Kara's Cupcakes and Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar

For one of our family trips this year we traveled to Northern California. We drove to San Francisco and spent a couple of days, then headed north up the coast to Eureka and toured Redwood National Forest, and then we went to Napa to spend the last couple of days. It was such an amazing trip. During our travels I was lucky enough to visit two cupcakeries that have both made appearances on Cupcake Wars - Kara's Cupcakes and Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar. 

First cupcake stop - Kara's Cupcakes. They have six locations in California with two of those locations in the heart of San Francisco. We went to the Marina location (inside of store shown above). It was a small store with a beautiful display of cupcakes. I was so excited to try them because I had heard so many good things about them. To put it simply, they were delicious. Very moist cake, rich flavors, and perfect frosting. My favorite was the Raspberry Dazzle. I will definitely visit again.

 Kara's Cupcakes

Second cupcake stop - Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar. They were winners on Cupcake Wars and ever since their appearance I have been excited to visit.  They are located in the heart of the wine country (Napa Valley). Again, the cupcakes did not disappoint. They were delicious. Especially the Almond Cupcake with Blueberry Tequila Filling (click for recipe). The Acai Berry Cream Cheese frosting was one of the best tasting frostings I have ever had. I seriously could eat it out of a bowl with a spoon. Also, when I bought the cupcake I didn't really know (or remember) that the center was a tequila filling. I bit into the cupcake and it was definitely the taste of tequila. It just caught me a little off guard and actually made me feel a little warm inside - like how you feel after taking a shot. I will definitely want to visit them again as well.

If you would like other recipes from Sift on Cupcake Wars, click here.

Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar

Georgetown Cupcake on Dr. Oz

Photo from www.doctoroz.com

Did you happen to catch Katherine and Sophie from Georgetown Cupcake on Dr. Oz? They shared their recipe for Georgetown Cupcake 50-Calorie Mini Carrot Cupcakes (click for the recipe). They are delicious and healthy mini cupcakes with a low-fat cream cheese frosting. Also, the DC Cupcake sisters announced that you can enter in a contest on Dr. Oz's website to win a trip to Washington DC for a personal baking lesson with them. To enter, click here.

For another healthy cupcake recipe by Georgetown Cupcake, click here.

My Favorite Tips From Cupcake Reality Shows

Over the years I have learned some great tips from cupcake reality shows that have completely improved my own cupcake baking. I am not a gourmet baker at all, but I am good at following recipes and I know that making the smallest adjustment can make my cupcakes turn out even better.

I am going to share a few of the tips I have learned. They are simple things that will make your cupcakes even more amazing.

Tip from: Cupcake Wars

Add espresso to your chocolate cupcake batter to give it a more intense chocolate flavor. You can add a couple of tablespoons of liquid espresso up to 1/2 cup. Since all recipes are different you may need to taste your batter and adjust the amount you use.

Tip from: The Cupcake Girls

Make sure all of the ingredients that go into your cupcakes and frosting are at room temperature. This one made a huge difference in my own baking. My cupcakes turned out more fluffy and more consistent. Eggs, milk, butter, cream cheese, and other cold ingredients should all be at room temperature before mixing and baking. Not only does it make everything easier to blend, it will make your cupcakes more light and fluffy.

Tip from: DC Cupcakes

The girls on DC Cupcakes suggest using Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. This is the king of all vanillas and is perfect for all types of baking. It's a rich and creamy vanilla and will make a big difference in your cupcakes flavor. I like the madagascar bourbon vanilla by Nielsen-Massey Vanilla. You can find this brand in fine grocery stores, culinary supply stores, or at Williams-Sonoma.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also sells vanilla bean paste, whole vanilla beans, vanilla sugar, and other cooking vanillas (shown below: Mexican, Madagascar Bourbon, and Tahitian). They also carry hard-to-find extracts like rose water, orange blossom, and more.

I hope these simple tips help you as much as they helped me. Happy cupcake baking!

Cupcake Wars Top Recipes

Picture from Food Network

Do you love Cupcake Wars and you want to get your hands on the recipes from the show? Cupcake Wars has the Top 70 Cupcake Wars Recipes posted on their website. Now you can make delicious cupcakes like Mint Chocolate Chip and Fresh Mint Buttercream, Pretty in Pink Strawberry Champagne, and Pumpkin Spice with Brown Butter Buttercream.

If you want to narrow your search, you can find the winning recipes from season three, here, season two, here, and season one, here.