melted idea

Whenever I'm heading up North toward L.A., I'm reminded of the cupcake specialty store, Sprinkles, in Beverly Hills. I keep meaning to make it out there, but by the time we make it to P.V.E., the traffic keeps turns me off.

I've always been a big fan of cupcakes and am excited that the recent cupcake craze is making them easier to come by. My favorite cupcakes are still the chocolate ganache cupcakes from Franklin Street Bakery, with lemon vanilla bean a close second. (Oh, Minnesota, who knew I'd miss you so much?) One of my favorite last-minute birthday gifts was a small assortment of cupcakes from there. I ordered a bunch and set them on a tiered stand for my pal, Ann's, wedding rehearsal I hosted last year. They're that special.

The last time we drove past BabyCakes Baking Company, I thought it would be a fantastic idea to create ice cream cupcakes. It seemed like the next natural progression in the trend. They'd be great for parties! I really thought I was on a roll with "my idea", but it looks like they've been out there for years, from Maggie Moo's.