Carrot Cake and Caramel Pecan Cupcakes

I love these two flavors.  I taste-tested a carrot cake last night.  I can't wait to have the caramel pecan today.  Enjoy, P Family!  And Merry Christmas!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This is the perfect time of year for red velvet cupcakes -- so festive and beautiful!  These are topped with red velvet cake crumbles.  Enjoy, M Family!

White With Lemon Icing

Here are white cupcakes with lemon icing topped with white chocolate shavings.  H, I hope your husband has a great birthday!

Ordering Info for Locals....

If you're in the Houston area and would like to order, please check out my website for more information.

www.simplycupcakesbytawnya.com

Caramel Pecan Cupcake

I love when people make cupcake suggestions.  Last month, someone suggested I make a praline cupcake.  Not sure where I should start, it was slow-going at first.  I probably had three or four dud practice batches and was about to put it on the back burner.  As I was making what turned out to be a non-succesful batch of caramel icing, I had a fresh idea about this cupcake.  I sure am glad I stuck with this challenge because this cupcake turned out AWESOME!  So this is what it is.... a vanilla cake with a caramelized pecan layer, topped with a caramel buttercream icing.  I don't think I can call it "praline" because I don't want to get into trouble with the Southerners ;-) but it is fantastic!

Birthday Cupcakes

Here are red velvet, chocolate wedding and white wedding with chocolate icing.  I colored the chocolate icing black for a red, white and black themed birthday party.  H, I hope your family has a great time celebrating your daughter's birthday!

Lots of cupcakes today...

Here are white wedding and chocolate wedding for a friend who will be taking them to her family reunion in Dallas.  Also, there are vanilla topped with strawberry icing and double chocolate for a baby shower this weekend (congrats Mrs. T!).  And, white wedding topped with strawberry icing for a birthday party (happy 13th birthday to your daughter, S!).  Enjoy, everyone!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

This morning I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing -- perfect for Halloween.  Enjoy, P Family!

White Wedding and Chocolate Oreo

Yesterday, I attended a Thirty-One Gifts and Kenzie Bracelets home party.  I brought these cupcakes and they were a hit.

I also made chocolate wedding and vanilla cappuccino cupcakes for a friend this weekend.

Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Icing

I'm not sure what got into me today.  Somehow, I got making a pumpkin cupcake in my mind.  I intended on making a pumpkin cheesecake cupcake but it ended up being just pumpkin.  On top is a cream cheese icing that I added a little brown sugar to.  I sprinkled a little pumpkin pie spice on top.  They came out delicious and so moist and are perfect for this time of year.

Business Name Ideas

Hey everyone!  Lately, I've been trying to come up with a business name and I need your help.  I really like my blog's name, Simply Cupcakes.  It perfectly describes my business.  Unfortunately, it's already taken.  That seems to be the case with most of the names I come up with.  I think I've found the perfect name and then I google it and find that someone has already claimed it.  So, I need your ideas to help me find my business name.  If I pick your name suggestion, you'll get your choice of a dozen cupcakes... if you're local. If you're not, well, you'll just have the satisfaction of naming my business ; )  Please email me your suggestions at tawnyamolinari@gmail.com

Thanks!

Chocolate Oreo and Chocolate Wedding Cupcakes

Today, I had two orders for chocolate Oreo cupcakes.  One friend is taking them to a wedding shower and another friend is taking them to visit her sister.  K and T, I hope they are enjoyed by all!  I also made chocolate wedding cupcakes to celebrate my birthday tomorrow.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

This weekend I was able to fly out to California to go to my sister-in-law's baby shower.  For the flight, I carried on about six dozen un-iced cupcakes.  I was so nervous TSA would find some reason to confiscate them.  My nervousness must have shown because I got the pat down at security.  I froze the icing and packed them in my checked bag.  Again, I was nervous they would think all those bags of icing were some type of bomb-making material.  Luckily, the cupcakes made it safely to California and I iced them there.  I made white wedding cake, white wedding cake with strawberry icing, chocolate Oreo and carrot cake.  I attached a cute little bow to each one.  I think they came out adorable and everyone enjoyed them at the shower.  Looking forward to meeting the new little one, N!

Chocolate Mint Oreo Cupcakes

I just got finished making these cupcakes and my house smells wonderful!  It's mint chocolate cake with an Oreo inside.  The icing is mint buttercream and I topped them with Oreo crumbles.  This is a fantastic combination!  I hope you and your family enjoy them, A!

Apple-Banana PUPcakes!

Each weekday morning, I get up a little early so I can peacefully enjoy my coffee with my two little girls, Kiwi and Squash.  Kiwi is a Chihuahua and Squash is a Pug.  They're old girls so they pretty much just snuggle next to me -- a perfect way to wake up!  This morning, I was thinking how much I loved them and I should bake them up some special treats.  I immediately started thinking about bone-shaped cookies and then it occurred to me... why not cupcakes?!  I started with some of their favorite people snacks, apples and bananas.  As soon as I brought those out, Squash just knew I was making something for her.  I decided against icing these cupcakes because I didn't want them having dairy or sugar.  I did insert half a Milkbone into the cupcakes before baking to make them a little extra special.  The paper sticks to them as you are peeling them but that's because I didn't add any oil or butter.  Kiwi and Squash devoured these treats so I'd say they came out pretty good.  In case you were wondering... yes, I did try one (minus the Milkbone, of course!).

White Wedding Cake Cupcakes

I made these white wedding cake cupcakes today for a friend.  Enjoy, Ms. C!

Changes...

You know when you have a good thing going and a manufacturer changes their product?  Dontcha just hate that??  Well, it's made me change my buttercream recipe just a bit.  Today was the first test run (white wedding cake) and I think it still tastes delicious.  I've sent some cupcakes to testers so I'm waiting on their feedback to see if I need to make any more changes.

Chocolate Oreo and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

I made these for my friend, K, who will be taking them to her Sunday School class tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Oreo... Again!

These chocolate Oreo cupcakes are becoming pretty popular.  That's okay, though, because I love sampling them!  Hope you and your family enjoy them as much as I have, V!

White Wedding Cake and Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Our friends are celebrating their son's birthday today.  Hope you have a fun-filled day, G!

Chocolate Oreo Cupcake

I made these today for a friend.  I hope you and your girls enjoy them, K!

Coast Guard Day Cupcakes

Today is the Coast Guard's 221st birthday!  I made these cupcakes to take to a Coast Guard Day celebration this afternoon.  They are white wedding cake and orange cupcakes.  This was the first time making orange cupcakes -- very fresh and summer-y!

Birthday Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I just finished making these carrot cake cupcakes.  Of course I had to sample them and now it's taking everything I've got not to cram two more in my mouth!  Very moist and delicious.  S, I hope your wife enjoys her birthday and these cupcakes.

Chocolate Oreo Cupcake

Not long ago I made Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies.  That gave me the idea for these cupcakes.  I pressed a Double Stuft Oreo cookie into a chocolate cupcake, topped it with vanilla icing and crumbled Oreo cookies.  Rich and delicious!

My inspiration

Sunday School Party Cupcakes

I made these today for a friend.  I added multi-colored sprinkles to the chocolate wedding cupcakes and she plans on taking them to church tomorrow for a party in Sunday school.  The chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes are for her daughters.  Enjoy, K!

White Wedding Cake

I made these today for a friend.  They are white wedding cake with the icing colored yellow.   Enjoy, H!

German Chocolate Cupcake -- Round 1

I get requests for German chocolate cupcakes a lot.  Today was the day to test them out.  I looked at a lot of recipes online to get an idea of what I wanted to do.  In the end, I used my chocolate recipe as my guide and went from there.  They came out tasting very good but the structure was off.  Once that's fixed, they'll be perfect.  For the coconut/pecan topping, I used a recipe I found online and tweaked it just a bit.

I love German chocolate cake.  It's also my big brother's favorite cake.  I remember my mom making German chocolate cake for his birthdays when we were kids.  He now lives on the other side of world in Iraq and I rarely see him anymore.  So, I especially love this cupcake because it reminds me of him.

I Just Became a Fan of Red Velvet!

Last night, I started thinking that I should really follow-up with my Red Velvet cupcakes.  I wasn't completely satisfied with my first try and I was confident that I could fix the problem I was having.  As I thought more about it, I decided on a different approach and changed the recipe completely.  I was pleasantly surprised when they came out just as I was imagining.  I am now a Red Velvet fan!

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...

...you'll love these cupcakes!  I used my basic chocolate cupcake recipe and pressed a Reese's peanut butter cup into the batter.  I topped them with a peanut butter buttercream icing and a mini peanut butter cup.  Wow!

Graduation Cupcakes

These are strawberry cupcakes with vanilla frosting colored teal.  I made them last week for a graduation party.  I had a couple left over so, for a couple of days, my son got one in his school lunch.  I love hearing him say, "Momma, you make the best cupcakes!"

Birthday Cupcakes

I made these last night for a birthday party this weekend.  They are strawberry with strawberry icing, white wedding and double chocolate.  Enjoy F family!

Mocha Cappuccino Cupcakes

These are mocha cappuccino cupcakes topped with Pirouette cookies.  They were delicious!

Easter Party Cupcakes

Yesterday was the kids' Easter party at my husband's work.  I volunteered to bring the cupcakes.  I made white wedding, chocolate wedding, lemon and cherry chunk.  Some of them I topped with Oreos or Hershey chocolate eggs.  By the way, this was Round Two for the cherry chunk.  The changes I made worked and now they are perfect.

Luncheon Cupcakes

These are chocolate wedding cupcakes with the icing colored aqua and lime.  I made them for a friend who took them to her church's luncheon (again!).  Glad you enjoyed them, K!

Baby Shower Cupcakes

These are white wedding cake and double chocolate cupcakes with pink and purple sprinkles I made for a baby shower.

Party Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes I made yesterday.  They are white wedding cake with the icing colored aqua blue and lime green to match a luau-themed kids' party.  The colors came out so pretty.  Enjoy the party, S family!

Carrot Cake & Sundae Cupcakes

I made these birthday cupcakes last week.  They are sundae-topped white wedding cake and carrot cake.  I made one more adjustment to the carrot cake and now they are perfect.  I'm told the birthday girl loved them.  Hope you had a great birthday, T!

Red Velvet Cupcake -- Round 1

I have to admit, red velvet is not my favorite.  I think that is why I've never attempted it.  I get so may requests for it though, so I decided to go for it.  This morning I made my first batch.  I found a recipe online and I adjusted the ingredients to what I thought would be good.  I've got to say, they came out pretty tasty!  There is one thing I need to change though and then I think they'll be perfect.  The icing is a variation of the carrot cake icing I use and I think it really compliments the red velvet cupcake perfectly.

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

I finally got around to making banana cupcakes topped with chocolate icing.  They came out great.  I think I may try the opposite next time -- chocolate cake with banana icing.  Sounds so good!

Housewarming Cupcakes

I made these last night for a housewarming party today.  They are vanilla with lemon icing, topped with shaved white chocolate and double chocolate, topped with shaved milk chocolate.  Yum!

Cherry Chunk

I've been thinking about these cupcakes for a while.  I have a friend whose mom would make her a cherry chip cake for her birthday every year.  So, while I was making these cupcakes, I was thinking about my friend.  I definitely have some ideas on what I want to change about them.  They're almost there...

Baby Shower Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes I made for a baby shower last weekend.  They are lemon with white wedding icing and chocolate with white wedding icing.  The mom-to-be said they were a hit at the shower and not one was left.

Man, I love this cupcake!

Today I made a dozen chocolate wedding cupcakes for a friend who plans on taking them to church tomorrow.  I made some adjustments to my recipe and I am very pleased with the outcome.  I cannot wait to eat one tonight after dinner!

Sundae Cupcakes

Today was my son's Valentine's Day party at school.  These are the cupcakes I made for the sundae celebration.  They are white wedding cake and chocolate wedding cupcakes drizzled with caramel and chocolate and topped with chocolate jimmies, nuts and (of course!) a cherry.  I also made some strawberry cupcakes.

White Wedding Cake w/ Chocolate Icing

I've been wanting to try chocolate icing on top of a white wedding cake cupcake.  I was working on double chocolate cupcakes and white wedding cake cupcakes last night and I had some left overs so I put these two together for a very tasty combination.  As I was eating it, I suddenly had a craving for chocolate icing on top of a banana cupcake.  Hmmm... I think there will be a test batch coming soon.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Last night, my son suggested I make pink cupcakes.  Since I rarely make strawberry cupcakes, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity especially with Valentine's Day coming up soon.