My visit to The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

A week or so ago, I blogged about the opening of a new cupcake shop in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, WA called The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. My husband, daughter and I went to visit that shop on Saturday to sample the much anticipated cupcakes!

The Yellow Leaf isn’t hard to find, right off a main street just north of downtown Seattle, the shop has a prime location for business and pedestrians.

As I entered the cupcakery, my first thought was how small the space was. Being a coffee/tea shop also, I was expecting to see more room for people to comfortably sit, eat and drink their yummies. There were 3 or four tables with a few chairs in the front area which was also the lobby/ordering area. Not much room to move around, but it was still cozy. The colors of the shop were warm browns, yellows, tans. It was a cute, quaint cupcake shop.

I was greeted at the counter by a man who I assumed to be the owner. He knew all the details about all the cupcakes and was very excited to share them with me. He had out several selections of cupcakes behind the glass that included Tomato Soup, Orange, Black Forest Cake, and Vanilla.
I was at The Yellow Leaf with my husband and my daughter, so we picked out four cupcakes we wanted to try and share. We chose Tomato Soup, Orange with chocolate ganache and orange frosting, Black Forest Cake with raspberry and frosting, and a basic Vanilla with Vanilla frosting. They were served on a big white leaf shaped plate!

My husbands choice was the Tomato Soup. Although it didn’t exactly taste like tomato soup, it did have a nice spiced flavor to it. The frosting was creamy and full of flavor also. He said he liked it because it was different from your average cupcake.

My daughter had the orange cupcake with the chocolate ganache. She loved this one. The orange flavor wasn’t too overpowering and the chocolate added an extra explosion of flavor.

I had the Black Forest Cake with cherries. This cupcake was the smallest of the bunch, the owner added the disclaimer when we ordered it that even though it was the smallest it was the densest. He was right! It was super dense and had an amazing chocolate flavor. The cherries and frosting were a perfect pairing with the chocolate. This cupcake was my favorite of the four.

Lastly, we shared a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. This was my husbands favorite. He said the basic flavors were really done well and the cupcake just tasted good.

Over all, the cupcakes were good. But I do have a couple of complaints about the cupcakes. The cupcakes were over cooked and very dry (with the exception of the dense Black Forest) and were brown around the edges and crumbled/fell apart when we ate them. I chatted with a few women who were also trying The Yellow Leaf for the first time and they commented too how dry the cupcakes were.

For being a new cupcake shop, The Yellow Leaf has a lot to offer! Great location, variety and unique cupcake flavors, and a superbly friendly staff. I look forward to seeing how this shop grows and perfects their cupcakes!

Cupcake Cookie Jars

I was inspired by a recent post on the blog “Cupcakes Take the Cake” about cupcake shaped cookie jars. I decided to do a little digging and see what other cupcake cookie jars I could find. This is what I found.

PS. I want them all, but the one from Orson Gygi is my FAVORITE!!!

Fruit Fly Pie
Handcrafted ceramic cupcake cookie jars in various colors.

Paige’s Place
Hand painted cupcake cookie jar.

Potpourri Online Gift Catalog
Crafted of ceramic and hand painted with frosting, sprinkles and a cherry (handle) on top!

Orson Gygi
Photo from cupcakechicutah on flickr

dmkarlik Ceramics and Specialties
Ready to paint ceramic bisque cupcake cookie jar.

Customizable cupcake cookie jars

Honey, I Shrunk the Cake

Yesterday, the Food Network ran an episode of Good Eats that was all about the Chiffon Cupcake titled “Honey, I Shrunk the Cake”. It’s a MUST SEE for cupcake lovers!!

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

A friend of mine heard about this new cupcake company opening in Seattle and pointed me to THIS article about it.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. is a cupcake and muffin shop scheduled to open TODAY in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, WA. What makes this cupcake shop unique is that it is owned and operated by two men! With the name of their company inspired from the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest and the delicious cupcakes and muffins they serve paired with local coffee & tea… this cupcakery is sure to be a hit!!

I’ll be in Seattle this weekend to see an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and I am definitely going to stop by and check them out!! (Of course I’ll blog about that too!! hehe)

The Yellow Leaf can be found on Twitter: @TheYellowLeaf. They are SUPER NEW to Twitter, so go follow them and enjoy their cupcake goodness!

From their website:
In May 2009 The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company opens its doors for the first time in Seattle, Washington. With a passion for baking and a labor of love the Yellow Leaf came to be. The story is short and sweet, do what makes you happy and life will be good!

Owners Tony and Mike traveled America sampling many amazing and delicious cupcakes and baked goods. From Seattle to New York and many stops in between the two decided it was time to turn the dream (and passion) into a reality. And so came the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company.

The pair are hoping to inspire, create, and make every customer happy in what makes them happy… cupcakes! In a world that sometimes seems blue, you must always dream, for that world comes in many delicious and wonderful flavors.”

101 Ways to THANK a Military Spouse

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! In honor of the spouses that work so hard on the home-front, here is a list of 101 Ways to Thank a Military Spouse!

It is about Respect, Love, Admiration, Appreciation, and a simple Thank You.

Enjoy!
  1. A simple “Thank You for Serving, too”
  2. CHOCOLATE
  3. Take the time to *listen* She may not have had an adult conversation for quite some time!
  4. Don’t assume HE is not a military spouse. Thank the military-husbands too.
  5. Pick up something at the store that reminds you of her; a potted-plant, a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, nail-polish & nail files, etc etc
  6. Give her a call! Say ‘Thank You’ and find out how her day is going.
  7. A day at the spa!
  8. FREE child-care. Watch her children for her. Let her do something on her own.
  9. Invite her out for a local-sight-seeing tour. She might not know the area & enjoy learning.
  10. Equip her.
  11. Take a spouse out for coffee or tea.
  12. Pray for him. Pray for her.
  13. Make a fancy-drink. Pour two glasses. One for you, one for her. Make toasts and enjoy together.
  14. *Give* him a book from your book-shelf that you enjoyed.
  15. Offer to wash her car (Don’t forget to vacuum)
  16. Business-owners: Host a special event just for spouses, don’t do it for monetary gain.
  17. Do you garden? Bring her some of your produce; flowers, fruits, vegetables.
  18. Give her personal space to miss her loved one. Then open-up your arms to take her in.
  19. Gather your mutual-friends. Have a multi-family picnic.
  20. If she calls asking for something, a cup of milk, some eggs, potatoes etc etc Lend with a cheerful heart and don’t expect your ‘gift’ back!
  21. Buy her a military-spouse shirt. Have it shipped to her: http://shop.cafepress.com/military-spouse
  22. Find a military-spouse book she might enjoy: http://tinyurl.com/csm6wb
  23. Plan a play-date at your house. Get the kids together and enjoy the day.
  24. Sit with him at church. Not many enjoy sitting in the pew alone.
  25. Take a picture. Send it in an email to her.
  26. Offer to help with yard-work!
  27. Give her privacy if you sense she does not want to open up.
  28. Send her a quick note (on hand-made stationary if you are feeling crafty).
  29. Say Thank You with food. Its the way to our heart!
  30. Send her an email, let her know you miss her if you haven’t seen each other in awhile.
  31. If you haven’t seen her for some time because of distance look at the calendar. When can you visit? Don’t always expect her to do the travelling home.
  32. Get excited over something he is excited about!
  33. Take her children to the park. Ask if she WANTS to come to. Some spouses like time alone; others want adult-company. It might just depend on her mood.
  34. Give him a genuine smile; remember, a smile is worth a thousand words!
  35. Compliment her children
  36. Send an anonymous note of encouragement
  37. Do you have a favorite magazine? Send her a subscription
  38. Call her up. Ask if she wants to go out and get some ice-cream!
  39. Run across a funny comic-strip or joke that reminded you of him? Clip it and send in a letter.
  40. Do you see a new face in the crowd? She might be a new-spouse. Go over and introduce yourself.
  41. If a seasoned-spouse does something that makes you feel welcomed, say Thank You. It’ll make her feel good, too.
  42. Business Owners: Offer a Military-Discount (List it on MilitaryAvenue.com)
  43. Don’t assume she knows that you appreciate her sacrifice as a military-spouse. Say it.
  44. Organizations: Host a special military-spouse tea. It doesn’t have to be ‘fussy’, just fun!
  45. If you are standing in line at the commissary and she is behind you with a cart full of food, fussy babies & screaming toddlers let her go in front of you. *Everyone* may say Thank You.
  46. Say good-things about her spouse, the service-member. It can feel like a reflection of her.
  47. Are you the service-member? Wash your spouse’s feet. What a humbling, gratifying act for the woman (or man!) you love so much.
  48. Give her a list of things she has done for you. Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 to 50 things you love about her.
  49. Appreciate that “How are you holding up” isn’t always the best question to ask the spouse of a deployed service member!
  50. Make her a CD full of all the songs that remind you of her. Keep it cheery!
  51. Don’t forget the Military Husband! Include him while planning spouse-functions
  52. Pick up a bottle of bubble bath. Deliver it with a small note of appreciation.
  53. Respect her decisions. If she says she can’t do it let her ‘no be no’.
  54. Give to Operation Showers of Appreciation for ‘expecting’ moms with deployed spouses: http://www.operationshowersofappreciation.org/
  55. Offer a simple-hug. Amazing what ‘touch’ can do to heal the soul. But respect personal space if that is an issue.
  56. Go to an art-class together. Many bases have an Art-Shop, or find a local business where you can make jewelry or paint-ceramics together.
  57. Take him out to a ball game; either a local pro- or semi-pro. Buy him a beer and a hot dog. And enjoy the evening!
  58. Are her kids sick? Is SHE sick? Offer to help. Bring over chicken-noodle soup. Run to the store for some 7-Up. Find out what she needs.
  59. Service-members: Help her with the laundry! Help put it away without being asked.
  60. Did she make a dish for a social-gathering? Compliment her. Ask for the recipe! Tell someone that is near you how good it is.
  61. Contact your local Television or Radio Station. Do *they* know it is Military Spouse Appreciation Day?
  62. Don’t forget to say ‘Please’ if you need her. She is probably juggling quite a bit at once. She will appreciate being asked, as opposed to told.
  63. Chamber of Commerce: Host a special city-wide event for your military families. (Place your event on MilitaryAvenue.com at your closest installations to get the word out.)
  64. Take the time to find out how his weekend was. Where the family went, what they did, how his son’s baseball game was.
  65. Show her politeness, thoughtfulness and helpfulness. Open the door for her, pick up something she dropped.
  66. Service-member: Buy “a little something” for the bedroom that you know s/he’ll enjoy. ;)
  67. Help her start a hobby. As an example, if you scrapbook offer to help her get started if she is interested.
  68. Businesses: Hold a contest that will benefit the military spouse like, “Laptops for Flattops” (http://tinyurl.com/dkv6ob)
  69. Service-member: Whisper sweet-nothings in your spouse’s ear. Tell him how much you appreciate him.
  70. Help her children make an “I Love You, Mom” card. Get artsy with glitter and glue and construction paper.
  71. Make some cookies with your kids & have them deliver them. Teach your own children gratitude for our military-families. She will appreciate it.
  72. Do you make cards? Send blank ones to @cardsforheroes. They send them to deployed soldiers to can send a note home on – a treasure for a military spouse!
  73. A very simple, heartfelt thank you means the world. Oh, and donuts too.
  74. Businesses: Contact your installations Family Service Center and find out what you can do for the families on base. (http://militarymarketing.militaryavenue.com/2009/05/how-to-get-involved-in-your-military.html)
  75. Invite him over for a game on TV. Sit back and enjoy a beer together.
  76. When cooking dinner, make enough for two families. Bring half to a military-family or invite their family over.
  77. Benefit Of The Doubt. A little BOTD can go a long way to show your appreciation for the military-spouse.
  78. Make an acrostic with his/her name filled with adjectives about their strengths.
  79. Flexibility is the name of game. Be flexible in making plans. Things happen out of her control.
  80. When thanking a soldier for their service, thank their spouse, too!
  81. Play a game of catch with her children. They may be missing the presence of a man in their life.
  82. Businesses: Have a special gift for all the military spouses that come through your door; a key chain, a nail file, keep it simple.
  83. Hit a mid-day movie together. Buy a large popcorn to share!
  84. Invite her to a bible-study at your church. What a great way to meet new people!
  85. Grab the strollers and take a walk together!
  86. Servicemen – Buy her favorite lotion and give her a back rub.
  87. Businesses – Having a special contest? Ask a military spouse to be a judge. She’ll be honored.
  88. Call, Send an email, leave a comment to her/him. Sometimes the smallest gesture means much more than you think.
  89. Service-member: Sign up for dance classes with your spouse.
  90. Take time to get to know HER/HIM. He/she is more than a military spouse.
  91. Do you have a friend you know she would enjoy knowing? Introduce them!
  92. Do they have a green-thumb? Give a potted plant. “Bloom where you are planted” and a note that says thanks
  93. Invite him over for a bbq on a Friday night!
  94. Businesses: Do you see the flash of her ID when she makes a transaction? Be sure to say Thank you for her service!
  95. Military Spouse in the family? Laminate a special card with the families’ phone numbers, addresses, birthdays. Help her keep organized.
  96. Service-Member: Take Leave on your anniversary. Do something special together.
  97. Do you have a pool (or just a slip-n-slide!) invite the military-family over. Have a big pitcher of lemonade ready!
  98. Plan a girls’ day… manicures, pedicures and lunch!
  99. Create a Themed box or basket for her. Drop it off at her door anonymously with a note of appreciation.
  100. Businesses: Encourage your colleagues to offer a meaningful military-discount. Make yourself a town that appreciates the military!
  101. Make her stop, breathe, and ASK “How can I help?” and then do it.

The Winner Is…

Using the random.org Integer Generator, the number 77 was chosen. This means the 77th comment on the blog is the winner of this giveaway!!!


The Winner is…

Lanette aka soSensational!!!!

Winning Comment:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/soSensational
Blog: http://sosensational.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!!

To Claim Your Prize:
Email me at betsy@javacupcake.com
Please include:
Name
Mailing Address

Your goodies will arrive to you by the end of the month!!!
Thank you!


Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in this giveaway. It was a lot of fun!!! Collaborating with these three women has been such a privilege!

Rhubarb Cupcakes

Rhubarb, what is rhubarb exactly? I’ve asked myself this dozens of times and to be honest, I still don’t have the answer. I asked a bunch of my friends on Twitter and they said it’s a tart veggie, but it’s used almost like a fruit it pies, jams and muffins and such. *humph* I still don’t know about this rhubarb.

So I thought… hmmm, could I do a rhubarb cupcake? I found only TWO recipes for this online… one of which was WAY too complicated. So, I settled on the simpler recipe from Coconut & Lime. This recipe is a basic vanilla cupcake (very flavorful!!) with chunks of tart rhubarb in it. It’s then topped with a marshmallow frosting made with a rhubarb based simple syrup. It’s really quite easy to make and the frosting really completes the cupcake!

I brought them to class today and EVERYONE was surprised and delighted that they were made with rhubarb and were a big hit!! They ooooh and awwwwed and said they were delish!! (Especially the frosting!)

See the chunks of rhubarb?? Yummmy!!!

Click image for recipe!

*PS*
My mom emailed me this recipe for a yummy rhubarb recipe. It’s not a cupcake, but it still looks good!! I can’t wait to try it!

“Crumbly-Topped Rhubarb” by Nancy Jimerson

3 c Young Rhubarb, unpeeled and diced
1T Unbleached Flour
1/2 c Granulated Sugar
1 t Cinnamon
1/8 t Salt
1 T Water
6 T Butter
6 T Unbleached Flour
1/2 c Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1/2 c Rolled Oats; Quick Cooking Oatmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
In a 10x6x2 in baking dish, combine the first 6 ingredients.
Cream the butter with the flour and brown sugar.
Stir in the oats.
Sprinkle over the rhubarb.
Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the top is brown.

These are a few of my favorite things… I mean, blogs!

I read a lot of baking blogs… a lot. I LOVE reading all the different recipes people try and I love looking at pictures! Reading through these blogs were really what inspired me to start baking cupcakes. I thought I’d share a collection of some of my favorite blogs I follow so that you can enjoy them too!!


Strawberry filled White Butter Cupcakes

My niece’s birthday party is this afternoon and my sister has hired me to bake cupcakes for the event!! White cupcakes with strawberry frosting is what they wanted… I thought I should kick it up a notch and do a little better.  I made White Butter Cupcakes filled with strawberry and topped with Strawberry buttercream and fresh strawberries! [Read more...]

Spring JavaCupcake Collaboration Giveaway!

I’m so happy to announce the
“Spring Java Cupcake Collaboration Giveaway”!!

This giveaway features homemade creations from FOUR talented women who have handcrafted their unique, original products just for this event! Nowhere else will you find a giveaway like this!!

Tell your friends!! Spread the news!!! The “Spring Java Cupcake Collaboration Giveaway” is here!

Here are the prizes for one lucky winner:

Click on the image for details :)


One winner will be chosen using the Random.Org number generator.

This amazing prize package has a value of $60.00!


Here are the Rules:


You must do BOTH of these to gain entry into the contest.

1) Follow us on Twitter.

@JavaCupcake
@avocadocreation
@OhSoSweetTreats
@FrostedTreats

2) Follow our blogs.

Java Cupcake
Avocado Creations
Frosted Treats

Leave ONE comment below with your Twitter ID and your Blog ID saying you followed all four of us on Twitter and three of our blogs. (REQUIRED FOR ENTRY)

DON’T HAVE A BLOG? Don’t worry!!! Subscribe to our RSS feeds OR simply include in your entry that you don’t have a blog. No worries!

**********************************************

To gain additional entries into the contest you can do any of the below. Upon completion of each, leave a comment. You must complete the Twitter/Blog entry before any of these entries will be qualified.

Each comment = one entry. The more you complete… the more chances you have to win!!

1) Visit all four shops & comment about at least one item from each shop.
Leave a comment for each shop you visit!!! FOUR entries possible!

Java Cupcake on Cafe Press
Avocado Creations on ETSY
Oh So Sweet Treats
Frosted Treats on ETSY

2) Add the Java Cupcake button to your blog. Leave one comment with a link to your blog after doing so.


3) Tweet one of the following about this contest. Leave one comment here with the link to that tweet.

I just entered to WIN a Charm Bracelet, Cookies, Tote Bag, & Cupcakes, $60 in homemade delights! For your chance, goto http://bit.ly/KfLLQ

OR

I just entered a chance to WIN FOUR handmade prizes in the Spring JavaCupcake Collab. Giveaway! For details visit http://tinyurl.com/cj62uc

4) Write your own blog about this contest. Leave one comment here with the link to that blog entry.

Contest entries will be accepted until
Sunday, May 3rd at 11pm PST.

Good Luck!!!

Sereh’s Cupcake Soap

One of my new friends on Twitter (@serehs) specializes in cupcakes that get you clean. She makes the most adorable cupcake shaped soaps!
They come in a variety of “flavors” from:
Bunny Corn

Neopolitian

and Red Velvet

… and she’s got some mini cuppie soaps too!

Check out her creations at Sereh’s: Cupcake Soaps, Handcrafted Soaps, Scented Soaps, Decorative Soaps & Unique Gifts

Stay Tuned!

An amazing new giveaway will be announced SOON!!!

Check back often for updates!!!

About Java Cupcake

***Visit my personal blog! Tales of a Firedancer.***

Welcome to my little corner of the cupcake world!! Here you will find fun cupcake videos, pictures, and recipes! I’ll also be posting my adventures, success & upsets while trying new cupcake recipes!

Java Cupcake was established Feb, 15, 2009 and has been growing strong every since. The goal is to cultivate Java Cupcake into a business where I can sell my cupcake creations to people local to Washington state for parties and events!

Peanut Butter Cups

So, I know they aren’t cupcakes, but I couldn’t resist making this scrumptious Peanut Butter Cups after seeing the recipe on Have Cake, Will Travel. I changed a few things based on what I had in my house, but they turned out sooooo yummy!!! AND, I made them in mini cupcake liners!!!

Click above for recipe!

Avocado Creations


Like I’ve said before, I’ve made some great connections via Twitter and this blog. But never would have I expected the generosity and kindness of Gina of “Avocado Creations”. She sent me a DM on Twitter a couple weeks ago and said she had made something for me. Shocked and surprised I gave her my address and a few days later the most wonderful tote bag arrived in the mail! She custom made it for me… cupcakes on the outside and coffee on the inside. It’s so perfect for me and Java Cupcake!!

You must check out Avocado Creations!

Etsy: www.avocadocreations.etsy.com
Blog: www.avocadocreations.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/avocadocreation
Flickr: www.flickr.com/avocadocreations

Spontaneous Giveaway

I hosted a spontaneous giveaway this afternoon for a $5 Starbucks gift card. I said the first person to most creatively and enthusiastically tweet how much they love @JavaCupcake would win!!!! I loved ALL the responses so much that I thought it’d be fun to share them with you!!

  1. Becky_at_the_paradise_cove_luau_normalGrandmaGriner: @JavaCupcake I got the tweet about the cupcakes & went & viewed your site :) ummmmmm makes me hungry for your cuppies :)

  2. weeklyvolcanoweeklyvolcano@JavaCupcake We 1 the Java Cupcake. We 2 the Java Cupcake. We 3 the Java Cupcake. … We 8 the Java Cupcake.

  3. Carie AppersoncappersonDo you know who has the most amazingly yummy cupcake recipes and who is the sweetest person in the world! I DO!! and now you do @JavaCupcake

  4. KatherineSeviDesigns@Javacupcake I LOVE ME SOME JAVA CUPCAKE!!!!!!! You should too….shame on you if you don’t :D

  5. Smart Local ShoppersLocalShoppers@JavaCupcake We love JavaCupcake just like we love sex! Can’t live without the delicious taste. :)

  6. Jackythesweetpetunia@JavaCupcake I love you like a kid loves cupcakes! Like Pooh Bear loves honey! Like I love Starbucks!

  7. megan0705megan0705@JavaCupcake I love JavaCake and your twitter is not broken, I see tweets!

  8. threedifferentthreedifferent@JavaCupcake All cupcakes are NOT Created equal – check out @JavaCupcake – no whipped lard icing here folks – just the best — love them!

  9. Juanita/VirginiaFrugaliciousMomI LOVE looking at @JavaCupcake avatar. Bring it back! yum yum cupcakes (mouth drooling)
  10. megan0705: @JavaCupcake Javacake is such a great place to find yummy, mouthwatering, succulent. put your mouth on cupcakes!!!!


  11. Newavatar_normalavocadocreation: I love @JavaCupcake SO much that I sent her a reusable grocery bag with cupcakes AND java on it!(how’s that for sucking up/shameless promo?)
  12. Mamabug_normalMamabug: @JavaCupcake, I admire your creativity in coming up with so many different kinds of cupcakes! Can’t wait to hear you reached 1,000 followers

The winner was @threedifferent :) Thanks everyone!!!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbow Cupcakes

And finally, the last cupcakes I made were a tri-color cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. While making the lemon cupcake batter, I saved some aside that did not have the lemon, leaving a basic vanilla batter. I separated that into three and colored two of them pink and green. I spooned each color into the cups to creak the rainbow effect! :) For my first attempt, I think they turned out really great!

[Read more...]

Mini Cuppies

The second cupcakes I made were a mini cupcake with the same Lemon cupcake batter and a basic vanilla buttercream frosting. Of course the cupcake liners were blue with cute little chicks on them :)





Click on image for recipe :)

Lemon & Raspberries

This weekend was the Easter Celebration at my husbands work and of course, I made cupcakes!!! [Read more...]

Easter Cupcake Pops by Bakerella

I have to give serious props to Bakerella for her Cupcake Pops. She has gone over and beyond what anyone would have ever expected her to create in regards to her pops. Her Easter Cupcake Pops are no exception. Check out her collection:

Cupcakes for Dad’s birthday!

My dad turned 68 this week!!! Happy Birthday Daddy!!! :) He requested white/vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting… so what did I make?? CUPCAKES!! :) They were a HUGE hit and everyone at his party loved them!

(hehehe Yes the frosting kinda looks like poop. It sure didn’t taste like poop though!!! DELISH!)



Click on the image for the recipe!

JavaCupcake on the Web!

I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made through my blog and via Twitter. And tonight…TWO of my connections have reviewed me on their websites!!

Jessie at Cake Spy has featured one of my reviews! I visited Retro Bakery in Las Vegas with my husband and met Kari, the owner… and then wrote a fabulous review about their wonderful cupcakes! Jessie featured that review on her website! Click HERE to see the original post. Thank you Jessie!!

Connie at Miscellaneous Finds 4 U – Product Finds has written a beautiful article about me and my cupcake adventures! Please, follow my friend Connie @princesstimetoy on Twitter and make sure to check out the article!! Thank you Connie!!!

Website:

Article:
1) Java Cupcake – Recipes & Beautiful Photography = Yummy Adventure

You can also find me on these websites:
Website:


Articles:
1) java cupcake and her cupcake chucks!
2) Over the rainbow cupcakes by JavaCupcake

*********

JavaCupcake is featured on:



Visit twitter moms: the influential moms network

Cupcake of the Month:
My Strawberry cupcake has been featured as “Cupcake of the Month” on the blog Lilly Lynn Party

Cupcakes Converse!! – Updated!

UPDATE 3/38:
I went shopping today stopped into Journey’s to see if they had the brown cupcake Chucks that I’d seen on the internet also… and YES, they had them in my size!!! So of course, I took them home with me!! :) Here they are on my feet in the car on the way home from the mall today!

Original Post:
Thanks to Zen Cupcake for her post about the Converse All Stars Cupcake shoes!!! I went right out and found the only size 10 on the internet and purchased them this morning!!! I’m soooo excited to have them!! Not only are Chucks the only shoe I ever wear… but these ones are decorated with CUPCAKES!!!! I can’t wait for them to get here!!!

Cupcakes with Eeerah

My good friend Sarah came over this afternoon for a bit of shopping and cupcake making. When my daughter Emily was a toddler, she couldn’t pronounce her name and called her Eeerah :) . We’ve called her that ever since! Today we made Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttecream frosting with chocolate sprinkles. I’ve made these before, but I piped the frosting differently on these. All we had was a flat rate box to send the cupcakes home with her. :)

Brownie Cupcakes

I had a craving for brownies tonight, but felt guilty making just straight brownies instead of cupcakes. So I made brownie cupcakes!! Even topped them with chocolate buttercream icing. They turned out delicious!!! A chocolate lovers dream!!! Very rich and chewy. Yummmm!

Click on image for recipe.

When new recipes go bad

I wrote about the Orange Creamsicle Disaster and included a photo of the best of the best of the cupcakes that day. They looked kinda pretty… but they didn’t taste pretty. I forgot I had taken this picture… but I thought it was funny seeing a butt load of cupcakes in the trash can. This is what happens when new cupcake recipes go so bad… that even US Army Soldiers won’t eat them.
Poor Cupcakes.

Spring Cupcakes, Take 1

Tonight I decided to try decorating some cupcakes for Spring. I’ve never done it before and am not sure if I’ll try it again. I don’t know if I like how the flowers look and to be honest… I really prefer the extra large round tip for piping. The cupcake is a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting. I’m not a huge fan of vanilla cupcakes, but this recipe was decent. I’d love to hear if anyone else has a better recipe for vanilla cupcakes. :)

Vanilla Cupcakes

12 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place 20 muffin wrappers (if using the stiff kind pictured above) on a baking sheet, or line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. When light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed (or by hand), stir one third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Blend in half of the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour mixture. Stir in remaining buttermilk/vanilla and the rest of the flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain. Divide evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
I used my standard buttercream recipe for this cupcake.

2 sticks butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch salt and 2 tbls milk or cream.

Frosting Spring Cupcakes Tutorial

From the Culinary Institute of America.

Thanks to Cupcakes Take the Cake for sharing this video on their blog!

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

The St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes are done!! :) I made Green Velvet cupcakes and topped them with Bailey’s Irish Buttercream frosting! Here’s the recipe!! Enjoy! [Read more...]

Twitter

My friend at SeviDesigns posted this mosaic on her blog and I thought it was pretty neat!!! I love Twitter too!! It’s an amazing social networking site that allows me to become friends with people who share similar interests that I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to know. Click the link on the toolbar above to follow me on Twitter. Here are all my wonderful followers!!!

Get your twitter mosaic here.

And the WINNER is….

@grshane

Congratulations Gregg for WINNING a 4-pack of JavaCupcake cupcakes and a $25 Starbucks gift card!!!!

Because of the huge success of this contest, I decided to give away TWO $5 Starbucks gift cards to runner ups. These winners are:

@Melena_Wept
@Cynsational

THANK YOU to EVERYONE who participated!!! Your support is so much appreciated!!!

Stay tuned for another giveaway at 1000 followers!!!!

Buttercream Flowers

I found this video on how to make buttercream flowers on your cupcakes. It’s super easy!!!

Rumor Control

Since the rumors are flying… I thought I’d let everyone know what’s been going on with us the last 24 hours.

Yesterday, I went to Madigan for a routine monthly baby exam. Dave had tried to get off at work, but the powers at be didn’t let him come to the appointment (although I was told bye the CO that he could be there). So I had my Mom and Dad there with me. After answering all the standard questions, the doctor rolled in the ultrasound machine to look for sack the baby is in and to hear the heartbeat. The doctor squeezes the gell on my belly and proceeds to look for the baby. 5 minutes pass by, 10 minutes… the doctor tells us this is a new machine and it’s his first time using it. So, he calls another doctor in for a second opinion. The second doctor comes in, now it’s been 20 minutes, and he looks. They tried both the belly and vaginal ultrasound. Neither doctor could find a baby.

This meant 1 of 3 things. 1)It was too early to see the baby (which I knew wasn’t the case, I was at least 13 weeks) 2)It was a miscarriage or 3)It was an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. The doctors said they were going to send me to the lab to get more blood drawn to see what the horomone levels in my body were to determine pregnancy. At this point, I thought it was pretty important that Dave come to Madigan and go through all of this with me. So, I call the CO and he gets Dave to me with in the hour. I get my blood drawn and head home to wait for the phone call from the doctor to tell me what the outcome is.

A couple hours later, the doctor calls me back and informs us that it was a miscarriage and that the cramping I experienced several weeks back was probably when it happened. So tomorrow I go in to OB at Madigan to have one final ultrasound to 100% confirm and figure out if a D&C needs to happen. The docs don’t think so… but want to be sure.

So, we’re okay. This sucks… but in the light of the upcoming deployment, we feel a bit relieved. I still want to have a baby and will try again. Just now wasn’t the right time.

I think for at least the time being, we just need our space and time to grieve. Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, texted your condolances. Your support is really appreciated.

Orange Creamsicle Disaster

*I’ll take better pictures in the daylight tomorrow!*

So I’m a little bummed how the Orange Creamsicle cupcakes turned out tonight. I followed the recipe as instructed, but I think some things need a little tweeking. Next time, I’ll only fill the cups 1/2 way and really watch them the last 2 minutes.

Some of them came out a little toasty around the edges. And although the marshmallow makes it the creamsicle part, I’m not sure if I like how it looks piped onto the cupcake. I think next time, I’ll stick with straight orange buttercream frosting (which is DELICIOUS, by the way) and just call them Orange Delight cupcakes.

I’ll try these again someday…. make them perfect!!

Mocha Vanilla Swirl cupcakes


Makes 12 cupcakes.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white, at room temp
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup+1tsp STRONG brewed coffee (Starbucks Pike Place roast was used for this cupcake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan for 12 cupcakes.

Use mixer to combine sugar and butter until fluffy (3-5 minutes).

While that is mixing, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the egg and egg white slowly to the sugar and egg and beat well.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add the milk. Add 1/3 more flour mixture and then add the coffee.

Mix in the rest of the flour mixture until just combined (don’t overbeat your cupcakes or they will be disgusting).

Using an ice cream scoop, fill 12 cupcake papers with equal amounts of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vanilla Filling
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding
A little less than 1/2 cup milk
A little less than 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish creme

Mix all ingredients with electric mixture until it has the consistency of thick pudding.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp whipping cream

Beat the butter until it’s smooth and creamy.

Slowly add the powdered sugar until it’s smooth.

Add the milk and cocoa.

Scrape down sides of bowl.

Beat on high 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Cupcake Assembly

Cool cupcakes completely.

Cut out a little cone shape in the tops of each cupcake.
Drop in a dollop of Bailey’s filling and squish the top back on the cupcake. If it squirts out the sides a little, no worries.
Pipe the frosting on top, making sure to cover the seams and the filling.
Add espresso bean on top.
Cupcake and Filling recipe adapted from: Frosted Creations
Frosting recipe happens to be the same as Frosted Creations, but is also one I use.

ATTENTION: Button Error

Yesterday it came to my attention that the link for my button was not working. After a little investigation I found the problem.

Go to this part of the code:

a href=”http//www.javacupcake.com”

You’ll notice there is a : missing after the http… please add that to your code so that the button works!!

Thank you so much for your continued love and support!!! It’s so greatly appreciated!!

New Contest with JASON COFFEE @CoffeeCupNews!!!

This is a REPOST from Coffee Cup News!

Win an Espresso Machine or an iPod Shuffle!

5 Ways to Enter to Win:

1.) Follow @CoffeeCupNews on Twitter –> CLICK HERE

2.) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel —> CLICK HERE

3.) Tweet this as an update on twitter –> “@CoffeeCupNews I want an Espresso Machine and an iPod Shuffle! http://snipr.com/culz4 #coffeecupnews”

4.) Include #ccn in your tweets until March 6th – remember each tweet is a separate entry and there is no limit on entries. Check my Favorites —> CLICK HERE

5.) Leave a comment on THIS blog post telling me the different ways you entered to win. ****DO NOT POST ON JAVACUPCAKE…. goto COFFEECUPNEWS.ORG****

Contest starts Saturday February 28th and Ends on Friday March 6th

The Winners will be announced on Ustream.tv Live on Saturday March 7th —> CLICK HERE

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Cupcake Pops by Bakerella

In two weeks time I’m hosing a dinner event for the soldiers and families of which I am the FRG Leader for. (If you don’t know what the FRG is… In the Army, each company has a Family Readiness Group that is responsible for ensuring the well being of the families and spouses of the soldiers as well as prepare them for when the soldiers will be gone for deployments… I am in charge of that group!) Anyhoo… I was going to make regular cupcakes for this dinner until I saw Bakerella’s Cupcake Pops!!! I think these will be PERFECT!!!!

I’ll post pictures and maybe even video of the process later this weekend!!!


Celebrity Cupcakes!

Khloe Kardashian was joined by Joan and Melissa Rivers as part of Celebrity Apprentice to sell cupcakes to passerbys in Manhattan yesterday afternoon. It’s super exciting to see cupcakes in mainstream media… Cupcakes are here to stay!

More info can be read here.


Blast from the past

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