Archive for the 'Blogs' Category

Escape the Summer Heat with These Cheesecake Cupcakes

By on Tuesday, August 27th, 2013

29890lrgDuring the summer’s hottest and most humid days, there are times when you want a cooler alternative to cakey cupcakes with thick and sugary icing. Those muggy days are where cheesecake cupcakes can be the perfect substitute. Their density isn’t overly sweet and they’re usually at their tastiest when served chilled. While cheesecake cupcakes work with or without toppings, the fresh fruit of summer is often the perfect finishing touch. So here are recipes for several cheesecake cupcakes to try.

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Craftsy Provides Decorating Demonstrations, Lessons

By on Saturday, August 24th, 2013

At a different end of the spectrum from the other day’s Nerdy Nummies Do-It-Yourself cupcaking, we have Craftsy’s understated but valuable tips to achieve professional cake decorating effects through simple means. With their Project Cupcake videos, in less than two minutes you can learn how to turn gelatin and food coloring into edible sequins to decorate a cupcake (turns out it just requires a textured acetate sheet and a hole puncher). Or learn how to create a gorgeous ruffly fondant flower to sit atop delicious icing (it only takes a few cookie cutters, a shaping tool, and some piping gel).

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Do It Yourself Cupcake Toppers Add a Personal Touch

By on Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

circus elephant cupcake topper (1 of 3)There are many different kinds of cupcake toppers out there to choose from if you don’t want more than just icing to entice. Some are like little toys that can easily be stuck into delicately piped mounds of frosting (or they can be used to cover up the sloppier last minute jobs before a bake sale you forgot about). Others are personalized for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, weddings, etc. and allow you to slap dozens of copies of a loved one’s face onto treats that allow you to, literally, bite their head off. Then there are cupcake toppers like those produced by blogger Tikkido who has posted a number of cupcake topper tutorials. Read the rest of this entry »

Coffee Cake Cupcakes: Indulge in Cupcakes for Breakfast

By on Sunday, August 18th, 2013

Coffee-Cake-Cupcakes

Coffee cake already borders the boundary between breakfast treat and decadent dessert. It doesn’t take much to turn your favorite weekend brunch or late morning snacks into an excuse to have cupcakes for breakfast. Many of the recipes I found for coffee cake cupcakes labeled themselves “coffee cake muffins” but if the word “cake” appears anywhere in the description, I think calling them “muffins” is misguided. You can use a muffin pan, but they’re still cupcakes. Especially when they’re glazed or have any kind of icing. These three recipes rightly asserted themselves as cupcakes.

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Have Your Therapy and Decorate it Too

By on Thursday, August 15th, 2013

cupcake decorating suppliesFor 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 »

Kisses Bakery Brings Cupcakes to Singapore

By on Wednesday, August 14th, 2013

storefront for kissesThe 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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Some Tips for Re-Creating Disney Cupcakes at Home

By on Monday, August 12th, 2013

sully cupcakeThe 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 »