Favorite Things Friday: Cupcakes

Who can resist cupcakes!? Not only do they combine the wonderful tastiness of the cake of your choice, but there's so much room to be creative with those mini-mounds in 3" baking cups. So today's entry is dedicated to one of the cutest desserts on earth. Have a look at these beauties from Martha Stewart. I love how she's taken (as always), something relatively simple like a cupcake, and by adding a sprig of fresh mint or chopped pecans as a topping, made them fresh and fun, and of course, beautiful.

Then I found these gorgeous raspberry topped cupcakes, and decided at once that not only are they just about the prettiest things I've ever seen, but that I have to try making them myself pretty soon. I seriously doubt that mine will turn out so perfectly, but I've learned something important: top anything with a raspberry, and it looks like it came straight out of a photo shoot.

I think my favorite way to top a cupcake (aside from a plump pink raspberry) is with a large cap of creamy icing. Right before I ice them, I usually get so impatient to be eating one, that I take the easiest route and just smear the icing on with a butter knife, but doesn't icing piped from a large pastry tip look so much more appealing? I found this one at BakeItPretty's shop on Etsy. The waiting may almost kill you, but in the end, it's worth the extra effort.

And one of the most wonderful things about cupcakes, as I've already mentioned, is that there are so many beautiful ways to make them even more special. Like these charming little striped baking cups, also from BakeItPretty.

Or these fabulous little ballerina toppers from SweetPoppy's Etsy shop. How irresistible would these be for a little girl's birthday party?

If after all of that baking and icing and sprinkling and decorating, you still can't get enough of cupcakes, tuck one away in your sewing kit as well, in the form of an adorable cupcake pincushion from smarmypants. How cute is that?