Best Way to Clean Your Hands After Eating a Cupcake

I fly home tomorrow....the Pacific Northwest vacation is almost over.  I do have several cupcake stops to make in Eugene today so stay tuned for that report later in the week.  It has been noted during this trip that when you eat a cupcake (especially take-out) you are usually left with no way to clean the sticky goodness from your hands.  I suppose you could lick your fingers or use your sleeve, but that doesn't always get the job done.

What is the best way to clean up after eating a cupcake?  Here are some clever ways to showcase your cupcake wipes.

This case was designed for baby wipes but would

be excellent for cupcake wipes

CutSewRepeat  via  Etsy

Bling Cupcake wipes case

from  The Trendy Baby

cupcake-scented wipes

from  Polyvore

Big City Cupcakes - Vancouver, B.C.

We almost missed Big City Cupcakes and that would have been our loss.  We were on a city bus headed to the Granville Island Market, and as the bus made a turn I saw cupcakes painted on a window.  I looked up quickly to see the street name so we could hike back and find it later.  It was well worth the hike. BTW...they have a great web site.

Big City Cupcakes has an elegant silver sign and logo but the cupcakes are the stars of the show!  The selection is huge and the cupcakes are nicely displayed.  They even have a printed guide with pictures of the types of cakes and frostings.  After much deliberation, we decided on the lemon and the coconut and headed down the street to a coffee shop where we could enjoy our purchases.

The lemon cupcake was very moist cake with delicate a crumb.  It was filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon butter cream….perfection is the only word to describe it.  The coconut cake was also moist with delicious butter cream frosting topped with a generous portion of coconut. 

There was only one thing my visit to Big City Cupcakes needed….a bigger appetite so I could eat more cupcakes!

 

 

Buttercream (the traveling cupcake) with a

Big City Cupcakes lemon cupcake 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  The Roots store in Vancouver was celebrating with  cupcakes.

Cupcakes - Vancouver, B.C.

The cruise is over and we are moving on to explore Vancouver!  After a short walk from the cruise terminal we found the Thurlow Street location of Cupcakes (by Heather & Lori). The shop is on the corner of Thurlow and Robson near major shopping and restaurants.

Cupcakes has many locations in Vancouver with their signature pink awning out front.  The location we visited was packed with customers and the staff was very friendly and helpful.  Their cupcakes were displayed with descriptions of each one to make your selection a little easier.  There were regular sized cupcakes, minis and jumbo.  They even had a cooler containing bottled water with their own Cupcakes label. 

We bought four cupcakes....coconut, chocolate with chocolate buttercream, vanilla with vanilla buttercream and red velvet with cream cheese frosting.  The cakes were all good but just a little bit dry.  The red velvet cake was very pretty because the red cocoa and chocolate cocoa cake batter was swirled.  The cream cheese frosting was light and fluffy, but for those who read this blog regularly, you know I want more cream cheese!  The buttercream frostings were sweet but not too sweet and the chocolate buttercream was full of chocolate flavor.  We took our cupcake purchases down the street to a local coffee place to enjoy them with an espresso!

Ooh La La Cupcakes - Victoria, B.C.

We hiked 3 miles to Ooh La La Cupcakes in Vancouver, B.C. and I would have hiked 10 more! What a wonderful experience. The cupcake shop sits on top of a hill and is in a quiet neighborhood…just the spot to enjoy a cupcake. I apologize for not remembering the name of the person who was working yesterday, but she made the trip to the bakery well worth the hike. She explained about the ingredients in each cupcake and the types of frosting. She made a fresh pot of coffee for us and served the cupcakes we ordered on little white plates to match our black and white polka dotted mugs. She also gave us tourist information and restaurant recommendations. It felt like we were having cupcakes and coffee in a good friend's kitchen. 

We ordered a coconut cupcake with meringue frosting and a lemon cupcake with lemon butter cream. Both cakes were moist and the flavors were just right (not overpowering). The coconut was baked into the cake, not just sprinkled on the top. The lemon flavor was definitely fresh lemons - not lemon flavoring. The lemon butter cream frosting did not overpower the cake, which as you know is a major requirement for me to really enjoy a cupcake. You know my soap box…the frosting should complement the cake, not overpower the cake.

The shop pays attention to every detail.  Your order will be beautifully packaged.  They have regular sized cupcakes and minis...and all are decorated simply but to perfection. 

If you are visiting Victoria, please make the trip to Ooh La La. If you choose not to walk there, it is only a short bus ride from downtown.

Arrival in Victoria, B.C.

The ship is just about to dock in Victoria, British Columbia and we will be disembarking to explore the city.  It is a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest and Buttercream & I are headed out to visit two cupcake bakeries....and testing my map skills!  I will report back soon.

Chocolate Cupcake Toppings

My favorite flavor is chocolate...and I love to decorate cupcakes with chocolate toppings.
 

A perfect chocolate curl...

kellbakes via Flickr

Chocolate scribbles?

Whipped Bakeshop

Giant cupcake with chocolate shavings

CakEngineer

My signature chocolate swirl...

Carpe Cucpakes!

Cinco de Mayo!

In 1861, Mexico gained independence over Spain but in the process incurred heavy debt to England, Spain and France.  These countries demanded repayment.  Benito Juarez stopped making interest payments to countries to whom Mexico owed money. In response, France attacked Mexico to force payment of this debt. France was successful at first in its invasion.  However, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat the larger French army.  Since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has been invaded by an army from another continent.

In Mexico, the celebration of Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday, mostly in the state of Puebla.  In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become a festival to celebrate the food, music and culture of Mexico. 

[ Photos removed from this blog entry April 25, 2011]

Leaving on a Cruise!

I am leaving on a cruise today!  The Holland America Oosterdam leaves from San Diego at 5 pm today and we will arrive in Vancouver on Saturday morning.  This is my first cruise so I am a little nervous but very excited.  I am posting in advance for the next 2 days, but when I get to Vancouver I will have a lot to report.  Buttercream (the traveling cupcake) is going with me and will be appearing in photos as well. 

Bon Voyage!

The Cupcake Tarts via Flickr

Giant Cupcakes

I haven't blogged about giant cupcakes in quite a while...here are some new pictures!

Peggy's Cupcakes via Flickr

Devrah via Flickr

Carpe Cupcakes!

(my first giant cupcake)

.....the most perfect frosting ever!

AriannaHalshaw