PhillySwirl was kind enough to send us some samples of their ice cream cupcakes to try. What a great idea, especially as the weather, at least in New York, is getting warmer. These were delicious of course - how could they not be? The top of the vanilla ones had a sortof whipped-cream like cloud of topping, and the it tasted a little bit like an ice cream sandwich, but more on the sandwich than the cupcake. The one I liked best was the chocolate one, which had a brownie-like cake consistency. I think kids may be more into these than adults, though I gave some to friends who raved about them. I was impressed with the mix of textures; they were packed very tightly together. It's not the same as eating a cupcake, obviously; it's colder and you've got the richness of the ice cream, but they were very good and I could see snacking on one on a hot summer day.
I think these are wonderful though I think they are stretching the limits of what we call cupcakes. Then again, cupcakes are being filled with pudding, cream, jelly, etc., so I think there's room for all sorts of cupcake ingenuity. I would call this an "ice cream cupcake" though, not just a regular old cupcake. See more photos in Allison's Flickr set.
They come in packs of 12, which are then divided into packs of 6, like this:
Closeup of the cupcakes:
This is what one looked like on the inside:
More information:
PhillySwirl website
Press release
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Allison and Rachel try PhillySwirl's ice cream cupcakes
We're on YouTube!
Brownie holding her cupcake prize of heart-shaped measuring cups
Yes, we are extending the Cupcakes Take the Cake world domination (or at least, Internet domination) with our very own YouTube channel. We'll also be posting those videos here, but if you're also on YouTube, please subcribe to our videos and, if you like them, rate them.
Here's an interview with the adorable Brownie of Blondie and Brownie, who just posted the recipe for her prize-winning spicy gingerbread cupcakes with Tahitian frosting, adapted from The Joy of Cooking. Oh, and The Brooklyn Kitchen weighs in with a post about the event and a photo of the Best in Show, Kate Brown's Rogue Porter chocolate cupcake with salted caramel icing.
A not to be missed event for New Yorkers!
How cool is this? via The New York Times:
Cupcake Comedy
The Cupcake Cadet Corps of Unison Fetish, a performance group organized by Sue Hogan, a choreographer, will present a 15-minute satire on cupcake mania in New York at 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and also on May 24, June 14 and June 22 on the corner of Bleecker and West 11th Streets. Rain dates are May 18, May 25 and June 15.
Cathy's recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Happy Cone Cupcakes
One of the very cool people we met at Monday's Cupcake Cookoff was Cathy from the blog Not Eating Out in New York.
She's got a wrapup of the event and a recipe for the above Mint Chocolate Chip Happy Cone Cupcakes. Yum!
Another reminder (and feel free to bring kids!): our NYC cupcake picnic is June 14th at 2 pm in Central Park!
Team Vallen
Vallen was one of the entrants in Monday's Cupcake Cookoff (more interviews coming soon). Here's an interview I shot before we were even allowed to taste the cupcakes. Also below, a friend shows her support!
The cupcakes themselves:
Cupcakes Gourmet opens in Frazer, Pennsylvania
Maki of Cupcakes Gourmet wrote in to tell us that they have just opened in Chester County, Pennsylvania! If you're in the area, stop by and let us know what you think. (They will soon be shipping mini cupcakes as well.) She said they opened today (Thursday, May 15th) at 9 am but this YouTube video says April 5th - either way, they should be open (but fyi, a call to the number below did not yield a live person):
Cupcakes Gourmet
288 Lancaster Ave
Frazer, PA 19335
484-318-8057
Hours:
Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm
(Friday we are open until 10pm)
Closed Sunday
They have lots of enticing flavors like:
apple cinnamon - apple cinnamon cake with cream cheese frosting and a hint of cinnamon
banana chocolate chip - banana chocolate chip cake with chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting
dark chocolate coconut almond - belgian dark chocolate cake with coconut almond buttercream dipped in dark chocolate ganache
dark chocolate mint - belgian dark chocolate cake with mint buttercream dipped in dark chocolate ganache 
And here's another very quick video they put up on YouTube to introduce you to the bakers and their cupcakes:
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Cupcake Bloggers at the M&M Store
Cup Pups in Hiding
Cupcake interview with Hello Naomi
Name: Naomi Henderson
Age: 25
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Occupation: Computer Engineering PhD Student
URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hello_naomi/
When did you first start baking? Who taught you to bake and where do you get your recipes from?
I started baking when I was young, around 8 maybe…Baking has always been something I enjoy but it has only been since last year that I have been completely addicted to it. My mum taught me. *aww* She was always one of those sweet mums that bake! I have a whole bunch of baking, cupcake and sweet books and so I get my recipes from everywhere. I especially like Women's Weekly recipes, they always seem to turn out well.
What have you learned about the baking process during the time you've been making cupcakes?
I have learnt a lot from trial and error! I've learnt that you have to have patience and things will take twice as long if you don't. But I think the main thing is that you should use quality ingredients, the best tasting butter, milk, eggs etc will make the best tasting cupcakes!
How often do you make cupcakes? Do you sell them or are they simply for your friends?
I make cupcakes whenever I have a good excuse tom like someone's birthday etc, which seems to be every couple of weeks. I just make them for my friends at the moment but I am in the process of starting a business.
You say on your Flickr profile that you're a graduate student who programs robots by day and a "cupcake ninja" by night. What does "cupcake ninja" mean and how are the two connected for you?
I have this friend who always says random weird things and one day he called me a "cupcake ninja" I thought it kind of suited me because I'm always up really late at night baking and decorating! Being a cupcake ninja lets me release my creative side that gets bottled up with engineering but unfortunately it’s kind of a big distraction from my research.
Where do you get your ideas from? Clearly you are largely inspired by pop culture and games like Pacman and Super Mario, but what makes you create a whole set of cupcakes around a particular game?
Umm I don't know! Because I do engineering most of my friends are guys so after always making them pink cupcakes with rainbows and flowers etc I thought I should make something a bit more suited, so that's why Super Mario, Pacman, robots, lego etc. For each theme I google images for ideas and because a cupcake is too small to fit much on it I design them as part of a big picture.
Many of your cupcakes, such as the recent Puccho ones, are very intricately decorated. How long does it take you to make your cupcakes? What are the main ingredients you use for decorating?
It always takes me a night to make a set so how much sleep I get depends on how detailed they are. The puccho ones took me from about 6 that night to 5 the next morning to bake and decorate but my latest ones took me from 11 in the morning to 5 the next morning because there were so many! Also, it doesn't help when they are all different!
A lot of people ask me what I use for my icing - I use ready to roll fondant for my cupcakes and most of my decorations and royal icing for any piping. You have to try different brands of fondant to find one that tastes good though, some can taste like gelatine.
What flavor cupcakes are your favorites to make?
All the decorated ones are vanilla. The vanilla ones have a smooth, cute shaped top that is good for decorating, and they taste really good too! I also love to make cookies and cream flavoured ones but unfortunately they don't look as good!
Which of your Flickr cupcake sets are most popular?
My rose cupcakes are the top of my "interestingness" photos but the Pacman and Super Mario cupcakes have been the most popular as far as views and comments. They were on a lot of gaming sites and blogs so they got a lot of geek attention! 
Many people attribute cupcakes' popularity to nostalgia, and your cupcakes add to the nostalgia factor by using classic games as decorations. Do you think there's a link between the nostalgia for each of these?
Definitely! Every time I'm thinking of a design it's always based around stuff I loved when I was young or would have loved. I think my latest ones are a perfect example! It was my 25th birthday last week so I had a 80s party with 80s cartoon cupcakes and everyone could pick their favourite!
Do you have any advice to readers looking to make creative cupcakes?
Collect ideas and patterns from anything that grabs your attention. Also colour is super important! Collect ideas of colour combinations that catch your eye and have a good selection of dyes. I have bought a lot but the main ones I use are red, yellow, blue, green, black, brown and purple and from those I can make whatever colour and shade I need.
Of the many cupcakes you've made, which are your favorites?
Every time I make a new set they kind of become my new favourite, but I think maybe the puccho ones are my fave. 
What do you have coming up next?
Well my 80s cartoon ones were next so I'm not real sure now!
Do you sell your cupcakes?
No not yet. I am in the process of setting up a business. I'll let you know when it's ready!
And now for some personal questions…
How often do you eat cupcakes?
A couple times a day as often as I make them, so I have a few every few weeks!
What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?
The complete happiness felt eating something so cute and yum.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
I still can't decide! I've been torn for a while between vanilla cupcakes decorated with fondant (for some reason the decorated ones taste better) or vanilla with buttercream…
How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?
They win hands down as far as cuteness! They are my favourite but I also love carrot cake, pavlova and profiteroles.
Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?
Umm cupcake vending machines?!
Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?
Yes I bake them all! But I'm sure my mum would help me if I asked.
What's your first cupcake-related memory?
I remember when we first got our mixmaster it came with a recipe book and the first thing I learned to bake were cupcakes. I also remember the first time I made buttercream icing!
What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?
It’s always fun giving them to people and they are always fun at parties but I can't really think of one fun moment…
Do you have anything else to add?
I hope I didn't bore everyone! I'm really happy that people enjoy my work and I really appreciate everyone's super nice comments. I really love this blog so thanks heaps!!!
The 2nd Annual Cupcake Cookoff recap
Winner, Exotic Decoration
2nd place, Exotic Decoration (yes, they're ice cream cone cupcakes)
From Rachel: I'll be upfront and say I'm going to miss a few things, being that there were SO many people there last night and soooo many cupcakes. Seriously. It was awesome. I also have a bunch of video interviews coming soon with judges and bakers. If any info is incorrect or you have photos to share, drop me a line at cupcakestakethecake at yahoo.com
So here's a brief attempt at a recap; over 90 photos I took are in this Flickr set.
Like any event, the best part of this was not the cupcakes (though they rocked), but the people. I got to meet in person Brownie from the awesome blog Blondie and Brownie. Here she is pictured below and you can read her recap here.
Brownie's prize winnings
There was total cupcake madness as Morrissey serenaded us while 29 (I think?) entrants and their friends/supports filled Union Pool with cupcakes upon cupcakes. There were ice cream cupcakes and mint julep cupcakes and champagne/pear cupcakes. There was a cupcake called "I Can't Believe I Moved to Bushwick for You" which was a red velvet cupcake with strawberry cream cheese and strawberry rhubarb pie filling! There was a cupcake team t-shirt for "Team Vallen." There were vegan cupcakes and dirt cupcakes and oh so many more. I kept saying I'd had enough, then wanted to try just one more. There were entrants from last year and in the crowd was Cathy from Not Eating Out in New York and Zach from Midtown Lunch. One entrant even told me they don't actually like cupcakes (but I'm keeping their name a secret). 
Random cupcakes at the end of the night
These cupcakes below won for plain decoration (#2 was pistachio cupcakes). These are them on the outside, with gold Kennedy coins (made of chocolate), and the inside were rainbow velvet:
Michele impressed me with these green tea cupcakes (which I didn't get to try) because she had just heard about the cookoff at 3:00 that day and whipped up these chocolate pistachio cupcakes with green tea cream cheese frosting. She had just come back from Hong Kong and had green tea powder in the house. She made up the recipe (she's a culinary school grad) but says she rarely bakes.
These S'mores cupcakes were my personal favorites of the night. They had a fudge pie base with toasted marshmallows and graham cracker. They were a late entry and still warm and gooey and DELICIOUS. Sarah, who made them, sells custom pies, cookies and cupcakes. 
2008 Cupcake Cookoff Winners
The Best in Show winners were:
#1 - Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel
#2 - Talia - chocolate with chocolate ganache
Plain Flavor
#1 - Fresh strawberry (entrant #15)
#2 - Raspberry/chocolate buttercream (Kate and Sarah)
Plain Decoration
#1 - Rainbow velvet with coins
#2 - Pistachio
Exotic Flavor
#1 - Gingerbread
#2 - Chocolate with Salted Caramel
Exotic Decoration
#1 Dirt cupcakes
#2 Ice cream cone cupcakes
Congratulations to all the winners! And of course, you are all invited to bring cupcakes (or just yourselves) to our June 14th picnic in Central Park!
L to R: Indira Weigand (judge), Ann Kansfield (Minister, Greenpoint Reform Church), Taylor Erkkinen (The Brooklyn Kitchen), Nichelle Stephens (Cupcakes Take the Cake), Ann Carr (comedian)
The event was also a fundraiser for the Greenpoint Reform Church. (Interview with more info coming soon) You can donate online or:
Write a check payable to The Greenpoint Reformed Church. If you want your donation to support a specific program (eg. the food pantry) please note it in the memo field. Send donations to:
Treasurer
Greenpoint Reformed Church
136 Milton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Monday, May 12, 2008
Cupcake Cookoff 2008 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn tonight!
Our very own Nichelle is a guest judge tonight at 6 in this Cupcake Cookoff - come on out!
Union Pool is located at 484 Union Avenue on the corner of Union & Meeker, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We are two short blocks north of the Lorimer L stop [or Metropolitan G stop] and one block off the Metropolitan exit of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.
Information below via The Brookyln Kitchen
Cupcake Cook-off 2008
Monday May 12th @ 6pm
This is our second annual Cupcake Cook-off and we're very excited! As of May 5th we have 25 contestants and are expecting even more. This year the event will be held at Union Pool. Big thanks to Sage and everyone over there for letting us bring the contest, as we would be bursting at the seams if we tried to have it in the store. Last year we had almost 60 people there just to watch!
This year there will be 4 categories that will be judged by a great panel of "experts" as well as popular vote.
The Rules:
Please bring at least 6 cupcakes for the judges, and as many more as you would like for the popular vote. The more the merrier. PLEASE NOTE: There will be no cooking facilities on-site. You must bring your cakes ready for the judges.
Cupcakes will be divided into the following 4 categories
Plain and Simple Flavor
Exotic Flavor
Plain and Simple decoration
Exotic Decoration
Judges
Nichelle Stephens
Ann Carr
Indira Weigand
Purple cupcake artwork
Title: Purple Cupcake
Size: 6" x 6"
Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel
Artist: Thaneeya McArdle
This painting depicts a yummy purple-frosted cupcake, adorned with colorful sprinkles. I enjoy the process of photorealist painting, as it requires intense focus and concentration which usually leads to a rather meditative state of seeing and painting.
Cupcake recipes from Hostess with the Mostess™
The site Hostess with the Mostess™ has a lot of things on it, including cupcake recipes (and readers can submit their own). Click on the images below to see each recipe:
Rainbow Cupcakes
Apple Streusel Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Ridiculously Rich Double Chocolate Cupcakes
Free cupcakes and world's largest cupcake at Louisiana Boardwalk today
Not sure what time the lunchtime giveaway is, but fyi:
"Louisiana boardwalk celebrates three years," KTBS (click through to watch video) - if anyone goes, please let us know how it goes!
It's been three years since the Louisiana Boardwalk opened in Bossier City. And the vision for the success of the Boardwalk is now a solid reality. Bossier City spokesman Mark Natale says the economic benefit has been constant. He says since the Boardwalk opened in 2005, through March of 2008, it was generated $28.3 million dollars in sales tax revenue...
The three year anniversary of the Boardwalk continues Monday with lunch specials, live music and free cupcakes to the first 1,000 people. The cupcake givaway is being held in conjunction with the world's largest cupcake, which will be on display at the Boardwalk from 5:00 to 7:00 Monday night.
Travel + Leisure covers LA's cupcake boom
All photos are of cupcakes from Violet's Cakes via their website
Travel + Leisure (reposted today on CNN.com) story on "L.A.'s cupcake boom" - it covers Bluebird Café, Dainties Cupcakes, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Susiecakes, and Violet's Cakes (which also has a blog. The Dainties site is down - did they close?
I really liked the Violet's description and hope to check them out when I'm in LA at the end of May. We'll work on getting an interview here too.
Here's a snippet:
The place
Beyond the curtained storefront of Violet's Cakes, on Holly Street in Pasadena, Denise Weber leads her staff and daughter Olivia through the steps of baking and decorating as cheerfully as Snow White inculcated her dwarfs. Violet's has become a popular destination for Old Town workers and residents, especially on Fridays, when people of all ages, and men in particular, swing by for a weekend reward. "We call it handsome-guy Friday," says Denise. Will cupcakes supplant flowers as the new love token or mea culpa?
The goods
Flavors for the inner kid: PB&J, French toast (Denise's favorite), s'mores and the candy-based Butterfinger, Snickers and Twix. 21 E. Holly St., Pasadena; 626/395-9821.
Los Angeles Cupcake Meetup recap: Famous Cupcakes
Photo by Tara
From Tara Settiembre of When Tara Met Blog, who is the organizer of the Los Angeles Cupcake Meetup, which met this past Saturday at Famous Cupcakes. Photos from that meetup's photo album.
Zendi, photo by Tara
Their Hot Chocolate Cupcake (chocolate bottom, vanilla icing) was quite moist and my favorite pick for this shop with their gooey Red Velvet in a close second, the other girls also liked their Peanut Butter Chip and Cookies N Cream cupcakes. Their Va-Va-Va-Nilla though wasn't sweet enough for me, maybe because it's organic and not full of the bad but yummy stuff I guess; it also had a hint of cinnamon and was more like a muffin than a cupcake.
The store was very minimalist with funky Pinkberry-like lights. The highlight for this shop though is that they make adorable but expensive famous cupcake bouquets that mix in decorations and flowers along with arranged cupcakes. They deliver to all 50 states and you can also order online. Since Famous Cupcakes is a franchise, you'll probably start seeing them pop up all over, they are currently in OC, Chicago and San Diego and coming soon to Houston.
Photo by Tara
Sneak peek at the new Johnny Cupcakes store in LA
The new Johnny Cupcakes store in LA is starting to get some buzz. Below is a sneak peek video he made, and some details from his blog. It opens next month and sounds pretty amazing. I also interviewed Johnny for Zink magazine, which I'll post about when it's out at the end of May.
Now how about this; After going into my new LA shoppe and seeing 36 vintage oven doors that move & steam - as well as witnessing a giant 10' foot tall oven that employees walk in and out of... EVERY time those happy and/or unhappy people see an oven in their lifetime, my name/brand will probably come up in conversation. Every human looks at an oven at least two times a day, every day. "Oh my - there's this kid who opens up bakeries on expensive streets & doesn't even sell real food! On top of that, he has a poo poo load of moving/steaming vintage ovens in his store. This kid even has a 10' foot tall oven that employees walk in and out of! I don't get it?!"
Johnny Cupcakes LA shoppe SNEAK PEEK 1 from Johnny Cupcakes on Vimeo.
Pretty cupcakes from Bent Objects
From the blog Bent Objects - love it! (thanks to reader Erin for the tip)
A happy customer from Las Vegas's The Cupcakery
From the blog Julie's Journal, a satisfied customer of Las Vegas's The Cupcakery. Julie's commentary on these "Fancy Ass Cupcakes" below.
Back row left to right:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup - Rich chocolate cake topped with crunchy peanut butter frosting.
- Tickle Me Pink - Our signature cake: classic white cake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting.
- Boston Dream - Moist yellow cake, Bavarian creme filling with a cap of chocolate ganache.
Front row left to right:
Cupcakes are good for business
But we already knew that, right?
"ValueClick celebrates anniversary with cupcakes," BtoB Magazine
TO CELEBRATE ITS 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, ad network ValueClick delivered cup-cakes to its key agency and marketer accounts across the U.S. The company worked with local bakeries to prepare the cupcakes, and had salespeople personally deliver them, complete with a candle. In addition to the personal visits, ValueClick ran an ad in trade publications in honor of its anniversary and sent out press releases tracing the company's roots from start-up to a $646 million company. The cupcake promotion paid off big for ValueClick. The total cost of the cupcakes was $784, and it resulted in four deals worth nearly $170,000. Not a bad ROI.
My Sweet & Saucy & Gooey
Isn't this chocolate cupcake with salted caramel and chocolate rum ganache to die for?
It's by My Sweet & Saucy, via Flickr, and they've got the recipe and more drool-worthy photos. You can also check out our previous post about Melody Brandon and Sweet and Saucy.
She writes:
I used one of my favorite recipes for chocolate cake/cupcakes from Ina Garten. I also had some extra chocolate rum ganache left over from another dessert that I tried out, so I decided to use it as a filling for the cupcakes. To make this ganache just heat an equal amount of heavy cream until it begins to boil and pour it oven an equal amount of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes and then stir in 1 Tablespoon or so of rum (depending on the amount of chocolate and cream you used…it’s all up to you). Let the chocolate ganache completely cool until it is scoopable and then fill an pastry bag with the ganache and pipe it into the cooled cupcakes.
