Neon marble

Baking when I should be packing.  But my siblings were jealous of the cupcakes I made for my friends, so I had to show them some love before I left.

Groovy cupcakes

Enas gave me this cupcake kit as part of my birthday present earlier this year and I finally put it to use with some Funfetti mix.  Dyed the batter, too. Thanks again Enas!

*Naurene ate this cupcake and it was not served to guests (:

IBM Security Cupcakes and...Batman

UPDATE: Everyone at work liked them!  I tried one again, too and it like magically changed overnight or something and tastes great.  I have no idea what happened =/

Decided to try a new marble cupcake recipe and bake some IBM themed cupcakes for my team this week.  My coworker Paul is flying in from Minnesota with MINNESOTA bread so I challenged him to a bakeoff...not sure if he will actually bring the bread, though.

My manager and teammates know how obsessed I am with Batman so I threw in some Batman cupcakes for good measure.  The lock represents IT Security, which is what my organization specializes in.  I'm happy with how the cupcakes turned out aesthetically, however...
THEY TASTE HORRIBLE!!!

I feel pretty awful right now because I do NOT want to take these in to work.  The frosting recipe was WAY TOO SWEET.  The cake recipe didn't yield enough batter (it's supposed to have 18 but was enough for maybe half that amount).  Not enough cake + too sweet frosting = disaster.  I'll stick to Martha's recipes from now on.  I was really looking forward to sharing my cupcakes with everyone but yeah this is really really upsetting.  Even my brother didn't finish his and he eats EVERYTHING.
At least they look good (but bakeoffs are not won by appearance). Sigh.

Locks cut out from gold foil, Batman (: and marbling with a knife

Foil leaves (for the cupcakes I left at home/tested) & the final cakes

Georgetown Soho

Bakery: Georgetown Cupcakes
Location: Soho, New York and various
Rating: 10/10
Website: http://www.georgetowncupcakes.com

I first tried Georgetown in...Georgetown, two years ago during my first trip to D.C.  I realized I never wrote a review!  I ran into the bakery again by chance while wandering in Soho on a day off.  I was meeting my mentee for dinner, but I managed to convince her to come out with me after for dessert.



The cupcakes were just as awesome as I remembered.  THE lightest, fluffiest cake ever, and yet it's not spongy.  It's hard to describe, but it definitely warrants a 10.
The Key Lime is my favorite- you can see it below with the cute lime slice candy in the middle.  If you're not into citrus, the classic birthday flavors (vanilla/chocolate combinations) are a safe bet.

I'll definitely return post-Ramadan...I feel guilty eating cupcakes with my little sisters in Bangladesh for the summer!

All things cupcake part two.

The above are presents from my very wonderful friend Enas who visited from Boston last weekend.  Apart from a new British cupcake recipe book, she threw in all sorts of fun (and strange!) stuff including but not limited to: cupcake flavored dental floss, cupcake mints, cupcake flavored lip balm, cupcake hanging air freshener, cupcake plates,  cupcake apron, cupcake oven mitts and a cupcake "piggy" bank.  I'd say that 80% of the cupcake stuff I own comes from her.

P.S. If you are wondering how British cupcakes are different from their American counterparts- they are softer, more buttery and less flashy (not piled high with frosting/decorations).  I'm excited to make them!

All things cupcake part one is here.

Halloween Mini Cupcakes at Crumbs

If you haven't already heard- there is a new Crumbs location open at Queens Center Mall. I picked up their Halloween mini cupcake assortment because I'm a sucker for candy corn. At first glance, I thought the cupcakes were simply vanilla/vanilla and chocolate/chocolate. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they each had a contrasting buttercream filling! Definitely drop into a Crumbs and try some while you can.

Crumbs Halloween Minis, $18 for a dozen

I can has cupcake!

I'm always looking for an excuse to buy or bake cupcakes and my cat's birthday was no exception. It was a last minute decision since Farhana and I hung out with Lena today and Baked by Melissa was conveniently on the way home from her apartment.

Paris actually enjoys red velvet, but loses interest after finishing the cream cheese frosting. The twins, my brother and I ended up eating them (: .

My Old Dutch Pancake House; Cupcake Review Vol. 19: Peyton & Byrne

This was supposed to be a cupcake entry but I had to mention My Old Dutch Pancake House in London. On my trip earlier this month my friend took me there on a Monday, when all pancakes are only ₤5. You get a giant pancake with your choice of toppings, chocolate sauce and ice cream. The taste is very similar to a crepe, and it was so huge I could only finish half. I recommend sharing if you go with a friend! They have both sweet and savory options.

On to the cupcakes:

Bakery: Peyton & Byrne

Location: Various throughout London, UK; I went to the Bakery at St. Pancras International Station

Rating: 7/10

Website: http://www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk/peyton-and-byrne-at-st-pancras/index.html

Peyton & Byrne is a chain of restaurants and bakeries I came across while waiting in St. Pancras for my train to Paris. I saw the cupcakes in the window and realized that I hadn't eaten a single cupcake in London! I purchased a double chocolate and a vanilla chocolate cupcake to share with my friend Ruzina, who was waiting with me until boarding. I also threw in a blueberry muffin for the train ride (which was delicious).

I wasn't disappointed- the frosting was very light and fluffy compared to the thick buttercream we are used to here in the States. The cake was a spongecake, and so the cupcakes almost tasted like many Asian bakery cakes here in Queens. I'm not really a fan of Asian cakes. However, the chocolate flavoring was much stronger than the kind you find in Asian bakeries and that was the redeeming factor. Overall, I would eat them again! Glad I was able to try them.

Banana, Black & White, Cinnamon and Chocolate

martha's cupcakes, a photo by jasminsultana on Flickr.

From Martha's. I've had the chocolate vanilla and black & white before, but it was my first time having a banana cupcake. It brought back memories of that discontinued Entenmann's banana cake that desi families loved haha. There were a couple of raisins in there that I took out because I don't like biting into them (I bake carrot cake without raisins as well).

As for the cinnamon, it was a little too sweet but still worth trying :)

Red Velvet, again

my first time making red velvet cupcakes, a photo by jasminsultana on Flickr.

Theme of this week. An easy way to frost when you don't feel like busting out the piping bag is to dollop on the frosting and create little spikes using a (sticky with frosting) spoon. Inspired by Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

Cupcake Review Vol. 18: Two Little Red Hens

Bakery: Two Little Red Hens

Location: New York, NY

Rating: 10/10

Website: http://www.twolittleredhens.com/

I had one red velvet cupcake from this place and it was enough to convince me of this bakery's awesomeness. This is THE best red velvet in town.

At first glance, there's nothing particularly special about this cupcake. But you can actually taste the cocoa in the cake itself, which is moist and crumbly (in a good way). The cream cheese frosting is perfection, too- more cream cheese, less sugary buttercream. I can't wait to try some other flavors!

My Creations

my creations, a set on Flickr.

This set is where I'll add anything I make. Some of them I've posted about before (in which case, links are provided). Enjoy!

West Coast & Cupcake Review Vol. 17: Sprinkles

This is a LONG overdue post (from last Fall!) but I realized that I never posted about my first time trying Sprinkles! Long story short- I did not like their cupcakes. The cake part was delicious but the frosting was WAY too sweet, even for me- hence the half eaten cupcakes.

Bakery: Sprinkles
Location: We visited the location in Newport Beach, CA, but there are various locations including Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, La Jolla, New York, Palo Alto, Scottsdale and Washington D.C.
Rating: 5/10
Website: http://www.sprinkles.com/

I do have some lovely pictures from my travels though:

west coast, a set on Flickr <---you can see the entire set here