Recently I’ve noticed that a lot of my friends are really “in” to cupcakes. Miss Dani (from a couple pages over at “Tea Time”) has somewhat reached the point of obsession with cupcakes and in particular mini cupcakes. While on vacation my husband, sister-in-law and I came across a little store selling gourmet cupcakes. They looked absolutely divine. The combinations of flavours were so unique and each was topped with a towering spiral of butter cream icing with either fondant flowers or sparkling sprinkles accenting them. I of course did not partake as I’m waging war with post baby weight but now I wish I had. So, this week it’s all about making gourmet cupcakes!

I’m not that much of an adventurous baker and so I’d still probably be tempted to use a box mix to make the actual cupcake. Maybe if I were feeling spunky I’d use white and chocolate mixes to make a bit of a marble. In reality though once you pile on a bunch of rich creamy icing no one’s going to taste the actual cake anyways!

The thing about cupcakes is that they are so versatile and you can decorate them in so many ways. Dani recently made crazy cute monster cupcakes and for my son’s birthday I attempted to make Elmo cupcakes with huge marshmallow eyes. I’m going to be honest – they were kind of scary! Whatever your child imagines they can pretty much work into a cupcake décor with the right supplies. Using an icing piping bag and various tips you can also create really elegant and scrumptious looking cakes. If you’re ignorant to cake decorating ways like myself you can find a wealth of resources and tutorials on the Internet. There are many YouTube videos that give exact directions. You could also visit your local library and search for cupcake books that will give you pictures and recipes for a plethora of creative ideas.

Your finished beauties would be perfect for a little garden tea party with your kids or to bring to a friend as a hostess gift to say thanks for the backyard BBQ. Enjoy!