Cupcakes

by Jessica Hulett, Posted May 3rd 2007 @ 10:39AM

It's hard not to love cupcakes. They're cute, for one, and they come in pretty colors. When done just right, they're moist, creamy and redolent of the sweet innocence of a kid's birthday party. The heady, feel-good aroma of vanilla (yes, I'm partial) and sugar that tickles your nose works better than any timer to let you know they're ready to come out of the oven. And best of all, they're small, which means you don't have to feel guilty about eating one. (Provided you can stop at one, that is.) The cupcakes of today are different than the ones of my youth, though. Cupcakes have gone gourmet -- flavors like red velvet and pumpkin are replacing the old chocolate and vanilla standbys -- and cupcake bakeries are springing up all over the country.

Everyone I know has their favorite cupcake bakery, and insists that (whether they've tried it or not), it's better than yours. For me, it's Sugar Sweet Sunshine on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The first time I entered those doors, my senses were assaulted. Cupcakes in bright blue, pink and yellow hues ... the hot, sweet smells emanating from the ovens – it was like I had literally walked into Easter. The taste is perfection -- buttery but not-too-rich cake and the frosting is full of flavor and sweet without being overpowering. Despite the number of cupcakes they make and sell each day, each one has that same intense homemade flavor. When I take that first bite, I'm transported back to my grandmother's kitchen, standing on a stepstool to reach the counter and sticking my finger into the batter when she isn't looking.

The fact that Sugar Sweet Sunshine is a mere three blocks away from me is a blessing to my taste buds and a curse to my waistline. It's always worth it, though, even on the days when I forgo a nutritional breakfast for a tart lemon cupcake with rich butter cream frosting.

Did you know?

The term "cupcake" is believed to have came from the amount of ingredients used to make them -- a cup each of flour, butter and sugar.

Cupcake Recipes:
Apple-Banana Cupcakes
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CUPCAKES? GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS!

Filed Under: Guilty Pleasures

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Reader comments (Page 4 of 4)

1-18-2008 @3:39PM rose said... 10. I dare anyone to try this cupcake receipe, I swear, they melt in your mouth, and everyone I,ve given some to take home, they always tell me later that the cupcakes never made it home! Here's the receipe: 1 box white cake mix, 1 sm box pistachio pudding, 3 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 12oz. can 7-up, pour into 13x9in ungreased cake pan and bake until light golden brown in a 350 degree oven, cool here's frosting: I 8oz container cool whip, 1 sm box pistachio pudding 1/3 cup milk, mix the milk with the pudding then fold into cool whip, frost cooled cake. oops forgot: Beat the cake mix on high for 4 minutes, then bake!Coleen Paxton

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