Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Local Cupcake Stores

        Over the past couple of years cupcake stores have popped up near my town. They have become a popular place to grab something after dinner with your friends. Some stores have become a place to go for your birthday party. These are two of the stores that are located near me.

        One of these stores is Treat Cupcake Bar. At this store you have two choices; you can either purchase one of the freshly made cupcakes or you can make your own. The flavors vary from your original: chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet to the unique flavors: Lemon Drop, Funky Chunky Oreo, and Peanut Butter Overload. If you choose to make your own you start by picking a cupcake flavor and then a frosting. Then to spice up the cupcake you can pick from a list of treats to add to the icing. Some of these treats are Nerds, Sprinkles, Gummy Worms, Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, and Dark Chocolate Chips. The workers mix in the treats with the frosting and then put some of the frosting on the cupcake and the extra in a little cup for you to add to the cupcake if you want. I have been there multiple times and once for a birthday. I enjoyed this place and you can taste how fresh the cupcakes are. It is a fun place to go at any age. Have any of you tried out this place? Do you know of any other places like this? Would you want to bring your friends to this place?

         A very recent store in Boston is Georgetown Cupcake. This store franchise got started when TLC made a show called DC Cupcakes that followed the success of the two sisters who own the store. The cupcakes vary each day of the week and each season. There are also everyday flavors that are inthe store all the time. For each day of the week there are five flavors. On Monday the flavors are Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Mint, Cinnamon, Honey Banana, and Toffee Crunch. I have never been to this store but I would love to go and see what it’s like next time I am in Boston. Is there a Georgetown Cupcake store near you? Would you like to try any of their different flavors?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cupcakes and Televison


          When you hear the words Cupcakes and Television you normally don’t put the two words together. Lately cupcakes have been making appearances on the tube.
           On TLC there is a show called  DC Cupcakes. The show follows two sisters who own a cupcake store in Washington, D.C. called Georgetown Cupcake. There stores have had amazing success and are now located in Bethesda, MD, New York, NY, Boston, Ma, Los Angeles, CA, and in spring 2013 one will be opening in Buckhead Atlanta. Since the show the sisters have written two books: The Cupcake Diaries and Sweet Celebrations. I have watched this show before and enjoyed their bubbly personalities, accidents in the kitchen, and their little arguments. Have you ever watched this show? Would you watch it?

DC Cupcakes by hdcolorist

On the Food Network there is a competition show called Cupcake Wars. In the show four top cupcake bakers face off in three challenges. One contestant is kicked off in each challenge. They are baking against each other to win $10,000 and to show off their cupcakes at a well known gig. The judges of the show are Candace Nelson, Florian Bellanger, and a new judge is on each week. Things can get really heated in the baking room as the time on the clock ticks down. I have watched this show a couple times and found it to be very entertaining. It’s a show where you don’t have to follow along each episode to understand what is going on. Does this show sound good to you? Would you think it would be fun to be on it?

Monday, November 19, 2012

The History of the Cupcake



When you eat a cupcake you typically don’t ask how cupcakes came to be. Today I asked that question. The cupcake dates back to 1828 in E. Leslie’s ‘Receipts’.  People back then started to bake cupcakes by measuring the ingredients using cups instead of weighing them. Measuring the ingredients is revolutionary in the baking world because it saved time in the kitchen. Cupcakes were also easier to cook in a hearth oven because their pans were smaller. What has now become part of our childhood became popular in the 1900’s
             There are two theories about why the cupcakes are named what they are. One theory comes from the amount of ingredients used to make cupcakes. People used cups to measure the ingredients such as a cupful of flour and a cupful of sugar. The other theory comes from the fact they were baked in cups such as tea cups. Which theory do you think is true? Do you think both theories are true? Do you think there is another theory?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Welcome to my blog on cupcakes!


Welcome!
Have you noticed the little cupcake shops that have popped up all over? Have you ever asked yourself why? Why cupcakes? What is so special about them?

I have enjoyed cupcakes ever since I was a little kid, who hasn't. I have noticed that the demand for cupcakes has risen over the past year and as a result many cupcake stores have opened all over the world. I'm wondering what started this trend and hope to inform you of my findings and a little bit on the history of the cupcake. This blog will hopefully help you understand why cupcakes have become one of the most popular bakery items.