From these fleetingly hot days of summer in Upstate New York, I thought I’d take you on a getaway this week to go baking cupcakes in kitchens in foreign countries.  I’ve scouted out the bloggs for the best-looking cupcakes with photo instructions and recipes.

Summer Cupcakes

We start our tour with the cutest summer cupcakes on the planet!  How creative are these?  La Despensa Del Gnomo blog uses the universal image of the drink umbrella with fondants to create beach scenes, from towels to starfish to shovels.  The cupcakes are bottomed-off with palm tree wrappers.

Can any of our Spanish-speaking readers act as our translator tour guide?  One of the ingredients is that yum word “Nutella.”  But just how it fits into the cupcake is the question.

Do take a moment to click on her “cupcakes” category in the blog.  One of her recipes is for Papaya cupcakes – another great summer cupcake idea.  How fun to wander through foreign kitchens to bring their local flavors to our own!

This summer has been all about various types of Lemonade! I have been try to cut back on my soda consumption and I have substituted soda with strawberry lemonade since the beginning of summer. And let me tell you, it has been a delicious summer so far. But what if you had this refreshing drink in a cupcake? It would be so much better. And it is so much better, I have found this luscious cupcake recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from the blog  Love and Olive Oil.

Make sure to check out their blog for more fantastic cupcake recipes and much more!

Love Peace and Cupcakes.

I originally posted this recipe over at my blog, Bake and Destroy. As the story goes, my mother in law Jo is obsessed with powdered ice tea. She simply cannot get enough of it. I wanted to make frosting with the iced tea powder she loves, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. So instead, I made her these dairy-free tea cupcakes with vegan lemon buttercream. They’re perfect for a spring cook out, which is exactly how we’re celebrating her birthday this week end! So enjoy the cupcakes, and happy birthday, Jo! We love you!

For the cupcakes you will need:

• 1 cup soy milk
• 4-6 iced tea teabags*
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract**
• 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour***
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

*Use 4 bags if you just want to say they’re iced tea cupcakes, use 6 or more bags if you want to know it.
** Replace up to 1/2 tsp of this measurement with a flavor complimentary to ice tea- lemon, orange, mint, etc. I’d recommend 1/4 tsp if you’re using something as strong as mint or citrus oil.
***These are very moist cakes. Not fall-apart moist, but they stay squishy for a long time. If you want something a little more firm to the touch up this measurement to 1 1/2 cups of flour.

Then you:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan heat soymilk till almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. When ready to use stir teabags and thoroughly squeeze to insure as much tea is dissolved in milk as possible.

In a large bowl whisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, lemon oil, zest and tea mixture until all yogurt lumps disappear. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until large lumps disappear; some small lumps are okay. Fill tins full and bake about 20 to 22 minutes until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean.

For the lemon buttercream you will need:

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Then you:

In a small bowl, cream the shortening and margarine until well combined. Add the sugar in 1/2 cup additions. After each addition add a splash of lemon juice and beat well with a handheld mixer. Add vanilla and beat for another 3-5 minutes until smooth, creamy and fluffy. I stuck cut-off straws in some of these and topped the rest with a sprig of organic mint.