valentine's day Red velvet chocolate-covered strawberry and cherry cupcakes for valentine's day

BlakeyCakes in Los Angeles is baking up these valentine's day cupcakes. Via their Facebook page.

Specifically, these are:

"Red Velvet cake filled with a flowing lava of chocolate fudge inside with valentine's cream cheese frosting adorned with fresh, luscious chocolate dipped strawberries, fresh, juicy, Bing chocolate covered cherries, and even a cake-heart-cut out as a topper too!"

Email b.arias101 at hotmail.com to place an order.

valentine's day Inside filled pumpkin pie cupcakes, plus monsters and blondie crunch

Wow...these filled pumpkin pie cupcakes and the others are by Kayla's Cupcakery on Flickr are so cute! "A mini Pumpkin Pie baked into a vanilla cream cheese cake and topped with a cinnamon butter cream frosting"



And I couldn't resist these Halloween monster cupcakes:



And one more...Blondie Crunch! "Butterscotch, Toffee, and cashew crunchy cake with butterscotch butter cream topped with toffee bits." I love how high the frosting is piled here - not sure I could eat all that frosting, but I love how it looks.

valentine's day Half-Baked Co. features frocake (frozen yogurt-filled cupcakes) and cupcakes on a stick!

I've been meaning to write about a lot of the people I met at CupcakeCamp LA, and now, as I get ready to head back to California, I have to accept that I am only human, and simply don't have time to blog about all the amazingness that I encountered at that event. So my apologies, but I will be posting as time allows, but please understand that I cannot possibly blog about all the cupcakes I encounter, much as I'd like to.

One of the cupcake companies I discovered at that event was Half-Baked Co. but I didn't realize until just now that they combine two of my favorite things: frozen yogurt and cupcakes! In the form of frocakes...with these flavor options:

Cookies ‘n Cream

chocolate cupcake filled with

cookies n cream froyo

vanilla buttercream

crushed oreo rim and oreo on top

Mint Chocolate Chip

chocolate cupcake filled with

R.F. mint choc. chip ice cream

mint buttercream

chocolate chips

Root Beer Float

chocolate cupcake

filled with vanilla froyo

root beer buttercream

chocolate sprinkles and cherry on top


I found some others on their Facebook wall, including this amazing candy cane frocake: chocolate cupcake filled with candy cane frozen yogurt, green mint buttercream and crushed candy cane pieces.

There's more! The "Half" in their title comes from this:

Welcome to Half Baked Co. where we bake with half the fat, calories and sugar. We are an online bakery based out of Burbank, CA that uses only the finest ingredients in our deceptively healthy baked goods.

We always use local and organic products and carry a variety of vegan, gluten-free and reduced sugar options.

This allows us to create freshly inspired treats available for pick-up from our commercial kitchen or for delivery within the San Fernando Valley. Shipping is also available across the U.S. for select products.

Cupcakes on a Stick come in pink heart, death by chocolate red velvet or salted caramel. And also seasonal flavors, like the ones below, from their holiday pie collection (pumpkin, apple and pecan):



Other cupcakes:


cotton candy cupcake!


s'mores cupcake


cutie cakes in 8 colors


Mardi Gras king cake cupcake


Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Cupcake

You can also find them on Facebook and @HalfBakedCo on Twitter.

Half Baked. Co.
Los Angeles, CA (LA delivery, nationwide shipping)
halfbakedco at gmail.com
310-880-8380

valentine's day Superman, Batman and Spider Man cupcakes!

Blogger Sugar Swings! Serves Some baked these superhero cupcakes and gives you instructions on how to do it yourself!

valentine's day Lemon-limoncello filled cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker

These are from a 2009 post at the food blog Brown Eyed Baker, but were so bright and cheerful-looking, I wanted to share them. She writes:

There are three levels of lemon flavor in the cupcakes that combine to deliver the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and had people fighting over the last cupcake (seriously). The batter is flavored with lemon zest, lemon juice and a punch of limoncello; a tart lemon curd fills the inside of the cupcakes, and on top sits a sweet cream cheese frosting with the subtle tang of limoncello. These are simple and classy, a perfect dessert for a summer meal.

valentine's day Bellini cupcakes for New Year's Eve by BlakeyCakes

The bellini cupcakes below are by BlakeyCakes, aka Blake Arias, who makes custom cupcakes and delivers them in the Los Angeles area, via their Facebook page. They're "A fluffy, moist, sweet peach cake filled with a fizzy Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) cream infusion." they're $39/dozen, or $26/dozen for mini cupcakes, and you can contact him at b.arias101 at hotmail.com and see more on his main site.




Blake and me in LA




coffee cake mini cupcakes

valentine's day Pretzel antlers on reindeer cupcakes from blogger Mini Baker

I know Christmas is over, but we will be keeping the Christmas cupcakes coming this week, because there are just so many fun ones, like these reindeer cupcakes by blogger Mini Baker, where you can get instructions on exactly how to make these at home.



Here's the breakdown of what's in them:

-Ears= pieces of Tootsie Rolls
-Red "Rudolph" Nose= Mini Red M&M
-Muzzle= Nilla Wafer
-Eyes= Mini Brown M&Ms
-Antlers= Twist Pretzels
-Fur= Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Speaking of Mini Baker, how better to promote your food blog than...writing your name across "Ding Dong" filled cupcakes?

valentine's day Snowmen with hats and scarves, Christmas tree, Peppermint Twist and Stuffoli cupcakes at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop

This post is sortof cheating, because these cupcakes are not all actually on sale today from Rutherford, New Jersey's Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, but if you like what you see, you should follow them on Facebook so you can find out about their daily specials. These were on sale in the month of October and if one particularly tickles your fancy, they also do custom cupcakes (and are known for both their vegan cupcake offerings and their famous Twilight cupcakes - see more about their custom printed cupcakes here). All photos via this Facebook album. Happy holidays everyone! Not that this will be my last holiday cupcake post, but just wanted to wish you all a happy holiday. Visit www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com for much more about this lovely bakery. They're open til 7 pm today and from 9-5 tomorrow, Christmas Eve, 153 Park Avenue in Rutherford. They can be reached at
info at sweetavenuebakeshop.com or 201-935-BAKE (2253).


if you can resist this cupcake cuteness...I don't know, but I hope you can't!


custom Christmas tree cupcake order for a party!


peppermint twist cupcakes


Struffoli cupcakes - if you can't read the caption, it says "Italian fried honey balls on over vanilla cakes filled and topped with creamy vanilla glaze." It's like two desserts in one!

valentine's day Christmas Cappuccino cupcake: Eggnog cinnamon cake with a sambuca & advocaat cream filling

This very special cupcake debuts tonight at Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe in Rochester, New York. Via their Facebook page:

"Christmas Cappuccino" cupcakes debut this evening at Sugar Mountain. Eggnog cinnamon cake with a sambuca & advocaat cream filling, topped with espresso buttercream and a dollop of eggnog whipped cream. sprinkled cinnamon.



Today's other flavors:

Roccity Crunch, Peppermint Candycane, White Chocolate Raspberry, Bourbon Eggnog, Turtle, S'mores, Tiramisu, Chocolate Merlot, Pecan Pie, Lemon Creme, Chocolate Malt, Cookies&Cream, Ol'Blue Eyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Sinfully Chocolate and Very Vanilla.

And an older photo, but one to whet your appetite for February - the Valentine's Turtle. Chocolate fudge pecan cake filled with a chocolate caramel ganache whipped with salted caramel buttercream. a caramel drizzle,rolled in crushed pecans. garnished with a heart shaped white chocolate drizzled chocolate on top.



You can also follow them @smbscucpakes on Twitter

Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe
258 Alexander Street
Rochester, NY, 14607
585-319-5001
sugarmountainbakeshoppe at gmail.com

valentine's day Grinch cupcakes: peppermint chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream!

Not everyone is making Santa or reindeer cupcakes...blogger Sugar Swings! Serves Some has made Grinch cupcakes, inspired by Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Click above to read more about how she made them.









photos via her Flickr account

She writes:

....it took a little time to do the detail....but it was fun...and candy melts are great because you can do them ahead of time and store them for when you need them....did these a couple nights ago....but then got another idea.....an awful idea....a wonderful, awful idea....!

....same cupcake and icing (tinted grinch green..which btw is some kelly green to get a nice light green then add canary yellow until you get the chartreusy color)....with his mean yellow eyes and a santie hat.....

valentine's day New cupcake company: Cocoa Van Cupcake in Memphis, Tennessee

These cupcakes are all by new Memphis, Tennessee custom cupcake company Cocoa Van Cupcake, via their Facebook page.

Here are some of their seasonal flavors this month:

gingerbread: Gingerbread spice cupcake with Citrus Buttercream topped with Holiday Sprinkles

peppermint candy cane: Peppermint Infused cupcake with White Chocolate Mint Buttercream topped with Peppermint Candy Sprinkles

eggnog: Eggnog Infused cupcake with Nutmeg Buttercream











Cocoa Van Cupcake
phone: 901-417-1958
fax: 901-248-6862
iwantcocoavan at cocoavancupcake.com

valentine's day Rudolph cupcake and orange creamsicle cupcake

So the first of these cupcake photos, the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and twinkling star, is obviously seasonally appropriate. The next two, the orange creamsicle cupcakes, have nothing to do with December and everything to do with me thinking they're beautiful. They're by blogger Kelli's Cakes & Sweet Treats via her Flickr account.

valentine's day Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes with hidden dulce de leche and chile kissed cream!

Blogger Cheeky Kitchen made these Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes and has the recipe! To be precise, they are "Mexican Hot Cocoa Cupcakes with Hidden Dulce de Leche & Chile Kissed Cream."



And a peek at what's inside:

valentine's day Strawberry flambé, peppermint chocolate cheesecake, and cranapple cider POP! cupcakes from LA's BlakeyCakes

When I was in LA a few weeks ago, I got to meet Blake of custom and delivery cupcake company BlakeyCakes and try his sinfully delicious banana chocolate drizzle cupcakes, which I will post about...when I can. I still haven't posted about cupcakes I tried on my visit to LA in September, that's how behind I am!

But since these are seasonal, and look amazing, I wanted to share them with you now; photos and descriptions from this Facebook album:


Strawberry Flambé
Making its way into the BlakeyCakes hall of fame, the strawberry flambé! Contained within this complex wonder is a strawberry fruit filling flambéed with Gran Marnier smacked with a dollop of custard! This wonder filling is sandwiched between two moist vanilla cakes topped with a deluge of chocolate ganache and a decadent chocolate dipped strawberry.


Holiday Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake
This holiday cheesecake is baked with a chocolate graham cracker crust, a creamy cream cheese center with a chocolate ganache swirl, and infused with just a whisper of peppermint. The topping is your standard homemade whipped cream lightly dusted with ground up peppermint candy canes.


Cranapple Cider POP!
POP-ing with apple and cranberry goodness, these holiday cupcakes just pour forth a festivity of glee! Just imagine being able to bite into a fresh, juicy apple with hints of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg; then being welcomed by a gush of homemade cranberry filling and finally unified by a dollop of cream cheese glaze.

BlakeyCakes
b.arias101 at hotmail.com
Los Angeles, CA
818-577-8302

valentine's day Eggnog custard stuffed cupcake (!) with a bow, Hazelnut Yule Log and Cookies & Milk cupcakes at Jilly's Cupcake Bar

These special seasonal cupcakes are by Jilly's Cupcake Bar at 8509 Delmar Blvd. in St. Louis, Missouri, via their Facebook page. Get them while you can! Visit jillyscupcakebar.com for hours and more information.


Egg Nog
CAKE: Vanilla Cake

STUFFING: Eggnog custard

...Topped: White Chocolate Eggnog buttercream


Hazelnut Yule Log
CAKE: Vanilla Cake

Stuffed: Whip Cream

...TOPPING: Hazelnut buttercream, Chocolate roll and a candied mushroom


Cookies & Milk...for Santa (I love how this one features two cookies atop a cupcake!!)

valentine's day Make your own cupcake flavor, color and decorations at Baked by Melissa

New York's mini cupcake company Baked by Melissa (which also does nationwide shipping) has now introduced a very, very cool new aspect of their website and cupcake ordering process - you can customize your cupcake, picking your cake color (I liked purple so I named mine Pretty in Purple!), frosting flavor and color, topping and filling - some of those toppings are ones I've never seen at Baked by Melissa before. You can order your custom cupcake for orders of 300 cupcakes or more. Visit www.bakedbymelissa.com to make your own and add your cupcake creation to their gallery of over 500 submissions.

From the Baked by Melissa newsletter:

valentine's day Thanksgiving turkey cupcake with a Nutter Butter and candy corn, plus Baked Alaska ice cream-filled cupcakes

The always-creative Jeanne Benedict has given her spin to the Thanksgiving turkey cupcake. She writes:

Sweet yes; yet ominous too. Obvious candies give this holiday cupcake his character. What I mean are his eyes made from the tips of candy corns and a dab of frosting. Somehow, when I photographed it, it stared back as if to say, “Don’t even think of eating me as a cupcake or otherwise.” Your kids will love, love, love this turkey cupcake. Basically, you turn a frosted cupcake on its side, stick a Nutter Butter Cookie in it and then feather it with candy corns to make an adorable holiday cupcake. I used a red fruit roll-up as his wattle.



And the Baked Alaska cupcakes (click for recipe) have ice cream inside them!