Cupcakes are like personal cakes!

Make it your own, make it personal, make it a gift, even if it is a gift for you.

I think cupcakes are a wonderful bite to serve, indulge in, or simply to practice your baking skills on. I like to make a batch of cupcakes all look different and unique from each other. It is so much fun for each person to choose the cupcake they think looks amazing out of the batch. It makes you feel special when you get that one with the huge chocolate chunk on top, or the espresso beans covered in chocolate, or the pearls that have been glimmering at you since you saw the cupcakes.

When I make cupcakes I make sure to use real butter, vanilla bean, rich cocoa powder, full fat buttermilk, fresh citrus juice and citrus zest, and sugar. If you are going to have a delicious cupcake with delicious frosting then corners should not be cut on the ingredients. I love when you bite into a cupcake and you realize you are eating a real treat.

A great flavor combination can make any dessert, but a cupcake has to be balanced just right. With only about 4-5 bites in a cupcake you want to make sure you taste it all with each one. Vanilla Cupcake with maple frosting and filled with apricot jam (right), or chocolate with orange (center), and vanilla bean and espresso (left). These bites should remind you of a latte, a chocolate orange, and a sweet pancake topped with apricots and syrup.

Flowers are a beautiful way to dress up a cupcake, making a wonderful addition to any table setting or even a cupcake bouquet as a special gift.

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One of the wonderful flavors that is a available in a cupcake form is lemon. These bumble bee cupcakes were a sweet treat for a 1st birthday, there was vanilla for the kids and lemon for the adults and they were a huge crowd pleaser. The cupcake is flavored with real lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest that gives you a real pucker. The buttercream is flavored with lemon curd and lemon zest and these cupcakes can be filled with lemon curd which will really send your taste buds soaring.

I hope this gets you thinking about your next party, quiet dinner, special gift, and delightful indulgence. Keep an eye out for the next post highlighting the extra special cupcakes (diary free, vegan, and gluten free).