Butter v Stork challenge

I was watching Food and Drink last week with Mary Berry and Michel Roux Jr and the question - what makes a better cake, Butter or Stork - came up again. They tasted two cakes made to Mary's recipe one made using butter, the other with Stork and all three testers preferred the taste of the Stork cake.

As well as shocking me, this got me thinking that over the years I've always argued that butter is always better....but is it?

The Butter v Stork baking challenge was conceived.

I'm arranging an event in London (venue to be confirmed) hopefully in March. I'm aiming for a Monday (hopefully evening) so people can bake on the Sunday when they have no work. This is where you can help - we'll need a few bakers to bake cakes as I cannot bake them all myself. No fancy baking is required - just basic good old fashioned cakes - two of each, one with butter, one with Stork. Once we have the bakers decided we can arrange what butter to use (I think it's best we all used the same butter) and what cakes to bake. Obviously we can do cupcakes or cakes - this can all be decided once we have more info.

We will obviously also need some taste testers.

If you are interested please get in touch via email, Twitter (@annecupcake) or leaving a comment below.

And thanks to Helen at Fuss Free Flavours for putting me in touch with people on Twitter who are aiming to help out with venues.

Please get involved so we can finally answer this very important question once and for all.

Cupcakes ARE good for your health

So says the President of the United States so it must be true!!! 

You can read about Obama's visit and watch his speech here (its about the one minute mark where he mentions cupcakes!)

Couldn't resist showing the Zilly Rosen cupcake mosaic of Obama again for this post!

Cupcakes in Brixton

According to the 50 Coolest Places to Eat in last weeks Observer Food Monthly, Rosies Deli Cafe in Brixton Market is a fab place to visit for cupcakes so I shall be going asap! I've been trying to persuade Manny to take me to Franco Manco for pizza for sometime, and we have a few days off next week so I'm hoping we can maybe make it then!

You can read more about Rosie's deli cafe here.

Cupcakes and Cocktails

The charming Tea Room at Liberty will be holding a series of ‘Cupcakes and Cocktails’ evenings on every last Thursday of the month, over a six month period, starting on the 28th of May 2009.The evenings will begin with tantalising Belvedere Tea Martini made from our very own selection of fine leaf teas, complemented by a dazzling array of Tea time delights created by our chef. Guests not only will have the opportunity to taste the rarest and most eclectic varieties of teas but also, thanks to the Liberty Beauty Hall, will be able to sample the ‘most wanted’ skincare products from top cosmetic companies.

The events take place the last Thursday of every month, starting May 28th, 6-8pm at the Tea Room at Liberty, Tickets will be priced at £15 per person (including fabulous goody bag!) For tickets and any other enquiries please contact Freya on: Tel: 0207 734 1234 ext 2602, Email: libertyrestaurants@live.com

Check out the cupcakes on that...

Yesterday I tried the fabulous Fair Cake's cupcakes and today whilst drooling over their Flickr site I found this stunning snow-woman with cupcakes...how cute!

I miss the snow all ready - the thaw is depressing! And I've just bought snowjoggers - ugly (although I kinda like them - they're so ugly they're cute perhaps?) but comfy and great in the snow!

Is cake a solution to my cold?

In the last few days while I've been ill with another cold I've been contemplating wearing a mask while on public transport as I seem to journey with people who have never been taught basic manners, ie putting your hand over your mouth while coughing or not sneezing willy-nilly onto people on the bus! While browsing Artbox's site I found this fantastic cake covered mask and shall now have to think hard whether I have the guts to wear one on the bus daily.

Cupcakes are the new black!

From yesterdays Daily Mail.

A year ago she was unheard of, and after the U.S. election result, may return to obscurity.

In between however, Sarah Palin has achieved the ultimate recognition of the Internet age. Along with cupcakes.

While animal killing madwoman Sarah is the fastest rising query globally on Googles annual zeitgeist list, cupcakes are the fastest rising recipe search in the UK!

Go cupcakes!

Living the cupcake dream!

Todd and Marsha Rowe run the Cupcake Truck. It is like an ice cream truck, except they sell cup cakes.

They wake up at 3:30 a.m. every morning to start baking, make icing and get on the road to deliver cupcakes to hungry clientele.

Marsha Rowe has always loved baking but a having a shop wasn't feasible, so she and her husband found a way around that. "The money's just too much, so we became creative and decided to see if we could do something mobile," Todd said.

In August, they started parking it in a prime spot in New Haven, where carts are a popular place for people to get meals and snacks. They set up the cart near the Yale campus. In addition to baking, they blog about where they will be, what's on the menu and how things are going.

The Cupcake Truck takes credit cards and they're going solar soon.

These people are truly living the dream - I'd love to do this -anyone wanna buy me a van??? And be my driver!

You can watch a video about the cupcake truck here.

Breaking the law, breaking the law!

Oh dear oh dear found on today's round up of cupcake news on Google.

Two Louisiana high school girls are fighting their expulsion and criminal charges after officials discovered laxative-laced cupcakes left in the teachers' lounge.

Jeannie Nguyen, 17, of Kenner, and Kamrin Kennedy, 17, of Marrero, were expelled from Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy after their principal, Kristi Phillippi, found 22 cupcakes made with the over-the-counter laxative MiraLAX, The Times-Picayune reported.

Authorities said that Nguyen and Kennedy made the cupcakes as a senior prank, but other students warned a teacher to avoid the treats, the New Orleans paper said.

The girls admitted adding the laxative to a cupcake mix and icing, according to a police report. They were booked on charges of mingling harmful substances, which carries a two-year prison sentence and $1,000 fine as punishment, and were suspended for the rest of the school year, The Times-Picayune said.

It's a punishment that parents are calling too tough.

"We're not justifying what these kids did," Kamrin's mother, Marietta Kennedy, told the paper. "But the thing is, we just think the punishment doesn't fit the crime."

The perfect marriage proposal?

Seriously could anyone say no to this magnificent proposal?

From the superb Cupcake in Berlin (which I visited last October and MUST write up and post some pics soon!)

It's Thursday so its CUPCAKE time :)

This weeks Covent Garden night market will be hosting Lavender Bakery's fabulous items this Thursday so get along there and sample some!!!

You can see some lovely pics of the market at Helen Grave's blog as well, including some more cupcake pics!

You can't stop rock n roll!

Not only are TWISTED SISTER one of the best bands in the world - they make cupcakes too at the Twisted Sister bakery in Chicago!! Not only does it sound fab but they'll custom frost your cupcakes for you!! I'm going to have to beg my chum Rene (a fellow fan of Twisted Sister) to pop over there and sample them!

I was rather upset they didn't have a Dee Snider cupcake though - don't you think he looks as cute as a cupcake!!!

Tarts are coming to Soho!!!!

One of my favourite cupcake bakers are coming to Soho, London this Monday, 21st July! I can't wait - although I shall have to ensure I don't visit too often or I'll explode!

Info below from their blog

Is it Monday yet?!? yes, this Monday we will be open for business. We are not letting little things like the kitchens not being completely finished and our entrance not open stop us! So try and come down to see us next week on Frith Street. 56 Frith to be exact, inside Profile, London W1D 3JGNow between now and then we have our markets so here is what's on offer this week.

I CANNOT wait :)

Drooling with anticipation

Actually ignore the post below- I'm not going to Hummingbird tomorrow as I'd already planned to go to Richmond Farmers Market to pick up some Outsider Tart cupcakes as its their cupcake weekend (as is the first weekend of every month!!). I've just read their flavours for this week and I'm already hungry...yummy

Day! Market Menu 5th and 6th July
It's cupcake day at last. The flavors for the day are:

Filled Cupcakes:

Chocolate Mint

Lemon Poppy

Boston Cream Pie

Lime

Unfilled cupcakes:

Brownie Chunk

Blueberry

LavenderVanilla

StrawberryRed Velvet

The pics are from Outsider Tart's website gallery - that wedding cake is to die for!!

Netty Poskitt's cupcakes - time for the big 'uns!

Last time I went to Whitecross Market and bought some of Netty's cupcakes I went for a little egg box with 6 mini cupcakes and although they were really yummy I often find you can't really tell with the little ones so I thought I'd best go back and get some of her full size cupcakes to check they were nice...and my first impressions weren't wrong! They were yummy - a bit dry in the base but still good. Definitely worth a wander up to Whitecross, especially if its not wet and you have time to sit outside Coffee@Whitecross and watch the world go by :)

Sex and the City in downtown Greenwich...London

Daisy Cakes Bake Shop in Greenwich is having a Sex and the City night on Friday (30th May) to celebrate the opening of the fabulous Sex and the City movie - they're opening late (till 7 I think, but call first to check if you're planning on going!) and will be serving cocktails, having a SATC theme and also giving discounts on purchases. A good excuse for a cupcake end to the week!

The above pics are of some recent cupcakes from Daisy Cakes that I've not added on here before. They were two vanilla (all they had in the shop y'day) which were absolutely divine! The frosting was totally vanilla'y and fab, and the other two are strawberry and chocolate and a jammie dodger which was FANTASTIC although it left me a bit sticky it was worth it :)

The streets of London are lined with cupcakes

I found this interview with the ladies from the Great Cake Escape on Londonist's website

The streets of London are evolving. Once upon a time, they were paved with gold. Then came the more practical tarmac. Recently, dog turds, phlegm and spent gum have layered our thoroughfares. Now, The Great Cake Escape are on a mission to line our streets with...cake.
We caught up with the duo who, by an incredible coincidence of nominative determinism, go by the names Cherry Bakewell and Fondant Fancy.

So, fill us in with a little background. What's the basic idea?

Cherry: We make and decorate cup cakes and leave them dotted around the streets with little messaged flags. We hope discovering our cakes makes people smile and stimulates curiosity.
Fondant: We simply want to add dash of vibrancy to this urban utopia of ours. We like creating scenes of contrast -- so we adorn everyday locations, such as derelict buildings, pavements and weather beaten window ledges, with a vivid splash of sugar.

Is it just little cup cakes, or do you ever liberate other cakes? Or perhaps even biscuits? Biscuits are more hardy and would stand up to a short spell of rain. We think you should try biscuits.

Cherry: Biscuits, eh? I’ve never heard such heresy!
Fondant: Well, it’s just little cupcakes at the moment but we’ve been nattering about using biscuits when we do festivals this summer.
Cherry: ‘Take the Biscuit’ could perhaps be our brother project? So if there are any tasty gingerbread men out there who fancy taking up the challenge, they’re more than welcome! We’re about little cakes for now--they’re so handy for transporting and dropping.
Fondant: I don’t think the biscuits would last very long in my kitchen--I’d have devoured them before we’ve got around to any icing. Although, imagine the fun you could have with party rings!

I have to say - while I love the idea of cupcakes just appearing all over London, unless I actually saw the person putting them down so I could immediately have one I'm not so sure I'd want to eat a cake I found on the streets - as the interview says the streets of London are filled with spit and shit and I'm not that keen on cupcakes covered in peoples cough, or poo for that matter!!! Although just finding a cupcake would make me smile and thats kinda what they are aiming to do so its all good!

Good on the girls though - what a great way to spread cheer throughout out occasionally grey city! Like urban gardening but with frosting :)

I may have to go check them out at the London Roller Girls next event!

*for the rest of the interview click here, or the link above! Thanks to the Londonist for the pic and the quoted bits :)

All hail Manowar!

and my adorable friend Renee, and of course cupcakes!!!

I don't think there was anyone in the world luckier than me last week when a HUGE parcel arrived from the States for me from my lovely chum Renee. I almost died when I opened it - inside was a veritable feast of cupcake goodness.

First and foremost she had hand-made me the most fantastic handbag from a tshirt of my favourite band in the world MANOWAR and some cupcaketastic material she'd found! How cool is it!!! Seriously I don't think I've ever received such a cool gift!! The only thing that could better it would be Joey De Maio covered in frosting but hey I couldn't carry my shopping in him ;)

All hail Renee :)

Diet cupcakes

Diet and cupcakes aren't really two words that go together, but I am still managing to lose weight while eating cupcakes so maybe this tea also works. I spotted it in Wholefoods and just had to buy it! I've not tried it yet though as fennel tea doesn't really appeal ..I'm more of a Twinings English Breakfast to be honest. Maybe I can persuade Manny to try it and gauge how awful it is by the face he pulls when he tries it!

I think I should give it a try as if I keep eating cupcakes the way I am I'm going to end up looking like the cupcake person on this box! But then I'd look so scrummy I'd only want to eat myself..it'd be a vicious circle!!

If I worked in a cupcake shop...

I'd not only be the size of a house and have to be squeezed Winnie The Pooh style through the door, I'd also be HAPPY! Imagine being surrounded by cupcakes ALL DAY! Just looking at a cupcake makes me nearly as happy as eating one..not quite, but you know what I mean!

However when I've gone to the Primrose Bakery, on both occasions its seemed like a chore to serve me, and others that are there too. I understand that I'm not quite of the ilk of their other customers, like the reputed fans Kate Moss and Sadie Frost (well I do look like I eat AND digest the cupcakes I buy rather than chew them and sick them up!) but still, I'm spending money in your store...would it kill you to be pleasant, and perhaps pass the time of day with me?!

When I first walked into their little cafe/bakery I swear I was like a kid in a candy store - the place is totally cute and full of nice little nik naks...and CAKE...but still the people working there seem harassed and perturbed. I know they're busy but seriously I'd LOVE to have the opportunity to open my own bakery and work there! I'm ALWAYS really polite to people in shops as I know how irritating it is for people to be rude to shop assistants from my time as one, and more so when it's somewhere fab like this, but I get the same kind of response from the people here as I get in Tescos! When I asked her which flavours they had on Wednesday I was thankful looks can't kill! Usually people in cupcake places are more than happy to chat with you...

For example, when we went to Bea's she came out to personally ask us did we enjoy our cakes, in Berlin's Cupcake the lady who runs it was adorable and so friendly Manny left some of his heart with her (he was quite smitten bless him!), and Crumbs and Doilies couldn't be nicer if they tried, and the same goes for all the other cupcake places I've visited, and there's been a lot!!, ....so I'm not sure what the problem with PB is..it's certainly not their cakes, which are FABULOUS...maybe we're just not "Primrose Hill" material!

Anyways here's a pic of some cupcakes I bought there earlier this week from the gruff lady there. They were really nice, but alas what sticks in my memory is their (lack of) customer service.