We started together in Washington and ended together in Germany!

Here are a few stats from 2011…

• Blog posts: 170
• New Recipes: 129
• Cupcake Recipes: 61
• Cookie Recipes: 23

DANG! That’s a LOT of different cupcake flavors!  Without further ado,  here are the…

TOP 25 Cupcakes of 2011!

25. Coconut – Dressed up for the holidays

24. Blood Orange Candy Corn

23. Mozart White Chocolate

22. Cinnamon Eggnog & Bourbon

21. S’mores

20. Caramel Macchiato

19.  Chocolate & Banana with Peanut Butter Buttercream

18. Drenched in Kahlua

17. Shirley Temple

16. Tree Hugger Apple

15. Apple Cinnamon

14. Samoa

13. Red Velvet

12. Caramel Creme Latte

11. Oreo

10. White Velvet Raspberry

9. Nutella Bliss

8. Candy Cane

7. Caramel Apple

6. Irish Car Bomb

5. White Velvet Vanilla Bean – for a Green Bay Packers party!

4. Cherry Limeade

3. Strawberry Lemonade

2. Black Velvet with pumpkin tutorial

1. Peanut Butter Ball

NOTE: Results of this list were gathered using Google Analytics.  The lists consists of the most visited cupcake posts in 2011.

In case you’re interested… here are a few posts from 2010!

• Favorite People & Moments of 2010
• Top 10 Non-Cupcake Recipes of 2010
• Top 10 Cupcake Recipes of 2010

Let’s recap what 2010 has brought to JavaCupcake!

1. Participated in our first Cupcake Camp in Seattle.
2. Launched the “Ask the Baker” series.
3. Met Rachel of Cupcakes Take the Cake then became an Intern and now a Correspondent on the blog!
4. Threw the biggest party of my life!
5. Wrote a ton of reviews!

To celebrate another great year of blogging… I’ll be giving away this limited edition print from CakeSpy that I picked up in the CakeSpy shop!

To WIN… all you have to do is look back on my posts from the last year and tell me your favorite in a comment below!

You can also TWEET me your answer @JavaCupcake and use this hashtag #JC2.

Winner will be chosen the week of  February 14, 2010.

To be eligible, you must be a  United States resident or have a US address the prize can be sent to.

Here’s to another year of fun, blogging about cupcakes!!

The women below have made a real impact on my life. As I look back on this year, I never in a million years did I think that I would have become a part of a community like this one. And that’s really what it is… a community of strong women who share a love of baking, cupcakes and life.  Ladies, you all have become such treasures in my life… and I am really going to miss all of you.  Thank you for all you are and all you have become in my life.  Your friendships are priceless.

Jessie Oleson – CakeSpy.com

Jessie is an inspiration to what is possible for someone who is truly passionate about their life.  It has been a joy getting to know her and someday, when the Army allows me, I hope to open a shop like she has so I can do what I love too.

Jessica Stanley – Rocket Queen Cupcakes

The Rocket Queen.  Oh yes,  I love this woman.  Jessica… you make me laugh and really there is nothing better than that.  Your cupcakes are amazing… I just wish we lived closer so that we could have become even better friends!

Lisa Waxman-Johnson – New York Cupcakes

Lisa… your shop, well I’m just gonna say it… it’s my favorite.  Out of all the shops I’ve been to, all the cupcakes I’ve tasted, New York Cupcakes is my all time favorite.  I’m pretty sure that 80% of it is because of the AMAZING cupcakes you produce… but the other 20%… well that’s you.  Your shop is my favorite because it’s yours.  You supported me, my blog and Cupcakes Take the Cake from the moment I met you.  I could not have asked for a better cupcake/cake display at the birthday bash… you far exceeded my expectations and really proved to be the best in your business.  Your friendship came at a surprise, I really wasn’t expecting it the day we met… but I am really so happy to have met you.

Carrie Middlemiss – Bella Cupcake Couture

Finally…. Miss Carrie.  Carrie and I met earlier this year in the planning for Cupcake Camp Seattle and as the year went on we saw more and more of each other.  She helped me plan the Cupcakes Take the Cake Birthday Bash… and let me tell you, her wealth of knowledge really helped guide me to plan a spectacular party!  Carrie and I have seen each other socially several times throughout the year, most recently a movie night at her place!  I can honestly say that if I wasn’t moving, I think that you, Carrie, would become a very close friend.  It’s when you aren’t look that people come into your life that are really amazing… and I wasn’t looking when Carrie showed up.  Thank you Carrie for being so amazing!!  I am really looking forward to your visit this summer to Europe and our cupcake adventures!!

Before I get into my favorite moments of 2010, I want to share with you a few of the people I met online who are just simply amazing and feel so blessed to have a party of my cupcake family! (There are lots more that I’ll mentioning in my favorite moments section!)

Kari Haskel from Retro Bakery in Las Vegas, NV.
Kari and I actually met in 2009 when I went to visit her shop in Vegas with my husband.   Since then, Kari and I have become friends via Twitter and Facebook and I’ve been a huge supporter of everything she does in her shop.  In turn, Kari has participated in my “Ask the Baker” series as well as donate to the Cupcakes Take the Cake Birthday Bash!  Kari has shared recipes, stories, comments, opinions and I look forward to reading her FB posts and tweets every day!  Although Kari and I may never see each other in person again, I am pretty sure I can always call her a friend!!

Michelle Ballard of michelleballards.blogspot.com and @ChelleBallard on Twitter
Michelle reads everything I write… and comments on it. She is one of my biggest supporters and has been very vocal about rushing to the grocery store after I post a new recipe.  We have exchanged so many fun Twitter & Facebook conversations and have really become good friends.  Even though we live in the same state, the distance is just too far to be “real life” friends… *sigh*  It’s too bad, cause I have a feeling we’d be amazing friends in person!

Joy Garcia-Roughton of Lucky Cupcake Hairclips
Joy… well she’s just so simply sweet. She lives down the coast from me in Oregon and is doing her thing with the cutest little cupcake clips EVER! She has always been a supporter of my blogging and has several times sent me her hairclips for giveaways!

Katherine Moore of KatherineRidgely.com/blog
Katherine and I originally came together on Twitter and shared a love of cupcakes. I soon found out that her husband was in the Army, and like mine, was deployed. By complete chance, we literally ran into eachother at Cold Stone in Tacoma, where we both live and since then have been friends! We’ve met for lunch and coffee and have become good friends! It’s amazing how Twitter brings people together!

Meeting Rachel Kramel Bussel from Cupcakes Take the Cake, Jessie Oleson from CakeSpy and Jennifer Shea from Trophy Cupcakes for the first time at the Trophy Cupcakes – Cupcake Meet-up – February 2010

Wow. Just wow. What an afternoon this was. This was my first cupcake meet-up EVER and boy did it pack a big punch! Rachel Kramer Busses, founding member of Cupcakes Take the Cake, was in town and put together a meet-up at Trophy Cupcakes. Some big names in the cupcake world showed up too!! For the first time, I got to meet Jessie Oleson of CakeSpy!! I’m pretty sure I was might have acted just a bit like a groupie…. I mean seriously, she created Cuppie!  Jennifer Shea, owner of Trophy Cupcakes was there too!  Oh…. and I got to meet the super sweet Devon Busnell from Once Upon a Pedestal (not pictured) too.

Cupcake Camp Seattle – February 2010

Cupcake Camp was a huge undertaking for me. I got my Mom, husband, daughter and friends to help me bake the 250 cupcakes for this party! I made display stands, business cards, signs… the whole enchilada! I met some amazing bakers, made new friends and memories for a lifetime!

Mini Cupcake Meet-Up at New York Cupcakes in Bellevue, WA – August 2010

I met up with three of my most favorite people in the cupcake industry this day. Jessica of Rocket Queen Cupcakes and Lisa of New York Cupcakes. Carrie of Bella Cupcake Couture was there too, but I had met her through Cupcake Camp Seattle! We hung out at Lisa’s shop, New York Cupcakes, ate her yummies, chatted and made fast friends. It’s amazing how cupcakes can bring people together. I am truly thankful for these friendships!

Cupcake Demo at the Tacoma Harvest Fair – September 2010

I had never done any kind of demo before in my life.  I probably bit off more than I could chew with this one, spent more money than I should have, stressed too much… but in the end, I had so much fun!  I got to share my love of cupcakes with a room full of people, teach some technique and make new friends!!  Oh, and I entered the cupcake decorating contest and WON!!! Yessss!!!!

Bakerella Book Signing - October 2010

I met Bakerella.  Plain and simple this was one of the most thrilling days of the year.  And… to top it off, she knew who I was!! Was NOT expecting that!!  Oh, and she blogged about me too.  Wow.  Bakerella.  I had more visitors to my site the day she posted a link to my than I did any other day all year!  Bakerella, you rock!

Will Bake for Food – November 2010

I participated in the Will Bake for Food fundraiser for NW Harvest right before Thanksgiving with dozens of other Seattle food bloggers.  I made over 200 delicious goodies to trade for food items!  I am pretty sure I brought the most baked goodies and had my table open the longest and was the last to sell out!!  What a fun day!

Cupcakes Take the Cake 6th Birthday Bash – December 2010

I spent six months planning this event, my husband spent $1000, and I had the most fun of my life!  This party was THE HIGHLIGHT of my year.  The BEST NIGHT of my year.  It was the culmination of everything I had done all year long in my cupcake world… I brought together everyone in the Pacific NW Cupcake Community and had over $5000 in donations… all to celebrate Cupcakes Take the Cake turning 6 years old!  I don’t know if anything will top this…

]]> http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/favorite-people-moments-of-2010/feed/ 4 http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/top-10-recipes-of-2010-non-cupcake/ http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/top-10-recipes-of-2010-non-cupcake/#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:02:36 +0000 JavaCupcake http://javacupcake.com/?p=3793 In 2009, I blogged mainly about cupcakes.  But in 2010 I decided I would include all the fabulous recipes I’ve made… even a few that weren’t baked items like soup and ice cream! I really had a lot of fun in the kitchen this year… and these non-cupcake recipes sure do prove that!  These are JavaCucpake’s Top 10 most visited non-cupcake recipes of 2010!

10. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
These were another creation made for the Will Bake for Food fundraiser this past Fall. One of the first things to sell out on my table! HUGE hit!

9. Peanut Butter Brownies
One of the first things that wasn’t a cupcake that I blogged about in 2010… It was sooooo good too. Sinful even.

8. Mint Buttercream (a video tutorial)
This was my first and only video tutorial of 2010. I might venture out and do more… but I think I need to come up with a better setup for doing them other than holding my iPod in one hand to film and baking in the other. haha

7. Spring Sugar Cookies
I am in love with sugar cookies and for the first time as an adult, I made them outside of Christmas time. This past spring, these adorable little creations came to life in my kitchen. Bunnies, flowers, butterflies. So cute!

6. Cake Doughnuts
I made these for my Daddy. They are his absolute favorite breakfast goodie. He LOVED them.

5. Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Fudge
This was one of the simplest recipes ever. Best part… as soon as I posted the recipe, one of my readers rushed to her kitchen and made them even BETTER!

4. Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones
One of my first adventures in baking with whole wheat… think they turned out pretty good!

3. Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars
If you don’t like chocolate… these brownies are not for you. PACKED full of chocolaty goodness, cookie and oh…. more chocolate… these brownies, well…. you’ll just need to make them and see for yourself!

2. Pumpkin Cake Balls & Pops
My second attempt at Cake Balls (first time blogging it) and they turned out OK. Apparently though, my readers thought they were pretty awesome cause this blog got TONS of hits!

1. Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
Who knew that these super easy snacks would be the #1 most viewed non-cupcake recipe on my blog! I made these for the Will Bake for Food fundraiser and were so simple. Also, they were actually really fun to make! The possibilities are endless!

Here’s a recap of the 10 most visited cupcakes recipes of 2010 on JavaCupcake.com.

10.  Love Cupcakes
Hostess inspired Valentine’s Day chocolate cupcakes filled with a pink creme and chocolate ganache! They were a huge hit with my daughters class!

9. St. Patrick’s Day Green Velvet Cupcakes
A velvety green cupcake topped with a Bailey’s Irish Creme frosting. Perfectly decorated for the Irish holiday!

8. Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
Perfectly spiced gingerbread cupcakes adorned with homemade mini gingerbread men. So sweet for the holidays!

7. White Velvet Raspberry Cupcakes
These prefect little cups of cake were made for the sweetest little old ladies birthday. Perfect swirls of frosting topped with one sweet raspberry!

6. Tree Hugger Apple Cupcakes
The first time I really experimented with my own flavor combinations and recipe, I made these cupcakes for Cupcake Camp Seattle and they instantly became a sensation! I get asked about these all the time!

5. Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
I made these for the first time in 2009, but had an opportunity to perfect them in 2010. I’m pretty sure they turned out better the second time around!

4. Caramel Apple Cupcakes
These little cuties were made for back-to-school for my daughters teacher and principal/office staff! Big hit!

3. Candy Cane Cupcakes
Will Bake for Food was a fundraiser for Seattle bloggers where I made these cupcakes. I was one of two people who made cupcakes for the bakesale, I sold out.

2. Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes were fun because I made them with special pans and liners from IKEA. Love it when I find awesome things like this!

1. Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
By far… these were the BEST tasting cupcakes I’ve ever made. EVERYONE who tried them absolutely LOVED them. And apparently, they were your favorite too!!

1. TAKE BETTER PICTURES
I have plans to get a really nice camera this year and I’d like to learn how to photograph my cupcakes better. I’ve seen some really awesome shots of cupcakes that are as beautiful as they are artistic… and I’m jealous. So, this goal is to learn to take better pictures of my cupcakes!

(Photo: Trophy Cupcakes)

2. FOCUS MY BLOG ON MORE THAN JUST MY CUPCAKES
I have learned this year that it’s not realistic for me to think I can bake a new cupcake every week or even every month. Sometimes, I just don’t have a reason to make them or I’m just not feeling baking, so I’d like to give myself permission to write about more than just my recipes. I’ve been doing that a little more lately, but I’d like to incorporate other peoples recipes, guest bloggers, posts about cupcake merchandise, etc etc. I known there are a lot of other blogs out there that do this, so I’ll keep my main focus on my cupcakes as much as possible.

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

3. PERFECT MY FROSTING SKILLS
I make a pretty damn good buttercream.  I mean really, it’s amazing.  But, I haven’t perfected the art of using the pastry bag and those little tips that make cute shapes.  I want to explore the art of frosting and come up with a signature frost for my cupcakes.  My goal is to practice, practice, practice until I can come up with a dozen perfectly frosted with a tip cupcakes.

(Photo: Two Parts Sugar)

4. MASTER THE BASIC CUPCAKE FLAVORS
I’ve made almost 20 cupcake flavors this past year that I’ve never made before.  None of them I’ve completly perfected.  I’ve found two recipes which I consider to be EXCELLENT in their flavor, but I have yet to make them the ultimate cupcake.  My goal for 2010 is to perfect my Super Moist Chocolate cupcake and my Vanilla cupcake and to have the perfect “Go-To Recipe” that I know will always be a hit!

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

5.SLOW DOWN
Cupcake baking is not a race! Sometimes I just get so excited to be baking that I hurry up and the end result isn’t the perfection that I want it to be.  I need to do a better job at slowing down, breathing, taking my time and enjoying every step of the cupcake baking process.

(Photo: JavaCupcake)

In February I redesigned my blog to the current layout and I LOVE IT!! It’s been really great to have such a simple, cute, layout that made it easy for my readers to see what my blog was all about.  The content on the side navigation bar has changed some over the year, but the content remains the same.

Over the past year, I’ve posted 17 different cupcake recipes!  I can’t believe it!!   I hope to get in at least one more before the year is over and then next year… shoot for 20 new recipes!!!   Below, I’ve listed all my creations with a link to each post!  It feels like such an accomplishment to see them all in once place! 

This year has also brought me some recognition for my blog, which was totally unexpected and very humbling.  I was nominated for a Love! this site award and my story as an Army Wife and Cupcake Blogger was featured on the front page of the Fort Lewis Ranger.  I’ve also had my cupcakes featured on a few other blogs and have had many people use my recipes! Jessie at CakeSpy also featured my review of Retro Bakery on her site and I’ve had honor of being featured on several other sites!

Thank you for everyone who has shown me love and support on this cupcake journey of mine!  It is you, my readers and friends, who have continuously encouraged me to blog and write, even when the people in my own life just didn’t understand.  So… again, thank you!!

I look forward to 2010 and I can’t wait to see what cupcake adventures come my way!