Wednesday, February 17, 2010

HAVE A CUPCAKE AND A SMILE


There's something about a cupcake that always makes me smile-they're just the right size and the perfect mix of cake and icing in one tidy, delicious package. Manhattan has become awash in cupcakes with delicious homey offerings on nearly every corner: Billy's, Magnolia Bakery, Crumbs, Cupcake Cafe, Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Buttercup Bakery all have a cult like following, and with good reason-they are really good. Everyone seems to have their favorite-mine is a perfect red velvet from Buttercup Cafe on Second Avenue. Dangerously close to home and work, I have to make sure that I don't walk within a three block radius of the shop on an empty stomach, otherwise I'm sure to be sidling up to the counter to pick up a few cupcakes "for the kids."


Today is my daughter's school birthday party and we are bringing in cupcakes. I was ready to call Buttercup Bakery (how can you go wrong with a name like buttercup?) but I was stopped in my tracks when my first grader told me she wanted homemade. Ok. I was imagining the hours in my kitchen ahead of me, making a batch of scratch vanilla cupcakes as dry as dust, when she told me that what she really wanted was tie dyed frosted cupcakes. Yes, I can do that! I bought a box of mix, which I convinced myself was quasi homemade when I added a stick of butter and extra vanilla to the mix and made a quick vanilla butter cream frosting. A few carefully place drops of food coloring in the icing and some gentle mixing produced a groovy, psychedelic wonder. Where they as good as Buttercup Bakery? To her, they were better.

5 comments:

Houses Gardens People said...

I've never seen tie dyed cupcake icing before. It's gorgeous! I really like your blog -- I love reading about the Hamptons, especially from an insider's point of view like yours.

Jaime Rogers said...

Awww, I do miss my NYC cupcakes. Magnolia and Buttercup were my two faves...I believe Buttercup was actually founded by the former partner of Magnolia's owner...I think. Regardless, they are both delish! As I lived downtown, I found myself at Magnolia too frequently;) Now I have a serious craving kicking in....Thx.

I thought you were on holiday missy;)

All the best,
Jaime

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita said...

Oh how very sweet - no pun intended. I am certain that they were better - Buttercup is good,but a mom's love tastes even better! It is funny, I love different flavors at those shops. For Cupcake I like Chocolate, Magnolia's Red Velvet and Buttercup's Vanilla ... Your daughter will remember those tie dye cupcakes for a long time ...
Best,
Stephanie

viagra online said...

This is really true because when I eat cupcakes my mother prepare I get a smile in my face, she has an special recipe to prepare them because she uses a rare syrup which I don't know where she acquires it.m10m

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