Cupcakes are Fashion.

To me, cupcakes are fashion.  I've lived in the big city of Los Angeles and worked in the fashion industry.

I've traveled to Paris for inspiration..twice. And I want to go back.  I ate a ton of pasta & gelato in Milan, Italy.  I drank wine and watched the boys who weren't afraid to wear loud colored pants and carry man purses.  I went crazy shopping at the night markets in the wee hours in Hong Kong.  I've even given myself a facial in Iceland..in the famous Blue Lagoon.  Now I am back in Wisconsin living near family, kind of navigating where my life is going next.

And I believe that my passion for all things fashion comes alive in my cupcakes.  I really do truly believe that cupcakes are my calling. They allow me to design something so meaningful that you can *taste* it!

I remember when I was a little girl I used to draw pictures of women in clothing for hours upon hours. I dreamed of being a fashionista. I made magazines for my friends and handed them out in school.  I wore things that most people laughed at.  I even remember people telling me one day in junior high that it looked like I was wearing a tablecloth.  But it was me....in a tie-dye shirt that my mom used to wear back in the 70s. I felt inspired. ♥ That's all that mattered to me. Maybe it did look like a tablecloth. But I was 12, and I was trying to find my niche.

I just stumbled upon one of my fashion drawings from back in the day........
and although somewhat embarrassing..I guess I can share!

I think I drew this when I was like eight. (It was the late eighties!)



So now to back up my theory of cupcakes as fashion:

New York Couture sells some really fun cupcake fashion.

Judith Lieber Cupcake Clutch. ♥



My favorite designer. ♥ My inspiration for all things fashion.

I want a cupcake dress.

I want to know who made this peacock cupcake that is all over the internet. I wish I could say I made it!



Iron Fist Shoes. ♥

Strawberry Fest Cupcakes with Surprise Pies inside!

I am so ecstatic right now. It was about 24 hours ago that I sold out all of my cupcakes in the span of 2 hours at the Strawberry Fest, right outside of Cronie's restaurant in Waupaca. ♥

I had no idea how popular the Strawberry Fest is, and that people were going to adore my cupcakes so much.  It feels so good to make people squeal with delight when they look at my cupcakes! One lady asked if they were actually edible.  Another asked me if I was selling my portfolio as a book. (I had to say no...even though my dream is to write a book about cupcakes somehow!)

My favorite quote of the day was from a new cupcake friend. She posted it on my Amanda Cupcake Facebook page after the Strawberry Fest. People like her make me love love love what I do.

"I'm in love with Amanda Cupcake's cupcakes!!!! Soooo ooober yummy at the strawberry fest... by far the best strawberry feature showing at the event!!! No joke!!!"

I practiced my premiere cupcake recipe before the Strawberry Fest. I actually thought it was going to be an Amanda original.  I thought of it on my own, but then I discovered that many other people have tried this and succeeded as well.  ♥

A strawberry pie inside of a cupcake! The one in the picture above is my White Velvet Cupcake.
YUM.

My main inspiration for this is that cake people aren't usually pie people.
And pie people aren't usually cake people.
But wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could combine both in one beautiful dessert?
So yesterday at the Strawberry Fest, the world was perfect.
Cake and Pie people agreed to compromise.
I think they were happy about it.

The cool thing about these surprise pie cakes-is that you can add the little pies to any flavor of cake you wish.  I suggest buying the boxed cake mix first to experiment.
But once you get that down, the texture of a cake from scratch is *way better* for the pie inside of a cupcake recipe. 

I used ready made pie crust (since I was already making everything else from scratch).  I cut the pie crust into small squares.  Then I used these adorable little pastry tins to mold the pie crusts!

 

I added the strawberry pie filling,  set the pies on a cookie sheet and baked them in the oven on a temp of 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then reduced the temperature to 350 degrees and baked for another 10-15 minutes until just light brown.



How cute do they look after you pop them out of the pastry tin? Hint:  use a toothpick or a fork to pop them out of the tin easily.

Pipe a small amount of cake batter onto the bottom of your cupcake liner.  Then insert your mini pie on top of the batter. The pie shouldn't sink to the bottom of the batter. The little pie boat will float nicely on your cake batter.

Then cover the pie with your cake batter! It might look like this. A pie sandwich!
I won't stop you if you decide to eat it right now.
But when it is done baking.......



..Look how beautiful it is to eat.
And I won't forget to mention that the combo of cake & pie is amazing. I used to be one of those "cake" people.  This cake & pie thing has opened me up to a whole new world!

The possibilities are endless now.
You can make swirls.

Or top your cupcake with another mini pie for the ultimate decadence.

Strawberry pie inside of a red velvet cupcake is heaven on earth.

I frosted some to look just like little pies ♥ Looks like someone was about to eat this one! There is a little finger print on the bottom right. Busted!

Here I am, almost sold out at the Strawberry Fest!

Strawberry Pie Filling Recipe:

Ingredients Needed:

1 Cup of Sugar

3 T + 2 tsp Corn Starch

3 T Corn Syrup

1 1/2 Cups of Water

4 T strawberry gelatin (or JELLO)

1 Quart of Strawberries

Slice strawberries. They don't need to be perfect little slices. It is ok if there are chunks.  Eating a pie with random different chunks & shapes of strawberries is more fun!

1.  In a pan on the stove, whisk sugar and cornstarch together

2.  Add Corn Syrup & Water

3.  Continue to whisk until boiling.

4.  Once boiling, whisk for 5 minutes continuously.

5.  Take off stove and add Jello.

6.  Let the mixture cool.

7.  Once cooled, add strawberries to the mixture.

8.  Then add to your mini pies! You can cut a large opening into the end of your pastry bag & pipe the filling into your mini pies.  Or just use a spoon. It's really up to you. ♥

Optional:  Add red sparkly disco dust. (it is edible and fun).