occupy los angeles: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Hello Kitty cupcake notebook

Spotted this cute Hello Kitty cupcake notebook today at Barnes & Noble.

Mummy, bat, spider and witch hat and broom Halloween cupcakes!

These fun Halloween cupcakes (I love how you can see a tiny bit of orange cake beneath the mummies!) are by Burbank, California custom cupcake company Icing Cupcake, via their Facebook page. They can be reached at info at icingcupcake.com or 818-787-0787.

Next Up: Apple Cider Pork

I'm happy to announce that our gas line was finally fixed late this afternoon, and I had just enough light to finish filming this tasty, cider-braised pork shoulder roast. Please check it out tomorrow!

Spooky Graveyard Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!

I wish all graveyards looked like these cupcakes! They're so cute, but there's definitely something spooky about them.

Not only are these cupcakes cute, they're Oreo cupcakes, which are definitely in my top five favorite cupcake flavors. They're topped with Oreo tombstones, chocolate trees, and candy corn pumpkins. Again, I wish all graveyards were this cute!

To check out the how-to, head on over to How To: Simplify!

New Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars Recipe

Freshly frosted gluten-free pumpkin bars with a secret ingredient.

Tuning in to the particular (and fleeting) pleasures of each changing season as we ride the wheel of the year may be my favorite spiritual practice. A practice that requires one simple thing. Attention. Which turns out to be not so simple, inevitably. Because life is anything but simple, with its whitewater rush of mind numbing distractions that demand less and less of our soul and more and more of our mental focus on exterior minutia. Micro decisions. Cleaning out our email in-box. Catching up with Facebook feeds and Twitter streams and Google+. Texting about grocery lists. Scanning streaming video options for one decent romantic comedy (I have- on too many occasions to count- spent a full hour gaping, borderline comatose, at an LCD screen, scrolling title after title, only to arrive at the sane conclusion that you know what? I'd rather read a book). Thousands (millions?) of choices may glitter and ooze their high definition glow but I find I am not feeling the abundance. I am less and less enamored with more.

I know. It's showing. My age.

My childhood brain was wired for mud and bird calls, blackberry thickets and butterscotch pine. Hours spent reading in a grove of birch trees dug their neural groove. The wild luxuries of inner connection, rather than social networking. And TIME. That plastic, misunderstood, precious commodity that shape-shifts experience from an endless afternoon of liquid daylight into a heart clutching warp speed tumble of confusion. Decades become tiny sandwiches of memory you can barely taste anymore.

Weeks blink by with alarming velocity.

And here we are again.

In pumpkin season.

Continue reading

Jamie Oliver's Parents’ Spicy Butternut Squash Soup… Because I Have Gas Problems

I had a lovely apple-braised pork shoulder recipe all set to post today, but was unable to finish it off because PG&E turned off the gas line to do repairs on our street. So, stay tuned for that tomorrow, but in the meantime, here’s a great butternut squash soup video from Trevor and Sally Oliver, parents of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Jamie’s one of my favorites, and not only are his parents adorable, but you can see where he gets some of his skills from. Enjoy!

This video was originally posted on Thisisbrandculture's YouTube Channel, February 22, 2011.

Nightmare Before Christmas Cupcakes

Happy Halloween everyone! I just wanted to post some amazing looking Nightmare Before Christmas cupcakes created by Monnster Cakes! I've seen a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas themed cupcakes, but I've never seen any that were as detailed as these! You can see more of her work here!

Halloween Cupcake Toppers

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Check out these amazing cupcake toppers made by Lynlee's Petite Cakes

She even made some for a Halloween themed baby shower!!!

For a how-to on these Halloween treats, click here

Have a happy and safe Halloween!!!

Scaredy Cat Cupcakes with Recipe and Tutorial Link!

I have a soft spot for black cats and these sparkly cupcakes are no exception! Visit Earth Eats for a full recipe and tutorial on how to make these spooky cupcakes in your own kitchen. Happy Halloween!

Giveaway: Tickets to see Cake Boss Buddy Valastro in Staten Island!

Nothing I like better than giving away stuff to cupcakers on Cupcakes Take the Cake. Isn't it fun to win something? Better when it's two tickets to see Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss himself!

Due to the last-minute nature of this event (it's this Wednesday, November 2, 2011) and the fact that's in Staten Island, NY, please only respond if you know that you can attend.

Buddy Valastro: The Cake Boss - The Bakin’ with the Boss Tour

St. George Theatre - Staten Island - Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:30 pm.

In this live interactive event, the baker and star of TLC's “Cake Boss” will share the stories behind his hit TV series and his Italian family, answer audience questions, and give a live demonstration of the techniques that have made him one of the most successful and renowned cake artists in the nation. Buddy will even invite audience members to join the fun on stage.

Even if you don't win you can still buy ticket, here with a $5 off coupon:

Get $5 off tickets!

Purchase online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/000046BAA40FAD92?artistid=1594141&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=0,

Call (212) 307-7171, or visit the St. George Theatre Box Office

Use Password: BOSS

Only respond to this giveaway if you know that you are free and able to attend the event. Leave us a note in the comment section, below, with an email address contact, and we will contact the winner on (Halloween!!) Monday, October 31, 2011 at 5 pm ET.

Good luck folks, and CTTC will see you there!

Buddy making cupcakes (they were delicious).

The Cake Boss and the real boss (his wife!).

Muppets cake pops!

Muppets cake pops by Thornton, Colorado's Lollicake Bakeshop, via Flickr. Find out more at lollicakebakeshop.com and their Facebook page and @lollicakes on Twitter.

Free Halloween cupcakes at cupcake cocktail hour tonight at Kickass Cupcakes

Tonight, free cupcakes at the monthly cupcake cocktail hour hosted by Kickass Cupcakes of Somerville, Massachusetts. Find out more and sign up for their newsletter at kickasscupcakes.com.

Here are some recent photos from their Facebook page, where you can also stay tuned to the latest locations of their cupcake truck:

Halloween Chocolate Fluffernutter, chocolate cupcake, sweet peanut butter center, vanilla swirl frosting and Fluff.

assorted cupcakes

S'mores cupcake

German chocolate cupcake

Mummy cupcake

Pumpkin on top

Trick or Treat cupcake

Happy Halloween, cupcake costume edition

Happy Halloween, everyone! We'll be doing our best to keep up with all your Halloween cupcakes here on the blog and at @cupcakeblog on Twitter and you can always email us at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com as well as add photos to our Flickr cupcake photo pool and post on our Facebook page, as reader Kacie Turner did to share this photo of her cute kids celebrating Halloween in dessert style!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Occupy Wall Street gets its own cupcake from Bake It in a Cake: Choco-pie Wall Street cupcake, with recipe link

Always creative filled cupcake blogger genius Bake It in a Cake pays tribute to Occupy Wall Street (and to chocolate lovers) with this Choco-pie Wall Street filled cupcake - click through for the recipe. Specifically, it's "a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate pudding pie baked in the center of it, topped off with cream cheese buttercream and, of course, a gold coin."

Big thanks to Kelly of Butter & Me for having me at Cupcake Love-In!

I'm on my way back to snowy New York tonight, so I will be posting more about today's Cupcake Love-In, which featured 30+ bakers and 750 guests, as the week progresses, but I've had a lovely time visiting Scottsdale and hope to return. Many thanks to Kelly of Butter & Me for having me come out as a judge, and the location of the event and hotel where I stayed, Hotel Valley Ho, which was beautiful. This was a benefit for Central Arizona Shelter Services.

Me rocking the Cupcake Love-In photo booth

Kelly's daughter with a temporary Cupcake Love-In tattoo

Random cupcake photos:

Cupcake blog dedication: I ate a real grasshopper on and inside a cupcake!

Barb's Bakery of Phoenix, Arizona, was not to be outdone in the "I can't believe I'm eating this" unofficial cupcake category today at Scottsdale, Arizona's Cupcake Love-In, serving up a chipotle grasshopper cupcake. Not "grasshopper," like the chocolate mint flavor, but grasshopper, like the bug. I was challenged as a judge to eat it, along with the four other judges, and we all did so at the same time. I closed my eyes, expecting it to be crunchy and chocolatey. It was indeed crunchy, but salty, and didn't all go down in one bite. I didn't know what flavor cupcake I was eating, so I took a fingerful of frosting, and it turned out to be spicy, so I bit into the cupcake, and it was crunchy! More grasshopper! It was intense. I heard their other cupcakes were alcohol-inspired, including cosmo, but I didn't get a chance to try those. Kudos to Barb's Bakery for going there and forcing us to try something new. I don't think I'd eat grasshopper again, but I'm glad I tried it, and the chipotle had an unexpected kick to it.

that's a grasshopper on top!

yes, those little flecks in the cake are grasshopper.

St. Louis Cardinals World Series winner baseball cupcakes

These St. Louis Cardinals cupcakes, to celebrate their World Series win, are by reader Naureen Aziz.

Bats! Bats! Los murciélagos!

Lovely spooky Halloween cupcake!

Gorgeousness via creative commons and La Despensa del Gnomo (blog, en Espanol, here).

Extra cute bat Halloween cupcake

Adorable bat cupcake by David Wheeler on Flickr, inspired by FamilyFun.

She's The First Tie-dye Cupcakes November 2nd at Molly's Cupcakes New York

In conjunction with She's the First, on November 2nd, Molly's Cupcakes in New York will be selling these tie-dye cupcakes!

Who: Molly's Cupcakes & She's the First
When: Nov 2nd, 5-8pm
What: She's the First 2nd Birthday Bake Sale at Molly's Cupcakes
Molly's Cupcakes will be making the special-edition She's the First tie-dye cupcakes to help us fundraise for girls' education in the developing world

This bake sale is part of a nationwide, student-driven movement from Nov. 1-8, known as the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off -More info at http://www.shesthefirst.org/cupcakes.

Blood Orange Candy Corn Cupcakes

Happy National Candy Corn Day!

To celebrate, I whipped up these Blood Orange Candy Corn Cupcakes! A delicious orange cake batter topped with orange buttercream and topped with a Blood Orange flavored Candy Corn!

For a complete recipe and how-to check out JavaCupcake's blog!

How many mini cupcakes can you fit on a plate?

How many mini cupcakes can you fit on a plate?, a photo by Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake on Flickr.

Cupcake Love-In!!

Live from Scottsdale at Cupcake Love-In: cupcake costume, cupcake photo booth, and cupcakes galore!

A few snapshots from the beginning of Scottsdale's Cupcake Love-In, where there's a photo booth, a kids' cupcake bar, poolside checkin, raffle prizes, mini cupcakes in amazing colors and flavors, and so many amazing-looking cupcakes. (I'm a judge, and am about to go try them.) Full report this week. So happy to be here in the sun and discovering so many cupcake makers! Stay tuned to @cupcakeblog on Twitter because I may Tweet a few images too. I'm in a big rush posting these but if any of these are your cupcakes, email me at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com with "Love-In" in the subject and I'll add your credit and link.