About Crusader Jenn

I'm a new mom of a baby girl, learning to stay at home with her, do some graphic design, dabble with new recipes, and taste cupcakes!

Something New Coming Soon

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

We Cupcake Crusaders LOVE taking photos of the cupcakes we review and bake. As you can see from our recent Blast from the Past posts, we’ve been taking photos of our cupcake adventures for a long time now. It’s one of the reasons we decided a blog would be a perfect platform to share our cupcake experiences. Sometimes the photos are quick snapshots, but for the most part we try to be creative and take quality photos for our followers to enjoy (and because it’s fun!).

Knowing that the internet can be an easy place to share photos, we’ve considered watermarking our photos in the past, but have never done so because we didn’t want to distract from the true stars…the cupcakes! When putting together our posts, we do our best to link you to original sources of the cupcakes we review and the recipes we test out. We don’t frequently use photos that we didn’t take ourselves, but when we do we often seek permission from the owner and always credit them.

Recent discoveries of our original photos being used, but not credited, have caused us to re-evaluate the use of a watermark. We love that people are able to enjoy the photos and share them, but think it’s only right (for the audience and us) that the original source be cited. For us, when we see something we like, we like to know where we can get more of the same and we hope that you agree.

For that reason, you’ll start seeing a watermark on our photos. Our hope is that you find it tasteful, unobtrusive, and that it still allows you to enjoy our photos and the cupcakes just as much as before. Here’s a sample of how the watermark will look:

When you see that neat little mark on our photographs we hope that you’ll think, “Great photo! The Crusaders have done it again!

Blast from the Past: Sweet Surrender in Las Vegas

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

(The Palazzo, home to Sweet Surrender.)

One of my favorite things to do in Vegas is just walk up and down the strip, stopping in casinos along the way for a quick slot game, a drink, some window shopping, or to grab a bite to eat. On this particular day (in August 2010) my husband and I started at the Monte Carlo and made our way up Las Vegas Blvd., ending at the Wynn. The whole time I was keeping an eye out for cupcakes. For those that don’t know, that’s a pretty long walk, so it seemed reasonable that we should stumble upon at least one bake shop.

(Penny slots…that’s how I roll! This was in one of the not-so-high-end casinos.)

Fast forward to stepping onto the casino floor at The Palazzo. Just when I was starting to lose hope, I saw a pretty teal sign that looked very dessert-like from a distance. Getting closer I could barely contain my joy. For some reason Sweet Surrender did not come up in my pre-vacation research, so I was pleasantly surprised that my wandering eye paid off.

(Shop decor and signature cupcake.)

I thought for sure the cupcakes would be more costly than what we’d purchased from The Cupcakery, based on the hotel-casino the shop was located in and the decadent decoration of the cupcakes. However the pricing was on par, if not less.

(So many beautiful cupcakes!)

After being disappointed in The Cupcakery’s cupcakes, my husband and I decided to get only two cupcakes to share. As much as I wanted the “Sweet Surrender” with its gorgeous teal frosting and edible pearls, I opted for cupcakes with more flavor (I was a beginner then and didn’t realize that vanilla can pack a lot of punch).

Carrot Cake

Selecting the Carrot Cake cupcake, with all the other amazing options to choose from, proves that I really must be the “Carrot-Cake-Crusader.” I remember being pleased that the cake and frosting weren’t overly sweet, unlike The Cupcakery’s cupcakes.

Chocolate Fudge

Although I don’t remember much about the Carrot Cake cupcake, I recall being really pleased with the rich, Chocolate Fudge cupcake. The cake was moist, the frosting and ganach were smooth, and the cupcake wasn’t super sweet. I also liked the added texture from the candies on top. This cupcake alone has made me recommend Sweet Surrender to friends and fellow cupcake lovers.

While in the shop I discovered that Sweet Surrender was “Home of the $750 Cupcake,” the Decadence D’Or. Maybe the next time I’m in Vegas I’ll hit it big on the slots, and then we can splurge on the finest cupcake Las Vegas has to offer!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Everyone Wins with La Casa de Sweets!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

This year the Crusaders were unable to host a Bake Sale for No Kid Hungry like we did last year. However we still wanted to help out Jackie, from La Casa de Sweets reach her goal. When she posted the menu for her pre-order bake sale, we couldn’t resist. First, a dozen cupcakes were only $20. Wow! Secondly, the flavors sounded amazing. I decided to throw a dozen cookies on top of my order, because those also sounded too good to pass up.

I’m so glad I followed my instincts with these cookies. All of them were chewy! I’ve told Jackie before that it seems like magic when a baker makes a cookie that stays chewy for days. The Peanut Butter Oatmeal was gluten-free and I never would have guessed it. Neither did my daughter or husband who gobbled them up. The Fudgy Brownie cookies had a thin crunchy exterior, but were very soft on the inside and just melted in my mouth. And the Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies, which I first tried when Jackie donated a couple dozen to our Passionately Pink Bake Sale, were the most perfect chocolate chip cookies you could imagine.

La Casa de Sweets’ cupcakes can all be summed up by a quote from my husband after trying the Chocolate Salted Caramel, “La Casa de Yum.” The chocolate cake was moist and even with a generous drizzle of caramel, the cupcake wasn’t overly sweet. For me, it was a harmonious balance of flavors.

Have I mentioned before that I LOVE lemon cupcakes? I’m sure I have, but if not, well…I LOVE lemon cupcakes. And La Casa de Sweets’ version sits at a high ranking. The cake on the Lemon Mascarpone cupcake was on the dense side, but not dry. I found the lemon flavor to be refreshing (not artificial), not overly sweet, and perfectly tart.

I have a secret about the last cupcake, Chocolate Peanut Butter: I didn’t tell my husband that it was egg and dairy free. He still doesn’t know (well, maybe now he does). Chocolate and peanut butter combinations are his favorite, so I wanted to get an unbiased review from him. All I got was a bunch of caveman like sounds, that resemble, “MmmHmmm.” With that, I’d have to say he was completely satisfied. The chocolate peanut butter cake was more moist than the Chocolate Salted Caramel, which was hard to believe. The cupcake was rich, decadent, and bursting with flavor, even though from its appearance it seemed like a simple cake with just a glaze on top.

Even though I felt like I was the winner, with these cupcakes and cookies as my prize, La Casa de Sweets met their goal, raising over $1,000 in one week for No Kid Hungry, through bake sale purchases and donations. That’s amazing!

It isn’t too late to donate. If you’d like to help out, please visit La Casa de Sweets’ donation page. Thanks!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Baking Adventure: Bourbon Black Forest Cupcakes

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

I’m not usually a big fan of Black Forest cake. I like fresh cherries, but can’t seem to get into anything else that has cherries in it, or a cherry flavor. That was until Guest Crusader Beth, from Sweetness Follows, gave me a jar of her Bourbon Cherry Jam. As soon as I tried it, I knew I wanted to use it in a cupcake (you may remember we used her Raspberry Chambord Jam in Chocolate Raspberry Chambord cupcakes).

(Sweetness Follows jams are available on Etsy in seasonal flavors.)

I had un-frosted chocolate cupcakes in my freezer, waiting to be turned into something good. After thawing, I filled them with the delicious jam. Since I didn’t have to bake or cook anything, the first two steps made these the easiest cupcakes I’ve ever made.

The first two steps being so simple, I decided that I needed to do something to challenge myself…this is called a “Baking Adventure” after all. So, instead of picking up a tub of Cool Whip or can of whipped topping, I decided to make my own.

I’ll be honest, I was scared. I watch Food Network, I know making whipped cream can make or break a dessert (I’ve seen it happen on Chopped). The cream may never set properly or you can over whip it. There’s such a fine balance to making it successful.

Well my fear was for nothing, because my whipped topping was PERFECT. I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for Black Forest Cake, which included the frosting. I only made a half batch, so I used 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, but instead of the small amount of confectioner’s sugar, I slowly added in about 1/2 cup so that it would be stiffer (hoping I wouldn’t mess it up!). The recipe didn’t tell me how long to whip it with an mixer, only to do it until it formed stiff peaks. I opted to pull out my hand mixer, thinking that I might over whip it with my standing mixer.

In the end I was really please with how the frosting piped, yet was still super airy (just like what you’d expect from the aerosol can stuff). The cupcakes were pretty good and not overly sweet, thanks to the liquor infused jam and light frosting. What I really loved was how simple they were and I learned not to be afraid of making my own whipped cream! I need to get my hands on more Sweetness Follows jams, since they are so good in cupcakes!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Giveaway Thanking You for the Facebook Love!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

We are so excited about this next giveaway! One reason is because we’ve been collecting some neat things and can’t wait for one lucky person get them. The other BIG reason is because this giveaway will celebrate reaching 1,000 Facebook Likes! It’s unbelievable to us that our little blog has found so much love among fellow cupcake enthusiasts. Each new “like” keeps us encouraged to continue sharing our cupcake experiences with you and it warms our hearts to have found so many people who have an appreciation for cupcakes that matches our own. So, THANK YOU!

Now, I’m sure you all are wondering, “What are the Cupcake Crusaders going to give away?”

Well, of course there will be one of our most popular giveaway items: A Cupcake To-Go container. (Color subject to change…the one photographed is actually from my personal collection). Another item is something that we hope you love as much as we do:

ChapStick’s Limited Edition “Cupcake Creations” Cake Batter flavored lip balm. Seriously so cool! We also have some fun miscellaneous cupcake themed items, which we’ll be sharing in more detail as we countdown to hitting 1,000, including cupcake liners and crafting items.

Now you are probably wondering, “So, how can I win?” Once we hit 1,000 fans we will randomly selected one of our Facebook followers as a winner. If you “like” us on Facebook, then you are already entered! If you don’t, be sure to check out our Facebook page and “like” us! You can also help by sharing our page and giveaway so that we hit 1,000 as soon as possible. We have some great items for spring, so let’s make sure that the winner (which could be you) gets them before the season ends! Good luck!

One Cupcake Crusaders’ Facebook follower will be selected at random as a winner after reaching 1,000 “Likes.” Winner will be announced on Facebook and must contact us at CupcakeCrusaders@gmail.com with their mailing address in order to receive their prize.

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Blast from the Past: The Cupcakery in Las Vegas

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

Long before the Cupcake Crusaders had this blog, we had dreams about what it might become. A place to share our love, stories, thoughts, and photos of cupcakes. Almost a year before our blog began, in August of 2010, my husband and I went to Las Vegas as a last hoorah before taking the plunge into parenthood. Prior to leaving, I did plenty of research to find cupcakes while on vacation. After finding out that the hotel-casino we were staying in had a cupcakery IN it, I knew I didn’t need to worry about going through cupcake withdrawal.

(Dan and I stayed at the Monte Carlo, where The Cupcakery has one of its locations.)

The Cupcakery has three locations in Las Vegas, The Monte Carlo being one of the long standing ones. As luck would have it, we were staying at the Monte Carlo, so before hitting the slots, “The Strip,” and the drinks, I HAD to scope out the cupcakes.

Kir Royale

It was so hard to select just a few flavors. I didn’t want to get too many, knowing we’d only be in Vegas for a few days and that I’d hopefully be collecting more cupcakes on our explorations. There was one that I did have my mind set on prior to arriving and that was the Kir Royale, a raspberry cake with champagne frosting. Dusted in glitter, this cupcake was made to stand out. They had a couple remaining in their display when we showed up, but my built up excitement was replaced with disappointment after tasting the overly sweet cupcake that was lacking in any hint of bubbly.

Grasshopper

At the time Dan was still my little cupcaker in training so I helped him select flavors I thought he would like. The Grasshopper was a chocolate cake with mint chocolate frosting. Just like the Kir Royale, we remember it being too sweet for our liking, which was surprising with a cupcake that has a dark ganache frosting. According to The Cupcakery’s website this is one of the original flavors and, “has gotten better by the year.” So it would be worth a second tasting to see if they are right.

Mound of Joy

We saved the Mound of Joy and Boston Dream cupcakes for breakfast the next day. This cupcake did not skimp on toppings, with a coconut cake, chocolate buttercream frosting, and rolled in shaved almonds and coconut. Luckily it wasn’t as sweet as the cupcakes we indulged in the night before and I remember really liking it.

Boston Dream

Clearly I haven’t changed much in three years, because if I see a Boston Cream (or Boston Dream, to The Cupcakery) I have to get it. And it’s perfect for breakfast! Just like the Mound of Joy, this cupcake was not overly sweet. It is your standard Boston Cream concoction, with vanilla cake, Bavarian creme filling, and dipped in smooth chocolate ganache. Very tasty.

My husband and I had a lot of fun in Vegas, playing penny and nickel slots (we love the video slot machines), walking around, taking in the lights and sights, window shopping, and helping ourselves to a few cocktails. Cupcakes just made the trip that much sweeter (for me anyway). Although it’s been a few years, according to The Cupcakery’s website these cupcakes are still available (and even look the same) and they are still located in the Monte Carlo. When I get back to Vegas, I wouldn’t hesitate in trying them again since it’s been so long. Although they weren’t my favorite in Sin City, the location is very convenient. The Cupcakery was the first cupcake place we found on this trip but there were others, so look out for more to come!

(In addition to The Cupcakery, The Monte Carlo also has an ICE BAR. Minus 5 may have been a little pricey, but totally worth the experience!)

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Caroline’s Cakes Cupcakes Fly High

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

Crusader Stacy recently posted about a day of cupcakes in Orlando, FL with our good friend Marina, who is expecting a baby boy this June. Although I wasn’t able to join them on this fun expedition, I received the honor of designing the invitation and corresponding party pieces for Marina’s Maryland baby shower. Since the father-to-be, Tim, is a U.S. Marine and works in the airplane field (I’d mess up his title, so I won’t even try) the selected baby shower theme was “Taking Flight.” With this theme in mind, I designed the invitation with a cute airplane and incorporated some fun patterns that were used on signs, party favors, and the (very important) cupcake toppers.

As the cupcake experts in our circle, the grandma-to-be (affectionately referred to as “Mom Cook”) was hosting the shower and contacted Stacy and I for a recommendation. Although we hadn’t tried Caroline’s Cupcakes in Annapolis, MD, we suggested that she grab a cupcake from them as a sample. Caroline’s Cupcakes is super close to where the party was (also the same place as our favorite high school hang-out house), making it very convenient. Mom Cook tried their cupcakes and decide that they would be best.

She opted for a single flavor, carrot cake. The party was during brunch time, so it was a great selection. Caroline’s baked the cupcakes in white wrappers and kept the tops unadorned, allowing us to dress them up ourselves.

The cupcakes from Caroline’s were very good. There was a home-baked, comforting quality about them. The cake was super moist and spiced just right. The cream cheese frosting was a perfect balance of sweet and savory, which was great for my first cupcake of the day, and was a nice complement to the full party spread. Caroline’s also specializes in layered cakes and they are no stranger to special orders for every occasion. Even though I’ve only tried one cupcake (so far) I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them again.

The party was a lot of fun. I enjoyed spending time with people that I don’t see often enough and being the crazy friend that talked Marina’s baby bump (she’s seriously the cutest pregnant chic ever).

Having my little girl has given me a greater appreciation for what new parents go through and I am so excited for my friends to be entering this next chapter in their lives. Sure there are challenges and it isn’t always easy, but their baby is entering a family that has hoped and prayed for his arrival. Marina and Tim will be amazing parents and all of us will shower their baby boy with so much love…this party was only the beginning! Congratulations Marina and Tim. We can’t wait to meet your little man!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

Baking Adventure: Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

CookieMonster_Cupcake1
(Cookie Monster Cupcakes by the Cupcake Crusaders. Photo by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

We Crusaders adore our nieces. We’d do anything for them and for our big sister. So when she asked if we could help throw her daughter Lily a Cookie Monster themed 2nd birthday and make, “those Cookie Monster cupcakes,” we said, “Easy-peasy!” And guess what? They ARE easy!

(Some of the party details: Balloons, bags with custom labels, and of course Cookie Monster. Photo on the right by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

You’ve probably seen Cookie Monster cupcakes on the internet. There are different ways to go about doing it, but the one I followed more closely was from Bird On A Cake, with just a few adjustments.

I started with boxed cake mix for the cupcakes and baked chocolate chip cookies, using Pillsbury dough. Then I cut slits in the cake, as Bird On A Cake suggested. Bird On A Cake used Famous Amos mini cookies, but I planned to break my larger cookies in half. While I was cutting out slits I thought, “Wait, why am I doing this? I’m not inserting a mini cookie.” But then figured it would still keep the cookie half in place, since there isn’t a lot of frosting when using the “grass” piping tip.

(I made my cuts larger for the bigger cookies and really pressed the cookies into place so that they would stay put.)

For the frosting I used the same recipe from our Cadbury Creme Egg cupcakes, with only vanilla extract. To get the blue I wanted, I purchased Wilton’s Royal Blue gel dye, adding a little at a time until I had the desired color. After piping the frosting I added the Wilton White Candy Melts for the eyes, and then used Wilton’s Ready-to-Use black frosting and a fine point decorating tip to pipe black dots. Once that was all done, I pressed the chocolate chip cookie half into the slit for the final, finished look.

(Photo by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

I also whipped up some cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting. This was a first for me, and for some reason I’ve been afraid of making chocolate frosting. I don’t know why and it proved to be just as easy as vanilla buttercream! I used a recipe from The Food Network, with modifications (I’m beginning to think I can’t do anything straight forward). I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate cocoa powder, doubling the amount called for, added in an extra stick of butter, and 1 additional cup of confectioner’s sugar.

(Cupcakes topped with Cookie Crisp cereal. Photo by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

The end result for the frosting was stiffer than I expected, but the frosting still remained smooth. It was dark, rich, not too sweet, and turned out to be even more popular than the cute Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

(All the cupcakes arranged together created just the right amount of color and cookies. Photo by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

The party was a huge hit and the theme was pulled off effortlessly. I was glad to help from the start, designing the invitation, to the end, hosting the party at my house and making the cupcakes.

(Invitation designed by myself.)

The weather was amazing and everyone had a great time. It even seemed like guests didn’t want to leave! I also got to make cookie pops, which I’ve been wanting to do for a while now!

(Photo on the left by Kenneth Adam Photography.)

Although I may have been exhausted by the end of the day, the party also made me look forward to Leah’s 2nd birthday coming up in just a few months. I hope I can bring together the color scheme, cupcakes, and other treats as well as we did for my niece’s party!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

From Baking Memories to Cupcakes for Gayle King: Q&A with Michelle Kupiec, Owner of Kupcakes & Co.

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

If you follow us, you already know that Kupcakes & Co. (Elkridge, MD) is one of our favorite cupcake spots. Not only do they produce a consistently delicious cupcake, the employees are friendly and helpful, the selection is beyond amazing, they are always looking for ways to expand their offerings and improve, and they take every opportunity to give back to the community.

(New cupcake flavors: French Toast in the back and Black Cherry in the front.)

Our first visit was back in the winter of 2011, during their Cupcakes with Santa event, and it was love at first sight. During our frequent visits since then, we’ve gotten to know the “family” including Michelle, whose hands on approach, kindness, and enthusiasm is no doubt one of the reasons that we are always greeted with a smile from the Kupcakes’ team.

We wanted to get to know Michelle a little better, so she agreed to answer some of our questions. We hope you enjoy getting to know her and Kupcakes & Co. better too!

You are very involved in organizing fundraising events throughout the year. What are some the organizations you support and why do you think it is important give back to the community?
We support the Blossoms of Hope Foundation of Howard County. This is a foundation that helps women who are struggling and coping with breast cancer. We have created a special, Blossoms of Hope cupcake that we give back 50% of the sales to during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. We also help out at their Pretty in Pink event in April as well. Another foundation we support is Team Fight, The Ulman Cancer fund for young adults. We have created a Team Fight cupcake that we bake for them for their Blue Jeans Ball and give back a portion of the proceeds to that as well. We also have a huge fundraiser called Kupcakes with Santa when we donate 100% of the profits back to the Howard County General Hospital, where one of my twin daughters spent 5 years. Our weekly donations of cupcakes go to the Route 1 Homeless Shelter, The Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center and the Love Mission of Howard County. These people would never have the opportunity to try our cupcakes, so it feels wonderful being able to give them some of our sweet treats each and every week! We feel it is so important to give back to our community and help those in need. There is always going to be a time in our lives that we need the support from others and at Kupcakes & Co. giving back is a huge part of what we are all about.

On your website, you talk about baking with your mother while growing up. What is one of your favorite baking memories with her?
My mom is my inspiration, my hero, my best friend! She and I always had so much fun baking in the kitchen together.

My most memorable experiences with her are baking our famous pound cake. It was super delicious, from scratch and we always had fun, laughing and carrying on in the kitchen! We used to say that no matter what, if we were in the kitchen together, we could get through anything! She also used to let me experiment with ingredients all of the time and never minded if some of my creations turned out a little crazy! She was super supportive of me then and continues to be everyday!

You also mention that you began baking with your daughters from an early age. What were some of the first things you taught them in the kitchen, and can you offer any tips for other parents who’d like to start baking with their children?
Allie and Amanda always loved being in the kitchen baking with me! We baked Christmas cookies together from scratch and I used the same recipes that my mom passed down to me. Sugar cookies were their favorites because they could be so creative and make such a mess. They would spend hours making and rolling out the dough, then cutting out the cookies and finally decorating their masterpieces. We also loved to bake sweet treats for all of their teachers – it was such a tradition that the teachers could not wait for their gift from Allie and Amanda each holiday because they knew they were going to be baked with love! The tips I would recommend would be to have PATIENCE, allow for lots of creativity, don’t mind the mess and by all means…have FUN

(Wedding cake and cupcakes. Photo courtesy of Kupcakes & Co.)

What is your favorite tool in the kitchen?
My favorite tool is my cupcake scoop. The reason is that we have tried hundreds and hundreds of cupcake recipes and my scoop is just a daily reminder of how far we have come! Each time we try out a new recipe, the same excitement is there for me: How will it turn out? How can I make it better? How will everyone like it?

You recently began expanding the line of baked goods you offer at Kupcakes & Co. Besides cupcakes, what is your next best seller?
Our gourmet cookies are huge sellers at Kupcakes & Co. My daughter, Amanda, who attends the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) shared with us one of their secret CIA recipes for Sweet & Salty cookies and we can’t bake then fast enough. Also, our Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies are great sellers as well – that recipe was given to me from my very best friend, who lives in Maine. It has been in her family for years! Biscotti, coffee cake and scones are also yummy treats we sell. I also have to mention that we are selling so many cakes now. We have such talented bakers/pastry chefs at Kupcakes & Co. and we are getting more and more calls everyday for cakes. We average about 8 cakes a weekend – some very simple and some very elaborate!

(Fun and beautiful decorated cakes. Photos courtesy of Kupcakes & Co.)

Do you have any other goodies you are working on that you can give us a sneak peek of?
We are coming up with seasonal goodies all of the time. We just introduced our spring Lemon Wedding cookies and our cupcake clients seem to love them. Also, for Easter we made sugar cookie sandwiches, shaped liked bunnies and filled with ganache. We just had a client ask us to make cannoli for her wedding this summer, and we said, “No problem!” We are really expanding our sweet indulgences and are proud of the feedback we get from our customers.

With so many wonderful flavors already, how did you come up with the idea to offer an additional boutique line of cupcakes?
We have almost 70 signature cupcake flavors that we are very proud of. Our customers have been asking for filled cupcakes for a while now. We really worked very hard on this concept and decided that a Boutique line of filled cupcakes would be a perfect complement to our signature line. Since we use only the finest ingredients, we knew they had to have the WOW factor and we could not be more thrilled by the comments and feedback we get from our customers! We try and surprise our clients right before our newest 3 flavors come out and have them guessing the flavors. Our newest 3 Boutique cupcakes debuted last Friday and Saturday, right before Easter and the theme is PIES! Oh yes, they are going to knock everyone’s socks off! We are super thrilled about this.

(Current line-up of Boutique Cupcakes including Coconut Cream on the left, Key Lime on the top right, and Boston Cream on the bottom right. Photos courtesy of Kupcakes & Co.)

We have to ask…what is YOUR favorite cupcake flavor?
Well, I have a few for sure… but my most favorite vanilla based cupcake is our Keylime. I love the tangy and fresh key lime buttercream and I have such fond memories creating it with my dear Amanda! My most favorite, chocolate based cupcake is Salted Caramel. The sweet & salty taste complement one another so well and I love the richness of the chocolate cake! My most favorite Boutique flavor is definitely, Brownie Batter – one taste and you will know why! The gooey brownie center and brownie buttercream is pure bliss!

(The retired previous line-up of Boutique Cupcakes, including Michelle’s favorite: Brownie Batter in the front.)

Lastly, you’ve had a lot of neat things happening at Kupcakes & Co. Can you share with us some of your favorite or most exciting orders?
Some of our favorite orders include all of the baby reveal cupcakes and cakes we do! The parents to be come in so super excited to give us a sealed envelope with their sonogram in it and we wait until they leave, then open it and scream…BOY or GIRL! We then stuff their cupcakes with either blue or pink buttercream and we are also so thrilled to be a smart part in all of this excitement.

We have had two very thrilling deliveries in the past two weeks. One was to NYC for a Premiere Party for Andrew Jenks, an amazing young filmmaker who produces and is on his show, “World of Jenks.” He showcases the lives of teens struggling with something and gets real with them on each episode he does. He also just wrote a book on his amazing life and it was his birthday as well. He ordered our cupcakes to help celebrate at his party and we were thrilled to be part of it all! We made custom cupcakes for him in his favorite colors (ORANGE AND BLUE FOR THE NEW YORK KNICKS!) with his favorite NYC sayings!

Last weekend we did another delivery to NYC, this time a special secret delivery to Gayle King, Oprah’s bff. Her assistant editor of O magazine is the daughter of the doctor that delivered my twin daughters, Allison and Amanda! Dr. Davis came to Kupcakes & Co. and asked if we would deliver cupcakes to Gayle, thanking her for all that she does for his daughter, Arianna. We of course said, “SURE!”

(Photos taken by Kupcakes & Co. during their most recent delivery to Gayle King in NYC. Photos courtesy of Kupcakes & Co.)

We got to meet with Arianna and she was very interested in “our story” and how much paying it forward we do. She texted me later to say that Gayle LOVED all of the cupcakes (we brought her 4 dozen to share with her staff) and her favorite was the Pancakes & Bacon! She also mentioned that she would definitely like to keep us in mind for stories that may fit into one of O’s magazine articles one day on Women in Business!

We want to thank Michelle for taking the time to answer our questions. We always love seeing a business who genuinely cares about the community and their customers grow and succeed. If you stop in, please tell them the Crusaders say hi!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

A Baking Adventure: Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Crusader Jenn

I don’t think I need to explain the awesomeness of Cadbury Creme Eggs, right? There’s something about them that causes excitement for their return every spring. So it seems only natural for the cupcake-lover in us to desire a merge between these wonderful morsels and cupcakes.

Because of this desire, there are A LOT of Cadbury Creme Egg cupcake recipes on the internet, but when I saw one from Pizzazzerie (one of my favorite blogs) it really stood out to me. I shared it with Guest Crusader Jen because teal is her favorite color and she loves Cadbury Creme Eggs more than anyone I know. She was visiting me the following weekend and quickly requested that we make them while she was here. So we did!

After looking at Pizzazzerie’s recipe, Jen and I decided to make a few modifications. While I would have loved follow the chocolate cake (from scratch) recipe, we decided to use a boxed mix, adding in a pack of pudding for extra moisture. It turns out that this was a really smart choice because I managed to forget the eggs in our batter! Thirty seconds after placing the cupcakes in the oven, we had to pull them out, fish out the chocolates, dump the batter back into the bowl, just to mix in eggs and start all over again. Can you imagine how much I would have messed up a scratch recipe? It was not my night to bake!

Another small change we made was using mini Cadbury Creme Eggs instead of the full-size ones. The full-size chocolate eggs would have been better in the end, but it would definitely be more costly. The mini eggs sunk to the bottom and melted more than it seems the full-size do. One tip a friend gave me is to freeze the candy first and then it doesn’t melt as much during the baking process.

I did make my own frosting, using Pizzazzerie’s recipe. Instead of almond extract I substituted pure orange extract, since Jen isn’t keen on almond flavor. I like almond, so I’m sure that would be an amazing complement to the Cadbury Creme Eggs, however the orange gave the frosting a hint of citrus flavor that went perfectly with the chocolate. I’ve only ever used fresh oranges for flavor, so I was concerned about overpowering the cupcake with citrus. For that reason, I only used 1/2 a tablespoon of extract. In the end, Pizzazzerie’s recipe yielded the perfect consistency for piping frosting (and also had a great flavor before adding the extract). It will now be my go-to buttercream recipe.

Jen and I of course kept the teal color, since that was one of the elements that originally attracted us (and it matched the Easter cupcake liners perfectly). The piped frosting created a “nest-like” look around the chocolate egg, which I loved. Once done, I couldn’t help but think that these might be the prettiest cupcakes I’ve ever made! Well…maybe the teacup cupcakes were a close contender…

We hope you are able to indulge in some fun cupcakes this weekend. Have a Happy Easter!

- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

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