab. They also carry burp rags, blankets, bibs, and more. I have the burp rags and bibs for my baby and they are my favorite - and not just because they have cupcakes on them. You can also find some of the cupcake Trend Lab products on Target.com.

Boppy sells a cupcake nursing pillow cover. I found mine at Babies R Us.

The Children's Place has really cute clothes for both babies and little girls with cupcakes on them. I just love The Children's Place because the quality is really good and they're really affordable.

My very favorite baby blankets are by Aden + Anais. The are a 100% natural cotton muslin and they are so soft. I absolutely love them. This collection is called "Baby Cakes Swaddle" and as you can see the first one has cupcakes on it. I bought them at a cute children's boutique called Oopsie Daisy, but they are available other places and online. 

 

Cupcake Wine

Cupcake Vineyards, located in Monterey County, California, have been making wine since 2008. As stated on their website, the wine label gets its name from the rich flavors in each of their wines - the tropical notes in their Chardonnay, the deep cherry aromas of their Merlot, the fresh berry notes in their Cabernet Sauvignon, and the lemon/key lime flavors in their Sauvignon Blanc.

I have found a couple of the Cupcake Vineyard wines in the Wine Store in Salt Lake City. If you can't find them locally and are unable to visit Monterey County anytime soon, then you can possibly order them online by clicking here.

They also have recipes on their website for gourmet cupcakes like Chocolate Blueberry Cupcakes and Lemon Rosemary Cupcakes along with the wine that pairs perfectly with each.

Cheers!

Update (9/30/2011) - Cupcake Vineyards now has Cupcake Vodka. Flavors include; Original, Chiffon, Frosting, and Devils Food. Click here to learn more.

Cute Cupcake Aprons

For some reason baking cupcakes in a cute apron makes it so much more fun. I love girly, frilly aprons with bows, ruffles, and pockets. Not only are they cute, but they protect your clothes too. They are so functional.

Here are some fun cupcake aprons I found that you can purchase online: 

Frosted Cupcake Apron from Cupcake Swirl. It's so cute!

Baker's Delight Apron from Anthropoloigie. Love Anthro! This apron also made an appearance in Sex and the City 2.

DC Cupcakes Flavors Apron from TLC. If you love Georgetown Cupcake and their TV show, DC Cupcakes, this apron is for you.

Cupcake Toothpaste

Sounds interesting, right? They also make cupcake flavored dental floss. Click here to check out all the cupcake stuff Archie McPhee sells.

Just a side note - they sell Bacon Toothpaste and Pickle Toothpaste too. Doesn't sound as good as cupcake toothpaste, does it?

Cupcakes From Top To 'Bottom'

This adorable kids Cupcake Beanie is available to purchase from Dylan's Candy Bar. If you have never heard of Dylan's you should check out her website. Dylan, the daughter of Ralph Lauren, loves candy. She opened her dream candy 'bar' in New York and it is adorable. They carry every kind of candy a kid (or big kid at heart) could possibly want. Plus, they carry cute stuff like this cupcake beanie.

Also, check out the super cute cupcake undies from Victoria's Secret, here.

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.