Hello Cake Blog readers.  It’s Lauren from Crave. Indulge. Satisfy. I want to start off first by thanking Carrie for asking me to be a part of her amazingly gorgeous and always inspiring cake blog!  I am honored to be a new contributor on The Cake Blog and look forward to sharing many great cupcake recipes and photos with you monthly!   Today I am sharing my first cupcake creation to kick off summer, Honey Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting!

The star ingredient is fresh local honey that I picked up at our local farmer’s market a few weeks ago.  While my husband and I were scoping out all the vendors we were quickly persuaded to sample some fresh honey.  After one taste of a sweet wild flower honey I was sold and quickly purchased a mason jar full!  Honey is an ingredient I always keep on hand (usually in the shape of the honey bear) to add some sweetness to smoothies, corn bread, a bowl of oatmeal, homemade granola bars or even dog biscuits for my black lab.  Everything tastes better with a little honey right?  All it took was one spoonful of honey and I was inspired to create a honey cupcake that I hope you are going to love!

Before we jump right to the recipe, I wanted to share with you some basic tools I use all the time when making cupcakes.  I find that using a standard size ice cream scoop with a release mechanism is very helpful when filling the cupcake liners and making uniform sized cupcakes.  I picked up my scoop at a grocery store a few years ago for just a few dollars and it is one of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets!  When it comes time to decorating cupcakes I absolutely love using a large round piping tip to create a tall swirly design like on these cupcakes!  Don’t have a piping tip, just scoop your icing into a large zip lock bag, snip off one bottom corner and start swirling away!

Just looking at these cupcakes makes me happy!  These little cakes are extra special because you get a double pop of honey in both the cake and frosting!  Add some sugar sprinkles on top and you’ve got a vibrant sweet that is perfect for those bright summery days!  Honey Cupcakes would be the perfect addition to a summer picnic or family reunion.  You could even add some fresh lemon juice or zest for an extra punch of flavor!  Don’t let summer pass you by without giving this recipe a try!

HONEY CUPCAKES WITH HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
a recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
{makes 1 dozen cupcakes}

For the cake:

1 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In medium bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
3. In small bowl mix together wet ingredients: buttermilk, honey and vanilla, set aside.
4. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter and sugar on medium speed until combined.
5. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
6. Gradually add the dry and wet ingredients, alternating starting and ending with dry ingredients and mix until combined.
7. Using ice cream scoop fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
9. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Once cupcakes are completely cool, ice with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting.

For the frosting:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp honey
yellow food coloring (optional)
yellow sugar sprinkles

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter and cream cheese until combined.
2. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and continue to mixing scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Mix in honey.
4. If desired add a few drops of yellow food coloring to slightly tint the icing.
5. Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with a round decorating tip and swirl the frosting on top of the cupcake going in a circular motion.
6. Add some yellow sugar sprinkles and enjoy!

These cupcakes are amazingly delicious and absolutely scream summer time!  Enjoy!

	Lauren Kapeluck Lauren is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a self-taught baker and lover of all things sugar. Read more about Lauren on her bio page.

Over the weekend my husband and I did a little shopping and I picked up the cutest ombre t-shirt from Banana.  I’m really loving the ombre trend right now.  I started thinking about all of the lovely gradient cakes I’ve seen lately.  So today we’re showcasing some our favorite ombre cakes!  Enjoy these stunning creations by Maggie Austin Cake, Whipped Bakeshop and Cake Coquette!

Are you loving this trend as much as I am?  Tomorrow we’ll take a look at yet another gorgeous ombre cake.  Until then, enjoy these beauties!  And be sure to enter our current giveaway to win $100 worth of fondant cupcake and cake toppers from Edible Details!

Vendors & Credits:
1st Purple Ombre Cake: Maggie Austin Cake
2nd Purple Ombre Cake: Whipped Bakeshop
Pink Ombre Cake: Cake Coquette

Memorial Day is just around the corner.  That means this weekend will be full of BBQ’s with friends and loads of outdoor fun.  And I know we all agree that no party is complete without dessert!  So here are a few sweet ideas to get your planning started.

• Chocolate-dipped Rice Krispies Treat ‘Popsicles’ from Twig & Thistle
• Strawberry Cream Cake from My Baking Addiction
• Stars and Stripes Cookies from Eleni’s
• Red, White & Blue Parfaits from Martha Stewart
• Vanilla Bean Chantilly with fresh berries from Live, Love and Eat Desserts
• Red, White & Blueberry Trifle from Martha Stewart

Here’s wishing you clear skies for the weekend!  Enjoy!

And don’t forget to enter our current Giveaway!!  Get your summer reading started with three great books and a fabulous tote bag from Merah Muda!  Enter HERE.

I keep coming back to the same idea.  For the last three years, I’ve written a post about picnics, specifically for Mother’s Day.  I absolutely love picnics and think going on one with your family would be the perfect way to spend Mother’s Day.  Winter is finely ending and spring is emerging.  It’s the perfect weather for a picnic.  I’m always in the mood for eating outdoors.  Whether it is just sitting on a restaurant patio or actually going to the park for a picnic, you can count me in.  Catching my husband in the mood for a picnic is another story.  Maybe picnics are a girl thing?  Well this is the first Mother’s Day since my daughter was born… I guess we’ll see if my husband has been reading.

Treat the mother in your life to a picnic this Mother’s day.  Just grab some good cheese, fruit and fancy crackers.  Maybe a crusty baguette. Add a blanket, a good book and an excellent bottle of wine. You’re all set for a relaxing afternoon outside.  Here are some great finds from Crate and Barrel if you want to pull out all of the stops. They know how to do a picnic right!

• No need to worry about spilling your wine!  Enjoy a glass outdoors with these handy Steady Stick Wine Glass Holders to hold your glass in the ground.
• This Fiesta Striped Picnic Blanket is water-resistant and rolls up tight in a convenient carrying strap.
• Bold floral graphics make these Pop Flower Plates a fun addition to any summer event.
• Keep your wine perfectly chilled with an insulated Double Wine Carrier.
• Add a touch of ambiance to evening picnics with this portable Mini Lantern that runs on batteries.
• A cooling ice-pack base in this Chill Salad Bowl enables you to transport a salad and keep it fresh and crisp.
• Add a touch of party with these Pop Flower Napkins.
• Tote all of your chow and drinks in this generously sized orange Cooler Tote.

Wishing all mothers a lovely Mother’s Day this Sunday… and maybe a picnic of your own!

This Thursday is Cinco de Mayo and that calls for a celebration!  What a great excuse to eat delicious Mexican food… and splurge on a frosty margarita!  Now that is my kind of celebration!  If you’re planning a little get together, you will love this festive Cinco de Mayo party inspiration.  It’s a vibrant and fun Mexican Fiesta, created by Birds Party, featuring their Mexican Fiesta Party Printables.

“The colors I chose were not necessarily traditional, but then again neither am I! I wanted something vibrant, fun and colorful to convey the feeling of celebration and party, suitable for a kid’s birthday party or a grown up Mexican fiesta bash!”

Later this week… a frosty beverage to really get the celebration started. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Vendors & Credits:
Party Printable Design, Styling and Photography: Bird’s Party
Styling Assistant: Bird’s Dad
Flower, Chili and Cacti Cake Pop: Terri’s Party Treasures
Flower, Pinata and Cacti Decorated Cookies:Dandy Delights
Bespoke Party Tutu and Matching Hair Accessories: Cole Baby Tutu
Models: Bird’s Own

The big day is almost here… only 5 days until the Royal Wedding.   Prince William and Kate Middleton will have us all swooning over their enchanting nuptials.  I’m bummed because my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.  I’m sure yours did too!  Since we’ll have to settle for watching the royal festivities on TV, maybe we should celebrate with some Royal Wedding inspired sweets.  So gather your girlfriends, a royal dessert and enjoy!

• Royal Wedding inspired cake sketches from top cake designers, featured on Brides.com.  See all of the amazing designs HERE, including my favorite by Cake Opera Co.
• Royal Wedding Bubbly Peach Cupcakes.  Find the recipe HERE on An American Cupcake in London.
• Patriotic red, white and blue Royal Wedding Cake Pops by Rhubarb & Rose.

• Prince William’s Royal Wedding cake recipe.  Find THE recipe for the Chocolate Biscuit Cake in the cookbook Eating Royally.  Prince William chose the Chocolate Biscuit Cake recipe for his wedding cake because it is also his grandmother’s favorite cake.
• Traditional English Scones from Bird’s Party, created to accompany their Royal Wedding Viewing Party Collection.  Find the scone recipe HERE and find the party collection HERE.
• Royal Wedding Cookies by Eleni’s.  Find them HERE.

Today is our first Easter related post for 2011 and we’re starting things off with an adorably sweet treat.   I recently discovered a cookie genius, a mastermind of creative cookies.  Some of you may already know her.  She goes by the name Sweet SugarBelle and I’m just thrilled to share one of her latest cookie creations!  These darling Peeps Cookies would be the star of any Easter basket!

I’ve always thought Peeps were cute but I’m not really a fan of how they taste.  But a Peeps Cookie… that is something I can get excited about!   And the little mini peeps!   Oh my!  I’m such a sucker for anything on a stick.  Now we can enjoy peeps cookies on a stick!  Perfect as a cupcake topper or just as a cookie pop.

Now hop on over (pun intended) to SugarBelle’s Blog to learn how to make these Peeps Cookies for your Easter celebration.  Be sure to check out all of her other amazing cookie creations while you’re there!  A special thanks to Callye of Sweet SugarBelle for sharing her charming cookies with us.

VENDORS & CREDITS:
Peeps Cookie:  Sweet SugarBelle

The adorable pie pops in yesterday’s Snow Sprinkle post reminded me of something I’ve been dying to feature.  Inspired by Bakerella and created by Brooke McLay of The Family Kitchen, these Poptart Pops are just too cute!  Children of all ages love Poptarts and these darling ‘mini pops’ take them to a whole new level.  Modern, bite-sized and fun, these cherry Poptarts on a stick would be the hit of any party!

Happy Thursday!

Well, the holidays are officially over.  Visitors have returned home, decorations are coming down and everyone is back to work.  My husband will attest that I tend to get a little mopey this time of year.  I love the holiday season and just get a little blue when it’s all over.  So today I thought I would share a party that definitely makes me smile.  This Fiesta Birthday Party, comes to us from Jeanine Linder, a talented Swiss photographer.  It’s so sunny and bright, you can’t help but feel good when you look at these photos.

“Ryan turned two on September 29th 2010 and invited friends & family to celebrate his special day. The color scheme was chosen to reflect his bright & cheery personality. I tried to apply the orange & pink on most parts of the setup even tried to have it reflected in most foods. We served mini white chocolate cupcakes, white chocolate ganache cornets, fresh raspberries, some marshmallows & sweet. For dip lovers we offered beetroot pesto, sweet chili mousse & vegetable dip. We had mozzarella-tomato sticks, cesar salad on small servers, homemade sweet potatoe chips, fresh focaccia bread, cookies called air kiss (and they truly are a kiss from heaven), caramel popcorn, red pesto prussiens, homemade bacon buns, original tarte flambee from the Alsace, cream puffs filled with smoked trout and fresh pumpkin soup. We also offered fresh baby-sized tomatoes and baby carrots. To drink we served a punch suitable for kids made out of sparkling water and apple juice garnished with fresh autumn berries, for the adults there was some sparkling wine available to mix. We also had matching syrups and soft drinks matching the theme. We decorated the area with small ghosts made of napkins, hung up a pennant garland and for each kid there was also a party hat available. As the highlight we served Ryan a white chocolate truffle gateau decorated with self-made birthday garland and a hand-painted figurine. People also have been asked to write Ryan a wish on a small note which we hung on the wish-tree on the buffet.”

A very special thank you to Jeanine Linder for submitting this adorable Fiesta Birthday Party and giving us all a cheery boost!  Be sure to check out more of Jeanie’s stunning photography on her website and blog.

Growing up, I was always so excited the night we decorated our Christmas tree.  It was just my immediate family, but we would make an event out of it.  With Christmas music in the background, we’d  oooh and aahh over each ornament as we carefully hung everything from dainty china ornaments to sentimental hand-made treasures that my mother had saved over the years.  Creating memories that will last a lifetime, it’s definitely a tradition worth starting with your own family.

Whether you keep it small or invite over guests, here are some ideas for your very own Tree Trimming Party.

• Keep warm and toasty with lots of hot beverages like cocoa for the kids and lattes for the adults.  Get the recipe for this Peppermint Hot Chocolate here.
• Have some craft tables set up with easy to make ornaments so that each child can create their own masterpiece for the tree.  Try this adorable Dangling Snowman Ornament.
• If you’re inviting guests, do it with style.  This Magical Tree invitation from Tiny Prints does just the trick.
• String up some old fashioned garland using popcorn and cranberries.  Super simple, just thread it together using fishing line and a needle.
• These Paper Drop Ornaments are another DIY craft the kiddos will enjoy.  Learn how to make them here.
• Not all of the ornaments have to go on the tree… some can go in your tummy when you serve these charming cookies from Eleni’s.  I LOVE both the large and small ornaments.  Too perfect for this event.

Now throw on some Christmas carols and start decorating that tree!  And don’t forget to enter our current giveaway to win $50 worth of charming party printables from Spaceships and Laser Beams!