If you’re going to be in the Tampa Bay area tomorrow (August 17^th) and you’re interested in free cupcakes, then stop by the 3^rd Annual Great St. Pete Cupcake Contest. Organized by the Morean Arts Center of St. Petersburg, the money raised by the Great St. Pete Cupcake Contest is used to fund education programs run by the Morean Center, specifically their Connecting People With Art mission. There are eight judges for the two primary categories (professional and novice). The third and final category, People’s Choice, requires a one-dollar donation per vote. Sampling the cupcakes, however, is free. The winners for each category receive stunning handmade glass cupcakes as a prize.   Read the rest of this entry »

For some people, cupcakes and cake are just a vehicle for sugary frosting. For others, the frosting is the paint and the cake or cupcake serves as the canvas. Some of us cook or bake as a kind of therapy, a way to handle stress, to blow off steam (beating eggs and sugar lead to a much tastier mess than beating the feathers out of your pillow). Whatever the reason for pulling out the decorating tips and pastry bags, each cupcake is an opportunity for creative expression. As Penny Alexander of A Residence, blogger and mother of two, who had little regard for cupcakes discovered, the right materials and the right attitude can turn anyone into a cupcake fan. Read the rest of this entry »

The popular obsession with cupcakes continues to spread its influence around the world. Some Singaporean students were studying in Australia when they were introduced to the cupcake shop trend and brought it home with them to Singapore. After sixty years in business, the owner of a Chinese provision shop retired and the space in Tiong Bahru became available. The three friends, self-taught bakers, bought it and made the necessary renovations and fashioned it into Kisses Bakery, which officially opened its doors just over a month ago. Keeping aspects of the old shop like the signboard on the storefront and a cupboard in the shop, Kisses Bakery pays homage to the space’s past while bringing a delicious modern touch to their neighborhood.

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Most people remember the excitement the first time they put a lost tooth under their pillow before bed and discovered a quarter or a dollar in its place the next morning. The Tooth Fairy might not approve, but I think most of us would display almost the same level of excitement if we showed up to work and found that this Cupcake Fairy had visited our workplaces. Emily Knight, the owner of Half-Baked Bakery in Sheldon IA, has delivered hundreds of unexpected cupcakes to local businesses spreading smiles and cheer, all while successfully marketing her bakery through simple word of mouth. And who wouldn’t want to tell the world about such a delicious and kind surprise? Read the rest of this entry »

The craft and baking blogger known to many as Big Bear’s Wife has a few how-to posts for baking and decorating your cupcakes in a Disney (and Pixar) fashion. To accompany the recent release of Monsters University, there is a cupcake decorated to resemble the big, blue, and furry Sully. With a little advice from one of Disney’s own cupcake decorators, Big Bear’s Wife shares many of the tips and shortcuts she used in recreating the kid-friendly confections. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever had that dream where you go to grab some cash out of the ATM and all of a sudden the machine just starts spitting out… cupcakes? Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills, famous for being the first bakery dedicated to cupcakes, has had their trademarked Cupcake ATM next door to their flagship store for over a year now. Sprinkles Cupcakes is making progress on setting up the 24-hour treat dispensers at their other locations. Read the rest of this entry »

The time has come to raid Grandma’s kitchen for a pair of shoes that won’t hurt your feet. The cakes and cupcakes decorated by Amanda Amundson at Grandma’s Bakery in Cashton WI are frequently posted to the bakery’s Facebook page. While many of them are orders, Amundson doesn’t forget to have fun and try new things every once in a while. This past July, a photo of some fashionable high heel cupcakes that was posted to Facebook earned the bakery a lot of attention when the picture unexpectedly went viral. Read the rest of this entry »