Cupcake Trees - Thanks Mom!

Cupcake Trees are in a word: Brilliant!

I'm a big fan of cupcakes in general (LOL) and so asked for them when my birthday came around. I underestimated the impact of that request.

My kids are both fairly little still - and both are in a phase where they want to be just like mom. SO my Son, who celebrated his 5th birthday yesterday asked for cupcakes.
Of course!

He put his own spin on them. They had to be black - because black is 'cool'. In Mom-eese that means very dark chocolate with chocolate icing and Voila!

Add the Cupcake tree, gifted to me by my Mom (at the time I had NO idea when it would ever see use) and it's a great centerpiece and perfect for birthday parties!

Now she want to bring another, because two is always better than one....
}j{

Chocolate ICING!

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then add milk.
Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Sift together cocoa and confectioners sugar. Blend into butter mixture and add vanilla. If consistency is too stiff, add more milk.

Spread Quickly over cooled cake, as frosting will set up very fast.

Found at: http://allrecipes.com

I'm going to try this on cupcakes for my son's birthday! Yum!

}j{

Monday Cupcake Run

Yummy!

Nothing like a cupcake from Cupcake Royale in West Seattle to start out the week!!!

{k} Strawberry for me!
{j} Dance Party... It's her favorite!!

Ah....love cupcake lunches!

{k}

The Truth about Cupcakes

In all likelihood, this truth would never have been discovered, except for the extreme good fortune that the 2Chicks are in pursuit of the World's (or Seattle's) Best Cupcake!

SO... ya know... I've tasted a few 'cakes.

In honor of the whole thing, the hubby of the Birthday chick got busy in the kitchen and whipped me up some cupcakes for my birthday. Done up right too - he assembled them on a pretty nifty cupcake tree, candle on top... songs were sung, etc.

HOWEVER; The hub was a wee bit short on the icing. It was there and on the top (rather than elsewhere?) but he just doesn't get it.

The TRUTH about cupcakes is that they are like cake with double helpings of ICING. See picture above - I remedied the situation :)

}j{

Wow - when it comes to cupcakes...

The people at Paper Orchid make these gorgeous laser cut cupcake and cake wraps - they are incredible!

Have a look at some of their other patterns - really beautiful for so many occasions. They transform cupcakes (already very attractive, lol) into works of art!

Paper Orchid Cupcake and Cake wraps

}j{

Never underestimate the power of a brownie

An ode to the power of the brownie.

Despite a very full day
and another one
expected tomorrow...

The power of the brownie
has me awake
and typing
at 1:00am.

}j{