Cupcake Extravaganza! (Part I)

Today's post begins a special feature on Tastefully Entertaining entitled Cupcake Extravaganza! You'll see the first part of this cupcake celebration below and the second part tomorrow (that's right- on a Saturday!) And now...on to the cupcakes!We'll start with the beginning of a cupcake- inspiration. There are so many resources available with recipes and design ideas for cupcakes. I've gathered a few of my favorites:

Books-
Hello Cupcake!
Bake Me I'm Yours Cupcake
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Tempt: Cupcakes to Excite
Betty Crocker Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes

Blogs-
Cupcakes Take the Cake
Bakerella
Cupcake Blog
Cake Journal
All Things Cupcake

Every baker needs to have a good set of supplies to make and decorate cupcakes (and any desserts). To start, acquire a full set of mixing bowls. I'm a fan of these multi-color melamine mixing bowls by Martha Stewart- they're fun, durable and useful for all your cooking/baking needs. Next, select your baking essentials. The baking set shown above includes a 12 cup cupcake tray, a 24 cup mini cupcake tray, a cooling rack and 12 silicone baking cups (can stand alone or be used in the pan.)

There are tons of baking cup options in many different styles and shapes. I've shown pink stripes baking cups and springtime floral baking cups (with matching toppers) above. For both simple and sophisticated designs, cupcake aficionados should have a decorating set. The 52-piece set pictured above is by Martha Stewart and is a great combination of a little of everything. You can learn to use many different tips and colorings all from one kit. Plus it comes with instructions!

A quick and easy decorating option is stenciling. This collection of spring shape stencils is very sweet but don't feel limited to specific cupcake stencils. Really, any craft store stencil could be used as long as it's small enough to fit the top of a cupcake.

Lastly, for those who want to bake one cupcake on a larger scale, try the giant cupcake pan. Put your batter in both parts of the pan and join together with a thin layer of icing.

I hope you enjoyed part one of Cupcake Extravaganza! I have to say that part 2 is my favorite half so be sure to stop by on Saturday to see the grand finale to this delicious feature.