Yum! Limoncello Rosemary Ricotta Cupcakes

These look and sound delicious! Each ingredient alone sounds awesome. Limoncello -- gulp gulp sip. (Burp.)  Rosemary -- smells scrumptious. Ricotta? Yes please.

Image courtesy cakeanarchist.

Love pack Valentine's Day cupcakes at Saint Cupcake

Saint Cupcake in Portland, Oregon is helping you express your love in edible form with their love pack of 6 cupcakes! And you can even get them delivered via singing telegram! Via their Facebook page. Contact them at info at saintcupcake.com or 503-473-8760 (Galore shop) or 503-235-0078 (Deluxe shop) and see for details.

Spice up your Super Bowl party with football cupcakes using chocolate covered almonds for footballs

I love these championship chocolate cupcakes and their adorable chocolate covered almond footballs by Cakewalker, who has the recipe for the cupcakes and instructions on how to decorate them! I'm going to what I'm pretty sure is my first Super Bowl party on Sunday, and while I'm not sure yet what I'm contributing, I'm looking forward to it (mostly for the food though).

Star Wars cupcake fun: Darth Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and Storm Trooper

Fun Star Wars cupcakes by VCVC Cupcakes in Melrose, Massachusetts, via their Facebook page. I've blogged a lot of Star Wars cupcakes and still haven't seen it, but I can tell you Yoda is my favorite of these. What about you? Contact VCVC Cupcakes at info at vcvccupcakes.com or 508-274-3161 to order your own, and visit vcvccupcakes.com for more information.

Fairy Adorable Under The Sea Cupcakes

Thanks to Ana_Fuji for these awesome cupcakes. The whale spout is just too sweet!

Cupcake Street Art

This cupcake graffiti is all the way from Timoeran, Indonesia!

Image courtesy farflungistan, street art tagged by Treatz.

Are You a 49'ers Fan?

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Gearing up for the Superbowl? Check out these SF 49'ers cupcakes from Noe Valley Bakery. Image courtesy ericwagner.

Cupcake Activist Review: Dolcissimo Bake Shop

In December I reported that Dolcissimo Bakeshop had returned to Orange County. I was so excited to find out it was only a few miles from my house! And then Daniel, the owner, invited me to come in and try out their treats. I couldn't have gotten there quicker!

Dolcissimo Bakeshop is located at the food court at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, CA. I reviewed Dolcissimo when they were located in Costa Mesa over four years ago. I couldn't wait to go back and try out their expanded menu.

Good thing I have a large stomach and big sweet tooth because I went home with 6 cupcakes, 12 macarons, and 1 cheesecake in a jar. Today was my lucky day!

Let's start off with the cupcakes! Dolcissimo had a decent variety of cupcakes. There was about 10 flavors to choose from. I got Red Velvet (of course), Chocolate Fantasy, Strawberry Lemonade, Snickerdoodle, Diva, Chocolate Chimp. They have a revolving menu, so each day you can find different flavors.

Let me start with my favorites. Chocolate Fantasy was super chocolatey and oh-so delicious. I love that they used a milk chocolate frosting to keep it a bit lighter. Strawberry Lemonade had pieces of real strawberries in the frosting. And Snickerdoodle had a great cinnamon flavor in both cake and frosting.

Red Velvet did not wow me. The cake was gummy, and the cream cheese frosting was way too sweet and not tangy enough. The frosting on Chocolate Chimp was stiff and hard. That's probably from sitting out all day. Diva, a standard chocolate vanilla cupcake, was pretty standard.

Overall, the cupcakes were just ok. I like for a cupcake to stand out, to be memorable, to make me want to eat it again. These cupcakes lacked that quality.

Next up: the macarons. I got one of each flavor (12). The macarons had a good crunchiness on the outside and the fillings were excellent too, but there needed to be more filling! The proportion was a bit off. Besides that, these were delicious.

Last, but certainly not least: the cheesecake in a jar. There were four flavors to choose from and I went home with the caramel cheesecake. The night I opened the jar to taste it, I only planned on taking a bite. I was already full from all the cupcakes and macarons, but I wanted to taste this while fresh. Only one bite. Well, just two bites. And before I knew it, the entire thing was gone!

I am a big cheesecake fan and this one definitely lived up to my standards. Plenty of graham cracker crust at the bottom. The jar wasn't too deep that I couldn't get a scoop of the caramel, cheesecake, and crust together. These were so perfect that I have already been back twice to get more!

Dolcissimo has definitely upped their game since I last reviewed them four years ago. I am happy that another cupcake shop has opened in Orange County, but I was a bit disappointed by the cupcakes. They were ok, but not memorable. BUT I will visit them frequently for their macarons and cheesecakes in a jar.

Dolcissimo Bakeshop

2800 N. Main St.

Santa Ana, CA 92705

In the Main Place Mall

www.dolcissimobakeshop.com

Cupcake on novel cover: The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate

I was happy to see a cupcake on the cover of the upcoming novel The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate. I don't know yet if cupcakes are contained in the actual plot, but if so, I'll let you know. The book comes out on February 5th, and is available for pre-order on Amazon now. Here's the official plot description:

Hannah Sugarman seems to have it all. She works for an influential think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a swanky apartment with her high-achieving boyfriend, and is poised for an academic career just like her parents. The only problem is that Hannah doesn't want any of it. What she wants is much simpler: to cook.

When her relationship collapses, Hannah seizes the chance to do what she's always loved and launches an underground supper club out of her new landlord's town house. Though her delicious dishes become the talk of the town, her secret venture is highly problematic, given that it is not, technically speaking, legal. She also conveniently forgets to tell her landlord she has been using his place while he is out of town.

On top of that, Hannah faces various romantic prospects that leave her guessing and confused, parents who don't support cooking as a career, and her own fears of taking a risk and charting her own path. A charming romantic comedy, The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs is a story about finding yourself, fulfilling your dreams, and falling in love along the way.

Instant smile: Cinderalla cupcake

This Cinderella cupcake by justJENN Recipes made me smile! I love her hairdo the best but her little heart mouth is also adorable. Visit JustJENN to find out how to make your own. Via Flickr.

Deconstructed: Perry The Platypus Cupcakes

via Tumblr

Any Perry the Platypus fans out there? If you don't know this little guy, he's a popular character on the Disney show, Phineas & Ferb. I found these Perry the Platypus cupcakes on tumblr but sadly there was no recipe to go with it! So I'm going to deconstruct it a bit so you can make these at home!

As always with any decorated cupcake, feel free to use your own recipe or your favorite box mix. Perry is a pretty particular blue so I'd recommend using a light hand on the food coloring or icing color gels. His eyes are just white frosting dotted with some black icing, but you can also use a little white candy (smarties, mints, etc.) and dot them with the black icing to give it a little extra pop.

via Wikia

Perry's beak looks like a mini Nilla Wafer stuffed into the cake with some black icing to make his little nostrils. His tail is a Nutter Butter stuck about 1/3 of the way in to give him that realistic looking platypus tail. We can't forget his hair! In this photo it looks like it's some black sprinkles or black icing in a stringy fashion. Taking a look at Perry up above I'd say these cupcake capture him pretty well!

Say it with chocolate: edible xoxo on Valentine's Day cupcakes

I love everything about these chocolate cupcakes with Prague frosting by Natasha's Kitchen, where you can get the recipe and more information. The italics are so pretty and I love that the chocolate topper is edible. A wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day!

Dog + Pupcake: Zoey!

Aww...happy 10th birthday, Zoey. Hope your doggie cupcake was a good one!

Photo courtesy Sarah_Ackerman.

Sweet Fimo Cupcake Ring

Photograph courtesy fimochou.

Heart-shaped Valentine's Day cupcakes

These cupcakes tell you right from their shape that they're all about love, because they're hearts and because making them requires a little extra effort! Find out how to make and decorate them at the blog Amanda's Cookin.

Vintage Cupcake Styling

Beautiful artistic photography!

Image courtesy Sahrish~Creating Individuality.

Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Valentine's Day love cupcakes

Sesame Street and Valentine's Day cupcakes by Clyde's Cupcakes in Execter, New Hampshire. The Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird cupcakes were for Justin's birthday - happy birthday! And a reminder that your local cupcake bakery will very likely make custom cupcakes with almost anything you want on them if you give them sufficient time. Via Facebook. Contact Clyde's Cupcakes at clyde at clydescupcakes.com or 603) 583-4850 and find out more at clydescupcakes.com.

Valentine's Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

  
Every time I go to the grocery store, I walk down the baking aisle.

It doesn't matter if I need anything there or not...

I go for inspiration!

Sometimes I will come up with a new recipe right there, standing in the aisle.

Sometimes I will find something new that sparks an idea.

Something like this...

Cherry Baking Morsels!

You can bet I snatched these up in a hurry.

And my mind began furiously coming up with recipes to use them!

The first thing I thought of was melting them to make Valentine's Day cupcake toppers.

So I made these cute little curly hearts.

My hearts aren't perfectly shaped, since I made them freehand.
Just put your melted morsels in a decorating bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off.
Then pipe some hearts on wax paper and wait for them to get hard.

Next, I came up with this recipe for Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes.

The flavor is fantastic...just like a chocolate covered cherry!

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

by Bird On A Cake

6040993

Ingredients

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup cherry baking morsels (may substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Chocolate Cherry Buttercream

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and cherry extracts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream to the batter until thoroughly combined. Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl until smooth, then add to the batter. Fold in the cherry morsels.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 with batter and bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cherry Buttercream

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on low speed. Add cherry extract and milk, mix well. Mix in the melted chocolate. Keep covered.

Powered by Recipage

 
Want to see the inside?

I found the cherry baking morsels and the cherry extract at Walmart.

It may be hard for some of you to find the cherry morsels, so I did a little research.

You can buy them here and here.

OR, you could substitute chocolate chips in this recipe

...it would still be delicious!

 Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

I love you Valentine's Day cupcakes from Sakura Cupcakes in Hong Kong

Sakura Cupcakes in Hong Kong wants to wish you a loving Valentine's Day and has the cupcakes to go with this message! They've also got red velvet rose cupcakes and more. Find out more on their Facebook page and contact them at cupcakes at sakuraconcepts.com or +852 6472 8238.

Dulce de Leche filled Mocha Cupcakes

Do you love coffee?  Do you have to have a cup (or 4) every day just to function?  Then you may want to consider adding these cupcakes to your diet!

Chocolate mocha cupcakes filled with dulce de leche and topped with a mocha whipped cream.  The flavor of chocolate is insane, intense and so delicious!

For the recipe, visit Coffee Cup News!

San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens mini cupcakes for your Super Bowl party from Baked by Melissa

Mini cupcake makers Baked by Melissa are selling Super Bowl cupcakes decorated for fans of both the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Maybe every time your team scores a touchdown you get to eat a cupcake? They have multiple New York City locations and also sell their cupcakes via mail order. See bakedbymelissa.com and their Facebook page for more information.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

Yes, it's National Peanut Butter Day (and yesterday was National Pie Day!). Crumbs Bake Shop has this cupcake, chock full of peanut butter and chocolate, to celebrate. Visit crumbs.com or Facebook page for more information.



And unrelated to a food holiday but intriguing to me, they've also got chocolate covered potato chip and chocolate caramel corn cupcakes!

Two Cupcake Sponsorship Opportunities and One Competition

Hey bakers and bakery owners,

There are two events in February in New York City where you can gain some exposure and get your cupcakes known to a new audience and one baking competition.

On February 14,  there's an lunch where over 100 New York public relations pros would love red velvet cakes.  If you can do it, contact me (nichelleATgmailDOTcom)

On February 21, there's a Social Media Week event at Soho Gallery For Digital Art which is a panel discussion about food photography. Six dozen cupcakes are requested. Contact me
(nichelleATgmailDOTcom)

and there is also a baking competition in Brooklyn. Sunday, February 10 is the first NYC Vegan Bake-Off Competition at The Bell House in Brooklyn. The event is open to 15-20 everyday bakers who've got the baked goods to compete for the title of The Bestest, as voted for by judges and attendees. From cookies and mini-cupcakes, to pastries, tarts, brownies, fudges and bars, the Vegan Bake-Off is sure to be a sweet, sweet sugar high. (Doesn't have to be cupcakes)

Pomegranate martini and Lucky Charms cupcakes

I love fun cupcake flavors and Sweets by Maggie in Amherst, Ohio has them, from pomegranate martini to Lucky Charms and more. The last one was decorated by a kid, something they sometimes offer, so check out their Facebook page to find out when they'll next be doing this. All photos via their Facebook page. Contact them at sweetsmaggie at gmail.com or 440) 984-2870 and find out more at sweetsbymaggie.com.

6 ways to show your love on Valentine's Day cupcakes

Valentine's Day is coming up next month, and I'm already getting excited. Here are 5 cupcakes that spell out love so it's clear exactly what you're trying to convey. Now's the time to order yours! If you're baking up Valentine's Day cupcakes, let us know at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com with "Valentine's" in the subject line and we'll do our best to post them.


love cupcakes by Whipped Bakeshop in Philadelphia


New York's Man Bakes Cake, via Facebook, where you can see other Valentine's Day themed cupcakes


Love fauxstess cupcakes by Just Cupcakes in Virginia Beach, Virginia, via Facebook


Chocolate love by London's Jellytots & Dollymixtures, via Flickr




a double dose of cupcake love by Lairy the Cupcake Fairy, via Facebook

Baby + Cupcake Onesie = Awwwww....

Meet precious baby Eleanor, daughter of two of CTTC's very good friends, Allison and Anthony in Fort Worth, Texas. Isn't baby Ellie adorable in her cupcake onesie?

Ellie's mom has just started her own food blog, What This Momma Eats..., and you can keep up with the two of them here.

A Dandy Dozen from Sift

 Just look at these awesome custom cupcakes, made by Sift Cupcake + Dessert Bar, in California.

The flames are especially nifty. And, oh! The dalmatian!

Andrea Ballus, owner of Sift, won Cupcake Wars in the wedding planner challenge. Having visited one of the Sift shops on a trip out west, I can attest to the cupcakery's superior decorating skills, and Andrea's all-around amazingness.



Check out these cupcakes made by Sift's designer to pay homage to the CTTC logo. Fantastic!

Sift also ships nationwide!

San Francisco 49'ers fans, official supplier Sibby's Cupcakery has you covered

Sibby's Cupcakery in San Mateo, California is the official cupcake supplier of the San Francisco 49'ers, and they've been baking up assorted team pride cupcakes for football fans recently. All photos via their Facebook page. They can be reached at sibby at sibbyscupcakery.com or 415-613-4373 and you can find out more at sibbyscupcakery.com. The last cupcake photo isn't about football, but 2013; they put their New Year's resolutions on cupcakes, an idea I love!