August 29th, 2009 marked the one year anniversary of Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. Olivia welcomed this landmark date with a huge backyard birthday party reminiscent of childhood celebrations, complete with food courtesy of Casserole Queens, two giant cakes, ice cream, and vodka from Tito’s (well reminiscent except for the booze part). Hundreds of cupcake lovers braved the heat and long lines to attend the party and from what I observed everyone had a great time.
Sugar Mama’s used the birthday party to make the announcement that they would now be selling mini pies. To launch their new product in style, Olivia hosted a ridiculously messy mini pie eating contest… Austin Cupcake Smackdown 1.0 eating champion Chris Floyd defeated all other challengers and took home the first prize valued at $350!
Click Here to see cool photos from the event!
This weekend was a crazy one in the world of Austin Cupcakes. Jennie Chen organized the Austin Cupcake Smackdown 1.0 which brought together dozens of local bakers in a blind taste testing competition to see who’s cupcakes would reign supreme (similar to Foodingblog’s very own cupcake tasting challenge located here).
Foodingblog played a part in this incredible event as Peter was selected to be a judge in the Amateur baking competition and he was also interviewed during the coverage of the Austin Cupcake Smackdown by FOX 7 Austin here (fast forward to 2:50 it see his interview on Giovanni’s vegan Dulce sin Leche cupcakes).
If you missed either the Pre Party or the Smackdown event itself, don’t worry. Foodingblog has you covered. Peter brought his camera along to both events to get a behind the scenes look at the events of the weekend.
Click here to view selected photos from the weekend and continue down to see the full gallery below
Why do we love cupcakes? We’re all adults here at Fooding Blog – for the most part, anyway. Shouldn’t we be eating grown up desserts like crème brulee or some kind of dowse-with-brandy-and-set-on-fire thing? Don’t get me wrong: I love a good crème brulee, but it requires a torch and a utensil.
Cupcakes, however, remind us that it’s ok to feel like we did as kids, when dessert was fun and gooey and colorful. They remind us it’s ok to eat with our hands and get a little frosting on our chins and maybe on our shirts too. Cupcakes remind us that desserts don’t always require an open flame.
Click here to read more about the Austin Cupcake Comparison
With the cupcake’s new found popularity, it comes as no surprise that the Queen of everything food/home/gardening/entertaining would quickly step up to release an all inclusive guide on Cupcakes. Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat (link goes to Amazon.com) arrived on my doorstep early last week, and I was hooked at first sight. The tasty cover photo and title sum up everything that this book is about – Cupcakes!
In true Martha form, anyone who reads this book will walk away more educated about the art of the cupcake and definitely inspired to bake. The book includes 175 recipes categorized into visually appealing sections including Swirled & Sprinkled, Piped & Topped, and Birthdays! Inside, the reader will find recipes running the gamut of cupcakes from the traditional Devil’s Food to the creative and exciting Amaretto-Pineapple Cupcake. Additional chapters of the book provide inspiration on Displaying, Icing, and Preparation and include Decorating Templates & Clip Art.
Click here to read more about Martha Stewart’s new cupcake book!
Discovering food together with friends, one delicious bite at a time
August 29th, 2009 marked the one year anniversary of Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. Olivia welcomed this landmark date with a huge backyard birthday party reminiscent of childhood celebrations, complete with food courtesy of Casserole Queens, two giant cakes, ice cream, and vodka from Tito’s (well reminiscent except for the booze part). Hundreds of cupcake lovers braved the heat and long lines to attend the party and from what I observed everyone had a great time.