New Year's Eve Cupcakes

Welcome the new year with cupcakes! 

Taste of Home

AshleyFlickr via Flickr

The Frosted Cake Shop via Flickr

Happiness in a Bite via Flickr

moonberry via Flickr

Cake Wrecks

Cake Wrecks is one of my favorite blogs and the blog is now a book!  What is a Cake Wreck you ask? 
To quote the author Jen Yates "a Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places. Now, don't you have a photo you want to send me? ;) "

Jen Yates did not forget about cupcakes.  When you visit the blog, enter the word "cupcakes" in the search box to find photos of cupcake wrecks...so get the book and start laughing! 

Reindeer?  Froggie Santas?

Poo-Dolph the rust-nosed reindeer?

Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake

With the Christmas holiday behind us and New Year's approaching, it is time to relax and have a cupcake!  I love this print from jennysbakeshop.  It is available on Etsy for $26.00 and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. 

Jenny Heid & Aaron Nieradka are a design team from New Jersey who focus on the "tributes with a twist" concept. Their description of this print states that this piece is based on an old World War II era poster that was issued by the British government. During wartime, it was important to try to keep the public informed, and as free from panic as possible. The original poster read  "Keep Calm and Carry On" and at the top there was a graphic of a crown to signify that this directive came from the King.  They replaced the crown with a cupcake! 

New Year's Cupcake Collar

The New Year is only a few days away and Chica and Jo have cupcake collars to make any New Year's celebration more festive.  Check them out at Cupcake Collars.  I just downloaded this double "2010" cupcake collar (if you laminate them they are easy to reuse).

So bake some cupcakes, sprinkle some confetti on the table, open a bottle of champagne and get ready to welcome the new year! 

Recipe of the Year - Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Week 24

This week we honor 2009 with the most-Googled cupcake recipe of the year....vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting!

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk


Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar-sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter-room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20.  Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with vanilla buttercream.

500 Cupcakes

Santa left quite a few cupcake delights under my tree yesterday.  One of them was a cookbook called 500 Cupcakes.  This little book is packed with recipes and photos and I plan to try as many as possible! 

by Fergal Connolly (2006)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Carpe Cupcakes!

Santa Claus is coming to town....TONIGHT!

You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I'm tellin' you why

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Santa Claus cupcakes from Woman's Day magazine

Merry Santa cupcakes from Fitness and Freebies

Santa cupcake stand

two parts sugar via Flickr

obsessedwithcupcakes via Flickr

 

Santa & his reindeer

haleythecaker via Flickr

Gingerbread Men Cupcake Toppers

Last weekend I made mini gingerbread men to use as whipped cream toppers on hot chocolate.  I had some left over so I put them on my cupcakes.  The brown wrappers are from Fancy Flours.  Greenery courtesy of the Toiyabe National Forest (my yard). 

You're a Mean One...Mr. Grinch

Tonight I am watching my favorite Christmas show....How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  I was eight years old when this animated version first aired on CBS on December 18, 1966 and I have never missed a year since.  I can recite the whole show from start to finish - including all the songs.  Even after 43 years I still get tears in my eyes when the Grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas.   

I would like to raise a green buttercream-frosted, Who pudding-filled cupcake in honor of Cindy Lou Who, Max the dog, the Grinch and the entire village of Whoville! 

Sweet Flair via Flickr

nokils via Flickr

Kissass Cupcakes

Grinch cupcake cake from Webshots (American Greetings)

from Candyland Cupcakes

serve your Grinch cupcakes in this costume

from Costume Kingdom

Snowflake Cupcakes

Another snow storm is on the way tonight...maybe snowflake
 cupcakes will bring good luck for another foot of snow!

Glorious Treats via Flickr

Tracey's Tasty Treats via Flickr

Snowflakes & Trees

Tortentante via Flickr

Blue Door Bakery via Flickr

CAKE Chester via Flickr

Recipe of the Week - Pear & Cranberry Cupcakes

Week 23

Pears, apples & cranberries are favorite flavors of the holiday season...no matter where you are from! 


Pear & Cranberry Cupcakes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 pear - peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour and apple pie spice into the mixture and fold in, then stir in the diced pear and dried cranberries.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners and bake for about 18 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Frost with your favorite buttercream recipe! 

Garnish with dried or frosted cranberries! 

Cupcake Gift Baskets

A gift basket is one of my favorite things to receive during the holidays.  Exploring the contents of a gift basket is like a cross between a scavenger hunt and waiting to see what Santa left on Christmas morning. 

GourmetGiftBaskets.com has everything a cupcake lover would want!  If the name sounds familiar, on August 15th, 2009, GourmetGiftBaskets.com broke the Guinness Book of World Records record for the World’s Largest Cupcake - theirs weighed in at 1224 pounds. 

(P.S.  GourmetGiftBaskets.com has much more than cupcake baskets)

GourmetGiftBaskets.com

Christmas Cupcake Boxes

Mily's Cupcakes is located in Argentina so I can't visit the bakery, but these Christmas boxed cupcakes are fantastic...who wouldn't want to find a cupcake under the tree on Christmas morning! 

Go to Mily's Cupcake Blog for more great photos (you will need to click "translate this page" if you want to view the blog in English).   

Cupcake Gift Tags

Tis the season to wrap packages...and packages need gift tags.  Check out these cupcake gift tags!

pink & brown tags by dovecreek via Etsy

 pinktwilight via Etsy

 Paper-Pixie via Flickr

Thinkoutsidethebox2008 via Flickr

ascrappydesign via Flickr

Wind Up Bird Studios via Flickr

Snowman Cupcakes

We have had a lot of snow at Lake Tahoe in the past few

weeks, which brings me to today's post....snowman cupcakes!

from marthastewart.com

regionchamps1997  via Flickr

Wilton snowman cupcake liners & picks

cupcake topped with a fondant snowman

from Vegan Noodle via Flickr

if all else fails...put a snowman Peep on top of your cupcakes!

oreos dipped in white chocolate & decorated like snowmen

and snowgirls...an easy cupcake topper!

from Andovercookiemama via Flickr

National Cupcake Day!

Celebrate National Cupcake Day by baking your
favorite cupcake recipe or head to a local cupcake
shop to eat one already made!