JavaCupcake

JavaCupcake has MOVED!

2010-01-26T01:18:00.000-08:00

That's right... I finally did it!! I moved to WordPress!! From today on, I will no longer be posting blogs to this blogger account.

Please visit javacupcake.com and subscribe to my RSS feed there to continue getting notifications of new posts!

Thank you to everyone who has shown me such loyalty and support!! And thank you in advance for your patience as I continue to work out all the kinks in this move!

Tree Hugger Apple Cupcakes

2010-01-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

I was asked by Foodies@Work (on Twitter @foodiesatwork)to write a guest blog for their site. They wanted me to come up with a cupcake that reflected the Pacific Northwest. At first, I instantly thought seafood!! But reconsidered because I'm certain that a lobster cupcake wouldn't be that tasty. So I decided on apples.
I know that apples aren't native to the Pacific Northwest, but we have a lot of apple orchards on both sides of our state and thought it would be a perfect base for a cupcake! With a suggestion from my sister, I decided to buy locally the apples and eggs because we all know how much the "tree-hugging" people from Seattle and the Northwest love their locally grown, organic foods! So from this, the "Tree Hugger Apple" cupcake was born!

The base of the cupcake was inspired by this Appledoodle Cupcake I found while browsing the Iron Cupcake Earth website. I changed a few things and made it my own by adding sliced apple to the top of the batter before baking, then filling the cupcake with more apple and drizzling the buttercream on top with caramel.

(Above)These are the sliced apples I cooked in sugar, butter and cinnamon before adding to the cupcakes before baking.

(Below)Fresh out of the oven.

(Below)Diced apples cooking before filling the cupcakes.

After filling and frosting the cupcakes, I made a caramel sauce to drizzle over the cupcakes..... oh heaven.

Can you see the appley goodness on the inside of this cupcake? Oh my goodness.... so good!

Here they are.... all done... topped with a tiny piece of apple!

All lined up and ready to go to Erica's for a dinner party! They were, of course, a huge hit!

Heather said she wouldn't talk to me for a month if I posted her picture eating this cupcake... so, I'll post Emily's instead!

Click on the image below for the recipe!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is my niece enjoying her Cookies-N-Creme cupcake I made for her birthday in December. The other adorable lil girl in the back is my daughter!

White Velvet Raspberry filled Cupcakes w/ Vanilla Buttercream topped with a fresh Raspberry

2010-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

It was Tracy's grandmothers 84th birthday and she wanted cupcakes! She wasn't a big fan of chocolate so a white cake was ordered and wanted to add a bit of color with raspberries. So what I came up with was this White Velvet Raspberry filled cupcakes topped with Vanilla Buttercream and a fresh raspberry! I made two dozen and I almost only delivered 23... hehe they were THAT yummy!

I got this awesome new camera, so I was able to document the process of making these cupcakes!

These are the goodies I used to make these cupcakes. Wilton cupcake liners, pink sugar dust, and a Wilton #6B star tip.

First, preheat oven to 350F and fill two 12-hole cupcake trays with cupcake wrappers. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine egg whites, vanilla and 1/4 cup milk and mix with a whisk.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix together to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high if using a hand mixer) for 1.5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and milk mixture in three equal parts, beating for 20 seconds between additions.

So, in true JavaCupcake style... I totally made an oooooppsie. The batter didn't look as pretty as the above picture at first.

Fill each cupcake liner 1/2 - 2/3 full with batter.

Bake 15-17 minutes. After 10 minutes of baking, rotate pan 180 degrees to ensure even baking. Remove when air bubbles just being to pop on top and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then place on a cooling rack.

Let cool completely before filling and frosting. I chose to use my favorite raspberry jam to fill the cupcakes with.

To fill the cupcakes, I used this technique I found on BakingBites.com.

Using a Wilton #6B star tip, I frosted the cupcakes in a circular pattern. I immediately dusted the top with the pink sugar dust.

After the buttercream had a few hours to set and slightly harden, I topped them with an upside down fresh raspberry.

And here they are... all finished and ready to deliver!

I met Tracy and her Grandmother at the restaurant and they were over the moon with these cupcakes! Grandma was a delight and it was such a pleasure to make these goodies for her birthday!

Click the image below for the recipe.

Guest Blogger: Nicole from BakingBites.com teaches how to fill cupcakes

2010-01-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

JavaCupcake Note: This is a re-post of a blog from Nicole at Baking Bites! I used this technique to make the White Velvet Raspberry filled cupcakes. Be sure to check out all the other delicious creations Baking Bites is Nicole is making on her blog!

“Filling in the cupcake” should be an expression in the same vein as “icing on the cake.” Both are added bonuses that you don’t need, but can take a treat to the next level. Icing is a bit more common than filling and since it may not be something you do every time you bake, I put together this photo tutorial to give you an edge the next time you give it a try - like if you decide to go for a batch of Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Filling, for instance.

There are several ways to fill a cupcake with jam, cream or some other type of filling. The easiest involves cutting the cupcake in half and spreading it with the filling, treating the cupcake as though it were a tiny layer cake. It is effective, but doesn’t give you the classic “look” of filled cupcake. A slightly more sophisticated way is to put your filling into a pastry bag fitted with a metal or plastic tip, poke the tip into the center of the cake, and squeeze in a bit of filling. This method is quick, but tends to leave only a small amount of filling in place.

My favorite way - and, in my opinion, the best way - is the method I used for the Devil’s Food Cupcakes. It gives you the maximum amount of filling and the best overall look for the cupcake. All you need is a paring knife, or other small, sharp knife with a narrow blade, to begin. Insert the knife into a cooled cupcake at an angle, halfway between the center and the outside edge.

The exact angle isn’t crucial, but it should be around 45 deg., and the knife should go into the cake about 1″. The idea here is to cut out a circular cone of cake.

Once you have your cone of cake, remove it and slice off the pointy end of the cone, leaving just the circular base (which was the very top of the cupcake). The filling will be put in the hole once filled by the cake cone, and the circular piece will be used as a plug to seal the filling in.

Filling should be added using a pastry bag or (my favorite) a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. There is no need to use a pastry tip to fill the cupcakes; a medium-sized opening in either type of bag will make filling the cakes a breeze.

Once the filling is in place, just pop the flat circle of cake back into place and continue to frost as you would with any other cupcake. You can see what the finished cake, sliced in half to reveal the cream filling, looks like here.

JavaCupcake featured on Momyear.com

2010-01-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

There are tons of "mommy blogs" out there, hey JavaCupcake could even be considered a mommy blog! Kim at momyear.com was inspired during her pregnancy by reading the blogs of moms, she said it helped her get through the hard times and now, she's giving back to the mom bloggers community! She has taken it upon herself to highlight a new mommy blogger everyday for the next year! And guess who is Day 9 on the blog?? That's right, JavaCupcake.com is!!! Thank you Momyear.com for the honor!

Here's what Momyear.com had to say. You can find the article here.

Betsy loves everything about cupcakes. She’s also a stay at home mom of a 10-year-old girl and an Army Wife. In her blog, Java Cupcake, Betsy shares recipes and photos of her homemade cupcakes In addition, she highlights cupcake accessories and themed products.

I find this blog to be a breath of fresh air on the cupcake front. Not every cupcake is perfectly decorated so there is no intimidation in trying. Not even every recipe works out at all, and I think we’ve all been there. So if you feel the need to create some cupcakes, take a visit to Java Cupcake for inspiration.

Here’s a sampling:
Strawberries – You know that time of the year when strawberries are perfect and everywhere and you don’t know what else to do with them? Mmmm. Strawberry Cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cups – Well, as Betsy says, they aren’t exactly cupcakes, but, ya know, they look like one.

When new recipes go bad – I love this. I’ve had more of my fair share of recipes end up in the trashcan. I love that she showed us.

Mini Cupcake Crawl – For those in the Seattle area, or if you plan on visiting.
CONNECT with Java Cupcake

Read Java Cupcake
Follow @javacupcake on Twitter
Subscribe to Java Cupcake via RSS Feed
Become a fan of Java Cupcake on Facebook
View Java Cupcake’s Photostream on Flickr

Screen Shot from Java Cupcake – http://www.javacupcake.com/

With a "Wink" and a Smile

2010-01-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

Oh.... when I saw you, I knew we'd go together like a "Wink" and a smile!! Oh yes, little Wink cupcakes you were made for me and I was made to smile for you!!

My little angel and I hopped in the Routan and jetted up to the big city of Seattle to the quaint neighborhood known as Queen Anne. My mother lived in this neighborhood back when she met my father, so I knew this place was magical. Wink Cupcakes, well you've continued on with that magic with your cupcake shop!

My friend Jen met up with us just outside of Wink and we were more than excited to try out their cupcakes! As we entered, we were greeted by several staff all dressed in the cutest little t-shirts! They read: "Making Seattle Sweeter One Cupcake at a Time". How freeking adorable is that??? (PS, if I wouldn't have spent all my money on cupcakes, I would have walked out the door with one of these shirts too!)

As I walked up to the counter, I drawn immediately to the display case that held the cupcakes. Three rows of beautifully displayed cupcakes. 10 different flavors. How was I going to choose? Oh wait... why choose? Just get one of each! So excited to taste my favorite little treats, I forgot to see how much they cost. Now... I planned to spend a few dollars at Wink today, but I guess I wasn't expecting the $36 a dozen price tag for these little puppies. EEEEK. At this point, I'm crossing my fingers they are worth it!

So we sit down with our loot, eager to take a bit out of each one. Here's the run down of what we got.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE LARGER!!!

Now on to the taste testing! Emily wanted to try the Peanut butter with Peanut butter buttercream first. The base of this cupcake tasted so much like a peanut butter cookie. Mmmmm it was good. The frosting was creamy and smooth and topped perfectly with a kiss!

Jen and I tried the Chocolate with Chocolate buttercream next. It had a very intense, distinct coffee flavor in both the frosting and the cake. If you like coffee flavor, you'll love this cupcake. It wasn't your typical chocolate flavor, yet still very tasty!

We also tried the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting and the Coconut with Coconut buttercream as well as the Hazelnut with Hazelnut icing. All very different in their flavors! The Red Velvet had the moistest cake of all of the flavors we tired while the Hazelnut had the most distinct true to their name flavor. By the time we got to the Coconut, we were on cupcake overload and could only finish half of it!

And this is what you look like when you've eaten too many cupcakes. Oohhhh my belly!

We spent almost 2 hours in Wink Cupcakes, enjoying the decor, the friendly people, and the tons of customers coming in and out of the shop. As we were enjoying our cupcakes, one of the Wink staffers brought us a complimentary Buttercream Latte! Such a sweet surprise! Thank you!

Overall, we had a really great experience at Wink. It was just what a cupcake shop should be... fun, sweet, and yummy! There were a few things that I'd like to see differently at Wink that I think could really make this cupcake shop a HUGE success!

First, their buttercream frosting was almost too sweet and smooth, airy and light. When I think of a standard buttercream, I like a thicker, more "meaty" buttercream. Wink's frosting was a little too smooth and light for my taste. Now.... if you like this type of buttercream... then Wink is the place for you! It was good, just not my ideal for a cupcake.

Second, the size of their cupcakes were surprisingly small. For $3 a "wink" sized cupcake and $36 a dozen, I would expect a slightly bigger cupcake. Some of the cupcakes we sampled didn't even rise up over the edge of the liners, being only about an inch or so tall. Having tasted so many cupcakes and been to so many cupcake shops, these by far were the smallest cupcakes for the price.

Lastly, with the exception of the Red Velvet cupcake, every cupcake we tasted was slightly over cooked and dry. When I pulled away the liners from the cakes, I could see a lighter color on the inside of the cupcake than the browned outer edges. This was a little disappointing. With each bite of a new cupcake, I was hoping that I'd find more moistness in them... but, I didn't. I'm hoping that they can tweak their cupcake recipes so that these beautiful little gems can be as moist and delicious as they look in the case!

Now... don't get me wrong, despite these three things... I thought that Wink Cupcakes was a big success! I had a great time up on Queen Anne hill at Wink and I'd definitely stop back in if I were in the area! And... if they ever start selling their T-Shirts in "big girl" sizes and online... I'll be buying one! Oh... and get this, the glass window said, "Please refrain from licking the glass!" hehehehe

Thanks Wink Cupcakes for being such great hosts to our visit! My daughter and my best friend and I had a really great afternoon in your shop!

Here are a few extra fun pictures from our afternoon at Wink!

Bakerella makes S'mores Cupcakes

2010-01-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Really Bakerella, could you get any more heavenly this this? S'mores Cupcakes... really?? Mmmmmmm. These cupcakes are just layered with ooey gooey, crunchy, marshmallowy, chocolately goodness!! Makes me want to run out and go camping and bring these little suckers with me just so I can have an excuse to eat a dozen of them!! Heaven! Below is a post from Bakerella.com that I couldn't resist sharing with you! You can find this recipe, more pictures and all of her other great creations on Bakerella's website. After you check out all of her other delicious goodness, follow her on Twitter!

Thank you Bakerella for sharing such wonderful creations!! You are THE BEST at what you do!!

S'more or less

S’mores equal ooey and gooey and yummy. To make them, all you really need is some marshmallows and melted chocolate to sandwich between a couple of graham crackers for a quick and easy treat.

But, I wanted to make something more. Something s’more I guess you could say… by using the star players in this sweet treat and baking them into cupcakes.

I originally wanted to make cupcakes with a marshmallowy frosting that I could use a kitchen torch thingy on and toast the surface. However, I don’t have a kitchen torch and that’s probably a good thing. But I had to get these flavors out if my mind. And the only way I could do that is bake. So this is what I came up with instead.

Marshmallow stuffed graham cracker and chocolate cupcakes. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Gooood.

First, I added a little graham cracker cupcake batter in the bottom of the baking cups. And then I topped it with a butter, graham cracker and brown sugar mixture. Ohhhh yeah.

Then I cut some marshmallows in half and placed them right on top of that.

Lastly cover the marshmallows and fill the baking cup about 3/4 full with the chocolate cupcake batter and more of the graham cracker crumb mixture.

When they bake, the marshmallow will mostly melt away into the cupcake, but a little will make it’s way to the surface and peek through the topping.

When you take them out of the oven, use a toothpick to separate any of the cake from the edge of the pan while they are still warm. They may stick a little from the marshmallows. But if you go ahead and do this carefully while they are still warm, then you can remove them without the cupcake tops tearing.

Then when you unwrap them, they will be perty! These looked too tempting right out of the oven so I may have had one or three while they were still warm. You could definitely stop here and serve them just like this.

But the chocolate lover in me, convinced me to make some ganache. It was a struggle, but the chocolate won as usual.

You can just use a spoon and pour it on randomly so you can still see some of the textured tops underneath. You can also dunk them for complete chocolate coverage.

But, I like the messy look on these. The non-precise, shove in your face look.

And I also like them with the extra marshmallow look.

Not as easy to stuff in my face this way, but I managed.

S’more Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup cocoa

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup oil

6 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, plus more for decorating

Graham Cracker Crumb topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

Ganache

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.

Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.

Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.

Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.

Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.

Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.

This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 14-16.

Let cool and top with ganache.

Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.

Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.

Enjoy!

P.S. These are not gluten-free. But thank you so much everyone for all of the great gluten-free links and resources on the previous post. I do think I will give a go at a recipe sometime once I get my hands on the right ingredients.

The 1st Annual Blogerversary Giveaway!

2010-01-10T03:38:00.000-08:00

The Prize Package
Thank you to EVERYONE who donated! (Prizes subject to change at any time)

OPEN TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE USA OR CANADA ONLY.

NEW PRIZES ADDED: 1/17/10

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Every person to enter this giveaway will also be provided access into an EXCLUSIVE Pampered Chef "Mystery Host" catalog show! One participating member from this show will win ALL the Host Benefits & Rewards... including the January bonus reward of 50% additional Free Product Value! http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tressaadams?page=host-rewards CLICK ON THIS PRIZE FOR MORE INFO!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-01-09T02:29:00.000-08:00

It's a week into 2010 and I'm making my first round of cupcakes for the new year! I've been brainstorming what my "signature" cupcake could possibly be and it dawned on my that DUH! Peanut Butter and Chocolate! My favorite food combination.

For this Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake, I started with my recipe for super moist chocolate cupcakes and tweaked it just a little bit and they came out perfectly. I have a feeling that this recipe might become a part of whatever my signature cupcake is. I've got it pretty much perfected.

To top the cupcake, I wanted a peanut butter buttercream and this particular recipe came from Mermaid Sweets. I did my thing, adapted it some and I think it came out pretty good... a bit sweeter than I had wanted, but it's still pretty damn delicious!

Finally, I quartered mini Reese's peanut butter cups to garnish the top. They look like HEAVEN to me! But... seeing that it's 2:30am, I should probably wait until tomorrow to try one. Otherwise, I'll be up ALL NIGHT. hehe

Click on image for recipe!

Can you name them all?

2010-01-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

Steelhead Studio celebrated it's 100th anniversary by making 100 different cupcakes... all decorated as a different game! Some are board games, video games, hand games, mind games, group games, card games, old school and new games! Visit their site to see them all and see how many you can name!

Rock Paper Scissors was one of my favorite games to play with my brother growing up!

This Legend of Zelda cupcake is my husbands favorite game!

Everyone loves Monopoly!

Meet JavaCupcake!

2010-01-07T00:50:00.000-08:00

Hello!!! My name is Betsy and I'm a lover of cupcakes! I'm also a 30-something Army Wife and Mommy, recent college graduate, and an avid Dave Matthews Band Fan. I live in Tacoma, WA with my husband, daughter and two kitties! I'm a stay at home mom, baker, best friend and music lover!

Currently, my family is in the middle of surviving our second deployment. My husband is in Baghdad, Iraq serving his country, protecting our freedoms and my right to bake cupcakes! :)

My daughter, Emily, she's 10 years old and is full of life! She's definitely a "pre-teen" and has an opinion about everything! She's my angel though and I love her more than life. She's my reason for everything!

This is my cupcake blog!! I share photos, recipes, my successes and my failures all revolving around cupcakes cupcakes! When I'm not sharing my own cupcakes and recipes... I'm sharing photos, tips and stores about cupcakes from all over the world!

You can also read more about me on my personal blog, Tales of a Firedancer, where I share my life as an Army Wife, Mother, Friend and Daughter.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at betsy@javacupcake.com. Thank you!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T13:36:00.001-08:00

Cupcake Queen

2010-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've been called a lot of things that have "queen" in it... "Queen of the Internet" and "Cupcake Queen" to name a few. And for Christmas, I got an apron that said "Bow down to the Cupcake Queen" and it got me to thinking about what other cute cupcake queen stuff I could find on ETSY!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
JavaCupcake.etsy.com

Cutest Valentine Cupcake Magnet EVER!

2010-01-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

By chance I found this ETSY shop with the MOST ADORABLE handmade felt cupcake magnets!! They come in various colors, but I thought this Valentine's Day one was the cutest!

ETSY Shop: Color Creations by Danielle London

Here are some others!

Guest Blogger Tracy from Sugar Crafter makes Homemade Vanilla Extract

2010-01-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

JavaCupcake Note: This is a guest blog post from Tracy & Sugar Crafter.

Be sure to check out all the other delicious creations she's making on her blog and follow her on Twitter!

Vanilla Extract

I’m sure you’ve probably seen this everywhere by now, but since it was part of mine and hubby’s homemade Christmas gift baskets this year, I couldn’t post about it until now or I would have spoiled the surprise! When I first learned how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract though, I was so excited. It’s much cheaper than buying it in the store! And since I was about three months away from Christmas at the time, I knew they would make perfect gifts as well. I’ve been using the homemade vanilla extract in my baking ever since, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store-bought!
Here’s what you’ll need:

Vodka (any type will do – I used Skyy)
1 vanilla bean per 1/3 cup vodka
Lidded glass bottles

First, grab your favorite type of vanilla beans. These are Tahitian beans.

Split each vanilla bean lengthwise with a knife or with scissors.

Drop the vanilla beans into the bottles. Mine held about one cup of liquid each, so I put in 3 vanilla beans per bottle. Fill up the bottles with the vodka. And, that’s it! Store the bottles in a cool, dark place for about three months before using, making sure to give them a shake every once in a while. The picture below was taken about a week and a half after making the extract; it’ll get even darker over time.

JavaCupcake side note: As a part of my goals for 2010, I wanted to create a signature cupcake. I'm hoping that this recipe (in three months!) can be used as a part of it! Thank you Tracy for this great recipe!!

2010 JavaCupcake Goals

2009-12-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of resolutions. I feel like when I make them, I always fail at them. So this year, I'm setting some goals for myself and this blog that I feel could be obtainable. In no particular order of importance, here's the list!

1. TAKE BETTER PICTURES
I have plans to get a really nice camera this year and I'd like to learn how to photograph my cupcakes better. I've seen some really awesome shots of cupcakes that are as beautiful as they are artistic... and I'm jealous. So, this goal is to learn to take better pictures of my cupcakes!

(Photo: Trophy Cupcakes)

2. FOCUS MY BLOG ON MORE THAN JUST MY CUPCAKES
I have learned this year that it's not realistic for me to think I can bake a new cupcake every week or even every month. Sometimes, I just don't have a reason to make them or I'm just not feeling baking, so I'd like to give myself permission to write about more than just my recipes. I've been doing that a little more lately, but I'd like to incorporate other peoples recipes, guest bloggers, posts about cupcake merchandise, etc etc. I known there are a lot of other blogs out there that do this, so I'll keep my main focus on my cupcakes as much as possible.

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

3. PERFECT MY FROSTING SKILLS
I make a pretty damn good buttercream. I mean really, it's amazing. But, I haven't perfected the art of using the pastry bag and those little tips that make cute shapes. I want to explore the art of frosting and come up with a signature frost for my cupcakes. My goal is to practice, practice, practice until I can come up with a dozen perfectly frosted with a tip cupcakes.

(Photo: Two Parts Sugar)

4. MASTER THE BASIC CUPCAKE FLAVORS
I've made almost 20 cupcake flavors this past year that I've never made before. None of them I've completly perfected. I've found two recipes which I consider to be EXCELLENT in their flavor, but I have yet to make them the ultimate cupcake. My goal for 2010 is to perfect my Super Moist Chocolate cupcake and my Vanilla cupcake and to have the perfect "Go-To Recipe" that I know will always be a hit!

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

5.SLOW DOWN
Cupcake baking is not a race! Sometimes I just get so excited to be baking that I hurry up and the end result isn't the perfection that I want it to be. I need to do a better job at slowing down, breathing, taking my time and enjoying every step of the cupcake baking process.

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-30T09:10:00.001-08:00

New Years 2010 Cupcakes!

Cookies-N-Creme Cupcakes

2009-12-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Today is my niece Ashley's 8th birthday party and she has requested for me to make her cupcakes!! She picked out these yummy looking Oreo Cupcakes from a book I got for Christmas for me to make! So, of course, I had to put my own spin on them!! Here's what I came up with! Enjoy!

The batter before baking

I had to use my new Martha Stewart cupcake carrier too!!

Click on the image for the recipe!

Did you know JavaCupcake is on Facebook?

2009-12-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

That's right!! JavaCupcake has a fan page on Facebook!! If you haven't already "Become a Fan" click here to go to the page and become a fan! I welcome all my fans to share their cupcake stories by posting pictures and recipes, failures and successes! Leave a comment if you find some great cupcake items while you're out shopping (I just did a blog post about this too!!) or upload pictures of your latest creations! Post feedback to my blog posts, recipes and let me know more of what you'd like to see from JavaCupcake!

My hope is that Facebook will allow me a more direct interaction with my readers and lovers of cupcakes and blogging!! So... with that said... I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!! Let's get this cupcake conversation going!

Ceramic Cupcake Goodness

2009-12-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was at TJ Maxx and Target tonight and ran into some of the cutest cupcake stuff!! One serving/display dish for cupcakes, a cupcake plate and these adorable ceramic cupcake dishes with lids!! So cute, I had to take pictures of all of them to share with you! Enjoy their deliciousness!

These little cupcake gems were from a little coffee cafe in Stevenson, WA when I was there a couple weeks ago for a retreat! So cute!

Cupcake Christmas Gifts

2009-12-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

I got some great cupcake things for Christmas this year!! I can't wait to try out the recipes in the book and to use the cupcake carrier to take them to a party and the stand to display them!! :) Thanks to @cupcakes for the fun lotions!!

Cupcake Queen Apron

Crate & Barrel 3-Tier Cupcake Stand

Martha Stewart Cupcake Carrier

Crate & Barrel's 500 Cupcake Recipe book

Cupcake Vanilla Strawberry Lotion & Lip Gloss Set

David Letterman drives $25,000 motorized cupcake

2009-12-20T15:57:00.001-08:00

This video is so hilarious... I just had to share it!!

Guest Blogger Christy from Cupcakes N Cones makes Organic Peppermint Bark Brownie Cupcakes

2009-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

JavaCupcake Note: This is a guest blog post from Christy at Cupcakes N Cones. To see what other wonderful organic creations she's made, be sure to visit her site and keep updated with her twitter feed!

Peppermint Bark Cupcake Brownies...or Brownie Cupcakes

I was inspired by my friend on Twitter (@JavaCupcake) to create a holiday cupcake, recipe and all. So I decided on a peppermint bark brownie cupcake, I think they look really really really good.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 2/3 cup soft unsalted organic butter
13 ounces of the best organic bittersweet chocolate (I find everything at Whole Foods and Trader Joes)
6 large organic eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (organic of course)
1 teaspoon salt

You can pretty much alter any of your favorite brownie recipes or chocolate cake recipes with organic ingredients to make cupcakes/brownies and you can also add nuts to this recipe if you'd like, I chose not to but if I did, I'd probably use 1 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.

Preheat your oven to 350.
Melt butter and chocolate together in a large heavy pan.
In a bowl: beat eggs with vanilla and sugar.
Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.
Once the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a little before beating in the eggs and vanilla and sugar. Than add nuts and flour or just flour if you aren't using nuts.
Beat until smooth.
I use an ice cream scooper to get the same amount in each cupcake paper. I also make sure the cupcake paper is sprayed with a cooking spray before filling them with batter so the brownies come out easily, if you are using a cake mix, you do not need to spray the cupcake papers.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
Since these are brownies and not cake mix, take them out when it looks dense and gooey because they continue to bake while they cool, if you bake too long you'll get a dry brownie.

This is how they should look:

Next, I melted some white chocolate in the microwave for about a minute until it was nice and creamy. I spooned some chocolate onto the brownie cupcake.

Next, I used some candy canes, unwrapped them and put them inside a ziplock bag (heavier the better or use two) and got out my rolling pin and started to take my frustrations out while crushing the candies to a fine consistency. I sprinkled them on the top and voila, a peppermint bark brownie cupcake is created!

2009 Cupcake Year in Review

2009-12-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

WOW!! What a great year this has been!!! Jan. 10, 2009 was my very first blog post here on JavaCupcake and I wrote about a Mini Cupcake Crawl my family and I went on in the Seattle/Tacoma area. What a great inspiration that was for me to seek out other cupcake lovers, try baking my own cupcakes, and then blog about my experiences!

In February I redesigned my blog to the current layout and I LOVE IT!! It's been really great to have such a simple, cute, layout that made it easy for my readers to see what my blog was all about. The content on the side navigation bar has changed some over the year, but the content remains the same.

Over the past year, I've posted 17 different cupcake recipes! I can't believe it!! I hope to get in at least one more before the year is over and then next year... shoot for 20 new recipes!!! Below, I've listed all my creations with a link to each post! It feels like such an accomplishment to see them all in once place!

This year has also brought me some recognition for my blog, which was totally unexpected and very humbling. I was nominated for a Love! this site award and my story as an Army Wife and Cupcake Blogger was featured on the front page of the Fort Lewis Ranger. I've also had my cupcakes featured on a few other blogs and have had many people use my recipes! Jessie at CakeSpy also featured my review of Retro Bakery on her site and I've had honor of being featured on several other sites!

Thank you for everyone who has shown me love and support on this cupcake journey of mine! It is you, my readers and friends, who have continuously encouraged me to blog and write, even when the people in my own life just didn't understand. So... again, thank you!!

I look forward to 2010 and I can't wait to see what cupcake adventures come my way!

Lemon cupcake with lemon buttercream frosting

Super moist chocoalte cupcake with a vanilla buttercream (this is is my FAVORITE chocolate recipe!!)

Irish Car Bomb cupcakes

St. Patricks Day cupcakes - Green velvet with Bailey's Irishcream buttercream

Spring Cupcakes - Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Brownie Cupcakes

Birthday Cupcakes for Dad! - Vanilla cupcake with chocolate buttercream

Lemon & Raspberries - Lemon cupcake with raspberry center with a raspberry buttercream

Mini cuppies - Lemon mini cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Rainbow Cupcakes - Tricolor cupcake with vanilla buttercream

Peanut Butter Cups (ok ok ok, I know, they aren't cupcakes!! But hey, they're shaped like mini cupcakes!!)

Strawberries!! - White butter cupcakes w/ strawberry filling topped w/ strawberry buttercream & fresh strawberry

Rhubarb Cupcakes

Banana Bread cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins (again... not a cupcake, but looks like one! hehe)

Blueberry cupcakes with Blueberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Fort Lewis Ranger - Adventures in Cupcakes

2009-12-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

I was recently interviewed by the local newspaper The Fort Lewis Ranger to discuss my role as an Army Wife and the success of this blog! The reporter, Melissa Renahan, met me for lunch and we talked all about JavaCupcake, it's roots, it's success and how it has helped me through this deployment! I think Melissa wrote a great article!! I never, ever thought that my blog would be so successful that a paper would write about it!!

Click here to read the article online at NorthwestMilitary.com.

Article Inside

Northwest Military website's front page

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Ideas for decorating Christmas Cupcakes!

Photo: Bakerella

Photo found on Google Images

Photo from: Celebrating Christmas

Found with Google Images

My Little Cupcake is 10!!

2009-12-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

My little Cupcake turns 10 years old today!! She's the sweetest little thing that's ever happened to me and I can't believe it's been 10 years since she was born!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!

Cakespy is coming to Trophy Cupcakes!

2009-12-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

I've had the pleasure of having a few email conversations with Jessie of Cakespy, but have never met her in person. I'm so excited to help announce that there will be a reception for Jessie and her art at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. (Thank you to the Cupcakes Take the Cake blog for the idea to blog and share this event!) ~~I'll be there and hope to finally meet Jessie!~~ I wasn't able to attend :(

Here are the details from the Facebook invite:

Jessie Oleson (aka CAKESPY!) Artist Reception!

Date:

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Time:

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location:

Trophy Cupcakes @ The Wallingford Center

1815 N. 45th St.

Seattle, WA

Join us in welcoming back Jessie Oleson (aka Cakespy!), our December artist. Jessie's show featuring cupcakes hanging out all over Seattle was our most popular ever...so of course we had to invite her back!

Jessie is a triple threat: an illustrator, writer, and baker. These interests intersect oh-so-sweetly on her site, CakeSpy.com, a "dessert detective agency" where she reports on all things sweet, including bakery news, recipes, and baking lore, all accompanied by sweet illustrations. This show at Trophy Cupcakes is a collection of artwork featured on the site as well as several new original pieces. Though the artwork is very sweet, upon further inspection you'll find it sometimes has edgy little details (cupcakes eating cake, anyone?), making these paintings not only sweet additions to the home but engaging conversation pieces as well! More of her work can be found at cakespyshop.com.

Reception from 6-8, bubbles and cupcakes will be served!

(Image from the Facebook invite)

And, from Jessie's website, here's what she has to say about the event:

Breaking Cake News! CakeSpy is having another art show at Trophy Cupcakes! The first one this summer was such a success that they have asked for more cupcake art to get them through the holiday season!

Please note that if you read the update about the show a week or so ago, the artist reception has changed. It will now take place at the following time:

Saturday, December 5, from 6-8 p.m.
at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford, 1815 N. 45th Street in the Wallingford Center
There will be plenty of awesome artwork and of course a limited supply of free cupcakes!

There will be over 80 new paintings featuring cupcakes (and even some other foods!) in all sorts of sweet (and sometimes bittersweet) situations, and many illustrations including Seattle landmarks.

Of course if you can't make the reception, the artwork will be up all month long in Wallingford, through January 2, so you can pick up sweet gifts for your friends, neighbors, family and maybe even your sweet self all December long!

Hope to see you there!

What's on your Cupcake Wish List?

2009-11-28T15:05:00.001-08:00

With Christmas right around the corner, I've started thinking about all the things on my wish list... and several of them were of course, cupcake related! Here are a few items off my wish list!

Cupcake Courier

Hello, Cupcake 2010 Calendar

Martha Stewart's Cupcake book

Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan

Boojiboo Cupcake Apron

beepart Rockabill Cupcake Wall Art

What I want to know is...

What's on your

Christmas Cupcake Wish-list

this year??

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Cupcakes a Go-Go.

New Website Preview!

2009-11-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

I'm in the process of creating a central website for my blogs... it should go live in the next 2-3 days!! I'm so excited about it that I wanted to give you a preview!!

Twitter Giveaway

2009-11-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

A HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in my spur of the moment Twitter giveaway!! For 10 minutes, I asked people to @reply me with their most creative cupcake flavors. At the end of the 10 minutes, I compiled a list and let my husband choose the winner.... all the way from Iraq!!

Dave chose the Eggnog Flavored Cupcake with Nutmeg Flavored Buttercream from @_Jodi. Jodi will win a Starbucks gift card as well as an original @Cakespy piece of art (the most adorable bookmark featuring Cuppie!)

Thank you again to everyone who participated!

Here are the cupcake submissions!

Hazelnut
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chai Tea and Almond flavored frosting
Bavarian crème filled vanilla bean cupcake with caramelish frosting
Vanilla cupcake with maple buttercream (kinda a play on waffles)
Vanilla bean cupcake with butterscotch frosting
Key lime and meringue
Cotton candy
Lemon curd
Vanilla chai flavored cupcake with vanilla buttercream
Gingerbread cupcake with butterscotch frosting
Kahlua Chocolate Cupcake
A GLEE cupcake sweet n savory
Maple with cream cheese
Gingerbread
Chocolate covered Dr. Pepper cupcake
Pumpkin spice
Black forest cupcake
Butter Pecan cupcake with a light powdered sugar glaze frosting
Chocolate
Pina Colada
Red Velvet
Pecan Pie
Peppermint, Snickers, Double Chocolate, Raspberry
Spaghetti n Meatball
Mint Chocolate Chip
Sweet Potato flavored cupcake with marshmallow flavored buttercream
Molasses cupcakes with buttercream frosting and shaved almonds on top
Molten Lava
Vanilla Bean cupcake with chocolate hazelnut frosting!
Tutti fruti (pineapple, cherry, oranges
Chocolate, vanilla, coffee, cream cheese, strawberry, m&ms, blueberry, mint, cherry, apple, lemon, banana crème, gum drop
French toast cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Hot buttered rum cupcake with vanilla buttercream
Carmel popcorn
Banana spilt
Gingerbread-ish cupcake with minty chocolate frosting
Pina chic (pinapple & chocolate)
Hot apple Cider cupcake with nutmeg flavored buttercream
German Chocolate Cupcake
Eggnog Flavored Cupcake with Nutmeg Flavored Buttercream *winner*
Chocolate, vanilla, cookies n crème, mocha latte ,pb, coconut
Blue Velvet cupcake
Devil's Food Cupcake
Turkey with stuffing n mashed potato frosting
Red Velvet Cupcake

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

I know... I'm a bad cupcake blogger. I haven't made any new cupcakes for you in a LONG time. I'm sorry. Maybe, a hot cupcake bath will help me feel motivated to bake again! Don't these bath bombs look delish?

You can get bath bombs like these from my friends at Feeling Smitten.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Our first kiss as my Soldier returned home from war. June 2008

Love This Site Awards :: Java Cupcake - DivineCaroline

2009-11-02T16:52:00.001-08:00

I've been nominated for an award!!! See below and PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!! Thank you!!!

No pressure or anything, but I think this site deserves to win a Love! This Site Award from DivineCaroline, so please, vote soon! You can also still nominate your favorite sites.

View >>

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Disclosure Policy

2009-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

This policy is valid from 26 October 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Betsy at betsy@javacupcake.com.

This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Now collecting.... Cupcake & Coffee Stuff

2009-10-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

My 1 year Bloggerversary is coming up in February of 2010 and I wanted to do something special for it. So, I've decided to do a giveaway. I've started to collect various cupcake & coffee trinkets, jewelry, art, bags, a watch... you name it. If it's cupcake or coffee, I'm collecting it! I've even got some CakeSpy goodies and a bath bomb given to me for the giveaway by Feeling Smitten.

I thought I'd put a call out to all of my fabulous cupcake & coffee friends to see if you'd like to help out with the giveaway!! Of course, I'll give you full credit and props for your addition to the giveaway on my blog with links and I'll Tweet about you on Twitter!!

If you're interested in helping me celebrate my Boggerversary with this giveaway, please email me at betsy@javacucpake.com for details!

Thank you to everyone for your continued love and support of Java Cupcake!!

*Update* As more people hop on board to contribute, I'll post them here!
1. Java Cupcake
2. Feeling Smitten
3. Oh So Sweet Treats
4. Cake Spy

Halloween Cakes... Errr, I mean Cupcakes

2009-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

I stopped at Safeway last night to pick up some fudge brownies they make in their bakery when I was stopped in my tracks by some super cute Halloween cupcakes! Now, I'm not usually a fan of the cupcakes that are lined up then covered in a blanket of frosting to create a cake-like feeling (I mean really, if I wanted a cake, I'd just make one, right?)... but these Halloween cakes, I mean cupcakes, were SO CUTE that I just had to take pictures and share them with you!!! Enjoy!!

Halloween Cupcake Cuteness

2009-10-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Check out this ADORABLE Halloween Cupcake shirt I ordered today!! It's on sale for $10 at Woot! TODAY only!! And overnight shipping is only $5!

Go get yours!!!

Coffee Frosting with Starbucks Via

2009-10-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Starbucks posted this on Facebook and I had to share!! My two favorite things.... Starbucks and Cupcakes, together in perfect harmony!

To see the article, go here.

Ingredients:

2 packets starbucks via columbia {i've said it before and i'll say it again, if you're supposed to cook with wine you'd drink, shouldn't that be the same for coffee? }
3/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the starbucks via with the coffee liqueur and stir until disolved, set aside. in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is warm to the touch, about 2-3 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg white/sugar mixture on high speed until sift peaks have formed, about 6 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment and with the mixture on medium to low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. beating well after each addition. continue beating until smooth and fluffy. {the frosting might appear to separate but keep beating until smooth.} with the mixer on low speed, add the coffee and liqueur mixture until smooth. {again the frosting might appear to separate, especially at this addition, but keep beating until smooth.} beat on the lowest speed to remove any air bubbles, about 2 minutes.

Uploaded on September 28, 2009 by
Jamie at Starbucks from jamie of all trades

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2009-10-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yes... It's been a over a month since I last blogged and even longer since I've made cupcakes. But, with one month down of this deployment, I was feeling like I could get back into the swing of things again. My friend Heather and I decided to get our kids together to make cupcakes... and with her favorite food in the world being cookie dough, I came up with this recipe!

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Cupcakes topped with Chocolate Buttercream and Chocolate Chips

Click on image above for recipe

Vegas, DMB, and Deployments

2009-09-07T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all of the wonderful love I got last month from the Secret is in the Sauce ladies! I wanted to post a quick update on what's been going on in my world and why there has been a lack of frequent posts.

Earlier this Spring, my husbands unit got his deployment orders to Iraq, 10 months sooner than originally planned. At the time, I was very close to finishing up my degree from UW and my daughter was finishing 3rd grade. Since thing, I've graduated and my daughter started summer vacation... and of course, I've been spending as much time as I possibly can with my soldier. We took a vacation to Las Vegas (where of course I visited Kari at Retro Bakery), have gone to a bunch of movies, dinners out, day trips to Seattle, and most recently a weekend at the Gorge for the Dave Matthews Band concert. Next week, my husband will board a plane to begin his journey to Iraq, his 2nd tour there in 3 years. I'm dreading the day he leaves and until then, I plan to spend as much time as I possibly can by his side.

So, this is why I haven't been posting very much and why I don't know if I will be posting much again soon. I anticipate that after he leaves and the initial shock has lessened, I will feel like baking again. So... until then, thank you for your continued loyalty and support.

Happy Cupcakes.

Betsy

Blueberry Madness!

2009-08-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

Blueberries are in season here in Washington and my husband let me buy A TON of them!!! First, I made blueberry muffins and then... then I found a recipe from one of my favorite cupcake shops for a Blueberry Cupcake!!!! Mmmm I couldn't resist!! The recipe for Blueberry cupcakes with Blueberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream is from Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle and can be found here. My mother-in-law is in town and it happens to be her birthday so I made here these delicious treats to celebrate!

Here is a photo journey of the cupcakes that turned out to be a big hit with my family!

The blueberries cooking to make the puree... it smelled so good!!
I added 1/4 cup of sugar to the recipe here also.

The batter just before it hit the cups!

Oh yes, that is puree swirled on top of the cupcakes!

Just out of the oven.... mmmmmmm.
Topped with meringue buttercream and a blueberry!!

Blueberry perfection.

A couple of notes about the recipe...
I, personally, did not care for the meringue buttercream. This recipe, the frosting turns out very buttery in flavor. When my family tried the cupcake, they said it was very rich but when paired with the cupcake it was perfect. I think if I were to make this again, I would add more sugar and add less butter. Also, I think I'd make just my favorite buttercream recipe and add the blueberry puree for flavor. Another suggestion was that I put whole blueberries in the cupcake as well. Just some things to think about :) Enjoy!

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

2009-08-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know... these aren't quite cupcakes. But they are in the shape of a cupcake... so that totally counts, right? It's blueberry season here in Washington and they blueberries are everywhere. Plump, juicy and full of delicious flavor. I bought four giant pints of blueberries at the market this weekend and knew I had to do some baking with them. My first attempt are these Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins with a crumbly sugar and butter topping... the recipe comes from Bakerella. (Click HERE for the complete recipe)

I'm not sure if I browned the butter correctly... my daughter said it smelled like grilled cheese while I was making it. I may have burnt it just a bit. Next time, I'll watch it closer... like the recipe said to. *Ooops* The batter was perfect for 12 muffins, full of blueberries... and the crumbly topping was a perfect addition to add some crunchy texture to the muffins.

They were so good, I ate two just as they came out of the oven. Shoved them in my mouth while dripping crumbs all over the sink. Totally worth the mess. This morning, I've got my cup of coffee and have devoured two more muffins... a bit slower this time though. Delish.

PS... the muffins taste nothing like grilled cheese either :)

Retro Bakery - Las Vegas, NV

2009-08-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in Las Vegas, NV with my husband and I *KNEW* that one stop that needed to be made was at Retro Bakery. Boy, did it NOT disappoint!

Just about 20 minutes from The Strip in Vegas, Retro Bakery is located just off the highway in a quaint little shopping center. I was greeted by a super cute, super friendly bundle of joy named Kari. I had tweeted to her (@RetroBakery) earlier that morning that I was going to be stopping by that day, but I wasn't sure if she had checked her Twitter or not, so I didn't mention right away who I was. But... eventually it all came out who I was and how I came to land at the Retro Bakery that day!

Ok... now the cupcakes. I should have taken a picture of the display case. There were so many delicious cupcakes to choose from, it was very hard to pick. My husband and I decided we'd each pick two.

I chose the Peanut Butter Cup (Chocolate cake topped with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate shavings) and the Cinnamon Toast (vanilla cake topped with cinnamon buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar) cupcakes while my husband chose the Cotton Candy (Vanilla cake topped with pink cotton candy buttercream and blue glitter sugar) and the Creamsicle (Vanilla cake topped with a vanilla/orange swirl buttercream).

The tag line on the bakery's business card is "It's All About the Buttercream" and they aren't kidding!! The buttercream on these cupcakes was TO. DIE. FOR. Creamy, flavorful, smooth... it just rolled across my tongue with each bite. Each buttercream flavor was distinctly the flavor it said it was going to be. So when I bit into the peanut butter... it actually tasted like peanut butter. Most suprpisingly, the cotton candy buttercream tasted exactly like cotton candy!!

As I look back, I wish I would have tired one more cupcake with a different base flavor. We had three with vanilla and one chocolate. The chocolate was so delish... most and chocolatey!! Yummm!! I gotta give it to the vanaill though... because it was by far the BEST vanilla cupcake I have EVER tasted! It was dense, but not mushy, springy and moist, full of flavor and baked PERFECTLY. I could have eaten those vanilla cupcakes alone if the buttercream had not been so heavenly!

So thank you to Kari for being so sweet when we came to visit!! And thank you to Retro Bakery for making such delicious cupcakes!! I can't wait to get back to Las Vegas to try four more flavors!

The Secret is in the Sauce!

2009-08-17T00:05:00.001-07:00

What an honor!! I'm being featured on the amazing site "The Secret is in the Sauce" today!!!
SITS, as we like to call it, is a place where women can come together in support of each others blogs. Kinda like giving each other a virtual pat on the back, high five, or hell yeah!! I've been following the blog for about 6 months now and I've made so many connections with other bloggers that are just invaluable.

So WELCOME to my cupcake blog!!! If you'd like to read more about me personally, check out my other blog: Tales of a Firedancer. Thanks for stopping by!!

New posts... Coming SOON!

2009-08-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hello All!!!

I know I've been MIA lately with the posts. Life has been a whirlwind lately and it's not over yet. This week, I'll be posting about my trip to Retro Bakery in Las Vegas and the opportunity to meet the owner Kari! What an honor that was!! So... stay tuned for photos and my thoughts on this lovely little bakery!

I'm hoping to get back to baking here in late September... so THANK you for you loyalty and support during this time!!

Love you all lots!

West Seattle Summer Fest & Cupcake Royale

2009-07-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good one. Yesterday, my husband and I had the whole day to ourselves to do anything we wanted. On the list was to go to the West Seattle Summer Fest and eat a cupcake from Cupcake Royale.
Let me tell you... the cupcakes we devoured did not disappoint. I enjoyed a "Triple Threat" chocolate cupcake and my husband had a "Salted Caramel" cupcake. Both most, delicious, and divine. If you get a chance... visit one of the Cupcake Royale's in Seattle... it's a MUST DO on any trip to the city!! (PS, Cupcake Royale is on Twitter too!)

Cupcake Art

2009-07-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Neil Jeffery of beepart! on ETSY emailed me about how much he enjoyed my cupcakes... Thank you Neil! To my pleasant surprise, Neil is also a cupcake artist!

Check out his work:

Theses cupcakes look good enough to eat!

Happy 16th Jack!

2009-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

This weeks order for cuppies comes from my former class mate, Deb. We took an amazing class together at UW called Body Image & Art which changed my life. Deb's son, Jack is turning 16 and Deb is helping him celebrate by throwing him a birthday party on his last day of school and she has hired me to do the cupcakes!!

They wanted chocoalte cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting but also wanted tiger paws, tiger stripes, the color blue and "Happy 16th Jack" somehwere on the cupcakes. I was able to incorporate everything but the tiger stripes. Everytime I tried to pipe them onto the cupcakes, they just looked horrible. So, it's just paws for these cupcakes! Jack's high school (Stadium in Tacoma) colors are blue and orange... so I used the orange as a secondary color for these little master pieces.

I made 4 dozen total. Not all are shown in the pictures. :)

I deliver them this afternoon and can't wait to see if they like them!!

Happy 16th Birthday Jack!!

Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-06-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made my Banana Bread Cupcakes again... this time they really are cupcakes garnished with delicious cream cheese frosting and a crunchy banana chip on top!!

The first batch got a little crispy on the bottom (darn my oven)... but the rest turned out beautifully! :) I'm taking these to my Art Class tomorrow for our end of the quarter potluck. I hope they enjoy!!

Click on image for recipe.

Banana Bread Cupcakes... well, not really

2009-06-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

The local market had given me some free over ripe bananas and I wanted to make bread with them. I had so many that I ended up making a double batch. Forgetting that I only had one bread/loaf pan, I needed a quick fix for the extra batter. Cupcake liners!!! I have lots of those!!!

So, I filled the pans with bananas bread mix and then topped them all with a generous layer of cinnamon and sugar. They turned out SUPER delish!!! After I'm done with school... I'll post the recipe!! Enjoy! :)

GANZ Cupcake Measuring Spoons

2009-05-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

I saw these GANZ Cupcakes Measuring Spoons featured on Bakerella's blog and I KNEW I had to get them!!! So I searched and searched until I found one on eBay. The ONLY one I could find!! I'm so excited to get them!! They are sooooo cute!

*Photos courtesy of Bakerella!

My visit to The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

2009-05-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago, I blogged about the opening of a new cupcake shop in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, WA called The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. My husband, daughter and I went to visit that shop on Saturday to sample the much anticipated cupcakes!

The Yellow Leaf isn't hard to find, right off a main street just north of downtown Seattle, the shop has a prime location for business and pedestrians.

As I entered the cupcakery, my first thought was how small the space was. Being a coffee/tea shop also, I was expecting to see more room for people to comfortably sit, eat and drink their yummies. There were 3 or four tables with a few chairs in the front area which was also the lobby/ordering area. Not much room to move around, but it was still cozy. The colors of the shop were warm browns, yellows, tans. It was a cute, quaint cupcake shop.

I was greeted at the counter by a man who I assumed to be the owner. He knew all the details about all the cupcakes and was very excited to share them with me. He had out several selections of cupcakes behind the glass that included Tomato Soup, Orange, Black Forest Cake, and Vanilla.
I was at The Yellow Leaf with my husband and my daughter, so we picked out four cupcakes we wanted to try and share. We chose Tomato Soup, Orange with chocolate ganache and orange frosting, Black Forest Cake with raspberry and frosting, and a basic Vanilla with Vanilla frosting. They were served on a big white leaf shaped plate!

My husbands choice was the Tomato Soup. Although it didn't exactly taste like tomato soup, it did have a nice spiced flavor to it. The frosting was creamy and full of flavor also. He said he liked it because it was different from your average cupcake.

My daughter had the orange cupcake with the chocolate ganache. She loved this one. The orange flavor wasn't too overpowering and the chocolate added an extra explosion of flavor.

I had the Black Forest Cake with cherries. This cupcake was the smallest of the bunch, the owner added the disclaimer when we ordered it that even though it was the smallest it was the densest. He was right! It was super dense and had an amazing chocolate flavor. The cherries and frosting were a perfect pairing with the chocolate. This cupcake was my favorite of the four.

Lastly, we shared a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. This was my husbands favorite. He said the basic flavors were really done well and the cupcake just tasted good.

Over all, the cupcakes were good. But I do have a couple of complaints about the cupcakes. The cupcakes were over cooked and very dry (with the exception of the dense Black Forest) and were brown around the edges and crumbled/fell apart when we ate them. I chatted with a few women who were also trying The Yellow Leaf for the first time and they commented too how dry the cupcakes were.

For being a new cupcake shop, The Yellow Leaf has a lot to offer! Great location, variety and unique cupcake flavors, and a superbly friendly staff. I look forward to seeing how this shop grows and perfects their cupcakes!

Cupcake Cookie Jars

2009-05-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a recent post on the blog "Cupcakes Take the Cake" about cupcake shaped cookie jars. I decided to do a little digging and see what other cupcake cookie jars I could find. This is what I found.

PS. I want them all, but the one from Orson Gygi is my FAVORITE!!!

Fruit Fly Pie
Handcrafted ceramic cupcake cookie jars in various colors.

Paige's Place
Hand painted cupcake cookie jar.

Potpourri Online Gift Catalog
Crafted of ceramic and hand painted with frosting, sprinkles and a cherry (handle) on top!

Orson Gygi
Photo from cupcakechicutah on flickr

dmkarlik Ceramics and Specialties
Ready to paint ceramic bisque cupcake cookie jar.

Customizable cupcake cookie jars

Honey, I Shrunk the Cake

2009-05-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Food Network ran an episode of Good Eats that was all about the Chiffon Cupcake titled "Honey, I Shrunk the Cake". It's a MUST SEE for cupcake lovers!!

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

2009-05-15T07:30:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine heard about this new cupcake company opening in Seattle and pointed me to THIS article about it.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. is a cupcake and muffin shop scheduled to open TODAY in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, WA. What makes this cupcake shop unique is that it is owned and operated by two men! With the name of their company inspired from the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest and the delicious cupcakes and muffins they serve paired with local coffee & tea... this cupcakery is sure to be a hit!!

I'll be in Seattle this weekend to see an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and I am definitely going to stop by and check them out!! (Of course I'll blog about that too!! hehe)

The Yellow Leaf can be found on Twitter: @TheYellowLeaf. They are SUPER NEW to Twitter, so go follow them and enjoy their cupcake goodness!

From their website:
"In May 2009 The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company opens its doors for the first time in Seattle, Washington. With a passion for baking and a labor of love the Yellow Leaf came to be. The story is short and sweet, do what makes you happy and life will be good!

Owners Tony and Mike traveled America sampling many amazing and delicious cupcakes and baked goods. From Seattle to New York and many stops in between the two decided it was time to turn the dream (and passion) into a reality. And so came the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company.

The pair are hoping to inspire, create, and make every customer happy in what makes them happy... cupcakes! In a world that sometimes seems blue, you must always dream, for that world comes in many delicious and wonderful flavors."

101 Ways to THANK a Military Spouse

2009-05-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! In honor of the spouses that work so hard on the home-front, here is a list of 101 Ways to Thank a Military Spouse!

It is about Respect, Love, Admiration, Appreciation, and a simple Thank You.

Enjoy!

A simple "Thank You for Serving, too"

CHOCOLATE

Take the time to *listen* She may not have had an adult conversation for quite some time!

Don’t assume HE is not a military spouse. Thank the military-husbands too.

Pick up something at the store that reminds you of her; a potted-plant, a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, nail-polish & nail files, etc etc

Give her a call! Say ‘Thank You’ and find out how her day is going.

A day at the spa!

FREE child-care. Watch her children for her. Let her do something on her own.

Invite her out for a local-sight-seeing tour. She might not know the area & enjoy learning.

Equip her.

Take a spouse out for coffee or tea.

Pray for him. Pray for her.

Make a fancy-drink. Pour two glasses. One for you, one for her. Make toasts and enjoy together.

*Give* him a book from your book-shelf that you enjoyed.

Offer to wash her car (Don’t forget to vacuum)

Business-owners: Host a special event just for spouses, don’t do it for monetary gain.

Do you garden? Bring her some of your produce; flowers, fruits, vegetables.

Give her personal space to miss her loved one. Then open-up your arms to take her in.

Gather your mutual-friends. Have a multi-family picnic.

If she calls asking for something, a cup of milk, some eggs, potatoes etc etc Lend with a cheerful heart and don't expect your 'gift' back!

Buy her a military-spouse shirt. Have it shipped to her: http://shop.cafepress.com/military-spouse

Find a military-spouse book she might enjoy: http://tinyurl.com/csm6wb

Plan a play-date at your house. Get the kids together and enjoy the day.

Sit with him at church. Not many enjoy sitting in the pew alone.

Take a picture. Send it in an email to her.

Offer to help with yard-work!

Give her privacy if you sense she does not want to open up.

Send her a quick note (on hand-made stationary if you are feeling crafty).

Say Thank You with food. Its the way to our heart!

Send her an email, let her know you miss her if you haven't seen each other in awhile.

If you haven't seen her for some time because of distance look at the calendar. When can you visit? Don't always expect her to do the travelling home.

Get excited over something he is excited about!

Take her children to the park. Ask if she WANTS to come to. Some spouses like time alone; others want adult-company. It might just depend on her mood.

Give him a genuine smile; remember, a smile is worth a thousand words!

Compliment her children

Send an anonymous note of encouragement

Do you have a favorite magazine? Send her a subscription

Call her up. Ask if she wants to go out and get some ice-cream!

Run across a funny comic-strip or joke that reminded you of him? Clip it and send in a letter.

Do you see a new face in the crowd? She might be a new-spouse. Go over and introduce yourself.

If a seasoned-spouse does something that makes you feel welcomed, say Thank You. It'll make her feel good, too.

Business Owners: Offer a Military-Discount (List it on MilitaryAvenue.com)

Don't assume she knows that you appreciate her sacrifice as a military-spouse. Say it.

Organizations: Host a special military-spouse tea. It doesn't have to be 'fussy', just fun!

If you are standing in line at the commissary and she is behind you with a cart full of food, fussy babies & screaming toddlers let her go in front of you. *Everyone* may say Thank You.

Say good-things about her spouse, the service-member. It can feel like a reflection of her.

Are you the service-member? Wash your spouse's feet. What a humbling, gratifying act for the woman (or man!) you love so much.

Give her a list of things she has done for you. Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 to 50 things you love about her.

Appreciate that "How are you holding up" isn't always the best question to ask the spouse of a deployed service member!

Make her a CD full of all the songs that remind you of her. Keep it cheery!

Don't forget the Military Husband! Include him while planning spouse-functions

Pick up a bottle of bubble bath. Deliver it with a small note of appreciation.

Respect her decisions. If she says she can't do it let her 'no be no'.

Give to Operation Showers of Appreciation for 'expecting' moms with deployed spouses: http://www.operationshowersofappreciation.org/

Offer a simple-hug. Amazing what 'touch' can do to heal the soul. But respect personal space if that is an issue.

Go to an art-class together. Many bases have an Art-Shop, or find a local business where you can make jewelry or paint-ceramics together.

Take him out to a ball game; either a local pro- or semi-pro. Buy him a beer and a hot dog. And enjoy the evening!

Are her kids sick? Is SHE sick? Offer to help. Bring over chicken-noodle soup. Run to the store for some 7-Up. Find out what she needs.

Service-members: Help her with the laundry! Help put it away without being asked.

Did she make a dish for a social-gathering? Compliment her. Ask for the recipe! Tell someone that is near you how good it is.

Contact your local Television or Radio Station. Do *they* know it is Military Spouse Appreciation Day?

Don't forget to say 'Please' if you need her. She is probably juggling quite a bit at once. She will appreciate being asked, as opposed to told.

Chamber of Commerce: Host a special city-wide event for your military families. (Place your event on MilitaryAvenue.com at your closest installations to get the word out.)

Take the time to find out how his weekend was. Where the family went, what they did, how his son's baseball game was.

Show her politeness, thoughtfulness and helpfulness. Open the door for her, pick up something she dropped.

Service-member: Buy "a little something" for the bedroom that you know s/he'll enjoy. ;)

Help her start a hobby. As an example, if you scrapbook offer to help her get started if she is interested.

Businesses: Hold a contest that will benefit the military spouse like, "Laptops for Flattops" (http://tinyurl.com/dkv6ob)

Service-member: Whisper sweet-nothings in your spouse's ear. Tell him how much you appreciate him.

Help her children make an "I Love You, Mom" card. Get artsy with glitter and glue and construction paper.

Make some cookies with your kids & have them deliver them. Teach your own children gratitude for our military-families. She will appreciate it.

Do you make cards? Send blank ones to @cardsforheroes. They send them to deployed soldiers to can send a note home on - a treasure for a military spouse!

A very simple, heartfelt thank you means the world. Oh, and donuts too.

Businesses: Contact your installations Family Service Center and find out what you can do for the families on base. (http://militarymarketing.militaryavenue.com/2009/05/how-to-get-involved-in-your-military.html)

Invite him over for a game on TV. Sit back and enjoy a beer together.

When cooking dinner, make enough for two families. Bring half to a military-family or invite their family over.

Benefit Of The Doubt. A little BOTD can go a long way to show your appreciation for the military-spouse.

Make an acrostic with his/her name filled with adjectives about their strengths.

Flexibility is the name of game. Be flexible in making plans. Things happen out of her control.

When thanking a soldier for their service, thank their spouse, too!

Play a game of catch with her children. They may be missing the presence of a man in their life.

Businesses: Have a special gift for all the military spouses that come through your door; a key chain, a nail file, keep it simple.

Hit a mid-day movie together. Buy a large popcorn to share!

Invite her to a bible-study at your church. What a great way to meet new people!

Grab the strollers and take a walk together!

Servicemen - Buy her favorite lotion and give her a back rub.

Businesses - Having a special contest? Ask a military spouse to be a judge. She'll be honored.

Call, Send an email, leave a comment to her/him. Sometimes the smallest gesture means much more than you think.

Service-member: Sign up for dance classes with your spouse.

Take time to get to know HER/HIM. He/she is more than a military spouse.

Do you have a friend you know she would enjoy knowing? Introduce them!

Do they have a green-thumb? Give a potted plant. "Bloom where you are planted" and a note that says thanks

Invite him over for a bbq on a Friday night!

Businesses: Do you see the flash of her ID when she makes a transaction? Be sure to say Thank you for her service!

Military Spouse in the family? Laminate a special card with the families' phone numbers, addresses, birthdays. Help her keep organized.

Service-Member: Take Leave on your anniversary. Do something special together.

Do you have a pool (or just a slip-n-slide!) invite the military-family over. Have a big pitcher of lemonade ready!

Plan a girls' day... manicures, pedicures and lunch!

Create a Themed box or basket for her. Drop it off at her door anonymously with a note of appreciation.

Businesses: Encourage your colleagues to offer a meaningful military-discount. Make yourself a town that appreciates the military!

Make her stop, breathe, and ASK "How can I help?" and then do it.

The Winner Is...

2009-05-04T16:23:00.001-07:00

Using the random.org Integer Generator, the number 77 was chosen. This means the 77th comment on the blog is the winner of this giveaway!!!

The Winner is...

Lanette aka soSensational!!!!

Winning Comment:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/soSensational
Blog: http://sosensational.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!!

To Claim Your Prize:
Email me at betsy@javacupcake.com
Please include:
Name
Mailing Address

Your goodies will arrive to you by the end of the month!!!
Thank you!

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in this giveaway. It was a lot of fun!!! Collaborating with these three women has been such a privilege!

Rhubarb Cupcakes

2009-05-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb, what is rhubarb exactly? I've asked myself this dozens of times and to be honest, I still don't have the answer. I asked a bunch of my friends on Twitter and they said it's a tart veggie, but it's used almost like a fruit it pies, jams and muffins and such. *humph* I still don't know about this rhubarb.

So I thought... hmmm, could I do a rhubarb cupcake? I found only TWO recipes for this online... one of which was WAY too complicated. So, I settled on the simpler recipe from Coconut & Lime.

This recipe is a basic vanilla cupcake (very flavorful!!) with chunks of tart rhubarb in it. It's then topped with a marshmallow frosting made with a rhubarb based simple syrup. It's really quite easy to make and the frosting really completes the cupcake!

I brought them to class today and EVERYONE was surprised and delighted that they were made with rhubarb and were a big hit!! They ooooh and awwwwed and said they were delish!! (Especially the frosting!)

See the chunks of rhubarb?? Yummmy!!!

Click image for recipe!

*PS*
My mom emailed me this recipe for a yummy rhubarb recipe. It's not a cupcake, but it still looks good!! I can't wait to try it!

"Crumbly-Topped Rhubarb" by Nancy Jimerson

3 c Young Rhubarb, unpeeled and diced
1T Unbleached Flour
1/2 c Granulated Sugar
1 t Cinnamon
1/8 t Salt
1 T Water
6 T Butter
6 T Unbleached Flour
1/2 c Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1/2 c Rolled Oats; Quick Cooking Oatmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
In a 10x6x2 in baking dish, combine the first 6 ingredients.
Cream the butter with the flour and brown sugar.
Stir in the oats.
Sprinkle over the rhubarb.
Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the top is brown.

These are a few of my favorite things... I mean, blogs!

2009-04-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of baking blogs... a lot. I LOVE reading all the different recipes people try and I love looking at pictures! Reading through these blogs were really what inspired me to start baking cupcakes. I thought I'd share a collection of some of my favorite blogs I follow so that you can enjoy them too!!

*in alphabetical order*

52 Cupcakes
A Baked Creation
Bakerella
Cake Wrecks
Cake Spy
Coco Cake Cupcakes
Confessions of a Tart
Conversations with a Cupcake
Cupcake Project
Cupcakes Take the Cake
Funnel Full of Soup
Iron Cupcake: Earth
Joy the Baker
Life in a Peanut Shell
Obsessed with Baking
The Cupcakery
Zen Cupcake

Strawberries!

2009-04-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

My niece's birthday party is this afternoon and my sister has hired me to bake cupcakes for the event!! White cupcakes with strawberry frosting is what they wanted... I thought I should kick it up a notch and do a little better. So, I've made:

The birthday girl and her cupcakes! She turned 11. :)

White Butter Cupcakes with Strawberry filling
topped with Strawberry Buttercream Icing and Fresh Strawberries

Click Image for Recipe

Spring JavaCupcake Collaboration Giveaway!

2009-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to announce the

"Spring Java Cupcake Collaboration Giveaway"!!

This giveaway features homemade creations from FOUR talented women who have handcrafted their unique, original products just for this event! Nowhere else will you find a giveaway like this!!

Tell your friends!! Spread the news!!! The "Spring Java Cupcake Collaboration Giveaway" is here!

Here are the prizes for one lucky winner:

Click on the image for details :)

One winner will be chosen using the Random.Org number generator.

This amazing prize package has a value of $60.00!

Here are the Rules:

You must do BOTH of these to gain entry into the contest.

1) Follow us on Twitter.

@JavaCupcake
@avocadocreation
@OhSoSweetTreats
@FrostedTreats

2) Follow our blogs.

Java Cupcake
Avocado Creations
Frosted Treats

Leave ONE comment below with your Twitter ID and your Blog ID saying you followed all four of us on Twitter and three of our blogs. (REQUIRED FOR ENTRY)

DON'T HAVE A BLOG? Don't worry!!! Subscribe to our RSS feeds OR simply include in your entry that you don't have a blog. No worries!

**********************************************

To gain additional entries into the contest you can do any of the below. Upon completion of each, leave a comment. You must complete the Twitter/Blog entry before any of these entries will be qualified.

Each comment = one entry. The more you complete... the more chances you have to win!!

1) Visit all four shops & comment about at least one item from each shop.
Leave a comment for each shop you visit!!! FOUR entries possible!

Java Cupcake on Cafe Press
Avocado Creations on ETSY
Oh So Sweet Treats
Frosted Treats on ETSY

2) Add the Java Cupcake button to your blog. Leave one comment with a link to your blog after doing so.

3) Tweet one of the following about this contest. Leave one comment here with the link to that tweet.

I just entered to WIN a Charm Bracelet, Cookies, Tote Bag, & Cupcakes, $60 in homemade delights! For your chance, goto http://bit.ly/KfLLQ

OR

I just entered a chance to WIN FOUR handmade prizes in the Spring JavaCupcake Collab. Giveaway! For details visit http://tinyurl.com/cj62uc

4) Write your own blog about this contest. Leave one comment here with the link to that blog entry.

Contest entries will be accepted until
Sunday, May 3rd at 11pm PST.

Good Luck!!!

Sereh's Cupcake Soap

2009-04-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

One of my new friends on Twitter (@serehs) specializes in cupcakes that get you clean. She makes the most adorable cupcake shaped soaps!
They come in a variety of "flavors" from:
Bunny Corn

Neopolitian

and Red Velvet

... and she's got some mini cuppie soaps too!

Check out her creations at Sereh's: Cupcake Soaps, Handcrafted Soaps, Scented Soaps, Decorative Soaps & Unique Gifts

Stay Tuned!

2009-04-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

An amazing new giveaway will be announced SOON!!!

Check back often for updates!!!

About Java Cupcake

2009-04-11T02:51:00.000-07:00

***Visit my personal blog! Tales of a Firedancer .***

Welcome to my little corner of the cupcake world!! Here you will find fun cupcake videos, pictures, and recipes! I'll also be posting my adventures, success & upsets while trying new cupcake recipes!

Java Cupcake was established Feb, 15, 2009 and has been growing strong every since. The goal is to cultivate Java Cupcake into a business where I can sell my cupcake creations to people local to Washington state for parties and events!

Peanut Butter Cups

2009-04-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, I know they aren't cupcakes, but I couldn't resist making this scrumptious Peanut Butter Cups after seeing the recipe on Have Cake, Will Travel. I changed a few things based on what I had in my house, but they turned out sooooo yummy!!! AND, I made them in mini cupcake liners!!!

Click above for recipe!

Avocado Creations

2009-04-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Like I've said before, I've made some great connections via Twitter and this blog. But never would have I expected the generosity and kindness of Gina of "Avocado Creations". She sent me a DM on Twitter a couple weeks ago and said she had made something for me. Shocked and surprised I gave her my address and a few days later the most wonderful tote bag arrived in the mail! She custom made it for me... cupcakes on the outside and coffee on the inside. It's so perfect for me and Java Cupcake!!

You must check out Avocado Creations!

Etsy: www.avocadocreations.etsy.com
Blog: www.avocadocreations.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/avocadocreation
Flickr: www.flickr.com/avocadocreations

Spontaneous Giveaway

2009-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

I hosted a spontaneous giveaway this afternoon for a $5 Starbucks gift card. I said the first person to most creatively and enthusiastically tweet how much they love @JavaCupcake would win!!!! I loved ALL the responses so much that I thought it'd be fun to share them with you!!

GrandmaGriner: @JavaCupcake I got the tweet about the cupcakes & went & viewed your site :) ummmmmm makes me hungry for your cuppies :)
weeklyvolcano@JavaCupcake We 1 the Java Cupcake. We 2 the Java Cupcake. We 3 the Java Cupcake. ... We 8 the Java Cupcake.
cappersonDo you know who has the most amazingly yummy cupcake recipes and who is the sweetest person in the world! I DO!! and now you do @JavaCupcake
SeviDesigns@Javacupcake I LOVE ME SOME JAVA CUPCAKE!!!!!!! You should too....shame on you if you don't :D
LocalShoppers@JavaCupcake We love JavaCupcake just like we love sex! Can't live without the delicious taste. :)
thesweetpetunia@JavaCupcake I love you like a kid loves cupcakes! Like Pooh Bear loves honey! Like I love Starbucks!
megan0705@JavaCupcake I love JavaCake and your twitter is not broken, I see tweets!
threedifferent@JavaCupcake All cupcakes are NOT Created equal - check out @JavaCupcake - no whipped lard icing here folks - just the best -- love them!
FrugaliciousMomI LOVE looking at @JavaCupcake avatar. Bring it back! yum yum cupcakes (mouth drooling)
megan0705: @JavaCupcake Javacake is such a great place to find yummy, mouthwatering, succulent. put your mouth on cupcakes!!!!
avocadocreation: I love @JavaCupcake SO much that I sent her a reusable grocery bag with cupcakes AND java on it!(how's that for sucking up/shameless promo?)
Mamabug: @JavaCupcake, I admire your creativity in coming up with so many different kinds of cupcakes! Can't wait to hear you reached 1,000 followers

The winner was @threedifferent :) Thanks everyone!!!

Rainbow Cupcakes

2009-04-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

And finally, the last cupcakes I made were a tri-color cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. While making the lemon cupcake batter, I saved some aside that did not have the lemon, leaving a basic vanilla batter. I separated that into three and colored two of them pink and green. I spooned each color into the cups to creak the rainbow effect! :) For my first attempt, I think they turned out really great!

Click on image for recipe :)

Mini Cuppies

2009-04-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

The second cupcakes I made were a mini cupcake with the same Lemon cupcake batter and a basic vanilla buttercream frosting. Of course the cupcake liners were blue with cute little chicks on them :)

Click on image for recipe :)

Lemon & Raspberries

2009-04-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Easter Celebration at my husbands work and of course, I made cupcakes!!! :) The first ones I made were Lemon cupcakes with a Raspberry center with Raspberry Buttercream icing. They centers with the raspberry was my favorite part... and the frosting was super sweet. DELISH!!!

Click on image for recipe :)

Easter Cupcake Pops by Bakerella

2009-04-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

I have to give serious props to Bakerella for her Cupcake Pops. She has gone over and beyond what anyone would have ever expected her to create in regards to her pops. Her Easter Cupcake Pops are no exception. Check out her collection:

Cupcakes for Dad's birthday!

2009-03-28T22:27:00.001-07:00

My dad turned 68 this week!!! Happy Birthday Daddy!!! :) He requested white/vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting... so what did I make?? CUPCAKES!! :) They were a HUGE hit and everyone at his party loved them!

(hehehe Yes the frosting kinda looks like poop. It sure didn't taste like poop though!!! DELISH!)

Click on the image for the recipe!

JavaCupcake on the Web!

2009-03-28T21:40:00.001-07:00

I'm so grateful for the connections I've made through my blog and via Twitter. And tonight...TWO of my connections have reviewed me on their websites!!

Jessie at Cake Spy has featured one of my reviews! I visited Retro Bakery in Las Vegas with my husband and met Kari, the owner... and then wrote a fabulous review about their wonderful cupcakes! Jessie featured that review on her website! Click HERE to see the original post. Thank you Jessie!!

Connie at Miscellaneous Finds 4 U - Product Finds has written a beautiful article about me and my cupcake adventures! Please, follow my friend Connie @princesstimetoy on Twitter and make sure to check out the article!! Thank you Connie!!!

Website:

Article:
1) Java Cupcake - Recipes & Beautiful Photography = Yummy Adventure

You can also find me on these websites:
Website:

Articles:
1) java cupcake and her cupcake chucks!
2) Over the rainbow cupcakes by JavaCupcake

*********

JavaCupcake is featured on:

Visit twitter moms: the influential moms network

Cupcake of the Month:
My Strawberry cupcake has been featured as "Cupcake of the Month" on the blog Lilly Lynn Party

Cupcakes Converse!! - Updated!

2009-03-26T08:21:00.001-07:00

UPDATE 3/38:
I went shopping today stopped into Journey's to see if they had the brown cupcake Chucks that I'd seen on the internet also... and YES, they had them in my size!!! So of course, I took them home with me!! :) Here they are on my feet in the car on the way home from the mall today!

Original Post:
Thanks to Zen Cupcake for her post about the Converse All Stars Cupcake shoes!!! I went right out and found the only size 10 on the internet and purchased them this morning!!! I'm soooo excited to have them!! Not only are Chucks the only shoe I ever wear... but these ones are decorated with CUPCAKES!!!! I can't wait for them to get here!!!

Cupcakes with Eeerah

2009-03-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sarah came over this afternoon for a bit of shopping and cupcake making. When my daughter Emily was a toddler, she couldn't pronounce her name and called her Eeerah :). We've called her that ever since! Today we made Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttecream frosting with chocolate sprinkles. I've made these before, but I piped the frosting differently on these. All we had was a flat rate box to send the cupcakes home with her. :)

Brownie Cupcakes

2009-03-23T00:41:00.001-07:00

I had a craving for brownies tonight, but felt guilty making just straight brownies instead of cupcakes. So I made brownie cupcakes!! Even topped them with chocolate buttercream icing. They turned out delicious!!! A chocolate lovers dream!!! Very rich and chewy. Yummmm!

Click on image for recipe.

When new recipes go bad

2009-03-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

I wrote about the Orange Creamsicle Disaster and included a photo of the best of the best of the cupcakes that day. They looked kinda pretty... but they didn't taste pretty. I forgot I had taken this picture... but I thought it was funny seeing a butt load of cupcakes in the trash can. This is what happens when new cupcake recipes go so bad... that even US Army Soldiers won't eat them.
Poor Cupcakes.

Spring Cupcakes, Take 1

2009-03-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight I decided to try decorating some cupcakes for Spring. I've never done it before and am not sure if I'll try it again. I don't know if I like how the flowers look and to be honest... I really prefer the extra large round tip for piping. The cupcake is a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting. I'm not a huge fan of vanilla cupcakes, but this recipe was decent. I'd love to hear if anyone else has a better recipe for vanilla cupcakes. :)

Vanilla Cupcakes

12 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place 20 muffin wrappers (if using the stiff kind pictured above) on a baking sheet, or line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. When light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed (or by hand), stir one third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Blend in half of the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour mixture. Stir in remaining buttermilk/vanilla and the rest of the flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain. Divide evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

I used my standard buttercream recipe for this cupcake.

2 sticks butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch salt and 2 tbls milk or cream.

Frosting Spring Cupcakes Tutorial

2009-03-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

From the Culinary Institute of America.

Thanks to Cupcakes Take the Cake for sharing this video on their blog!

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

2009-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

The St. Patrick's Day cupcakes are done!! :) I made Green Velvet cupcakes and topped them with Bailey's Irish Buttercream frosting! Here's the recipe!! Enjoy!

(Click on the image to see recipe)

Twitter

2009-03-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

My friend at SeviDesigns posted this mosaic on her blog and I thought it was pretty neat!!! I love Twitter too!! It's an amazing social networking site that allows me to become friends with people who share similar interests that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to know. Click the link on the toolbar above to follow me on Twitter. Here are all my wonderful followers!!!

Get your twitter mosaic here.