Sweet surprise

With a free weekend waiting to be filled with adventure, my mom and I decided to take a two day trip. Without revealing our secret weekend getaway, I will tell you this - we happened upon the cutest cupcake boutique in Murphy's called Lila & Sage.

After wandering through dusty antique shops in the previous towns, I was overjoyed to see this posh cupcake bakery. Jeff, one of the employees who turned out to be from Walnut Creek, sweetly put together the platter below.

Without hesitation, my mom chose the mint chocolate flavor and me, being a fan of fruit, chose the lemon rasberry flavor.

Both flavors were worth savoring and a much better alternative than the ice cream we expected to find at a general store. Jeff told us that Lila & Sage will be featured on Cupcake Wars in July so keep your eyes out! And remember...

Cupcake accessories

1. Confetti cupcake earrings, Ebay
2. Treat yourself right ring, ModCloth
3. Cupcake wish necklace, Juicy Couture
4. I tinkle sprinkles necklace, Etsy by WovieWare
5. Fruit cupcake earrings, Etsy by mmagda
6. Jelly style cupcake watch, QVC

Would you like sprinkles on your cupcake?

^ The answer to that is "duh!"

Today I journeyed to Palo Alto with a friend for a famous Sprinkles cupcake.

The frosted glass windows and dot theme inside the bakery was mod-chic. Besides the mouth watering cakes, other eye-candy for sale included cupcake mix, cupcake trays, and crafty ribbon (which I'm not exactly sure was for). An interesting twist to a bakery that was worth writing home about.

Feeling fruity, I ordered a key lime flavored cupcake. My reason for choosing this flavor was partially because of the colored sprinkles on top. So cute! While the cake was sweet and creamy, the frosting was tart and tangy. Not the best cupcake I've ever had but it was worth the trip.<3

Photo courtesy of Sprinkles.

Oreo cheesecake cupcakes

I found this recipe on Pinterest and last night I finally had time to bake it. More time for more posts now that school is out, yay! If plans work out, I'll be heading to Sprinkles next week so keep your eyes peeled for that post.

I decided to make these cupcakes specifically because I had cream cheese already but also because they looked scrumptious and easy to make, which they were. My boyfriend, David, happily chopped the oreos while I mixed the other ingredients. The only unfortunate part of this process was waiting for them to set (4 hours!). DO NOT eat them while they're still warm. Gross. They made for a healthy breakfast this morning. Hey, I put cream cheese on my bagels so this isn't much different, right?

After choppin' and mixin' and pourin' and bakin' and waitin',  these little cheesecake cupcakes turned out alright. Two stars because they didn't live up to my cheesecake standards or I made them wrong. Most likely the latter. Like I said, I found the recipe on Pinterest but it was originally from Cate's World Kitchen blog. Picture also.

Ingredients

• 22 Oreos: 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature (Neufchatel is fine)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275 F.
2. Line 12 standard muffin tins and 4 ramekins (or 16 muffin tins, if you have them) with paper liners.
3. Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup.
4. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
5. Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
6. Beat in the sour cream and salt.
7. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top.
9. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes.
10. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Sweet scarf

This deviates from what is normally posted but I thought it was cute and relevant.

This scarf from ModCloth called "Peace of Cake" is perfect for cupcake lovers! Journey to your favorite cupcake lounge sporting this patterned scarf and who knows, you might get a free cupcake. Either that or they'll hire you. Super cute!

Travel the world for a taste of heaven

USA Today's  top "10 greatest places to bite into a gourmet cupcake."

For some reason there are only eight but I think that's enough to stay busy. Sprinkles Cupcakes are also in Palo Alto and I've been dying to go there with a friend for a day.

1. Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Café, St. Louis

jillyscupcakebar.com

2. Cupcake Royale, Seattle

cupcakeroyale.com

3. Baked by Melissa, New York

bakedbymelissa.com

4. Sweet! By Good Golly Miss Holly, Orlando

sweetbyholly.com

4. Smallcakes Cupcakery, Overland Park, Kan.

smallcakescupcakery.com

4. Molly's Cupcakes, Chicago

mollyscupcakes.com

5. Philly Cupcake, Philadelphia

phillycupcake.com

6. Sprinkles Cupcakes, Los Angeles

sprinkles.com

7. Crave Bake Shop, Lake Oswego, Ore.

cravebakeshop.com

8. Isabelle's Curly Cakes, Boston

izzyscurlycakes.com

SoCal cupcakes

Hey all. Haven't blogged in awhile but don't get the wrong impression. I have not, nor will I ever, get sick of eating cupcakes. Read on because this post is worth the wait.

 I visited Southern California during my spring break and was on the lookout for cupcake shops, of course. There were SO many! Below are the top three destinations with the sweetest vibes.

#1. Frosted Robin Cupcakes in Seaport Village, San Diego

Exotic, gourmet chocolates, loose leaf teas, robin eggs, and cupcakes (of course) are available at this cafe that's worth chirping about. Birds of a feather flock together to enjoy these sweet treats at this family owned nest.

French Vanilla cupcake. Photo courtesy of the Frosted Robin website.

#2. Cups Lounge at 7857 Girard Avenue, La Jolla

Enjoy a wide variety of flavors at this eco-friendly, retro-modern lounge. Cupcake happy hour is from 7-9 pm; cupcakes are 20% off. Dogs are welcome: treat your pooch to a cuppie and chill on the Pup Patio.

Wine & Cheese cupcake. Photo courtesy of the Cups website.

#3. The Cupcake Store in Downtown Disney

What a perfect day. Spend seven hours at Disneyland and then treat yourself to a cupcake. The store guarantees "every flavor, every day" and custom orders are available to match your event. You can even hose a "decorate your own" cupcake party.

Celebration cupcake. Photo courtesy of The Cupcake Store website.

-A