Bake It Pretty

I geeked out for about an hour over baking supplies on Etsy the other night. I couldn't get these tulip baking cups out of my mind all day so I picked some up as well as these cool tilt-a-whirl cups for a friend's birthday party.

Cupcake on the Go

This is what I need! This law school alum turned cupcake entrepreneur drives a cupcake truck around New York! Fabulous!

"Cupcake Stop's inaugural event was a private party for Jill Zarin of the TV show 'Real Housewives of New York' on Tuesday at Hudson Terrace.
On the drive back from the event, 'people were literally chasing the truck through Times Square.'"

Anyone want to go in on one out here???

{Thanks, Stevie-Lynn!}

Simple and Sweet

I got home yesterday and this sweet package was waiting for me (excuse the halo of light in this image.)!

It was the cupcake boxes I ordered from Simple Song Designs!

So if you order four cupcakes from me soon you might just get them in this sweet box!!!

{first photo by me; following images by simple song designs}

Last Weekend's Parties

I took some polaroids of the cupcakes I made for the Stone Brewery birthday party. Here is what the party planner had to say:

"Several people told me that they were the best cupcakes anyone had ever eaten in their lives. Just to illustrate the effect they had, we were a large party of thirteen people that had been loud and chatty and having fun all night. When the cupcakes were served, absolute silence descended on the table as everyone ignored their friends and concentrated only on the cupcakes. And minutes before everyone had been complaining that they were so full they wouldn't be eating for another week, and then everyone was asking for seconds!"

And even more cupcakes! Yes, I was a baking machine!

Chocolate Covered Banana!

Mascarpone Cheese with Strawberry Glaze

Party Board #6: Afternoon Delight

My birthday is coming up. I'm a winter baby but I'm a winter baby in California so I've decided to make everyone freeze their butts off outside for an Afternoon Delight Dessert and Punch Party. My inspiration initially came from this photo by Lenaah -

a hip, mad tea party.

Top Row: photo by leenah; punch from country living; doily cards from Absolutely Beautiful Things; Heart Garland via Apartment Therapy

Middle Row: Table Decor and doily decorations both at Once Wed; Croquet photo via Snippet and Ink; petit fours by Parisian Events

Bottom Row: China from MS; Table photo via ABCD Design; Doily lanterns via Once Wed; Cupcake photo by Rebecca Thuss

If you're in North Park in a couple of weeks (desert bride!) and see a bunch of crazy people covered in cupcake frosting and playing croquet come on over and hang out!

Cupcake vs. Balloons

Wow. Are balloons the new cupcakes? My love will always be for cupcakes, trendy or not.

{photos via bedlam of beefy, unruly-things, youaremyfav, oncewed, frolic, blackeiffel, amy atlas, alilovescurtis}

10.

Happy Weekend!

I have to get out of here to prepare for the concert tonight but wanted to leave you with a few things to check out while you are lounging around this weekend.

• This book discovered over at Decor8;
• an AMAZING new way to organize books and make a bedside table;
• flirty and springy vintage dresses;
• this past week's guest blogger at d*s;
• lots of rooms;
• and square cupcakes...I could care less that they're square I just love me some cupcakes!

{photos by Wakaba Noda *thanks dear ada*}

I DID Make Something!

I was going to post this earlier and then I thought I wouldn't because I don't really want to be a foodie blog but then I've been thinking about these cupcakes ALL day long and just had, had, had to share them.


THE BEST (SOMETIMES VEGAN, SOMETIMES GLUTEN-FREE) CUPCAKES IN THE WORLD!!!

The way I make them is NOT vegan nor gluten-free BUT they can very easily be turned into vegan or gluten-free and I will tell you how!

For Vegan and and Regular cupcakes you will need:

Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake - This is VERY important for the VEGAN recipe

Vegetable Oil

Water

Favorite chocolate chips

Favorite chocolate syrup

1 package Simple Organics Vegan Chocolate Pudding

1/2 cup Sour Cream (nix in the Vegan version, natch)

1. Follow the instructions on the Cherrybrook Kitchen cake package

2.Pour in a bunch of chocolate syrup

3. Pour in a bunch of chocolate chips

4. Dump the box of pudding mix in the bowl

5. Get that sour cream in there (remember - not vegan!)

6. Mix that mother all up, pour it in a bunch of cupcake cups, and cook 'em up for about 20 - 25 minutes

7. Slather some frosting (vegan frosting recipe here) on those puppies and eat up!

For Gluten-Free:

Your favorite gluten-free cake mix. I have adapted a gluten-free cake mix for this recipe so it won't taste all crumby and dry if you do use a gluten-free product (the secret is in the pudding, seriously).

1/2 cup sugar

1 package Simple Organics Vegan Chocolate Pudding

4 extra large eggs room temperature

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 C orange juice

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

Favorite chocolate chips

Favorite chocolate syrup

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1. DO NOT follow the instructions on the box for this one.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Mix the eggs, oil, OJ, and vanilla extract together.

4. Mix the sugar, cake mix, and pudding package together

5. Now mix the dry stuff with the wet and stuff and beat for two minutes.

6. Pour in as much chocolate syrup and chocolate chips as you want. Mix in sour cream.

7. Pour batter in cupcake/muffin cups and cook for 20-25 minutes

8. Slather some gluten-free frosting on those puppies and eat up!