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.

Butter Lane hearts butter!

When we visited New York last year we stayed about 10minutes walk from Butter Lane and took full advantage, visiting on numerous occasions to pick up some of their fabulous cupcakes. They were so good we intended to take a box home but we were slightly delayed at JFK and ate them there instead - what a great way that was to say goodbye to NY.

So today I was very excited to read on Cupcakes Take the Cake that Butter Lane are featuring in the new Lurpak ad campaigns by Saatchi & Saatchi. I thought it was going to be a follow up to all those giant advertising posters that appeared earlier this year with slogans such as "one off's are baked not bought" (I'm still slightly confused re these 'cupcakes' - they are naked). Then I read again....

Saatchi & Saatchi London has launched its first campaign for Lurpak since landing the global account for the premium butter and blends brand earlier this year. The account covers all markets across the world except the UK. DAMN

The TV spots are part of a documentary film made by Saatchi & Saatchi, featuring Pam Nelson, co-owner of the New York bakery ‘Butter Lane’, telling the story of how Lurpak butter helps the cupcakes she makes “the best on the planet”.

Shot inside the bakery in the east Village, Pam Nelson talks about how she quit Wall Street to make cupcakes and enticingly shows and describes quality ingredients being put together to create a little piece of heaven, exemplifying the quality of the Lurpak brand.

It is the first in a series of films that will be created from around the world focusing on people who are passionate about the food they create (where butter is an essential ingredient in their famed product) and have an interesting story to tell

You can watch the advert here and be warned you'll get some serious Kitchen Aid envy at the beginning.

Oh and Pam isn't lying - they really are the best cupcakes in the world!!