A few years ago I wanted to try making my grandmother's caramel frosting. I had an ever changing audience of family members at the cottage and I knew that even if the cupcakes weren't perfect, it would be a welcome snack after a swim in the lake. However, I am driven by the Power of Cute. I couldn't imagine setting out a plate of drab khaki cupcakes. Caramel frosting is delicious, but it isn't pretty. I like it when my audience is excited about a bite before they even try it. Thank heaven for Cath Kidston. My favorite British designer saves the day again. My mom gets some credit too, as she found this darling Cath Kidston cupcake kit and gave it to me for my birthday. I've been saving them for the right occasion.
Light brown frosting is the right occasion. Don't they look great? And they were delicious. I am going to make the recipe one more time and then I'll share it with you.
I took this photo the moment I walked onto the property from the parking lot. Gasp! There they are! The Silos at Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. The building to the right (white with black staircases) is the main Magnolia store. Ahead of me is the large green open space for running and playing corn hole. Below the silos is the covered stage where they host the music and microphones during the Silobration each year. *I just added "Silobration" to my computer's dictionary. tee-hee
You can watch the official HGTV Silobration on YouTube above. When I told people that I was traveling to see Magnolia Market, the #1 reaction was, "Oh I love them," then when they had a chance to think about it, they asked if I was going to get a cupcake. So I am not the only one who's sugar-driven. I know the power of a good cupcake.
The patterned grass outside of the Silos Baking Company is so-darn-cute! A great example of Joanna Gaines adding a design element to make something better than we thought possible. I mean it, this courtyard is fabulous.
The 1st annual Silos Marathon was held the day before we arrived in Texas. That fantastic fundraising event brought 20,000 people to Waco and many of the participants stayed on into Monday. We were concerned that the crowds would be too big and that our Magnolia experience would be affected. Nope!
The retail store was busy and the bakery had a line, but it was just fine. To give you an idea, we got in line outside of the bakery at 2:45 pm on Monday May 7 and our cupcakes were paid for and ready to eat at 3:10 pm. Frankly, that is impressive considering the number of people visiting the Magnolia complex.
When you get in line, you receive an order form and pencil to make your choices. So smart! It was fun to talk over the selections and ponder what would make us happy while we waited.
The line outside moves along the wall of the bakery, complete with blooming flower boxes, and when it is almost your time, a shop girl lets you into the air-conditioned bakery to wait for the last 10 minutes. You hand in your order form and pay, and take pictures and marvel that it is really real.
The staff is nice, and happy and friendly. And I would say the guests are even more so. If every there was a group of people who would pitch in and help if asked, it was these customers.
Okay, remember the episode of Fixer Upper called "Sweet Surprise at Magnolia Silos" where Joanna and Chip work on the bakery? She finds an antique door and asks Clint to strip the paint off it and make it pretty. Yes, I took a picture in the bathroom, but I had to show you. Also, you need to know about this lovely 1-person air-conditioned bathroom for your trip. Don't miss it when you get into the bakery, the door is on the right.
And the wallpaper in the bathroom! Too cute! It's called "Homestead" and you can find it here.
I bought 5 cupcakes (It was research, I tell you.) The flavors I chose were: Toasted Coconut (seasonal), Silobration, The Classic, Lemon Lavender and Shiplap. The Shiplap and Lemon Lavender cupcakes had a green (white chocolate, I think, definitely edible) m-a-g-n-o-l-i-a leaf on top and we loved it. A darling touch that made us unreasonably happy.
The cupcakes were moist and delicious and that buttercream is no joke. Mmmmm. My cousin and I cut 4 of the cupcakes in quarters and tried some of each. My favorites in order were Toasted Coconut (such flavor!), Shiplap, The Classic, and then Silobration, though I would happily eat any of those all over again. Joanna's cupcakes are sturdy, a good size with ample frosting and honest flavors. I give them my highest marks.
We ate our cupcakes (and a cold brew coffee that I bought from the refrigerator case) at a picnic table on the stage under the Silos. The most important factor was shade, as the day crept up to 95 degrees. The stage is also a great place to connect with other visitors. While we were waiting in line for cupcakes, we made friends with the older couple standing behind us. When it was time to eat our treats, we noticed each other up on the stage and decided to enjoy the experience together. Happiness!
The next day I ate the last of the Shiplap cupcake and tried the Lemon Lavender. The lemon frosting on the Lemon Lavender cupcake was great; I never really enjoy eating lavender sweets, though I seem to chose something lavender to eat every year: lavender ice cream, tea with lavender buds, lavender sugar. I am weak when it comes to girl-y offerings. It was good, but the other flavors are more in my lane. I would buy Toasted Coconut every day until the season is over. Read about shopping at Magnolia Market here. And more here. And some tips here. #magnoliamarket #fixerupper #visitingthesilo #milestomagnolia #joannagaines #chipgaines #magnolia #cupcakes #silobrationcupcake #homesteadwallpaper #wallpaper
What's the craziest thing you've ever grilled? In honor of all the grilling we as a nation will be doing this holiday weekend, I've decided to post one of my favorite grilling photos. A darling vintage-style bakery in London (inside Columbia Flower Market) called Treacle had this grill set up, complete with mini cupcake kabobs. It was so pretty and unexpected that it had customers stopping in their tracks. Wait...they're grilling cupcakes? This is a successful in-store display.
Tah-dah! This is what happens when I find edible flowers at the farmers market! I make impromptu cupcakes, just to have somewhere to showcase them! I was at the West Seattle farmers market on Sunday and I was drawn to a bag of fresh mixed greens that had edible flowers among them. I had never seen someone sell them that way and I was hoping to find more flowers in her stand. I was right. She had bags of edible flower blossoms, by color! When she started to get some out for me, she asked how many I needed and of what color? Oh, I don't know, 10? A few of each? I am probably just going to amuse myself by making cupcakes and sticking one on each. She seemed to love that, so I gave her my card so that she could look up the blog and see her flowers in action. My mistake? I didn't get her card to be able to point people back to her stand to buy edible flowers. Honey, if you see this, message me here or at anneheldreeves@hotmail.com and I'll give your farm stand proper credit. And, THANK YOU! They were delicious!
I found a Meri Meri "Hop to It" Easter cupcake kit a month ago and I was hoping for a chance to use it. When my aunt invited us over on Easter, I accepted with a rousing, "I'll bring dessert!" The cupcake kit included 2 patterns of cupcake papers (12 each) & 6 girl bunnies in calico dresses, 6 boy bunnies in striped shirts and 12 flower picks. Aren't they darling? I made 24 Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix cupcakes with Martha Stewart's homemade buttercream frosting recipe (*I use salted butter) and they ate every one. I just love the designs by Meri Meri - their cupcake kits are just darling. Happy Easter, indeed.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I read my local library's webpage. We were invited to sign up for a free cupcake class on a Tuesday evening in March. The staff from local bakery, Love and Buttercream "will showcase buttercream styles including ombre designs, flower topped cupcakes, and buttercream flowers, and demonstrate simple fondant decorations and the ideal tools for creating your cupcakes. Attendees will have the opportunity to test out each technique and ask questions, and will leave with four frosted cupcakes, full bellies, and some wonderful knowledge about cupcake creation." I clicked the link and registered immediately, but my confirmation said "Waiting List." I crossed my fingers and my luck came through. I received a call from the library the day before notifying me that there had been a cancellation and I was in. It was a very fun evening. Twenty men and women came together to learn a little something about cake decorating. The buttercream was delicious - made from all natural ingredients and real salted butter. Each participant had 4 cupcakes (red velvet, white, ginger and eggless chocolate) to frost and we were given parchment paper sheets to practice our technique. There were 6 bags of buttercream - each color had a different tip. I am guessing which tip we used below for the purpose of illustration. We tried to make a circle of comma-shaped puffs with tip 353, filled in with more commas, to eventually look like a mum (yellow icing in distance). We used the closed star tip to coax a flower out of a continuous spiral of frosting (purple icing). The bag containing green icing was snipped into a "V" at the end and it made the perfect wavy leaf. If the icing was put into the bag with streaks of darker green, the frosting leaves would look even more realistic. Next time! I finally figured out the petal tip and the twist of the wrist that makes an individual petal when you write a closed top "U" with the icing (pink icing). I resorted to polka dots with the small circle tip (blue icing) to soothe my inner Cath Kidston. The easiest to create and it fits in beautifully. The purple and yellow one? I made basket weave cupcakes a few years ago and they were darling. When we had time in class to experiment, I decided to try it again. If only I was a Lakers fan. The two bakers from Love & Buttercream that led the class were just darling. Very helpful. Happy to be there and proud of the company they worked for. These girls had icing prowess and they were eager to help share their knowledge. The entire evening was a success. The bakery gained exposure in the community; the staff had a chance to try their hand at teaching and the participants were just plain happy to be there. You could hear it in the ripples of laughter and lighthearted banter as they tried to manipulate sugar and butter into art. Thank you, Love & Buttercream, I loved it. And I will stop by your bakery too, I promise.
Team USA! We just won (USA 2 Ghana 1) our first match in the 2014 World Cup. I was in London during the 2010 World Cup and I absolutely loved the soccer fever (okay...futbol fever) I saw all over England. My favorite example was at the bakery Lola's Cupcakes. They had the flag of every team playing that day represented on a cupcake - when choosing your cupcake, you could support your team or eat the competition! It was darling and I loved their spirit. Today I am happy to report that the US devoured Ghana. Go team go!
Lemon Blueberry Cakes - I baked mine in blue checkerboard cupcake liners to enhance the cute. It worked! These little beauties are dense, moist and packed with flavor. I'd say they are picnic ready. It is blueberry season - enjoy! Individual Lemon Blueberry Cakes 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened 2 cups of white sugar Zest of one large lemon (2 1/2 Tablespoons) 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 3 eggs 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon table salt 2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Blend in zest, juice, yogurt and eggs. Mixture may look separated or curdled, but don't worry. Blend flour, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add mixture to wet ingredients until just blended. Stir in blueberries. I use a 4 T cookie scoop to put batter into individual cupcake liners. Makes about 18 individual cupcake size cakes. Sprinkle with large grain sanding sugar, if possible. The additional sugar gives the cakes a gourmet bakery look and crunch. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I'm sure it wasn't an accident that the "Garden Club Girls" moved in next door to me all those years ago. They have brought me an incredible number of delightful moments just by being themselves and allowing me to share with them the things I know about baking, sewing crafting etc. I helped Anna put a plastic spider onto a necklace for Halloween (She was a vampire). I was able to help Cate with her shoe box-size "dream bedroom" project by contributing scraps of pretty fabrics to make the bed. And, of course, our specialty is baking a Trick or Pie when we can in October. But time marches on and the girls have grown up into lovely young ladies (14 and 16!) with far more time spent on school and sports and far fewer hours to horse around with their neighbor. Until last week, that is, when Cate requested my help in frosting her birthday cupcakes. Yea! She had seen Cookie Monster cupcakes (where the Cookie Monster was eating a cookie) and was sure that we could re-create it. We made 24 bright blue monster cupcakes and the fact that we frosted them together made them the most delightful cupcakes in the world. Happy Birthday, Cate!
I had been goggling "D.C. Cupcakes" on my smart phone and getting nothing! The name of the popular cupcake show was stuck in my head and I wanted to visit while I was in Washington, D.C. Then I rounded the corner and there it was: Georgetown Cupcake! As if the line didn't give it away, the bright window signs trumpeted a new season of TLC's show about two sisters and their growing cupcake business.
You can see it was quite a dreary March day - cold and damp. We had shopped around town a little and decided that it was "worth it" to wait in line and have the fun of being part of the crowd. Those in line were happy to be there. How can you mind when your primary thought is, "Should I get vanilla butter cream or red velvet?"
We did have a good-natured father as "our" (those of us in line) spokesman. We amused ourselves by watching people round the corner, see the line and stop in their tracks. The father would call out "Don't do it!" or "We've been here 45 minutes - save yourself!" It was fun and light-hearted and it made us feel a little less crazy for waiting for cupcakes.
But, in fact, it was worth it because it made for a wonderful memory. Standing in line, holding hands and thinking about frosting is not a bad way to spend a little free time.
We bought four cupcakes (Cherry Blossom, Peanut Butter Fudge, Lava Fudge and Carrot Cake) and were lucky to find a table in the window. Each table had a bouquet of fresh flowers on it and we found ourselves on a very lovely date.
Sometimes doing something a little silly and not at all practical, can be the most fun you've had in a long time. Bonus - the cupcakes were outstanding. The butter cream was sweet and smooth and thick. The cakes were fresh and dense and flavorful. Dan and I shared the 4 cupcakes; passing half-eaten cakes with frosting coated fingers. Cooing and proclaiming delight with every bite.
Success! I have been wanting to make a basket weave cupcake for a l-o-n-g time and I had the perfect occasion last week when I hosted Euchre Night.
I had noticed a picture in an old issue of Country Home magazine of a platter of cupcakes - one was a basket weave pattern made with two different frosting tips (basket weave flat and round zigzag edge) and two different colors of frosting.
It looked darling in the magazine and this was the perfect time to try it. I'm so happy with the result! It wasn't too hard and it made an everyday dessert, a little extra special. Want to try making a basket weave pattern in frosting? I found a great video by Wilton that shows you how. Good luck!
Could there be anything on earth more perfect for me? I mean really, cupcake molds that look like teacups! I am in heaven.
My sister-in-law Susan found these Fred & Friends Teacup Cakes Cupcake Mold in Texas and mailed them to me for my birthday. Today I was my first chance to bake in them and they turned out great. I have already eaten the cupcake on the left and I can assure you that they bake up perfectly. I squeezed the sides a little bit and I could lift the cupcake right out - yum!
Since it is a weeknight, I used a box cake mix and tub of frosting to whip up this batch after dinner. Delish. And everything is better with pink pearl nonpareils, don't you think?
When a friend comes into town, you suddenly have the perfect occasion for cupcakes! As a blogger and sugar-lover, people assume that I have been to all the sweet spots in town. For some reason, I hadn't been to Just Baked in Birmingham yet.
It was on my list of "must try desserts," for sure, so when Corinne was in town from Hawaii and asked where I wanted to go, I immediately suggested that we do some cupcake research. She was up for the challenge and we spent a lovely hour at Just Baked - sampling and smiling.
We chose to split a luscious Lemon Cupcake (filled with lemon curd!) and a Grumpy Cake, that has pillows of buttercream frosting dipped in a homemade chocolate ganache. I'm not sure how they arrived at the name, but I assure you, this cupcake left us far from grumpy.
"We should meet for cupcakes." It sounds so much better than "meet for coffee," don't you think?
My dear friend Barb has made it a tradition that when she comes back into town for a visit, our friends all meet for cupcakes. She is a genious. Sometimes 5 of us make it, sometimes it is just Barb and me, but it is really fun.
We have coffee too, of course, but nothing tastes more like friendship to me than a homemade cupcake. This beauty is called "Boston Cream" and I swear I could have eaten two!
With the surge of cupcake stores opening up around the country (world?), it is likely that you too can find a sweet spot to meet a good friend. Plan a "moment of delight" where all you need to do it catch up over some frosting. You'll be so glad you did.
What was my heart's desire this Christmas? A pink "Babycakes" cupcake maker! In my mind it is a cross between an Easy Bake Oven and a waffle maker and the result is a batch of mini-cupcakes every 7 minutes!
I owe a big thank you to my Mom and Dad who heard me talk about wanting one of these ridiculous appliances and for realizing that I wasn't kidding!
What could be more fun? As a matter of fact, I was whipping up a batch of chocolate cupcake last night, when I called my neighbor and invited her to come over for a chat. I mentioned that I was trying out my new cupcake maker and she was over in a flash! The funny thing was, that she had bought me this embroidered cupcake dishtowel and had been meaning to bring it over. It was kismet.
The next time you see a wonderful yet unnecessary appliance (quesadilla maker, s'more maker, hot chocolate maker) ask yourself, would it bring me delight? I rest my case.
I have always joked that I celebrate my birthday for the entire month of August. Partly because it's fun, partly because I can't eat all the bon bons and ice cream that I want all in one day (!) and partly because I want the world (and particularly women) to celebrate their life as much as they can, as often as they can.
I figure if I wholeheartedly proclaim that I am happy that it's my birthday and that "we should celebrate," it might encourage others to do so too. It's all in fun.
Well, yesterday my friend, Kerry took my "fun" to a whole new level. To make sure that my birthday month went out with a bang, she had 6 giant cupcakes sent to me from "Crumbs" in New York City!
I arrived home to find a Styrofoam box filled with dry ice and these beauties! They are:
Cookies & Cream
Red Velvet
Key Lime
Cappuccino
Caramel Apple
Candy
So far I have had some of the Cookies & Cream (so moist & chocolately!), Red Velvet (the frosting on this one is incredible - what do they put in it?), Caramel Apple (real fruit inside!) and Candy (moist and gorgeous yellow cake).
Flowers and cupcakes? I told you that I was in heaven at London's Columbia Flower Market! After making my way from one end of the market to the other (and then back again), I was ready for a snack. A pretty bakery caught my eye and as I approached, I read the motto painted over the window: "Our true intent is all for your delight." I was in the right place! These yummy cupcakes are from Treacle, a bake shop dedicated to new nostalgia (old-fashioned recipes, vintage-style aprons, enamelware tins). I've never heard it called new nostalgia before, but I like it! I wanted to show you this interesting display. They have taken mini cupcakes and put them on a wooden skewer (like a shish kabob!) on an outdoor grill. Certainly eye catching and the cupcakes look even prettier than if they had simply been in a box. So clever! I had a traditional vanilla cupcake with pale purple frosting, edible glitter and candied violets on top. I ate it on the street with gusto and think I sold a few more cupcakes for them in the process.
How are you celebrating World Cup fever? With sugar, I hope!
I noticed the modern bake shop, Lola's Cupcakes in London one evening because of its clean Ipod-like decor. The interior of this glass-walled shop is white and aqua - so pretty. I made a mental note to return when it was open to, you know, investigate. When I came back a few days later, I saw their super cute way to show team spirit.
I'll be writing more about Lola's and their delicious cupcakes in July, but I had to show you this photo while everyone has World Cup fever.
Holidays are a strong magnet pulling my friends home to see their parents. The bonus is that I get to see them too!
Last year, my friend Barb moved to a neighboring state. When I heard she was coming home for Easter (and was free to visit on Good Friday), we arranged our schedules so that we could see each other.
It was her genius idea to go to "The Cupcake Station." Barb (and her darling 6-year-old) arrived before me and when I walked in, I was greeted with "I've already ordered. You're having the Honey Lavender cupcake...it's so you."
How great is that? When a friend knows you well enough to order your cupcake. And she was right, of course. It was delicious and of all the glorious choices, I would have picked that one for sure.
We talked and laughed and ate our frosting masterpieces (yes, those are dried lavender buds sprinkled on top!). She gave me ideas for our upcoming trip to London and we were smiling the whole time. Thank you, Barb.
Make this Valentine's Day super-cute with homemade cupcake toppers!
Simply place a toothpick between 2 adhesive foam hearts and stick them back-to-back. Voila! They are ready to be placed as you wish.
Cupcake toppers are all the rage in baking, but they can be expensive and hard-to-find. This method couldn't be easier and can take your box mix muffins from basic to beautiful!
Day 10: Make your own cupcake or muffin toppers from inexpensive foam stickers.
in Texas and mailed them to me for my birthday. Today I was my first chance to bake in them and they turned out great. I have already eaten the cupcake on the left and I can assure you that they bake up perfectly. I squeezed the sides a little bit and I could lift the cupcake right out - yum!
