Free pumpkin maple cupcake on Thanksgiving morning with purchase of Stumptown Coffee at Seattle's Cupcake Royale

The latest from Seattle's Cupcake Royale, which is featuring several seasonal cupcake flavors (gingerbread, pumpkin/maple, eggnog, peppermint bark & sweet potato)...is a free cupcake to thank you for supporting them, with a coffee purchase! This Thursday, November 24th, aka Thanksgiving, via @CupcakeRoyale on Twitter:



They also show their Thanksgiving sense of humor:



What else is new? Check out cupcakeroyale.com and Cupcake Royale on Facebook, where these photos are from.


gingerbread cupcake: "Just like the classic cookie, we start with molasses, ginger, spice, and chocolate and mix it into a delicious cupcake. Next, we top it with our classic cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with gingerbread babies."


Limited edition (until November 24th, get yours quick!) toasted candied yam cupcakes


pretty pumpkin sugar

Mondays are for cupcake decorating for kids:

CupcakeCamp Atlanta is December 4th!

CupcakeCamp Atlanta is coming up on December 4th. Details below, and you can also follow them @CupcakeCampATL on Twitter. Don't know what CupcakeCamp is or want to host one in your town? Visit cupcakecamp.org.



From their site:

The event will be about 3 hours long (exact times still TBD, but afternoonish time going no later than 5pm). Now that we have an official date, we need your help! If you are interested in participating in Cupcake Camp, please reply and let us know. This means that you are willing to bake at least a dozen cupcakes to present and let guests try them. We need to know about how many stations to set up. Reminder, this is a FREE event, so no cupcakes will be sold. We are welcoming donations on the day of the event that will go towards the cost of this year’s event and hopefully expanding next year’s. In addition to just letting people walk around and try cupcakes, we will also be having a contest! The contest categories (as of now… we’ll update if there are changes) will be as follows:

• Best tasting
• Best looking
• Most unique flavor


If you’re thinking “I’m not a baker, but I still want to help!!”, we can still use your help! We’ll need plates, plasticware, napkins and, of course, MILK (all kinds. regular, soy, whatever). In additon, there’s the simple help of “spread the word!”. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your neighbor. Whoever you want. Let us know if you’re willing to help out here, too.

Cupcake competition in Waverly, Pennsylvania on Saturday

Via The Weekender, news of a Pennsylvania cupcake baking competition this weekend:

The Waverly Community House (1115 N. Abington Road, Waverly) will hold its 28th Annual Artisans’ Marketplace Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sponsored by The Waverly General Store, the Marketplace features more than 35 arts, crafts and food vendors.

There will be a luncheon each day from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. from Iron Pierce Catering and desserts from area bakers. In addition, all bakers are invited to compete in the Marketplace’s first-ever Artisans’ Cupcake Baking Contest. Participants will need to bring a dozen of their best cupcakes to the Comm’s canteen by 10 a.m. Saturday. Categories include Most Flavorful, Most Creative and Most Unique Recipe. Winners will be announced at 1 p.m.

Tickets for the Artisans’ Marketplace are $6, and all proceeds benefit the Comm. Visit waverlycomm.org for more info.

Kids' Cupcake Camp charity event looking for kid bakers!

This is the kind of cupcake event we love hearing about! It involves kids, charity and fun. Info from kidscupcakecamp.com, who you can also keep up with on Facebook and @kidscupcakecamp. The event takes place December 11th in Glendora, California. Questions? Email kidscupcakecamp at gmail.com. (Via Patch.com).





Here's what the event is:

The Cake Mamas Bakery is proud to announce the first ever Kids Cupcake Camp™! Finally, cupcakes with a heart!

Kids Cupcake Camp™ is a nonprofit event that creates change with cupcakes!

The concept for a “Cupcake Camp” originated in San Francisco and promotes a true spirit of community and sharing. Customarily, several bakers (professionals, amateurs, and even first time bakers) donate tons of cupcakes and guests come, pay a donation and eat cupcakes, all to benefit a charity or cause. Cupcake Camps now happen around the world and are hosted by people from all walks of life. They’ve taken place in Paris, Montreal, Orange County, Santa Barbara, Boston, and New York just to name a few. The most universal element of a Cupcake Camp is that it brings people together to share their love of cupcakes, and to give back!

The Cake Mamas are putting a different spin on it! This winter’s Kids Cupcake Camp™! will be a huge TOY DRIVE! Due to rough times, job loss and several other economic hindrances, lots of needy families and children will not be able to celebrate or enjoy their holidays this season. We want to make their holidays a little SWEETER and donate TOYS to them!

And here's where kids can get involved and raise money for their schools:

We’re looking for a team of representatives from each school in the Charter Oak and Glendora Unified School Districts to compete for some cold, hard CASH for their school!

Whether, you’re from the Student Council, ASB, Football team, Cheerleading Squad, or any other group/team from your school, we want you! We’re asking you to organize a group of students to create a great recipe and bake 200 cupcakes to compete with at the 1st ever Kids Cupcake Camp!

Each school in the Charter Oak and Glendora Unified School Districts is invited to participate. (*Unfortunately, we can not open the Kids category to all schools due to lack of space. But we will keep you posted if anything changes!) Each school must commit to baking, bringing/donating a minimum of 200 cupcakes and will compete in a TASTE CHALLENGE. *Judges will be determined soon…But, we’re working on some pretty cool prospects so be sure to bring your A game!

The school with the “Best Tasting Cupcake” will provide The Cake Mamas with the winning recipe. The Cake Mamas will bake and sell the school’s winning cupcake at their bakery in Glendora for 30 days (beginning Dec 19th-Jan 21st 2012). 100% of the profits from the winning cupcake will go straight to the school!!!

So, if The Cake Mamas sell 2 dozen cupcakes per day for 30 days, that’s over $2,000!!! It’s that easy!

($3 cupcake x 24 per day = $72 per day. $72 x 30 days = $2,160!!!)

If you are interested in competing and representing your school, please complete the BAKERS REGISTRATION FORM.

They are raising money for Shepherd's Pantry.



About the cause:

Shepherds Pantry is a nonprofit organization in Glendora, CA that provides emergency food, (groceries), clothing, resource counseling, children’s educational programs and a helping hand to struggling families during times of crisis. Shepherd’s Pantry serves local residents of ten cities in the San Gabriel Valley. (Azusa, Baldwin Park, Claremont, Covina, Glendora, Hacienda Heights, La Puente, La Verne, San Dimas, West Covina and Valinda)

Cuppie Meets Ray's Pizza, or NYC gets ready for the invasion of Cakespy's Jessie Oleson

Did you know that our friend and Cakespy blogger, baker, artist and shop owner Jessie Oleson is on tour for her first cookbook, Cakespy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life (one word: S'moreos!!), specifically Tour de Sweet? (Click for all tour dates.) Well, she is, and I highly encourage you to check it out! We'll be there on November 9th at 2 pm Butter Lane and November 10th at 7 pm in Red Hook, and there are events this coming Monday and Tuesday in Boston. Treats are in store and her cookbook makes me want to lick the pages; more on that soon!



Alas, I don't think we are going to be as lucky as Jessie, who got to hang with Jay Mewes and Kevin Smith: (via Flickr)

Report on tie-dye She's the First celebration at Molly's Cupcakes

Last night I stopped by Molly's Cupcakes in Greenwich Village for the She's The First second anniversary celebration, which featured special one-night-only tie-dye cupcakes. They were available with either chocolate or vanilla frosting and were very interesting; I can't think of how to describe the cake other than colorful, sweet and wet. By "wet" I mean moist the way cakes drenched in syrup are, but not sticky, but definitely a little different than the norm. The frosting was good, not too rich or overly sweet, a basic chocolate, but the cake was really fun to eat with all the different colors. The event was packed, and there was even a woman greeting people in a cupcake costume! Get more information at shesthefirst.org and mollyscupcakes.com. And sorry for any formatting weirdness; I'm getting used to the new blogger.


























these weren't vegan cupcakes but I liked this sticker




cupcake costume!

Cute monster cupcakes and chocolate hazelnut crunch mini cupcakes

These cute monster cupcakes are by Tammie Coe Cakes, taken by me at Cupcake Love-In. I didn't try them, but did try the chocolate hazelnut crunch mini cupcakes seen below, and was told to eat mine "like a shooter." I did and it was delicious! Light frosting, a little crunch, perfect size as it was the very last cupcake I ate at Cupcake Love-In.

Get your tickets NOW for the last Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Eye-Candy Challenge edition!

Tickets are on sale today until they sell out (or February 3rd) for the very last Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Challenge. Let's have a big internet round of applause to Sandy Ploy for her hard work in pioneering this amazing event. Bakers can register here. I'm even going to consider flying out for it! I've always wanted to go because it sounds like so much fun! It's a benefit for The Pablove Foundation. It features Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, authors of Hello, Cupcake!, What's New, Cupcake? and the forthcoming Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My! (they are also going to be teaching cupcake decorating on our August 2012 Cupcake Cruise). Please do pass this on to anyone in Wisconsin who might want to join in at this exciting event that I think will pay tribute to Wisconsin in a very unique, fun way (note the "no fondant" rule).



Wisconsin Eye-Candy Challenge: Wisconsin is FULL of iconic landmarks and sports teams. Whether its House on the Rock or the Green Bay Packers, there is SO MUCH TO SEE! Utilizing all of the fun tips and techniques that Karen and Alan have taught the country, whip up a creation that portrays the look and style of a truly unique Wisconsin landmark or icon. Think candy, cookies, crusts and more to tell your story - oh, and a special challenge...NO FONDANT ALLOWED. One more thing, don't forget to make it taste good as well! Be creative, this challenge will become the ultimate Wisconsin stay-cation in one afternoon.

From JSOnline:

Baking enthusiasts will create cupcakes with the theme of "Wisconsin Eye-Candy" -- paying homage to state landmarks, legend or lore, and guests will be able to sample them.

A few openings for bakers remain for the event, which runs from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. It includes a silent auction of autographed celebrity cookbooks, by Rick Bayless, Alton Brown, Jacques Torres and others, that will benefit the Pablove Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on childhood cancer.



About The Pablove Foundation: "The mission of The Pablove Foundation is to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs. The Pablove Foundation is named after Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, the son of Jo Ann Thrailkill and Jeff Castelaz and the little brother of Grady Gallagher. Pablo was six years old when he lost his valiant yearlong battle with bilateral Wilms Tumor, a rare form of childhood cancer. The reason that this foundation is so close to IronCupcake:Milwaukee is because our very own Too Much Metal Fred is close friends with Pablo's family and has been a vital part of the success of the Pablove Foundation. What better reason than to support him. Imbued with his spirit and inspired by his strength, Pablove is dedicated to the daily, global fight against childhood cancer and the suffering that comes in its wake. "

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.

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.


Cupcake costume!



ballerina cupcakes



peanut butter and jelly cupcakes



lemon tree angel wing cupcakes



rainbow sherbet cupcakes



cupcake photo booth



apple tree cupcakes












candy corn and pumpkin Halloween cupcakes

Cupcake and wine pairing October 13th

Via Phillyburbs.com comes news about a cupcake and wine pairing this Thursday:

The Pipersville bakery will be hosting "A Night in Barcelona" where some of their bestselling cupcakes will be paired with samplings of Spanish wine.
The cupcake flavors for the evening will include Tres Leche, Margerita, Chocolate Churro and Pumpkin Spice with chocolate mole truffle.

These decadent desserts will be paired with glasses of Prontos Verdejo Rueda, Albarino & White Rioja, Toreres Malena Garnacha and RedRrioja and Tawney Port.

The event costs $35 per person and will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. To make reservations for the evening call the Lucky Cupcake Company at 267-362-5136.

Visit them at theluckycupcakecompany.com as well as on Facebook and @luckycupcakeco on Twitter for more information.

The Lucky Cupcake Company is also selling these cute cupcake onesies:



The Lucky Cupcake Company
6011 Keller's Church Rode
Pipersville, PA 18947
267-362-5136
joanne at theluckycupcakecompany.com

Cupcake murder mystery Death by the Dozen on sale today!

The third book in author Jenn McKinlay's cupcake bakery murder mystery series, Death by the Dozen, officially comes out today! I got behind on my reading so am just now reading book two, Buttercream Bump Off, and am not only excited to read the new one, but also to be a judge with Jenn at Cupcake Love-In on October 30th in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is the setting for her fictional series. Read Chapter 1 here.



Official description:

Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel's mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic's dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.

Not only is she an author, but Jenn McKinlay is a blogger and baker, and if you click here you can get her red velvet beet cupcake recipe at Mystery Lovers Kitchen, where she's a contributor!

More about Cupcake Love-In, who you can follow on @cupcakelovein on Twitter and Facebook:

Join us on 10.30.11 at the Hotel Valley Ho Hotel for the second annual Cupcake Love-in event for an afternoon of FUNdraising for Central Arizona Shelter Service (CASS). Come mingle with bakers from all around the Valley and sample their amzaing cupcakes. There will be activities for the kids, a cupcake eating contest and more!

CupcakeCamp New Haven (Connecticut) coming October 22nd

Heads up: On October 22nd from 11 am to 1 pm CupcakeCamp New Haven (Connecticut) is happening. Click here for the official event page and here for the Facebook event invite. The event takes place at BAR at 254 Crown Street and you need to register as a baker here (taster slots are sold out). You can also keep up with them @cupcakecampnh on Twitter.



The 2nd annual CupcakeCamp New Haven will be held at BAR in New Haven!

Join us from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 22nd for an unforgettable experience. Cupcakecamp was born of the desire to enjoy cupcakes in a free and open community environment. Since it's inception, there have been camps held all over the world. For more information on Cupcakecamp New Haven, to share your cupcake recipes and learn about all of the awesome bakeries who've signed on as sponsors, check out the blog!

And it's all for charity!

"Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital have joined forces to create Closer to Free, a fund that provides essential funding for breakthrough cancer research and compassionate patient care by combining the gifts of many donors."

They're also selling these t-shirts for $12 by October 15th, and they warn that they will likely sell out: