From Cakes to Cupcakes

My friends and family know that I love to bake and they have all been taste testers for one recipe or another over the years. I’ve made every birthday cake for my daughter and each year she has chosen some character or animal that had to become her cake. For example, I made a teddy bear, a doll with a cake dress, and a unicorn. Her 13th birthday cake was a mouse based on one of her cartoon drawings.

Each guest took home a pair of their favorite cupcakes.

But it became sort of a personal challenge to Wow her once she was a teenager. So, when she was 13, I baked two gourmet cupcakes per guest and wrapped them in pretty boxes for the kids to take home.

One was a simple devil’s food cake with purple buttercream icing. (This is my “go to” cake recipe because I can cheat and use a box cake mix when I need to get the cake made quickly.) The other was a caramel apple pie cupcake. This is more complex, but worth it. You'll find that recipe elsewhere on this site.

I've also made mini cupcakes to take to work. These are also a regular hit!