Obama, Romney and Vote 2012 election cupcakes and macarons from The Sweet Lobby in Washington, DC

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An update on this post about the latest in political cupcakes. Are you making or selling election cupcakes? Let us know at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com with "Election" in the subject line!

Vote with your mouth for your favorite candidate with Washington, DC bakery The Sweet Lobby's candidate cupcakes and macaroons. But that's not all. This is what they have on tap today, via their Facebook page:

Friday Macaron flavors are Olive Oil Walnut Pecorino, Lavender, Raspberry, Cappuccino, Rose, Lemon Verbena, Peach Saffron, Sweet Potato Pecan, Blackberry Cabernet, Passionfruit Milk Chocolate, Orange-Ginger, Black & White Bubbly, Red Velvet, Vanilla Violet, Red Hot Chili Chocolate, Coffee-Plantain, Pistachio, Guava, Vanilla Vanilla Vanilla, and our 2012 Political Macarons: The Obamamac, The Romneymac as well as the Democrat and Republican logo emblazoned macarons!

The Sweet Lobby is in Washington, DC at 404 8th Sreet SE, near the Eastern Market Metro Station Stop on the Blue and Orange Lines. Contact them at info at thesweetlobby.com or 202-544-2404 and visit thesweetlobby.com and @TheSweetLobby on Twitter for details. For more Washington, DC restaurants running election-themed promotions, see this press release.

Celebrity cupcake gossip: Amanda Bynes in Little Cupcake bathroom for 30 minutes,

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Jason Segal and Michelle Williams visited Seattle bakery Cupcake Royale at their Capitol Hill location recently, and they posted this photo on their Facebook page:



In more bizarre celebrity cupcake news, Amanda Bynes visited Little Cupcake Bakeshop in SoHo. From E! News:

It seems Amanda Bynes paid a visit to the Little Cupcake Bakeshop in New York City on Wednesday...and stayed a little over two hours!

What's more, a source tells E! News that the troubled starlet, wearing sunglasses and headphones for most of her stay there, spent a large chunk of time in the restroom.

Meanwhile, a local firefighter, who happened to be in the bakery at the time, needed to hit the head and began knocking on the door. But because Bynes had her headphones on, she probably couldn't hear him, our source says, adding that the situation got blown "out of proportion" when the firefighter wanted to kick open the door.

Inside Magnolia Bakery Dubai in Bloomingdale's at The Dubai Mall

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It's my last day in Dubai so I will post more when I'm home but while I'm still here I wanted to share some of my cupcake adventures. I haven't used iPhoto much before and I wound up deleting my first set of Magnolia Bakery Dubai photos because I didn't realize that by deleting them on iPhoto, which is linked to my Flickr account, I was also deleting them on Flickr. But there are worse things than returning to the Dubai Mall, which is huge and glamorous and exciting. Magnolia Bakery is inside Bloomingdale's, on the lower ground level, and nearby there is also Bloomie's Ice Cream and a seating area there too so you can enjoy both together (I recommend the raspberry gelato at Bloomie's Ice Cream).

The Magnolia Bakery in Bloomingdale's in The Dubai Mall is set up exactly the same way as the one at Bloomingdale's in New York, it's just a little smaller and doesn't have as big of a selection, and offered eggless cupcakes. Here are a few photos to give you a taste. And yes, I bought an I Cupcake Dubai t-shirt!






window display

21st birthday glittery malteser cupcakes for and by Bea from Sugaholic

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Happy 21st birthday to Bea, pictured below, who works at Dubai cupcake and cake bakery Sugaholic - I'm a few days early, but this post is also a thank you to her for inviting me to join her on her birthday cruise around the Dubai Marina yesterday, which was my very favorite thing I did while in Dubai. She is turning 21, is a pastry chef at Sugaholic, and made her own birthday cake and mini glittery malteser cupcakes! Visit Sugaholic in the Al Karama area of Dubai (near Burjuman Center) and online at sugaholic.com.

Where To Find Cupcakes Take The Cake

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Cupcake From The Treats Truck Stop

Hello new readers, followers, fans, and the like. First, we are not a bakery. Second, we talk about all things cupcake-related.

If you are new to Cupcakes Take The Cake, then you can find us not only here, but all over social media. If you prefer to get blog posts via email, then you can subscribe to our Feedblitz. What's cool about the email newsletter is that you can post comments to blog posts right from the email and search for related articles.

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Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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I have been wanting to try making the chicken lettuce wraps from like what they serve at P.F. Chang's, but I've been a little hesitant due to the amount of ingredients. But after looking through my pantry I had almost everything anyway. I based my recipe off of a recipe that I found  here. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps1-1/2 lb. chicken breast (2 large chicken breasts), chopped in small pieces1/3 cup onion, choppedSalt & Pepper2 cloves of garlic, minced1/2 tsp. ground ginger1 Tbsp. sesame oil2-1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce1/2 Tbsp. water1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter1/2 Tbsp. honey1 Tbsp. rice vinegar2 tsp. chili garlic sauce3 green onions, chopped1/2 of an 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped1/4 cup peanuts, chopped10-12 outer iceberg lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1. In a large non-stick skillet combine the chicken, onions and salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is almost no longer pink.2. Add in the minced garlic and ginger and cook until the chicken is done - no more pink. 3. In a separate, small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, and chili garlic sauce. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then whisk until completely smooth and combined. 4. Add the sauce to the chicken. Also add in the green onions and water chestnuts. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the chestnuts and green onions soften. 5. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Serve with cold lettuce leaves. Help yourself! It's a low-calorie meal with tons of taste. 
Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

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Super moist. Low in fat. So tasty. I had a friend that loved carrot cake. She was a pretty healthy eater and hardly ever ate sweets. But she easily justified carrot cake, because well it was CARROT cake! It's got to be somewhat healthy if there's carrots in it right?! :) Well I did manage to find a recipe for carrot cake that really isn't all that bad for you, but so moist, and delicious. I got the recipe from here, but the only difference was that I tried using Fat Free cream cheese, and so the frosting looks more like a glaze, but it was still good! Next time I'll try the 1/3 fat cream cheese and see what a difference it makes. Regardless, the cake is delicious. 
Carrot Cake3/4 cup all-purpose flour3/4 cup whole wheat flour1 cup granulated sugar1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut2 tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt2 tsp. ground cinnamon2 Tbsp. canola oil (maybe try applesauce?)2 large eggs1-1/2 tsp. vanilla2 cups grated carrots, peeled20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting8 oz. 1/3 fat Cream Cheese1 cup powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8" round x 3" high pan (if you have one - if not you could use a pan not as deep but you won't cook the cake for nearly as long).
2. In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until completely combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the carrots and pineapple to the other wet ingredients.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Fold until all combined, but do not over-mix. Add the walnuts.
5. Pour into your baking dish, and bake for about 40-50 minutes (I did 43 minutes). Depending on your dish, cook until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
6. When completed baking, take out of your baking dish and let it cool on a cooling rack for a few hours before frosting.
7. Beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread over cake. And enjoy!!

New Burberry Boots

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I sold some Burberry plaid boots last year, but they completely sold out...and then the fabric was discontinued. So sad! But, I found some new fabric, which isn't wool, but I like the plaid print a whole lot more.

Where has this summer gone!? I've been getting a ton of emails this week about my boots from moms already preparing for the fall/winter! I can't believe it. Here's to another season of boot making/selling/shipping!

Here are the new boots! You can either see them here, or click on my button over there ----------->

Also, if you are reading this, and you want a discount, email me and I'll give you a coupon code :)

Breakfast Cookies

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A sweet, satisfying, no flour, no added sugar, no eggs, chewy, and yummy. All wonderful things. The thing that got me excited about this recipe I found here, is the many possibilities! I think next time I might add some cocoa powder for chocolate cookies, or peanut butter. Less than 100 calories for each cookie.

Breakfast Cookies
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
2 ripe bananas, mashed until creamy
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup Craisins and/or raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mash bananas until creamy and no chunks.
3. Add the oats, applesauce, Craisins, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir just until combined.
4. Plop a spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Should make about 12.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. They're good warm, but I actually liked them better after they sat for a few hours , cooled down, and let the flavors are settle in with each other.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Salsa

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Thank you Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for introducing us to THIS wonderfully beyond delicious salsa. I will never ever buy salsa again. It is the perfect consistency - not too chunky, but not too running, sticks to you chip, and makes my mouth water just thinking about it!!! I have already made this recipe twice in the last 3 days. I also took some to a party tonight and everyone just raved about how good it was. 
If you like spicy salsa add the entire jalapeno, if not, just don't include the seeds. 
The Perfect Salsa1 can (28 oz.) Whole Tomatoes with Juice2 cans (10 oz.) Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies1/4 cup chopped onion1 clove minced garlic1 whole jalapeno, chopped1/4 tsp. sugar1/4 tsp. sea salt1/4 tsp. ground cumin1/2 cup cilantro, choppedThe juice of 1 lime
Put everything in your food processor. Pulse about 12 - 15 times until you achieve your desired consistency. Taste with a tortilla chip, and add anything you think it might need. Refrigerate for at least and hour. Serve. Enjoy!!

NYC's Best Cupcake - A city wide search for the perfect cake.

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Hey Cupcakers,

Guest blogger, Livin Lyssa (@LivinLyssa) here.  Super excited for the chance to blog for Cupcakes Take the Cake - a blog I've been reading multiple times daily for years.  I wanted to share my search for NY's Best Cupcake with you and the self-led cupcake tour that took me across the city, eating, licking, and bouncing my way from one bakery to to the next!

If you want to skip the details of the journey and only care about the the winner, then scroll to the bottom of the post for my Best NY Cupcake nominee.  Also, feel free to venture over to my own blog, LivinLyssa, to debate about NY's Best Cupcake.

Background:
New York City isn’t officially the Cupcake Capital of the World but it’s close and I’m pretty sure it’s home to some of the most famous cupcakeries in the world, making it the number one place for someone like me, who’s a bit cupcake obsessed, to search out the Best Cupcake...in NY.

New York City offers cupcake tours, but they’re over priced and hardly scratch the surface of the cupcake heaven that is New York.

Rather than investing in the tour, I created my own - covering 10 bakeries across  Manhattan with the freedom to indulge in as many cupcakes as my blood sugar could handle.  I even recruited a tourist to take along with me, making it a true tour!

My partner in crime for the adventure was - Heather Saffer, head cupcake at Dollop Gourmet in Rochester, NY and Cupcake Wars Champion!  If you're in the neighborhood, stop by her Rochester cupcakery, check out her ramblings on her blog, or order up a tube of Dollop's Ultimate Dude frosting to enjoy at home!

Our Cupcake Tour began in the West Village through SoHo to the East Side, and wrapped up in Midtown.

Taste Test Results:

Sweet Revenge:

• Crimson & Cream: Raspberry Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Beautiful presentation. Unique twist on the classic red velvet flavors with an elegant touch of raspberry and a lightly sweeted cream cheese frosting.. I'm normally a Red Velvet hater (I know, a rarity in the world of cupcake lovers) but this tasting may have made me a Red Velvet convert. 
• Sweet Revenge® (Seriously, it's trademarked.): Peanut Butter Cake, Ganache Filling with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting.  Sweet's ganache was a bit too rich but in the addictive can't-put-it-down type way.  On the other hand, the cake was a bit too crumbly and the PB frosting needed a bit less sweetener and a stronger dose of peanut butter.

Molly's Cupcakes

• Cake Batter: Does this really need an explanation?  Just imagine eating cake batter straight from the bowl.  It's a child's dream.  Vanilla cake with a gooey buttery-batter filling, and a light Swiss meringue frosting. Definitely birthday party worthy.
• Ron Bennington:  Another PB bomb.  The center was filled with pretty much a glob of PB that any nut butter lover would enjoy.  The cake it self was chocolatey and moist and the frosting complimented the cake splendidly.  No ingredient out shined the other.  This was a perfectly paired PB & Chocolate masterpiece.
• Mixed Berry: Great summertime delight.  Delicious berry filling with a fluffy vanilla cake and a simple swiss meringue.  Light and delicate for a hot summer day. Truly enjoyable.

Empire Cakes

• Chocolate-Covered Snack Cake:  Yes, I know.  This isn't technically a cupcake but it's cake (yellow) and it has frosting (chocolate) and a stuffing (vanilla cream).  Plus - this is what Empire is known for.  Imagine eating a fresh off the line, Hostess snack cake. It was what I would expect - I wouldn't go out of my way to eat it again and Hostess may do it better.

Georgetown Cupcakes

• Vanilla: Sometimes you just have to taste the classics.  This cupcake definitely had a great vanilla flavor and was made with actual vanilla bean, as I could seek the flecks, but the cake was a bit dense and a tad over baked.  C'mon Georgetown if you're going to do simple - do it right and don't let it fall wayside in the oven.
• PB Fudge: Maybe I'm bias but this could have definitely used more peanut butter in both the frosting and the center.  I'd rename it Chocolate with a Hint of Peanut.

Crumbs

• No Cupcake Report: Heather & I did journey past the Crumbs Bake Shop and stopped in to oogle the cupcakes, but at this point in the journey, I was approaching a sugar coma and had to pass on any Crumbs tasting.  I can honestly say though, these oversized cupcakes look sloppily homemade rather than deliciously appetizing.  I understand Crumbs is a cupcake paparazzi favorite but from my dedicated online research, I've conclude Crumbs cannot possibly be the Best NY Cupcake.

Billy's Bakery

• Vanilla:  Again with the classic.  I had heard rave reviews about Billy's vanilla.  Sadly, this cupcake was crumbly, the frosting tasted a bit like plastic, and the vanilla was not prominent enough.  Billy you bombed.

Butter Lane

• Chocolate Cookie Dough (I think that's what they called it): The rich, brown sugary filled cookie dough center was the star of this cupcake.  In my opinion, I could have just done shots of filling and scrapped the cake and frosting, which lived up to it's name with a strong buttery flavor.

Sprinkles

• Dark Chocolate: Maybe it's just me, but when you get big, sometimes the quality drops.  This was a three bite cupcake. One bite frosting, one bite cake, and one bite frosting & cake together.  I needed nothing more than that to tell me that the rich chocolate flavor the cupcake promoted was obviously missing.
• Salted Caramel:  The salty-sweet mix is always a winner...except when it doesn't carry through to all portions of the cupcake.  Sprinkles' frosting was spot on and the crunchy salt was delicious but unfortunately, Sprinkles doesn't offer frosting shots and I missed the delicious caramel cake that would have made this combination stellar.

Baked by Melissa


I get the appeal here - small cupcakes!  And normally, I'd be all over mini cupcakes allowing you to eat each and every one of these but Melissa's flavors can all be lumped together.  I feel like I have to pop two of these babies in my mouth simultaneously to actually taste anything.  Because to me, I was eating was air.  Kudos to you Melissa for capitalizing on the mini-loving, calorie counting sweet addicts but it's a no-go on flavor and taste.

• Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Cookie Dough
• Cookies & Cream
• Cinnamon
• S'mores
• Mint Chocolate Chip\

Cupcake Crew

• Salted Caramel: Again, sweet and salty.  Like Sprinkles, this had amazing, lickable, crunchable salty frosting but I'd pass on the cake.  I believe I'm seeing a pattern here with Salted Caramel cupcakes.  The bakers are spending too much time thinking about the crunchy delicious frosting and are forgeting to carry the duo into the actual cake portion of the cupcake.

Final Results:

Okay so truth be told, Heather and I never found the BEST NY CUPCAKE that day while we scoured the city, walked 5,000 miles, and ate ourselves into a sugar coma, but I did find the Best NYC Cupcakery, which later  led me to find the Best NYC Cupcake.



I gotta give it up for Molly.  She does it right.  She seriously Takes the Cake.

Molly's has a cute, friendly atmosphere and board games for entertainment; a do it your self sprinkle bar (because sprinkles make everything better); swing seats and the color yellow prominently displayed everywhere.  This place just screams happy and cupcakes make people happy.

Once I came down off my Cupcake Tour sugar high, it was clear to me which cupcakery was the best. On the Cupcake Tour all of Molly's cupcakes were delicious.  So weeks after I recovered from my cupcake binge, I ventured back to Molly's and treated myself to the Peach Cobbler Cupcake.

At first bite I knew, this cupcake was the BEST CUPCAKE I EVER ATE!


A buttery vanilla, cinnamon-like yellow cake with a coffecake crumble crust, a summer-fresh peach puree filled center, and a mound of light, fluffy, homemade whipped cream on top.  Everything about this cupcake was delicious and if I can recommend one cupcakery and one cupcake in NY it is most definitely Molly's Cupcakes' Peach Cobbler Cupcake.

Try it and let me know what you think on Twitter @LivinLyssa or my own blog!

Want to learn to make flowerpot cupcakes? Check out the forthcoming cookbook Sweet Celebrations by the owners of Georgetown Cupcake

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These flowerpot cupcakes are a fun way to decorate your home or party! Learn how to make them in the upcoming book by DC Cupcakes stars and Georgetown Cupcake owners Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, Sweet Celebrations, which will be released on October 9th - we'll keep you posted on any events they're doing to promote it.

On Monday, October 1st, their October flavors will debut: pumpkin spice and maple walnut crunch. That means you have until Sunday to get their caramel apple cupcakes. For now, visit georgetowncupcake.com and their Facebook page and @GtownCupcake on Twitter for the latest news.





And speaking of DC Cupcakes, the new baseball-themed episode airs on TLC on October 9th:

New York vs. Boston... Yankees vs. Red Sox. It's a rivalry that dates back more than a century and now Georgetown Cupcake is entering the competition when Sophie and Katherine open a new store in Beantown and see who can sell more cupcakes - their New York or Boston store. With the help of two iconic baseball players, Yankee legend Bernie Williams and Red Sox superstar Jason Varitek, this rivalry is sure to get heated and be settled once and for all on DC CUPCAKES: WICKED GOOD SHOWDOWN on TLC Tuesday, October 9 at 8 pm ET/PT.

The hard working and ever competitive sisters, Sophie and Katherine are opening a new store in Boston and want to see who can sell the most cupcakes in one week - Sophie in New York or Katherine in Boston. Each sister has enlisted the help of a well-known baseball player, Yankee legend Bernie Williams and Red Sox superstar Jason Varitek. What starts as a competition between Sophie and Katherine, snowballs into a fevered contest between these two baseball greats and two iconic cities. After the intense contest, the sisters face yet another challenge when they come together to create a cupcake replica of the Navy's USS Constitution for Boston's enormous fleet week celebration in the city's harbor. With the competition and challenging masterpiece behind them, the sisters break big news to Mommy that will change all of their lives forever.

Cupcake Appreciation Post: Dexter Cupcakes!

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Dexter comes back on Sunday and I can't explain how excited I am! My friend and I were discussing having a Dexter Premiere party and the subject of cupcakes came up! In honor of the premiere I present to you some amazing looking Dexter cupcakes that you can make for your own Dexter party or even for Halloween!

via Merari Teruel Photography

via Merari Teruel Photography

via Etsy

via Polish The Stars