Cupcake Craze!

In two weeks, I have made four different kinds of cupcakes. Overkill? Nah. Well, maybe to my waistline. I've just been feeling festive and there have been so many reasons to celebrate. I mean Valentine's Day screams heart shaped cupcakes, right? And from what I hear, two kinds of cupcakes are required at game nights. And a birthday? Yeah, that may be my only legitimate reason to make cupcakes.

• Top left: Reece's cupcakes. White cake with chopped up Reece's Peanut Butter Cups (or just buy the mini ones) with white frosting mixed with a couple tablespoons of Creamy JIF.
• Top right: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Chocolate cake with chocolate chips in the batter with chocolate frosting, rolled in a bowl of mini chocolate chips.
• Bottom left: Cookies and cream. Chocolate cake with a Double Stuff Oreo in the middle. Then crumbled Oreos mixed with white frosting. The trick with these is to put a little bit of batter in the bottom of the cup, add an Oreo and then cover it with more batter. The Oreo softens a little during baking but adds a nice bit of crunch to the cupcake experience.
• Bottom right:  Lemon.  Lemon cake with lemon frosting and yellow sugar sprinkles*.

*The sprinkles and kit used to frost the lemon cupcakes were bought here. Home Cake is amazing. About a month ago I was looking for a flour sifter and the owner of the Seattle Restaurant Store recommended checking out Home Cake if I was getting into baking. I think he said something along the lines of "it's a bit chaotic, but totally worth it." And it is. I am a novice baker and I hate messy (which it is), but I love it there. It's a one woman show. She like a baking Wonder Woman. Both times I've been there the store has been packed but she managed to magically ring everyone up, answer the phone, dispense sage advice and upsell everyone. But she was right, those disposable pastry bags have already come in handy.  But seriously, you should go there.

Ok, I've gotta go do some sit-ups...