Cupcake Review #2

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of trying out a cupcake shop in San Jose. I had come across some information about it online and I had to try it. Lucky for me, my dad works in San Jose. So I spent the day at his work and when it was quitting time we set out for cupcakes! It was called Loves Cupcakes and it's located downtown. WE LOVED IT. The bakery offered 2 sizes. Mini and regular (which were bigger than minis and regulars). We bought 3 "minis" and regretted our decision once we tried them. I ordered an all chocolate and a triple berry. My dad ordered a vanilla almond one. Let's just say the cupcakes barely made it back to the car. Each cake was moist and fresh. The frostings were all light and airy. I would definitely recommend this place and I will definitely be going again! The young man behind the counter was very helpful and friendly. Loves Cupcakes definitely knows what they're doing.

Loves Cupcakes
85 E San Fernando Street San Jose CA

Pink Lemonade Cupcake

Summer is finally here! Pink lemonade is definitely a summer time favorite and I thought it would make for an interesting cupcake, and I was right. This cupcake was a hit amongst my friends and family that tried it. The recipe is VERY easy. However, the two toned frosting can be a little tricky. If you can't get the hang of it, regular piped frosting will work! For this test run, I just added pink lemonade concentrate to a white cake boxed mix. For the future, I will be adding it to the vanilla cake I make from scratch. For the box mix, use 3/4c of the frozen concentrate. If you're a little iffy about lemon flavor (like me), add little by little until you like the taste. I will link the directions that I used to make the two toned frosting. I found them to be very helpful. Good luck and enjoy! :)

Two toned frosting- http://grinandbakeit.com/victory-cupcakes-for-the-crazy-fans-on-the-couch-two-toned-frosting-technique

Cupcake Review #1

In addition to meeting Bakerella in San Francisco, I got to visit a cupcakery! Jesse and I were walking around Powell street and my cupcake radar went off. I instantly spotted a cupcakery off one of the side streets and I couldn't resist. It's name is "Cako". I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce it. :p The front window of the shop was completely lined with cupcakes and the sign was so cute! Unfortunately, the cupcakes waiting inside weren't what I was expecting. I bought a smores cupcake for myself and a peanut butter cupcake for my dad. My dad and I were less than impressed. :/ My chocolate cake was mediocre and kind of dry, the graham cracker bottom crumbled upon the removal of the wrapper, but the marshmallow goodness on top was pretty good! My dad said his chocolate cake was good. He didn't like the peanut butter frosting because it didn't taste like peanut butter and he wasn't a fan of all the peanuts on top. However, I'm interested in going again and seeing if the other flavors are something to rave about! :)

PS. The bag the cupcakes came in was really cute. I'll post a picture.

Cako
211 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco 94102

CFD meets Bakerella!!!

This past Saturday, Bakerella was at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Lucky for me, I was in San Francisco on Saturday :) After braving the pouring rain and speeding cab drivers, Jesse and I arrived at Chronicle. It was the cutest book store I have ever been in and I highly recommend it. With my Bakerella book in hand, I waited anxiously in line. While waiting, pins and caramels were passed out to us. It was a pleasant surprise. She was so sweet and down to earth. We talked about her cake pops, she gave me some advice, and we even talked about Cakes For Days. She signed my book in her signature pink sharpie. Hands down, one of my coolest experiences ever.

OH! I should probably explain who Bakerella is. She is AMAZING. She came up with the brilliant idea of "cake pops". Cake pops are made up of boxed cake mix, canned frosting, and chocolate :) They are delicious and so easy to make. She takes the cake pops a step further and decorates them in the cutest ways. Check out bakerella.com. You won't be disappointed!

A Cupcake Fit For The King!

Happy 2011 everyone! This is my first blog post of the new year and
I'm very proud of it. January 8th is Elvis's birthday and I decided to do
an Elvis inspired cupcake. I had this idea on my list of cupcakes to do, and
this was the perfect time to try it! It's a banana cupcake, filled with
strawberry jelly, and peanut butter cream cheese frosting. IT IS AMAZING.
It tastes just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I found the banana
cupcake recipe on BonApetit.com. I baked the cupcakes and then let them cool.
Once they were cooled, I used my really awesome cupcake corer. I bought it at
William Sonoma for 5 dollars. It's the best 5 dollars i've ever spent. :) After
coring the cupcake, I spooned a little of Smuckers strawberry jelly into the
hole. I made my normal cream cheese frosting and just put a heaping spoonful
of peanut butter into it while mixing. I'm really happy with the way this
cupcake turned out. The amount of strawberry jelly is just the right amount.
I'm going to start devoting more time to cupcakes, so keep checking back!
Happy Birthday Elvis!

Let me know what you think! Comment or email me :)
If you haven't already: go "like" Cakes for Days on facebook!

Happy Birthday Beff and Scotty!

It was recently my best friend Beth's birthday. And just before that it was her brother, Scott's. Beth loves a good mustache so I've had this cupcake planned for months! I did a vanilla cupcake with strawberry cream cheese frosting ( her favorite ) and the mustache is made out of chocolate! I printed mustache templates out that I found on google and melted chocolate in the microwave. I scooped it into a ziploc bag and cut the tip off. I laid the templates on a sheet pan and placed wax paper over. I just traced/ filled in the template and put the tray in the fridge to harden. Everyone loved them! :)

Happy Birthday Monica :)

I did these cupcakes for my friend Gianna's sister, Monica. She turned 18! We wanted a cute, classy cupcake for this occasion and I think they came out great! It's a Reese's Surprise cupcake, topped with cream cheese frosting, edible glitter dust, and edible purple and black flowers. This frosting was my fluffiest. It was a very proud moment ;) The cupcake liners are Reynold's foil brand. They are my favorite! They're really thick and sturdy and the cupcake doesn't show through the white parts. I highly recommend them. :)