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

Nothing bunt cakes

I came into work the other day craving something sweet and my wish was answered when I saw these tiny little bunt cakes from Nothing Bunt Cakes. They're almost like cupcakes! They were a day old so the cake was a smidge dried out but the cream cheese frosting made up for it. I can imagine how yummy it would've been fresh.

Cupcakes Make All Birthdays Better!

Happy Monday Everyone!! Here are some more fun-filled cupcake creations from birthday parties that I just had to share them with you!! Hopefully you are inspired to create your own cool cupcake masterpieces :) ~~~N

 These cupcakes look like they came straight from a beautiful garden! I dont know if the picture does them justice, but they were some of the largest cupcakes I have seen. I'm sure they were packed with yummy chocolate flavor and that the birthday girl felt very special with her selection of pretty cupcake flowers

 Aren't these the cutest things you have ever seen??? They are almost too cute to eat....almost!! Marshmellows and chocolate chips were used to make the eyes and licorice strips to make the smile. Topped with a sweet green frosting to complete the froggy cupcake tower. These 6 year olds were definitely not disappointed with these sweet treats.

This is the perfect birthday cupcake for a Rockin Birthday Party!! The guests at this party could still feel like they are on the trampolines without actually jumping! The cupcakes are hidden under all the frosting for easy pulling apart. A fun trampoline cake for a fun trampoline birthday is a perfect match!


Want to have the best birthday party ever?? Follow this link for a Rockin good time!

Cupcakes for Breakfast

Yum! Today, I had mini blueberry muffins for breakfast. Then I had this brilliant idea! If I had put a little bit of frosting on top and I would've had cupcakes for breakfast! I found this mouth watering recipe from Foodie with Family. Both the picture and recipe are straight from website. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• grated zest and juice of a lemon
• 1 cup milk, divided
• 2 cups of fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained), tossed with 3 tablespoons of flour
  To Serve:
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
• additional lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Line 24 muffin tins with muffin papers (you may have enough batter to make a few extra cupcakes, so if you have more tins and papers, keep them handy.)

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer or sturdy spoon, cream together the softened butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed or until light and fluffy and even. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs -one at a time- beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix in well, add about 1/3 each of the milk and lemon juice and mix well. Repeat until they are used up, ending with the milk and lemon juice.

Shake any excess flour from the blueberries and gently fold them into the cake batter. Fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3 full of batter. Tap the pan gently on the counter two or three times to settle the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the center and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out without gooey batter on it.

Turn out of the pans onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Store the cupcakes, unadorned, at room temperature in a tightly covered container for 3-4 days.

Just Before Serving:

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer or whisk) on high speed, whip the whipping cream and confectioner's sugar until it holds a peak when the beater is removed from it. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream onto the cupcakes and top with a pinch of fresh lemon zest.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Turn the brown and white color scheme into a rainbow! A pot of sprinkles awaits at the end. :)

More creative cupcake creations!

Another busy and fun filled weekend of birthday parties at my work. When I saw these two birthday cupcake creations, I knew I had to share them on Sweets4Soul! The first is a cupcake garden complete with Oreo dirt, gummy worms, and edible flowers! Honestly one of the best birthday desserts I have seen to this day. The next are cute Cookie Monster cupcakes. This party went all out with the Cookie Monster theme with a dozen character balloons of Cookie Monster himself, blue tableware, and goody bags. These cupcakes were not only cute as can be, but extremely delicious! ~~~~N

Kara's Cupcakes at Ghiradelli Square

Last stop on our cupcake tour was Kara's Cupcakes located in Ghiradelli Sqaure. Kara's is an extremely popular cupcake shop that we are always hearing about, but have never been to! We both decided it was a must taste on our journey. Kara's has many other locations so you don't have to go far for a sweet treat. When we ordered our cupcakes, they were placed in cute individual boxes to make us feel like we were opening a present. The surprise inside was the perfect end to a great day!

A: I think I ordered the Caramel Banana flavor. I don't remember because I was in a sugar coma but I do remember it was very tasty! The giant blue sprinkle on top excited me! The inside was filled with warm caramel while the outside was a moist banana cake. I never thought the two flavors would taste good together...but they did. My final cupcake topped it off.

 

N: I had the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcake. Since chocolate and peanut butter is my weakness in life, I felt I had no other choice but to go for that one. I was in paradise when I had my first bite and felt like I had just been transported to cupcake heaven. I definitely wished I had some milk to counter the rich flavor, but enjoyed it nonetheless. The cake was perfectly baked and the peanut butter frosting was amazing. I could eat the frosting alone with a spoon for hours!

American Cupcake

The next stop on our San Francisco cupcake adventure was American Cupcake on Union Street. It was the perfect pit stop after a bit of walking and an exciting ride on the Muni Bus. The shop was very modern with white tables, chairs, and walls, with pops of colors from the lighting. The cupcakes were also very modern looking with their simple toppings and flavors. American Cupcake also serves brunch, lunch, dinner, and a variety of other delicious desserts. One day we will go back and try all of their other crazy creations such as the Pink Popcorn flavored cupcake or the Red Velvet Fried Chicken (yes the batter is red velvet and they fry it!)

N: I had the Worms and Dirt Cupcake. Worms and Dirt was a fond childhood memory of mine so I wanted to see how it translated in cupcake form, and it did not disappoint. The chocolate cake and the simple buttercream frosting were a perfect match. It was topped with Oreo crumbles which added the perfect crunch and two fun colored gummy worms! A definite two thumbs up!

A: I tried the Black & Tan cupcake. Isn't that also a beer? Well fortunately this cupcake didn't taste like beer. It had a slight coffee flavor. The powder pink frosting on top was the icing on the cake...ha! It was very sweet and creamy. I'm not sure why, but I really like sprinkles. The sprinkles on this cupcake made all the difference. It was a challenge eating this dainty cupcake, daintily! Three thumbs up!

Cupkates Truck

After staring at a map for at least ten minutes, we finally found where "Off the Grid" was. It turned out to be directly in front of us at the base of the most prominent building in sight...city hall! Looking like we didn't know where we were going (we didn't) was so worth it after taking a bite into the delicately decorated goodness. Since 2009, Cupkates Bakery Truck has been named “Best Food Truck” by SF Weekly and East Bay Express. Since it's the only food truck that has served us cupcakes, we'd have to agree.

N: I ordered the salted caramel flavor. After licking the caramel off my fingers, I was able to enjoy the perfectly rich blend of chocolate, caramel, and the pinch of salt. The cake was moist and fresh. Even better, we bought it from a nice lady driving a cupcake TRUCK :)  Can't say I do that everyday.

A: I ordered the March special, lemon meringue pie. It tasted exactly like the real thing only it was better because it was in the form of a manageable cupcake. At the bottom was a graham cracker crust; probably my favorite part. The moist lemon cake was filled with tart lemon curd topped off with toasted meringue frosting and coconut shavings. Probably the best breakfast I've ever devoured.

We both give ours 4 stars!

Extreme Cupcake Creations

It seems like nowadays everyone is turning to cupcakes to add that extra something to their celebration. Whether it be for birthdays, baby showers, company parties, etc. Cupcakes seem to be the desired dessert of choice. At my job, I see hundreds of different creative dessert creations for kid's birthday parties. The amount of effort that some of these parents put into treats for their children amazes me every weekend. I have it all to the classic grocery store cupcake, professional cupcakes that cost a fortune, the popular theme of Angry Birds, to treats that have the birthday child's face on them. I could go on and on about all of the interesting cupcakes we see on a weekly basis. No matter what the theme is, these cupcakes always leave a lasting impression on the guests and add the perfect amount of sweetness to the party. Cupcakes have become a staple in celebrating any occassion and people will go to great lengths to make sure their cupcakes are perfect to impress their guests.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Filled Cupcake

Last night, while I was wandering along the aisles of Trader Joe's I came across this ^^ beauty. It made my tastebuds tingle because 1) I am a sucker for peanut butter, 2) Who doesn't like dark chocolate?, 3) It came in a four pack. I planned to share. I was looking forward to enjoying one of these after my morning run. Unfortunately, the mix of dark chocolate and peanut butter flavors was not complementary. The dark chocolate overpowered the peanut butter making for a rich dessert. This made up for not having dessert yesterday! I give it 2 stars.

Welcome!

This is going to be where we confess our love for cupcakes and why we eat them. We will post images of mouth-watering cupcakes and give insight to how eating these masterpieces make us feel.

A cupcake a day keeps the tears away :)
~N/A