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.

Horrific cupcakes

Now I like skulls (I am a heavy metal chick after all!), and I heart cupcakes so you think putting the two together would be right up my street....alas Kreepsville 666 seem to have got the combo v.wrong with their range of cupcake skull items. Maybe its the horrid colours, maybe the really not too cute skulls (Skulls CAN be cute check out the cover of Fudge Cupcake Murder for some cute skull/cupcake shenanigans) but there is just something about them I don't like!

Yay or nay? Decide for yourself on the pics above or click here for their full range.

I heart Heinz Tomato Soup...

but I'm not sure about the idea of a tomato soup cupcake.

I first read about these on Cakespy's fabulous blog last week when they visited the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co in Seattle, where the tomato soup cupcake is their signature cupcake.

Cakespy describe the tomato cupcake as a pleasant spice cake-y confection--if you didn't know it was made with tomato soup, you probably wouldn't know the source of its je ne sais quoi. The cake was pleasingly moist.

Then Cakespy published another article charting the history of the tomato cake and it turns out its been around for years, first mentioned in the press about 90 years ago, and was a favourite during the Great Depression. They also included a recipe for the tomato cakes, so if you fancy making them check out Cakespy and give it a go - let me know how they turn out! Think I'll stick to making some of Martha's from my blog earlier this week! This does however sound like something the Outsider Tart David's could make and make it taste great (of course!).

Thanks to Cakespy for the pic of the cupcake!

Martha Stewart's Cupcake of the day

Martha Stewart's website is counting down to the June 2 release of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by serving up one cupcake recipe per day (this started May 15th - you can check previous recipes on the site - click here to get today's recipe, Boston Cream Pie cupcakes...yum).

I definitely plan to try her coconut cupcake recipe as I love coconut! There are also recipes for cupcake pops, tiramisu cupcakes and Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes (which I think I might have to try and make!) and more to come until the book is launched June 2nd. I think I shall be buying it asap - it's available now for pre-order from Amazon - doesn't it look good enough to eat/lick ;)

Thanks to Martha Stewart.com for the pics

Punk Rock Bingo Cupcakes

I baked some cupcakes to be given out as prizes at a recent punk rock bingo event at one of my fave pubs, the Grosvenor in Stockwell.

I used the lovely Hannah's Last Rolo Cupcake recipe, topped with Hummingbirds chocolate frosting and good old Hummingbird Vanilla, which so far hasn't let me down! I decided to supersize the cupcakes and go for the full on big cupcake effect which seemed to go down well with those who ate them!

I also packed them in some really cute boxes, both from Wilton. The little pink stripy ones hold one cupcake and were a gift from my lovely friend Dennis (no pic here but you can see them on my Facebook), and the bigger ones I bought from Cake Craft Shop online, only after I'd bought them did I realise they have a store in Bromley which I can get to by bus! I must go check out their store as they have tonnes of fab stuff! These boxes were great, easy to put together (I got some cheaper plain ones and they were like a krypton factor test to assemble!) and they held the cupcakes in place really well and ensured they made the trip on the bus safely!

I'm particularly impressed with my punked up cupcake which I made all spiky and punky with my white chocolate drops! And if you look closely you can see the dinosaurs trying to escape the pink frosting....I heart fancy sprinkles!

Cupcake Stop - the best idea ever?

I spend most of my days wishing I was in New York (sad...but true), and reading about cool new NY stuff like Cupcake Stop just is not helping my "homesickness" for NY! pout

Started by a recent graduate that realised he wasn't going to get employed this year due to the ongoing credit crunch it sounds right up my street!

Our business concept is short and simple - Serve New Yorkers delicious cupcakes on THEIR terms.

We know how stressful and fast-paced this city can be, so we park our truck in easily accessible locations and always have fresh cupcakes waiting!

Our cupcakes are baked from scratch daily.

We are committed to using the freshest and highest quality ingredients, creating a taste you won’t find anywhere else. We take our commitment to quality seriously, so every cupcake that we sell is fresh and any unsold treats are donated to City Harvest to feed the less fortunate.

Our little cupcake shoppe’s menu features traditional and unique flavors that you’ll absolutely love. Our highly experienced pastry chef is never satisfied and constantly pushes the envelope with new scrumptious creations. Be sure to check our Menu regularly for our daily specials!

I love the whole NY food truck thing -they have a great choice (We kept meaning to check out Treats Truck but never managed to be in the right place at the right time!) of foodstuffs, and this sounds like an absolute winner! Check out their menu to see their fab range of flavours, including black and white cookie..yum!

I'd love to set up something similar in the UK - if only I could drive!

Thanks to Serious Eats NY for alerting me to the existence of Cupcake Stop and to Cupcake Stop for the pics - doesn't their tye dye cupcake look fab!

Hello Kitty loves chocolate

I saw this t-shirt in Asda the other day and when I went back to get it it'd sold out and I was kicking myself. Am deffo going to order it though as its ultra cute and features a cute little chocolate cupcake. Can be ordered online from Asda by clicking here.

Does a free cupcake taste better?

If you follow the fabulous Crumbs and Doilies on Twitter you can enter their weekly comp to win a free box from their stall at Covent Garden's weekly food market. We entered yesterday's comp and Manny popped over there and managed to secure us a freebie box of 12 delicious cupcakes including 2 of the flavour of the month, Turkish Delight. I had both of those as Manny doesn't like it (he snarfed most of the chocolate ones) and they were gorgeous.

You'd deffo have to look hard to find a prettier cupcake then Crumbs and Doilies - they have the best sprinkles! I am jealous!!

After my first disastrous attempt at chocolate cupcakes (the Hummingbird cookbook let me down -they came out a bit lumpy and the frosting went very lumpy) I decided to try Hannah's Rolo chocolate cupcakes and they worked out a treat. You can get the recipe here - I didn't use the frosting as I wanted to have a chocolate overload with them, so gave the Hummingbird chocolate frosting another go and thankfully this time it came out absolutely gorgeous! I'm not usually a fan of chocolate cupcakes but even I managed a couple of these!

I shall be making another batch tomorrow to give out at the punk rock bingo, so fingers crossed they turn out as tasty!

Does your washing up liquid bottle feel naked?..

then this is just the thing for you - a 'mini pinny' from Kitty and Polly for your fairy bottle. It's kinda cute but I tend to buy Ecover in bulk and put it into a HUGE bottle so not much use to me and I'm sure the washer up'r in the house might find it a bit girlie for him ;)

If you wanna buy one, click here quick as there's only one left in stock!

Buy cake

Yesterdays Sheerluxe email demanded that I buy cake, eat cake and after looking at Buy Cake's website I have to say I'd be very tempted if only I'd not been practicing cupcake recipes for the last couple of weeks and have now had my fill for a few days at least!

Michelle and I have been friends for a long time and share a passion for good quality and great tasting homemade cakes. Having baked over and above what any normal family could eat (in a lifetime) we decided to set up our homemade cake and cookie company.

If you want a delivery of cupcakes I reckon these are worth checking out!

Thanks to Buy Cake for the gorgeous pics of their cupcakes! I heart the buzzy bea one!

London cupcake throwdown

Londonist have invited London cupcake bakers to take part in a Cupcake Throwdown

Cupcakes. In just a few years, Londoners went from having scarce few bakeries from which to purchase these little treats to hardly being able to walk down the street without catching a glimpse at all manner of food porn baked goods in the window of some tawdry storefront.

Well, we've decided to see which of London’s cupcake peddlers can hold their own in a Cupcake Throwdown! The competition is to happen on the 29th of May, when a crack team of judges will let their oh so sophisticated palettes determine which cupcakes are the most moistest … most delicate … most delicious and satisfying in London.

So far these confident and generous bakeries have committed to submitting their cupcakes:

- Bea’s of Bloomsbury
- Buttercup Cake Shop
- Faircake
- Outsider Tart

Do you frequent, work at or own a London bakery that makes awesome cupcakes? Get in touch (Londonist@gmail.com) by May 23rd a let us know if you’d like to enter the competition.

I can't wait to see which cupcakes the Londonist team prefer!

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

Cupcake decorating classes

Fancy learning how to decorate some pretty cupcakes? I do, so I've booked myself onto the Make Lounge's first cupcake decorating class on the 7th of July! Classes are being taught by Michelle from the Lavender Bakery.

If you’ve ever marvelled at custom cupcakes and wished yours could look as beautiful, here’s your chance to learn from an expert! We’ve teamed up with The Lavender Bakery to teach you skills that you can do at home, without purchasing costly cake decorating tools. At the end of the workshop, you’ll take home a box of your own delicious creations!

You’ll learn to spread buttercream icing like a pro, make and use piping bags, colour and work with royal icing to make simple as well as complicated and detailed designs, and even use edible pearlescent glitter!

All materials provided, including plenty of unadorned cupcakes and practice sheets. You’ll also take home recipes for cupcakes and buttercream and royal icing, plus a list of shopping resources and tips for successful decorating.

Piccies will of course be posted in due course!! I'm v.excited already - I've been dying to go to the Make Lounge for sometime but I'm absolutely hopeless with a sewing machine so this is right up my street! And I am looking forward to learning from Michelle, who kindly gave me a box of specially decorated I heart cupcakes cupcakes last year!

Thanks to The Make Lounge and Lavender Bakery for the pic!!

Cupcake savings

Debenhams have a 25% off sale at the moment which includes some of their cupcake range, including this set of tins which I very nearly buy every time I go into the store. However, I do think Manny's on the verge of leaving me if I try and cram much more into the kitchen and I already have some cupcake tins!

The sale only lasts a couple of days so be quick! Available in store or on line.

Wanna win some cupcakes?

Then head along to http://www.beverlyhillsbakery.com/ and register for to become a club member (you join their mailing list) before 6pm on 23rd May to be in with a chance.

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary of creating delicious baked goodies and to thank our very loyal customers and supporters, we are holding a Fairy Cupcake Prize Draw on Friday 23rd May at 6pm.

The Prize Draw consists of 50 randomly chosen names selected from all BHB Club Members who will each win a complimentary Fairy Cupcake Box of 12 (London) or Fairy Cupcake Tin (UK) delivered to a London or UK address only. As with all BHB products found on our website, these are exclusive to Beverly Hills Bakery and cannot be purchased from any other outlets.

Only winners will be notified by e-mail.

I'm not sure why they call them fairy cupcakes - some are cupcakes, some are fairy cakes! Good luck if you enter :)

I baked you a cupcake

I had today off work so decided to try my hand at the Hummingbird red velvet cupcake recipe!

I had to buy some ingredients I'd never used before, buttermilk, and added vinegar to a sweet thing for the first time ever in my life but they worked out really well and having sampled a newly frosted one I can say they really are scrummy! I'm pleased they turned out so red as I only had one bottle of scarlet food colour (serves me right for not reading the recipe carefully before going shopping) but I added some pink colur and they came out very red!

I know usually red velvets are naked cupcakes but I couldn't resist a few sprinkles!

I heart my Hummingbird Bakery cookbook :)

That's how the cupcake crumbles...

A cupcake really shouldn't crumble...should it??

This was unfortunately the scenario that faced us yesterday at the much anticipated (by me) Cupcake Emporium near Hyde Park. I'd first read about it a couple of weeks ago via my usual cupcake Google search (I often sit and go through the first 50 or so pages of searches via Google...see I work hard for this blog!).

About themselves Cupcake Emporium had this to say...

We take pride in using all natural ingredients where we can an also trying to make these devilish desserts as low in calories as we can but still maintaining the amazing taste.

The recipes we use have been handed down through generations and accumulated through years of baking

When you visit us you will not only be amazed by the range of cupcakes and coffees we offer but also the surroundings, we are nestled in a quiet street just off Hyde Park where you can sit and enjoy people watching or just relaxing in a lovely atmosphere.

About it myself and Manny mainly had to say "Why does our cupcake have the texture of an overbaked cookie".

Yep I think these could possibly take the prize for the oddest cupcake we've tasted.

When they first arrived they were a bit disappointing to look at but I knew they weren't going to be all swirly from the pictures on their website (please note their is a pic of a swirly frosted cupcake on their site..NONE of their cupcakes look like this, they're all flatly frosted), however nothing had prepared me for the disappointing first taste. Actually it came before the first taste - when I tried to put my spoon into the cake and it kinda bounced back...it was HARD....I persevered (in the name of cupcake research) and bejesus it took some effort to get through it...and then it tasted of overcooked cookie as previously mentioned. It was v.v.v.v.v.odd - I thought it was just mine, so I waited for Manny to wrestle his way into this double chocolate sin cupcake and alas it was the same story...hard, cookie-like and not much taste. My vanilla sundae was completely flavourless, no taste of vanilla, nothing. I honestly have never tasted a cake like it - it wasn't stale, it was just not a cake - it really was a cookie!

It's a real shame as the people who run the place seemed really sweet and the cafe is quite adorable with its 50s diner decor, however I really cannot agree with the comments on their Trusted Places site which claims they are the best cupcakes in London. Maybe we got them on an off day - please get in touch if you've tried them and loved them as I'd love to hear...I however wont be paying 2.75 a go to try another one anytime soon. Thankfully the trip wasn't a total disaster - we found a lovely pub, The Mitre, which served Erdinger, real ale and what looked and smelt like rather fab food!

Sorry some of the reviews may seem a bit negative lately but I aim to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth on my blog!

Cupakes make the doughboy v.happy

via Serious Eats...a cute little video featuring microwave cupcakes (eugh) and showing us how the Pillsbury Doughboy makes croissants...I think they may be saying French food is crap!

Hmmmmm a Turkish Delight

Crumbs and Doilies have launched their flavour of the month, Turkish Delight...yum! I shall be heading to either Partridges or Covent Garden (Thursdays only...hint hint Manny) to get some of these as they look and sound absolutely gorgeous!

Our Turkish Delight cupcakes combine a light and smooth pistachio sponge with a subtle rosewater buttercream icing. Fragrant, summery and deliciously moreish.

Remember this is only available for May so get 'em quick!

It's cupcake weekend

at Outsider Tart, and they have some delicious sounding treats on offer...

Honey cupcake with an apple honey frosting

Orange Poppy cupcake with orange frosting

Italian cream cupcake with cream cheese frosting

Chocolate caramel - chocolate cake with caramel ganache filling and chocolate frosting

Lemon Drop - lemon cake, lemon curd and lemon frosting

Peanutbutter cupcake with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate frosting
White chocolate cupcake with vanilla custard and vanilla frosting

I doubt I'm going to make it due to other commitments but I love the sound of the lemon drop cupcake...yummy!

The pics are from the last cupcake weekend which I've only just realised I never posted the pics of...sorry! As usual they were gorgeous and Manny od'd on chocolate :)