Last March, Food Network’s Duff Goldman lives up to his Ace of Cakes title by baking the largest cupcake in history — which was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records. The 61.4-pound creation is more than a foot tall and entirely edible. Reportedly 150 times the size of a regular cupcake, this record-breaker called for 16 pounds of butter, 10 pounds of sugar, and three ounces of food coloring.
Although it was widely reported that Duff broke the record, his record was disqualified in 2009 when it was revealed that his cupcake was baked in two parts! Not only do I want to see the cupcake, I want to see the oven capable of handling a cupcake this size!
This Thursday, at the Covent Garden Real Food Market, the world’s largest ever cupcake will make a nervous debut on the East Piazza. Nervous, because it will be a short-lived appearance: thousands of people will soon be wolfing it down. The baked behemoth will measure 2 metres by 1.25 metres, and it’s expected that around 2,000 will enjoy a slice.
Now consider this. Duff’s cupcake is 150 times larger than a normal cupcake. This londonist cupcake will be 10 times larger than Duff’s cupcake! No mention about whether it will officially take the Guiness Book of World Records crown though.
One day you found a cupcake liner for a race of giants. What would you do with the liner?
In actuality, Sweet Cake is the XXL version. Sweet Cake is an amusing eye-catcher, no matter how you choose to use it. It´s an absolute all-rounder, whether it´s used as a pet bed, planter, mini sandbox, a kid´s wading pool or even as a tiny garden pond.
One of our dear readers shared with us her cupcake surprise.
Here is a pic of the cupcakes I made for my husband who works for the geek squad. He had no idea that I had even made him anything, and was surprised when he saw this. The picture has been passed around all of the corporate office and their forums . It’s the first time I have ever used fondant, and think I am addicted!
Some more beautiful cupcake tattoos from our readers:
My best friend Jazmyn and I got cupcake tattoos together a few weeks ago! We were partially inspired by our obsession for cupcakes, and partially by the amazing tattoos on your website! Our tattoos were done by John at American Ink in Chattanooga, TN. The cupcake with the bubbles is mine (Jessica) on my hip, and the one with the stars is Jazmyn’s on her ankle.
It came to my attention there is a More Cupcakes in Chicago that specializes in not only sweet but also savory cupcakes. Not only do they have traditional flavors like red velvet, coconut, and lemon raspberry, they have savory flavors like BLT (bacon lettuce tomato), white cheddar truffle, and sour cherry foie gras! I am marking this place down as a must-visit the next time I find my way to Chicago.
Any of our dear readers in Chi-town capable of commenting on these unique flavors?
More Cupcakes
one east delaware place
chicago, illinois 60611
312.951.0001
I wanted to share the cupcake costume that I made for my daughter. She was a cupcake for Halloween in 2007. It was so much fun to see people’s reactions when they opened the door. Everyone thought that she was adorable and that it was a nice change from the typical costumes. :-) Hope you enjoy!
Kacie is a talented artist who sent us some photos of her cupcake-inspired works. She owns a shop in south Texas named Rowdy Maui. Although her website is still under construction, it sure is bold and beautiful. On her website is a quote, “Well behaved women rarely make history.” ATC whole-heartedly agrees.
I just found your website and I am in love! My friend and I made these “cuppy-cake and stud-muffin” costumes for our schools after-prom party. At my school everyone goes all out for costumes and ours was the most original! I thought yall might enjoy the costumes and please pass the idea along to anyone! We made them out of laundry baskets covered in folded poster board, and used polyfil fibers (like pillow stuffing) for the icing! the decorative ribbon straps were stapled around the basket and we crafted the sprinkles out of colored packing peanuts and puff balls. to get the polyfill to stay in place we used clear polyurethane spray, and brown spray paint for the muffins. We had a hard time figuring out how to make the costume, but baked real cupcakes at the same time to make it more enjoyable. Although they were really cute, they are kind of a hassle to wear for a long period of time. Let me know if there are any more questions. The website is WONDERFUL and in a few weeks I will hopefully be sending a picture of my cupcake tattoo (once i get it….). Oh, and same day that we made the costumes I got a new kitten named Cupcake! <3
-Linda Marie, Arlington, TX
Thank you Linda Marie for sharing with us. What an imaginative idea for costumes!
Fourth of July is a day where everybody can come together and celebrate our country together. Especially in such an awful year financially for the country and personally for so many people, it is good to remember the roots and celebrate the strength of our nation, and look forward to change in the future.
I was inspired by our president’s speech calling for more people to choose public service as an occupation and serve the country. I was also inspired by the creativity of July 4th cupcakes.
If you fancy yourself the equal of Susan’s, More or Sensational Bites, throw your hat in the ring and join the Iron Cupcake Challenge. Competitors bring their best cupcakes in for judgment and the winner takes home cupcake glory and prestige. This month’s theme is Tropical cupcakes, so bring your best coconut/banana/passionfruit/rum icing and your favorite pastry bag! Does your cupcake reign supreme?
The competition is being held at Veranda Greek American Taverna (5700 W. Irving Park Rd.) on Monday at 6 PM. If you want to get a sense of the competition, here are some pictures from the last Iron Cupcake Challenge; the theme was citrus. Whet your appetite for our upcoming review of More Cupcakes and join in!
The Iron Cupcake Chicago Challenge will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 6, at Veranda Greek American Taverna, 5700 W Irving Park Rd. Email [email protected] for more information or to register.
Looks like so much fun. I can’t wait to see the photos of the winning cupcakes this year. Here is the link to Flickr photos of the last Iron Cupcake event. Some real beauties there.
Although as a country we are knee deep in a recession, cupcake shops are springing up left and right. Some theories are that we all need affordable comforts during times like these. Another is that with many skilled people laid off, they are free to pursue their dreams, and some happen to open their own cupcake shop.
Christiana Whitley of Hattiesburg, MS is opening her shop named Cirque du Sweet Day. Her dream of opening a store started back in 2007 while enrolled in Emerson College.
Rhonda Waller left her executive job in 2008 to start Rhonda’s Cupcakery in the Bethesda, MD area. Her shop has been doing so well that it has attracted competition from other cupcake stores to her area. What a good problem to have.
Finally, our friend Dave LaLiberte in Boston is looking to open his cupcake shop in the Boston area in March 2010. He has an official job opening looking for a Creative Cupcake Baker. If you are interested in getting in touch with Dave, please contact him at: [email protected]
Follow your dreams not only at night, but also during the day!
While browsing a convention in San Jose, California. I was able to enjoy Eric Joyner’s artistic works. A collection of his work is presented in a book titled simply, “Donuts & Robots“. Eric happened to be there in person, and my first question to him was, “Do you have any illustrations with cupcakes?”. Unfortunately, the answer was no; however, I think all of us can enjoy the art of a sweet relative of the cupcake.
Love him or hate him, he was undeniably a genius. I found it fascinating that people have started to use cupcakes to express their feeling. Now cupcakes aren’t only found at weddings, but also in mournings.
Here are some photos of Michael Jackson Cupcakes that have appeared nationwide.
Posted by
harrisonca
on
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Beautiful writeup and photos by the Seattle PI on a local cupcake shop named Trophy Cupcakes. My Seattle friends tell me that it is worth a second look… and a third. I am staring at the photos with a little envy. Where were the cupcake stores when I was growing up in Seattle?
Last month, ATC observed the growing mobile cupcake trend on the east coast. Just this monday, Sprinkles, the Beverly Hills-based chain, launched its cupcake-shop-on-wheels experiment to serve cupcake goodness to the Orange County.
“Yes, we want to take the Sprinklesmobile to the O.C.,” said Nicole Schwartz, a rep for Sprinkles Cucpakes, which has a shop in Corona del Mar.
Schwartz said “stay tuned” for more details as “we haven’t plotted out our
schedule yet.”
The chain will “Tweet” its Los Angeles locations on its new mobile Twitter account: @sprinklesmobile.
Cupcake are often times used as symbols. Usually cupcakes symbolize something happy and delightful, but lately it has been invoked in a growing debate regarding school food policies. There is no doubt that childhood obesity is a growing problem, but is school food to blame? If it is, what is the necessary reform needed?
In the heated debate, school boards are considering banning some foods from the school entirely including cupcakes. A board member asks, hopefully rhetorically:
“They can’t have cupcakes? … One birthday party a month?” she said. “…I think it’s better to have happy children. They learn better, it’s pleasant for all. Along with the healthy foods, the kids have to be happy.” – The Evil Cupcake
In another article, a worried pediatrician retorts:
In a typical classroom of 26 children, there are up to 26 days of birthday cupcakes to contend with. Then you add in celebrations for holidays, and many classes have a party every week. There are many healthy birthday options, and we can use them to celebrate our children’s birthdays without sacrificing their health. – NYT Letters
What do our dear ATC readers feel about this issue? Should cupcakes be banned from schools? Or is it throwing the baby out with the bath water?
The results are out from the Londonist Cupcake Throwdown. Faircake Bakeries takes first prize with a magnificent domination of the judging categories with its limoncello and white chocolate cupcake. The rules for the throwdown were quite different from other contests, prizing natural colors and balance of flavors.
Faircake Bakeries was nice enough to share the winning cupcake recipe with the general public as well. You guys know what I will be doing this weekend.
Posted by
harrisonca
on
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
You can have your cupcake and eat it, too! Add Delish to your list of sweet tooth hot spots in Austin. Located at 209 W. 3rd Street (around the corner from Cantino Laredo), Delish has it’s grand opening tomorrow! Stop in all day for free cupcakes and from 6-8pm they’ll be serving free champagne and wine! Double treat!
Cupcake flavors include Mexican Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon Zest, Black & White, Strawberry Z, Ginger Carrot, Red Velvet, Chocolate Mint, and more!
This popcorn cupcake idea comes from Cary Chaote at the Examiner. It is an easy to execute idea with large visual impact with no special necessities other than the retro popcorn bags for 29 cents each at century novelty.
For you fashion fans out there. These fashion label cupcakes were shot by Swedish photographer Therese Aldgard and styled by Lisa Edsalv. Quite obviously, the inspirations were Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, and Betsey Johnson. I wonder if they taste as good as they look.
Posted by
harrisonca
on
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
Actor Owen Wilson was spotted eating a cupcake in Georgetown Maryland. It is reported he stopped by Georgetown Cupcake for a red velvet and white chocolate cupcake.
Actress Amanda Setton for the show Gossip Girl is shown posing with cupcakes in front of the Cupcake Stop truck in NYC. We wrote about the Cupcake Stop truck earlier as it is a mobile cupcake shop roving NYC streets for hungry cupcake fans.
One of our readers contacted us in his quest to find open a cupcake specialty store in the Boston area. He wants to partner up with a baker that can:
My ideal candidate would be somebody that can bake a killer cupcake and has some experience in the industry. He/she also has to be innovative, imaginative, and fun. I can tell by reading your blog that you guys love cupcakes and I thought that it would be worth shooting you an email in the event that you knew anybody that might be interested.
Sounds like an excellent opportunity to start on a dream job. If interested, please contact Dave’s email at [email protected]
