Star Bakery comes up roses for Mother's Day

Star Bakery, a self confessed cupcake loving bakery in Nottingham, have produced these gorgeous rose frosted cupcakes for Mother's day. I love the colours of the frosting, so bright and different than your usual pastels, and I cannot believe how pretty the rose shaped frosting is - I dream of having the patience and expertise to do that kind of thing, but I'm much more a slap it on kinda girl :)

A box of 9 gorgeous cupcakes, which can be any flavour you choose, as long as they're all one flavour, is only £22 delivered to any NG postcode. All ordering details can be found here.

Shake yer Shamrocks

St Patrick's day is always a big event in parts of America. When we went to NY last year (a year ago today infact..sob) stores were full of everything to help you celebrate from tshirts and hair-dye to deely boppers. My grandfather is half Irish but I've never really seen a need to reclaim that part of me once a year, and have only once gone out for St Patrick's day with a friend from Dublin and that ended messily after a night of cheap Jamesons and Guinness!

However this year I'm planning to make some stout cupcakes to celebrate and was planning to use a Nigella recipe for Guinness cake, but with vanilla frosting as I'm not that keen on cream-cheese frosting. However after receiving this weeks Cakespy mailout that idea has changed. I will still be using the Nigella recipe for the base but will be topping them with baileys frosting after being inspired by this gorgeous cupcake from Trophy.

If you suspect that these cupcakes are comprised completely of awesome, you are right. The stout adds a wonderful density to the cake, leaning more toward chocolatey than toward a beer-y flavor; the Irish Cream in the buttercream gives it a little zing just enough so that you know it's there, but not so much that it drives you to distraction

It's just so pretty, and has left me feeling rather foolish for not thinking of making Baileys frosting as I love Baileys!

As usual Layer Cake Shop is full of fabulous decorating goodies for St Patrick's day, including green top hats and shamrock pics and some really evil, (while slightly camp) leprechaun's.

Thanks to Cakespy/Trophy for use of the pic of the cupcake and Layer Cake Shop for the topper pics

Cinnabon Cupcakes - coming to the UK soon(ish)

I've never tried a Cinnabon bun but have seen their stores in London and was interested to see on American cupcake blogs that the stores in the USA recently started selling cupcakes.

After 25 years of making our world famous cinnamon roll, we're kicking off the next 25 years by introducing the world's best cupcake!

We brought back the creator of our famous Classic Roll to develop our new cupcake product line. And, after testing 556 different recipes, each one containing the same secret ingredient, we have created a high quality treat, well worthy of the Cinnabon name. Baked fresh daily, they're perfect for parties, gifts or any time you need to put a little frosting on your day. If you haven't seen Cinnabon Cupcakes just yet, they should be near you soon.

Cinnabon cupcakes - Anything else is just a CupFake^™.

I emailed the general manager of Cinnabon UK and she confirmed that Cinnabon cupcakes will be available "in the fourth quarter of this year" which I'm assuming means around about October time?

I'm not sure what these will be like, assuming their secret ingredient is cinnamon (does cinnamon go with vanilla?), but once they're on sale I'll have to put their rather ambitious claims of "the world's best cupcake" to the test. In the states there are four flavours to choose from, Cinnacake Classic, a cupcake version of the Cinnabon Classic, Vanilla Bliss, Chocolate Passion and 24-Carrot Cake.

As for cinnamon buns I find it hard to believe any bun can be better than those at the Nordic Bakery in Soho - they're just delish, and their coffee is fab too!

Thanks to Cinnabon for use of the pics

Gu hu - Lola's are doubly spoiling us this month

Some very exciting news about a Lola's collaboration but first up are their flavour of the month - ferrero rocher

Help winter melt away with our luxuriously indulgent Ferrero Rocher cupcake. It has a wonderfully moist hazelnut chocolate sponge, topped with hazelnuts draped in a silky chocolate layer

I used to LOVE Ferrero Rocher when I was a teen (and they were the "in" thing), but then every birthday, christmas etc I'd get about 4 boxes of them and I soon became sick of them. I don't even eat them now when people are giving them away at work but I might give this cupcake a try- maybe just a mini though. I know Manny will be salivating at the sight of this cupcake and getting a full size one (I'd suggest trying a bit of his but he's a bit like Joey from Friends and doesn't like to share!).

Secondly, Lola's have posted up some photographs on their Facebook of their Mothers Day range, and as I was already featuring the flavour of the month (and some exciting Lola's news...) I thought I'd post up some pics. I can't see these on the website yet (in fact its still showing February's flavour of the month - come on Lola's sort it out!) but I'm sure they'll be available to order online soon and in stores for a week or so before Mother's Day.

Finally today on Twitter, Guchocolatepuds tweeted "Gü chocolate brownie cupcake with chocolate ganache icing from Lola's. One word: AMAZING". I (obviously) immediately sent them a message, to which they annoyingly (rudely!?) didn't reply to - however Lola's were more forthcoming with responses and so far all we know is that the Güand Lola's collaboration will be available by the end of March. I'll post more information as I get it, hopefully with some pics! I know for a fact Manny will be one of the first wanting to try this - he adores Gü!

Thanks to Lola's for use of the pics.

Every little helps

I popped into Tesco's today and spotted a couple of cupcake items for Mother's Day.

First up is this gorgeous yummy mummy mug, which was a bargain at £1 and which I got for my mum (don't worry its not her only gift - I just couldn't resist it). They also had a matching apron for £4 - sorry I couldn't get a picture as security were wandering round. I managed to get a (crap) surreptitious pic of the lovely recipe folder, a bargain at £5 - I'm not sure if I need another recipe folder but I was tempted.

I'm planning to feature some other ideas for mother's day cupcake/baking gifts, including lots of cupcakes you can buy/bake for your mum so keep checking back!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Today was the last Saturday of February, and therefore the last day we had to get to Partridge's and sample a Crumbs and Doilies flavour of the month -salted caramel.

We got there a little later than planned due to me trapping 3 fingers in the door on the way out and then having a girlie moment about it (tears were involved..it hurt and still does!) but thankfully they still had a couple of the large salted caramel cupcakes left!

Manny spotted a stall selling some rather tasty looking chocolate goodies, Chez Moi Chez Vous, so we also got one of their chocolate "cupcakes" and then did our usual Partridge's routine - visit the lovely old couple who run the Indian Kitchen stall and get some yummy curry for lunch (I highly recommend this stall!)

We had originally planned to visit the Cupcake Company in Kensington Church Street as well, but the Central Line wasn't working and getting back from Notting Hill (where we ended up) was a pain enough without that - such a shame as we may have spotted Leona Lewis buying cupcakes..whoop-de-do. Also due to a really crap website we weren't even sure if the Cupcake Company were open (is it so difficult to list opening times etc on your site?) so we decided to head home to scoff our bounty with a cuppa!

First, the salted caramel cupcakes. Now I can't make up my mind if I like salted caramel - I like it if it's not too salty - the bacon/salted caramel cupcake we had in New York was wrong in many ways but mainly it was way too salty for my palette and led me to declare "I hate salted caramel" but since eating William Curley's salted caramel chocolates I've gotten a taste for it so was keen to try February's flavour of the month. I'm glad I did - it was gorgeous. Not too salty, but with a slight hint of saltiness in the frosting. The caramel cake was moist and very fresh and the frosting was very moreish. Definitely a winner!

Onto the chocolate "cupcake" from Chez Moi, Chez Vous - first up it really isn't a cupcake. I do wish people would stop calling something a cupcake when it isn't. This was blatantly a brownie in a cupcake case - a very tasty brownie but NOT a cupcake. Also melting a bit of chocolate on top does not frosting make. Manny of course loved it in all its chocolaty goodness, and it was nice, just not a cupcake.

Finally, a reminder that C&D's flavour of the month for March is Hot Toddy;

A spicy cinnamon, lemon and clove infused sponge combined with a delicious Irish whisky buttercream icing. Warming, indulgent and just the thing to see you through the no-doubt dreary British springtime.

Sounds fabulous - I shall be heading down to try one, and have a curry!

Flavours of the month from March-June are now online here.

A pretty place to rest your cupcakes

I've been meaning to blog about this rather fabulous Russian Doll cake stand since first spotting it a few weeks ago and it totally slipped my mind.

Then, last week, cake stands suddenly entered my consciousness again when I was reading a blog about someone's* visit to Bea's of Bloomsbury and I spotted the most gorgeous cake stand ever. Immediately via the wonder that is Twitter I contacted Bea and she sent me a link - it is designed by Tina Tsang and just so lovely and totally perfect for showing off your cupcakes!

Finally, if the rabbit cake stand is a little out of your price range, what about this pretty bird cake stand I spotted and had to share.

*Sorry I can't remember whose blog I was reading when I spotted the post about Bea's! Thank you though :)