Category: cupcakes

Bat cupcakes

Posted by miss alix – 19 Oct ’11

While technically speaking I’m no longer in the cupcake business, I had a special request for some bat cupcakes and I just could not turn it down. Especially with Halloween coming up, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to try out some bat decorations.

I spent a long time practicing drawing bats in frosting and but every one felt like something was missing. I was about to give up and go another route when I realized what it was. Eyes! They needed eyes. I grabbed some sprinkles and very carefully placed two tiny beady eyes on each bat.

They manage to still be a little cute without being cartoonish. These would be perfect for a Halloween party or just for some who liked bats. Just imagine a dozen of these little guys at a party.

I’m debating making cupcakes for our Halloween gathering this weekend, as I make cupcakes every year. Maybe I’ll make ones with pumpkins on top. What’s your favorite way to decorate cupcakes?

Tim Burton Blog Party

Posted by miss alix – 5 Oct ’11

tim burton cupcake toppers 101

Hey guys you should really check out the Tim Burton Blog Party going on over at Paper Sparrow today and tomorrow. There are tons of Tim Burton inspired posts including a download from me to make  Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy cupcake toppers (right here). Go check it out!

Bridal tea party

Posted by miss alix – 26 Jan ’11

This weekend my mom and her dear friends threw me a bridal tea. They brought together everyone’s china and tea sets and borrowed from friends as well, to make a spectacular spread. It was really inspiring for me to see all these traditional serving sets put to use. I loved it.

So I’ll keep the words to a minimum, and just share some of the lovely photos.
beautiful silver tea set

cream and sugar

One of the most special parts was being able to use Shawn’s mom’s china.

scones from c'est la v bakeshop

We had a selection of scones and rugelach from C’est la V Bakeshop. So yummy.

strawberries and roses

aether gram

My mom picked out some great invitations from Royal Steamline.

michelle makes sandwiches

Tons of delicious finger sandwiches were made, including watercress, cucumber and seitan curry. My sister-in-law, Michelle, even helped (and here’s photo proof).

vegan cupcakes

I also made some lemon cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling.

silver sugar set

grandma

My grandmother dyed a pink streak in her hair in my honor.

owl waters

There were even personalized water bottles, with some cute owls.

banana bread

Some super addictive banana bread also from C’est la V.

vegan finger sandwiches

There are those sandwiches. I ate countless numbers of them. The watercress had a fantastic radish poppy seed spread in them.
tea
And you can’t forget the tea. We had lots of tea. I was really excited to use the creamer.

IMG_2645

It was really special, every detail was thought out from the food to the napkins. Major credit goes to Carolyn and my mom for pulling it off seamlessly.

2010 Year in review

Posted by miss alix – 3 Jan ’11

I’m so very happy that it’s 2011. There are so many wonderful things to come this year.

I thought it would be nice to take a look back at some of the highlights of the past year over here at Cute and Delicious.

vegan cupcakes

In January I made lots of cupcakes for some bake sales, including the Homemade for Haiti fundraiser.

bookcase after

In February, I did lots of crafts, including reworking our book case, knitting a heart for Shawn and making coffee cozies.

vegan shamrock cupcakes

In March, we celebrated St. Patrick’s day with holiday foods and I veganized my mom’s fudge recipe.

vegan crumpet

In April, I experimented with different recipes including vegan crumpets and raw sauerkraut. I also made some pies!

grass

May was quiet, but we visited the amazing Rose Bowl Flea Market (and I made the best cherry pie, I’ve ever eaten).

Portland Day 02

In June, we went to Portland and got engaged. Biggest, best surprise of my life.

I highly suggest you read Shawn’s recap of the day as it is sweet and wonderful.

gluten free waffles

In July, I raved about Portland more and made a lot of waffles.

fresh figs

In August, I cooked with figs and made Star Wars cookies.

thank you cakes

In September, I made Thank You cakes for friends and we took romantic photos in Griffith Park.

astronaut

October was a busy month. We had the first screening of Brainwashed Love. We introduced our families at our engagement party. I also made lots of Halloween treats including a spiderweb cake.

tofu benny

November was also packed to brim with food and fun. I made savory things like tofu benedict, green bean casserole, carrot souffle and hot pockets.  We celebrated with a birthday cake party and Harry Potter cupcakes. On the sweet side, I made a peanut butter coconut cream pie and Dia de los Muertos cookies. We also made our save the dates with vintage postcards and photos. That’s not even the half of it! Busy month to say the least.

molasses sandwich cookies

In December, I made many many cookies from Martha Stewart’s recipes, except vegan of course. The most exciting was seeing what my wedding dress is going to look like and sharing a few details with you.

It was a crazy wonderful year. I think I did pretty good on my last minute year end to do list. Can’t wait to share everything with you all in the new year.

birthday cake

Posted by miss alix – 22 Nov ’10

Guess what. It’s my birthday.

This weekend I got to be a part of a cake and ice cream birthday party with two lovely ladies, Tara and Gen. I would say that we outdid any other party I’ve been a part of with mere quantity of delicious cake and ice cream.

We had 3 cakes, more than a dozen cupcakes and two ice cream cakes from Scoops.

cakes and cupcakes

I made a chocolate covered vanilla cake and a red velvet cake. There were chocolate cupcakes too.

But my absolute favorite part…

brown bread ice cream cake

…was the brown bread ice cream cake. Heaven on a plate. I’ve always wanted to have vegan brown bread ice cream. It was exactly as I imagined it would be. Amazing!

happy birthday

We all wore fluffy tiaras and sang happy birthday and ate loads of cake and ice cream. I had a major sugar overload but it was well worth it.

Oh, and I kind of fell in love with Tara’s cat Lucky.

lucky cat

How cute is she?

Harry Potter Day

Posted by miss alix – 19 Nov ’10

Today is the day that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I comes out. I’m so freaking excited. I would have gone at midnight but I’m planning to go with a group of friends. I really can’t wait. I’ve actually had a countdown until today.

I wanted to do a something a little extra special, and since I didn’t have time to make myself a scarf, so I decided to make some Gryffindor scarf cupcakes. I took my cue from the knit night cupcakes over on Vegan Yum Yum. Unfortunately, with my late night baking, I didn’t have any marzipan to sculpt with. I used a bit of rolled fondant instead. It didn’t quite have the materiality of the marzipan, but still looked cute.

harry potter scarf cupcake

It was a fun little project, it would be fun to make some for all the houses for a Harry Potter party. I think when Deathly Hallows Part II comes out, I’ll throw a huge festive event. Oh gosh, I can’t wait to go see the movie.

I’m excited for Thanksgiving next week, I’ve got a few exciting recipes to planned out, I can’t wait to make.

Last but not least, today is officially 3 months until our wedding. There is so much left to do before then! It’s time to really get cracking on that list. I think we have quite a few of our major decisions figured out, but still have some tough choices to make. Not to mention a lot of projects to complete. This weekend I’m going to have my first dress dress fitting. I’m nervous and excited all at once. I hope it goes well.

Spider web cake

Posted by miss alix – 27 Oct ’10

Halloween is nearly upon us and I feel like I haven’t yet gotten my yearly fill of creepy decorations and festivities. Granted, we’ve been to a haunted corn maze, had our 3rd annual Halloween movie marathon, I even baked a pumpkin. Not to mention, we’ve watched over 40 horror movies this month (so far).

It’s still not enough though. So tonight, just to satisfy my Halloween cravings, I made this spiderweb cake. I think it’s creepy but still has a bit of elegance. No one wants to eat a cake that looks gross, even if it’s supposed to evoke grossness.

spider web cake

I had a little extra fondant (and a leftover cupcake) and this little ghost came haunting around.

ghostie cupcake

Before this weekend arrives, I still hope we’ll get to carve pumpkins. I’ve got my costume all together and can’t wait for all Halloween festivities.

Looking for more Halloween inspiration? Here are some more Halloween desserts from years past.

Halloween Treat roundup

Posted by miss alix – 26 Oct ’10

Halloween is just around the corner and I thought we all could use a little dessert inspiration.

I’m thinking of making a fancy Halloween cake this year, just have to find the time. I really like the idea of painting on a cake or using some stencils.

Here are a few of my favorites I’ve made over the years.

ghost cookies

Cutest, easiest ghost sugar cookies. If you can frost a cookie you can make these.

zombie cake

Chocolate zombie cake. Gotta show the zombie love.

brain cupcakes

And zombies need some brains to eat.

spooky ghostcake with dandies

Dandies Marshmallow ghost cake. I love anything that’s creepy and cute at the same time.

vegan halloween cupcakes

Or you can get really crazy with pumpkins, spiderwebs, bats and more.

Personally I always want to make chic-o-stick cupcakes around Halloween, but can’t ever find them.

What are your favorite Halloween treats?

Halloween Spirit

Posted by miss alix – 24 Oct ’10

This weekend we had our 3rd Annual Halloween Movie Marathon. It wasn’t as crazy as last year, where we went for two weekends in a row, but we still watched movies from Saturday night all the way through to Sunday night.

I made some pb cups & peppermint patties, because you have to have some Halloween candy. Some roasted pumpkin seeds for something salty. And of course, some pumpkin spice & espresso cupcakes, well, because I’m good at it. I didn’t, on the other hand, take photos. Mainly because of our spooky Halloween lighting.

Shawn also made tofurky dogs for everyone to fuel us through the night. And lots of coffee. LOTS of coffee and popcorn.

Anyway…this is just a preface to say that my post today is neither cute nor delicious. In fact, it’s creepy. Shawn and I have spent a good deal of time at the Natural History Museum lately. We are trying to take full advantage of our membership there. Not to mention they have amazingly cool stuff.

I thought this might be the only time of year when I could get away with sharing some of the awesome photos I’ve been able to get there at the museum and at special events. Get ready for a bunch of bones, insects and dead things. So if you’re squeamish, you’ve been warned.

preserved

horns and antlers

Antlers in storage.

walrus skull

A walrus skull. Massive.

shawn and the blue whale skull

Shawn and a blue whale skull at the museum’s marine mammal warehouse. This whale was recovered after it was hit and killed by a commercial freight ship about 30 years ago.

bones

The Natural History Museum is part of the network that collects dead animals that have been washed ashore for research.  They have the second largest collection of sea mammals, right after the Smithsonian.

hippo skull

Hippo skull. I’m pretty sure this is Bubbles, but now I’m not positive.

spider

spider

spider

trantula

horns and taxidermy

We ended our pre-Halloween weekend by going to the museum’s haunted cave party. It was really a family thing, but it was lots of fun wandering around  after hours in costumes. I’m totally obsessed with all the taxidermy they have. I am really just obsessed with everything in the museum.

Oh and in case you were wondering what we watched this weekend…here is the playlist…

  1. Halloween
  2. Ghostbusters
  3. Chopping Mall
  4. An American Werewolf in London
  5. A Nightmare on Elm Street
  6. Scanners
  7. Child’s Play
  8. Carrie
  9. Poltergeist
  10. Simon, King of the Witches
  11. The Prowler
  12. Crawlspace
  13. The Shining
  14. Interview with the Vampire
  15. The Exorcist

Portland vegan desserts

Posted by miss alix – 28 Jun ’10

In the four days Shawn and I spent in Portland, I ate more food than I ever thought possible. With so many vegan restaurants, it’s not even possible to try everything, but we were on a mission to test as much as we could. One of the highlights was being able to visit some completely vegan bakeries which Los Angeles is sorely missing. The most amazing treat that we tried, I believe was the raspberry coconut cream pie from Back to Eden. I don’t even like coconut, but oh my god, this pie was heavenly. Fluffy and sweet with the perfect crust.

Back to Eden was basically the last place we went before we headed for the airport. After getting numerous recommendations, we had to go there before we left. I tried a chocolate marionberry cupcake and also snagged some marionberry bread for the plane. I don’t even know what marionberry is but it is damn good. The fruity frosting on the cupcake was rich and amazing. The marionberry bread was moist with just the right amount of sweetness.

They had a case full of delicious treats including whoopie pies, tartlettes, chocolates and other savory items like quiches. The whole place is adorable. Oh yeah, and they have soft serve.

Of course we visited Sweetpea Baking Company. Actually we visited quite a few times.  Everything we tried was super good. I loved the cute little zucchini cake. We also had cookies and donuts and…

Loved how cute these pride cupcakes were. They were completely sold out on our second visit. We really tried to make it for their Sunday brunch but couldn’t get there in time. Not to mention, the idea of eating a huge brunch was a little terrifying considering all the food we had the day before.

We stopped in Saint Cupcake Deluxe just to check out the selection and were happy to find a handful of vegan flavors. This shop was super sweet and not only had cupcakes, but also had a lot of sweet cupcakes supplies. It was also attached to Noun, a shop where I wanted to buy basically everything.

It’s not a trip to Portland without Voodoo donuts. Do I really have to say anything about these guys? So good. While I usually prefer risen donuts to cake donuts, the chick-o-stick donut is a must have. It may have been my favorite. I’ll probably have to try them again to see.

Wow, that’s a lot of dessert. That’s not even everything. I drank a lot of coffee to counteract the sweetness. That makes sense, right? This soy latte from Stumptown was one of the best I’ve ever had. I mean, Intelligentsia good. Damn I want one now.

St. Patty’s treats

Posted by miss alix – 16 Mar ’10


Saint Patrick’s day is upon us again and I wanted to get in a quick post to honor it, and also to reflect on the feasting Shawn and I did last year. This year we won’t be feasting for every meal, but we’ll try to squeeze in a few Irish themed dishes. We started early by having some beans and toast tonight, with some apple sage field roast sausage. I’ll try out some new recipes for tomorrow, but why mess with something that is amazingly delicious as it is?

Now, back in February, I mentioned I had a few knitting projects going and that I might just share one for Saint Patrick’s if I finished in time. Guess what…I did! Even with making a million mistakes and having to undo hours of work, I managed to complete the above pictured fingerless gloves. They’re made with organic cotton yarn (in green of course!) that I love. It’s so easy to work with and softer than any not-so animal friendly wool. If you were so inclined, you could knit these yourself as there is a free pattern available, which I’m always appreciative of. These guys are so comfy and also great for keeping warm on a bike ride without losing your grip.

Part of the reason there won’t be extensive feasting this year, is because I’ve been rather busy baking away. I did manage to get some special St. Patrick’s day cupcakes over to Meet Market, so if you need some Saint Patrick’s day treats you can get your own lucky shamrock vanilla cupcake, or some Peppermint Patty cupcakes or even a special green themed “hostess” cupcake with marshmallow cream filling. Get them before they’re gone though, they’ve been selling out awfully quick.

Hope everyone has a lovely Saint Patrick’s day. Eat something delicious. Don’t forget to wear green (or orange). Try not to drink too much. :)

Homemade for Haiti

Posted by miss alix – 27 Jan ’10

This past weekend I participated in the Homemade for Haiti bake sale hosted by Home Ec Shop in Silverlake. We were able to raise an amazing $1,220 for Doctors without Borders.

I cooked up some of my favorite cupcakes and some of my best sellers in hopes that they could get the most money to those in need.

While the bake sale itself wasn’t exclusively vegan, they had a whole table full of vegan goodness (and even soy milk for coffee)! The shop is so cute too and all the bake goods were packaged up to be exponentially adorable. You can see more photos on flickr.

If you want to do something really easy to help with the relief effort in Haiti, there are a ton of vegan bake sales going on across the country.  I’m particularly envious of the NYC vegan bake sale at Mooshoes (which coincidentally uses one of my cupcake photos taken by Studiodrome). There is even a bake sale here in Los Angeles this Sunday.

Also, if you’re in Los Angeles, you can currently get a hold of these cupcakes at Meet Market or at Vegan Bake Sale. Yay!