{Bake} - Holly Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

So I may have be slightly partial to these cupcakes because they celebrate my namesake, but also because they are so deliciously simple to make and offer a cheerful addition to any holiday dessert table. The full tutorial for these sweet little treats can be found here.

{Bake} - Candy Cane Cupcakes

{Image Via Cupcakes Take The Cake}

Chocolate and mint is my favorite holiday combination. (Peanut butter and chocolate is the all time favorite.) The rich smell that always fills the house whenever I'm baking a tasty treat with this flavor combination makes my mouth water. So of course I was drooling the minute I stumbled across this delectable cupcake recipe and wasn't disappointed when I tested it out either. Thanks to  Cupcakes Take The Cake and JavaCupcake for this ultimate holiday treat!

A dark chocolate mint cupcake topped with peppermint buttercream & candy canes

Makes approx 2 1/2-3 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar (not packed)

½ cup canola oil

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

6 oz baking chocolate 100% cacao

3.5 oz bar of Lindt Intense Mint Dark chocolate bar

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

½ cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line pan cupcake liners.
2. With an electric mixer and a paddle attachment, mix together the sugars, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.  Beat until smooth.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Add the melted chocolate in a slow stream to the egg/sugar mixture.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until well incorporated.
5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda & powder and the salt.
6. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in thirds.  Between each addition, add ½ cup of milk. MIX ONLY UNTIL INCORPORATED. Scrape the sides of the bowl
7. Add the boiling water and fold together by hand.
8. Fill cupcake lines ½ full.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.  Rotate pan 180 degrees, lower temperature of oven to 325 degrees and bake an additional 4-6 minutes.
10. Cupcakes will be done with a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1. In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended.
2. Add the vanilla extract and blend.
3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Slowly add the cream.
5. Beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy for 4 minutes.

Garnish
1 box candy canes
Star tip & piping bag full of frosting

1. Unwrap the candy canes and set aside half.
2. Break half of the candy canes into ¾-1 inch pieces
3. Put the second half into a zip loc bag.  Place on a flat, hard surface and pound with the flat side of a large wooden spoon until there are no more big chunks left.  You should have a fine powder with a few small pieces left for dusting the tops of your cupcake.
4. Pipe frosting onto cupcake.
5. To garnish, sprinkle candy cane dusting onto piped frosting.  Place a candy cane piece on top.

{Meet} - Dressing On The Side

{Images Via Dressing On The Side}

Be silly. Be playful. Be yourself. Dressing on the Side makes it easy for you to be whatever you want. As you may know we LOVE cupcakes around here, so I was so excited when I stumbled across Dressing on the Side's shop full of delicious designs.Unique and original, they limit the quantity of each design sold so you'll never see yourself coming and going.We've selected a few of our favorites, but seriously how can you choose just one? A quick browse through their shop is sure to lengthen your wish list.

{Bake} - Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

{Image Via Duncan Hines}

These cupcakes bridge the holidays and make a terrific dessert centerpiece for gatherings from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The patch is made from both standard and mini cupcakes baked in white and orange liners. Cupcakes are topped with a bonnet of orange frosting. The icing is rolled in orange sugar and the ribs are shaped by pressing a bamboo skewer into the frosting. The patch is finished off with licorice for stems and tendrils. Then pick your favorite and start eating!

Ingredients

12 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners

24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners

2 pieces of green licorice twists

1 can plus 1 cup of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Classic Vanilla Frosting

Orange food coloring

1 cup orange decorating sugar

Green licorice laces

Baking Instructions 

1) Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.

2) Place orange decorating sugar into a  shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.

3) Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 or 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces to make the tendrils.

{Bake} - Turkey Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Gobble, gobble, gobble is all you're going to here when these little cupcake cuties are served up! (And it won't be the turkeys either.) Of course you know we can't get enough cupcakes around here so in honor of the fast approaching turkey day, here are some nifty little turkey cupcakes from (who else of course), but Martha Stewart.

DIY - Halloween Hoot Cupcakes

{Image Via Land O Lakes}

I love these cute little owls! So perfect for a fall birthday or halloween party so they just had to be featured for Cupcake Monday. Also I thought it would be fitting as I will be adding my new owl collections to the shop this week, including a special Halloween themed one.

Halloween Hoot Cupcakes

Preparation time: 1 hrs  15 min  Baking time: 19 min 

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes Ingredients:

1		(18.25-ounce) package butter recipe white cake mix
1 1/4		cups water
1/2		cup butter softened
3		egg whites
1		teaspoon almond flavoring
1		cup sweetened flaked coconut

Frosting Ingredients:

3 1/2		cups powdered sugar
1		(8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4		cup butter, softened
1		tablespoon milk

Decorations Ingredients:

48		butter rum-flavored hard candies with holes
		Milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2		cup sliced almonds
24		whole cashews

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all cake ingredients except coconut in large bowl. Beat according to package directions. Gently stir in coconut. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Place 2 butter rum candies on each cupcake for eyes. Dip bottoms of chocolate chips into frosting; place onto each candy circle to form center of eye. Arrange almonds above eyes for feathers. Add cashew for beak.

Store refrigerated in container with tight-fitting lid.

Recipe Tip
The back of a spoon works great to make decorative swirls when frosting cakes and cupcakes.

Recipe Tip
Butter rum candies with holes are available in bags or rolls. Yellow or orange candies can be substituted for the butter rum.

DIY - Apple Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Celebrate the fall harvest or back to school with these precious little cupcakes resembling freshly picked apples.

Ingredients

• Red, yellow and green food coloring, as desired
• Simple Buttercream
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• 24 thin pretzel sticks
• Sour green apple candy strips (about 2 1/2 feet)

Directions

1. Using food coloring, tint buttercream as desired.
2. Using an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes with a generous amount of buttercream. Place a pretzel stick in the center of each cupcake to form a stem. Using kitchen scissors, cut candy strips into leaf shapes, and insert one into each cupcake, creating an apple. for each cupcake. Place next to the pretzel stem.

DIY - Candy Corn Cupcakes

{Image Via I Heart Cuppy Cakes}

Aren't these fabulous! I am a sucker for cupcakes and candy corn so when I stumbled across this recipe on I Heart Cuppy Cakes I was in heaven. So unique for a halloween party or fall birthday.  I just love them!

DIY - Upcycled Cupcake Toppers

{Image Via Amy Bakes Cupcakes}

Ever wonder what to do with all those old books laying around? While some are classics and keepsakes others just become dust collectors once your child outgrows them. Why not make some creative and fabulous cupcake toppers featuring your child's favorite characters? Simply punch the images or phrases out with a scallop scrapbook punch or cut with scissors, mount on coordinating scrapbook paper if you want, attach to toothpicks and jazz it up with a bit of ribbon if you like. Voila! 

Still too much work? Amy Bakes Cupcakes offers crafty cupcake toppers to go along with their delicious menu of cupcakes.

{Image Via Naughty Secretary Club}

DIY - Frog Prince Cake

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{Image Via My Cake School}

Ever enviously watch one of the cake shop shows on TV and wish you could do that? Well now it's your turn to be the Cake Boss with this crazy cute Frog cake design by My Cake School. This fabulous blog offers all sorts of DIY cake designs and projects with simple, clear instructions including this frog cake which would be perfect for your next baby shower or birthday.

New To The Shop - Something Blue Collection

{Images Via Grace Printables}

According to the Victorian saying, "Something old, Something new, Something Borrowed, Something Blue..." every bride should include blue in their wedding day for good luck. Well we have a modern twist on this old classic, The Something Blue Bridal Shower Collection.  This delicate blue, so often used in baby showers is a perfectly elegant choice for a party honoring the bride to be. After all it is the color of the the famous Tiffany box.

New To The Shop - The Little Outlaw Collection

{Images Via Grace Printables}

Calling all cowboys! We are rounding y'all up for a birthday showdown with our new collection "Little Outlaw" that has just recently been added to the shop. We had so much fun creating this new set of printables and were overwhelmed with all the great ideas and projects we found for a western party. The boy's set is already listed in the store, a vintage themed girl's set is coming soon!

New To The Shop - The Stache Bash

{Images Courtesy of Grace Printables}

Lip fuzz, soup strainer, flavor saver, lady magnet, what ever you want to call them moustaches are making a come back and becoming a popular party trend. Once a sign of distinction, these furry accessories have become a modern humorous fashion statement. Last year May was declared Moustache Month in the US and was celebrated across the country by men everywhere proudly owning their facial hair. Now Stache Bashes are cropping up everywhere and to celebrate everything from bachelor parties and birthdays to announcing the birth of a baby boy. Inspired by this new craze, I created and added new printables, including a DIY kit with score card, to the shop for your own Stache Bash. Whether your guests are sporting real or fake moustaches, a Stache Bash is guaranteed to be a unique party and a good laugh.

Inspiration - Mustache Mania

{Image via Cake Spy}

{Image via Cake Love}

{Image via Sprinkle Bakes}

Here is a little sample of the delicious eye candy I found for inspiration for the new Stache Bash collection. The last is from a recipe for Moustache Topped Chocolate Cupcakes (can you say yummy!!) I found on Sprinkle Bakes blog. What a deliciously fun project perfect for any Stache Bash!

Bangerang Bake Shop

 

{Images courtesy of Bangerang Bake Shop}

Caution the following images may cause uncontrollable drooling ... and for good reason. Bangerang Bake Shop (formerly Fat Daddy Bake Shop) whips up some of the most delectable and delicious creations and then delivers them directly to your door. With a menu that includes selections like "Plain jane in a party dress" to "The big salty caramella fella" there is something for everyone. Curing that cupcake craving just got a whole lot easier!

 

Growing from their humble beginnings on Etsy, Bangerang Bake Shop has been most recently featured in O magazine and on The Today Show.  The entrepreneurial Mom behind these treats, Nicole Mahler, has always had a certain knack for baking cupcakes and when searching for a way to safely ship these sweet creations, cupcakes in a jar was born. Arriving with a few days of ordering, all of Bangerang's cupcakes are made with the finest freshest ingredients. Preservative free these delights can be eaten within 7 days or frozen for up to 10 weeks, so you can have one now and save one for later ... if you can resist!

These certainly have my vote for a truly unique and delicious favor at any party or wedding, I mean who doesn't love cupcakes?