My Pet Peeves

I love cupcakes, either the ones I made or the ones made by other bakeries.  However, I do have my pet peeves about eating cupcakes though.  And I would love to share what they are here:

1)  Overly sweet frosting - Need I explain more?!
2)  Too much frosting - I know a lot of bakeries charge close to $4-5 for a piece of this sweet treat.  In order to make their customer to think they spent their money wisely, they just pipe the frosting as tall as they could to make the cupcake looks bigger.  Balance is the key, OK?!
3)  Cupcake got burn on the bottom of the "cupcake top" - and this is one of the main one among all 3.  A lot of bakeries they over pour the batter into the pan.  When the cupcakes baked in the oven, they rise and the "cupcake top" (you know what muffin top is, cupcake top is the same thing) got burnt a little on the side and the bottom.  You might not notice and question what I am talking about, check the pictures below and you will get what I mean (PS. I didn't make the cupcake in the picture=p).

Cupcake top...

...got burnt

I want to hold you hand...

I still remember the first time I was holding hand with my husband.  It's been years ago, but the memory is still fresh like it just happened yesterday.  I always think that holding hand is more inmitate than kissing and perhaps other PDAs.  And I am not the only one said that, Dalton Conley, a professor and chairman of the department of sociology at New York University has agreed with me, “Hand-holding is the one aspect that’s not been affected by the sexual revolution,” said  “It’s less about sex than about a public demonstration about coupledom.”

Hand-holding is a very speical and innocent moment between couples -

To hold someone’s hand is to offer them affection, protection or comfort. It is a way to communicate that you are off the market. Practically speaking, it is an efficient way to squeeze through a crowd without losing your partner. People do it during vigils, marches, weddings and funerals.
(source from the New York Times, Oct 5, 2006 issue)

And different ways of holding your parterner has special meaning too, if you are interested to de-code the meaning, click here.

There are so many ways to show your partner your love and care, of course, holding hand is one of them.  Writing them a letter/card, flying her a paper airplane to tell that person you miss him/her, or stuffing a special note in a fortune cookie to suprise her/him...

Here is a little fun project inpsired by LOVE:

Signed, sealed, delivered, I am yours...

Trying to get as detail as possible, this is the back of the envelope.

Show her your love on a "sweet" candy way (these heart shaped candies are made with fondant)

Or surprise her when she crack the fortune cookie=)

 Or drop her a love note in the classroom

And for those, who could not be with your love this year -
Do you wish the paper airplane could go straight to the one you love and show her how much you miss her?!

A cupcake tower full of love and flavor -
Horchata cupcakes with horchata cinnamon frosting and topped with churro

"Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine,
love, thou art every day my Valentine!"
-Thomas Hood









Thank you, Halloween!

I am not sure how many kids knocked on your door to play trick or treat during Halloween night last month.  We got 0 kid here!  Last year, we had one kid (the kid living next door) knocked on our door when we were about to leave for a party.  We didn't prepare any candies, end up I just gave him some of my favorite snacks to take home.  So this year, we were well prepared for this special holiday.  To our surprise, we got 0 kid asked for candies from us.

0 kid = bags of left over candies at our house!  I decided to use some of the left over candies to make cupcakes.  I like PB & J (peanut butter and jam), so I created this cupcake to include these two ingredients.

I broke down the peanut butter cup in my chocolate batter and created this so air-y and creamy peanut butter mousse frosting filled with boysenberry jam in the chocolate cupcakes.  They just taste like my favorite PB&J toast!

I was just curious about who created this amazing PB&J sandwiches, and I found this information online (quite interesting):

1941-1945 - Both peanut butter and jelly were on the U.S. Military ration menus in World War II (1941-1945). It is said that the American soldiers added jelly to their peanut butter to make it more palatable. Peanut butter provided an inexpensive and high protein alternative to meat for soldiers. It was an instant hit and returning servicemen made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the United States. Food historians haven't found any ads or other mentions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the 1940s.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I made these cute chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting last weekend.  I dressed one up with red rasberry candy and one with black.  I have two candle holders at home, so I just put them on for their photo shots.  They look so cute together, the color of the pictures remind me a bits of the movie "Twilight".  This powerful pair make a wonderful centerpiece=)

Roasted Banana Cupcakes

I was craving for banana cupcakes earlier this week.  After I got home, I decided to make myself a warm roasted banana cupcakes.  For the frosting, at first, I wanted to make Nutella buttercream.  But I changed my mind, I want something lighter to go with the cupcakes.  I ended up making a honey buttercream frosting to go with my roasted banana cupcakes.  YUM-MO!


Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Are you still thinking of something to bring to your family dinner or just want to share some love with your friends, family and co-workers?  These roasted banana cupcakes will be a perfect gift for the people you love.  Contact us for information. 

Frosting and Cupcake (Part I)

Last time we talked about our Top 10 cupcakes in America.  This time I am going to share some tips with you of how we choose the right frosting to go with your favorite cupcakes. 

• Vanilla cupcake is a very classic flavor.  And this flavor can almost pair up with any flavors of frosting.  If you like very light frosting, I suggest you to pair with our classic white chocolate frosting or home-made whipped cream.  If you like fresh fruit, our classic strawberry buttercream will be a great choice.  If you like chocolate (who doesn't?!), pair it with our classic chocolate buttercream or hazelnut buttercream. 

• Pumpin cupcake is a seasonal cupcake for Fall and Winter.  It's great pair with classic cream cheese frosting.

• Banana cupcake pair with banana frosting is always a great choice.  Banana flavor also goes well with fresh fruit icing, such as strawberry, raspberry or any other berry-flavored icing. Also, any type of chocolate frosting will be a great match with this cupcake also, but if you're in the mood for something really different and light, try adding a dollop of whipped cream. It's simple and delicious!

• Coffee is featured prominently in desserts because it goes well with just about anything that tastes sweet. Therefore, there are a myriad of possible frosting options for coffee cupcakes. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, almond, raspberry -- really, any flavor that might go with a cup of joe is a possible contender for the cake or icing part of your cupcake.

• Chocolate is another popular and classic flavor at our Cupcakery!  If you are choco-holic, top with a heavy dark chocolate frosting.  If you like chocolate, but would like something lighter on top, go with our classic white chocolate.  If you like fresh fruit, rasberry or strawberry frostings will be another great choice. 

• Lemon cupcakes typically pair up with sweet but slightly tangy yellow frosting. Last time I made a lemon flavored frosting with a candied orange on top and it was a great hit!  If the combination of lemon cake and lemon frosting is too tart for your taste, ask for an unfrosted cupcake with just a light dusting of powdered sugar for a subtle dose of extra sweetness.