Cutest cupcake video EVER: 3-year-old Makes Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Can I just spend all Thanksgiving Day watching this extremely adorable video? Via One Green Planet and it's not just cute, it really has a vegan pumpkin cupcake recipe! Petey Rojas, I hope you will be making more cupcakes and more videos! "What's vanilla?" "You mix it up until the pumpkin goes away." Love this!

Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes with Recipe Link

image courtesy of My Baking Addiction

Yes, I'm posting yet another "when worlds collide" type cupcake...this being alcohol and cupcakes meeting once again to become: PUMPKIN ALE CUPCAKES! The name alone makes it sound seasonal and fun, don't you think? I can only imagine the absolute hit these would be with all the guys at my Thanksgiving celebration!

This simple yet exciting looking recipe was created by My Baking Addiction. Check out the recipe here!

Fall Cupcake Tower Perfect for Thanksgiving

Blogger, Pink Martinis and Pearls, has absolutely outdone herself again. Just look at the Autumn/Fall Cupcake Tower that she has created for the holiday season. What a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece it would make! Be sure to check out her blog for a full tutorial and more gorgeous pictures. 

Ghost, jack-o-lantern and chocolate turkey cupcakes

All of these cupcakes are by blogger Culinary Adventures with Julie, where you can find out more. They're pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes and you can use them for ideas for your own fall and/or Thanksgiving cupcakes.

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.


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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!!!

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

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

I love the idea of taking other desserts, like crème brûlée, and turning them into cupcakes!

These were made by Cupcake Project. And they aren't just regular crème brûlée cupcakes, they're pumpkin crème brûlée cupcakes. You can combine your favorite flavor of crème brûlée and your favorite cupcakes!

To get all the details on making your dream crème brûlée cupcakes, go here!

Pumpkin Nutella cupcakes and easy cake mix recipe link

Visit the blog Something Swanky for the recipe for these pumpkin Nutella (what a combo!) cupcakes.

Halloween eyeball, ghost, worm/dirt and candy corn cupcakes, plus pumpkin patch

These cupcakes are by Polkadot Cupcake Shop of New York City/New Jersey, via Flickr, celebrating Halloween and pumpkin patch, their October flavor of the month. Find out more about them at polkadotcupcakeshop.com and on Facebook and @sweeterwithcake on Twitter.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bread

Tender, delicious tea bread that tastes like pumpkin pie.

I'm feeling a tad, shall we say, under the weather, lately. Nothing serious. Just an autumnal cold that has knocked the stuffing out of me. I feel like a rag doll. An achy, cranky, ratty old rag doll with matted squirrelly hair and baggy sweatpants. It ain't pretty is all I'm sayin'. So forgive my delay in sharing the promised new pumpkin bars recipe. Soon, Babycakes. Soon.

In the meantime, here's an easy gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe from the archives- a moist, gluten-free pumpkin bread you can bake in a bread machine.

Or in your oven, if you prefer.

***

From 2009: This is a big week. Huge. Never mind The Canyon premiere. Forget the post screening parties at Cafe Was, and the Palihouse (where the valet parked the only Honda Fit of the night- I'm guessing). Forget hanging out in Hollywood with Yvonne Strahovski. We're talking major excitement. Glamour with a u. Dreams come true. That's right.

We're unpacking our relocation cube.

But wait. There is more to the story, truth be told. There is a subplot with a third act twist. There is, um. Titillation. Desire. Longing. By your intrepid Goddess. No, Babycakes. Not longing for fame. Or glitz. Or girly-girl anything. I'm not that kind of Goddess (Botox and bling isn't on my radar). Nope.

So what is this obscure object of desire?

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4 more Halloween cupcake toppers from Etsy

You can still get these in time for Halloween! All these Halloween cupcake toppers are for sale by Etsy seller TwoSugarBabies.

Pumpkin Quinoa Cookies

Pumpkin cookies with quinoa flakes. Like oatmeal- but better.

Dear Reader (yes, Babycakes, I'm talking to you)- you know how I feel about you, right? I'm crazy about you. I read your kind and thoughtful comments. I smile at your Twitters (or is the correct nomenclature tweets?). I'm thrilled you follow the blog on Facebook. I am humbled by your generous,  warm and giving e-mails (I save them). 

Your feedback and support keeps me going and inspires me.

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Cupcakes Inside of Cupcakes

When I first saw this picture I thought, Is this real?  And, fortunately, the answer is yes!  I didn’t know this was even possible! I am definitely trying this the next time I make cupcakes.

These are the Everything Fall Cupcakes made by CupcakeProject.  They’re pumpkin, spiced rum, and maple cupcakes topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and dried cranberries—with brown sugar frosted apple cobbler mini-cupcakes baked inside.  She got the idea from another popular cupcake blogger, CakeSpy, who got the idea from her friend at Bake It In A Cake. 

This is such a creative way to combine flavors.  I can’t wait to try it out.  There are endless possibilities!

Halloween vampire bite and pumpkin cupcakes by Melbourne's Sugadeaux Cupcakes

How will you be celebrating Halloween? If you're in Melbourne, check out these Halloween cupcakes with a twist by Sugadeaux Cupcakes: a vampire bite cupcake ("vanilla cake with "bloody" jam centre and bloodied fang marks") and a pumpkin fall spice cupcake ("Vanilla cake spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, with a ghoulish pumpkin decoration"), for sale only on Halloween (see Facebook for details on this special). via Flickr. Get ordering information at sugadeaux.com.au or on their Facebook page.






And in non-Halloween cupcakes, they've also got some new cupcake flavors for you to try:


peach sweet tea cupcake ("iced sweet tea flavoured cake with peachy frosting")



milk n honey cupcake ("old secret family recipe for honey cake paired with cream cheese frosting")



chocolate chip cupcake ("vanilla cake studded with choc chips, creamy vanilla frosting and a cookie piece garnish")

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

A new gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin cupcake recipe for Fall.

Before I get to my new cupcake recipe, I need to wander off a bit. Just briefly. Because it's who I am. A person who wanders. Ponders. Finds solace in books. I've been like this since girlhood. Curious. Serious. No good at catching balls. Or dressing dolls. I am beyond inept with hair. And eyeliner.

I get anxious and non-verbal if I have to wear anything that isn't a pair of jeans.

It might be because I'm a child of The Sixties, that starstruck Age of Aquarius, when kindred souls united for peace, beauty, and rock and roll. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right," and there was that "...sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave."

I've been remembering the beautiful wave lately. The idealism. The hope. The belief that there is more to life than collapsing in front of the television and microwaving hot dogs.

The belief that beauty- as Steve Jobs believed- is important, has value. That we are deeply interconnected. That life on Earth is precious- from the house sparrow to the living sea. That we are part of a vast and mysterious collective- not merely of our absurd egos (who natter inside our heads and squander our attention on drama, conflict, acquisition and the need to control)- but of a newly unfolding awareness of astonishing inner space and outer space. Infinity in every direction. The Universe is far more capacious than we ever dreamed. Perhaps even multi-dimensional. A Multiverse.

Which begs the question.

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Can you say "too cute?" Pumpkin oreo spider Halloween cupcakes!

I want to make these for Halloween! Aren't they adorable? By Ninas kleiner food-blog (it's in German but you can translate it into the language of your choice at the top of the blog), who has extensive decorating instructions, via Flickr.

Surprise Robicelli's Happiness!

A gift of two awesome Robicelli's cupcakes fell into my lap last night. Well, okay, they didn't exactly fall into my lap literally, but I was the recipient of the surprise happiness and man, were those cupcakes fantastic! I was especially impressed with the butternut spice:

Butternut squash cake, vanilla buttercream, candied pumpkin seeds and butternut seed oil.

The cake was dense and inspired by the flavors of fall and yet seemed to cling to the end of summer. This cupcake is a wonder.

I was also loving the funky monkey, which was a bit damaged by its journey downtown, so it didn't photograph as well (sorry).

Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip and ganache.

So creamy and rich and delicious. I wish I had another one right now. May be time for a trip to see the Robicelli's at Madison Square Eats.

Thanks, Allison!

Vermont bakery My Little Cupcake opens in Burllington today

My Little Cupcake, which has a bakery in Essex Junction, Vermont, as of today also has a Burlington location (at the corner of College and South Winooski streets). Photos and descriptions via their Facebook page. Visit mylittlecupcakevt.com for more information.



Fruity Pebbles cupcake: vanilla & fruity pebbles cupcake, vanilla buttercream and dipped in fruity pebbles (from me: what if they used the Fruity Pebbles Cupcake flavor??)

From Burlington Free Press:

The store is spacious, with exposed brick and tin ceilings contrasting with bright, pink chairs. A mural by a local artist will be painted in the coming week, Trudell said.

Lacayo recalled visiting her brother, who lives in New York City, and seeing all of the cupcake shops there.

“I’ve lived in Vermont for eight years, thinking that a cupcake shop would open in Burlington but one never did,” she said. “That’s how I knew now was the right time to do this.”

My Little Cupcake specializes in mini cupcakes, which Trudell said take three bites to eat, but will also serve regular-sized treats.

“Every day we’re trying to have 24 kinds of cupcakes, including a vegan and gluten-free option,” Trudell said.

The store will also sell coffee from Black River Roasters, a Burlington-based company.



This pumpkin chocolate cheesecake is absolutely delicious! It's a chocolate cupcake with pumpkin pie filling, cream cheese buttercream, and fun halloween sprinkles.



Rockin' Rolo cupcake: chocolate cupcake with a rolo candy inside, vanilla buttercream, and a swirly chocolate drizzle.



Peanut butter honey cupcake: a peanut butter cupcake, filled with peanut butter, honey buttercream and drizzle, and salted peanuts.






Apple cinnamon coffee cupcake



cranberry almond streusel! It's a vanilla & cranberry cupcake with vanilla buttercream, homemade streusel with chopped oats, almonds, and cranberries.