The Cutest Cup Cakes

So the great debate rages.

Is a "cup cake" simply American for a good old fashioned British "fairy cake" or a quite different creature all together?

As a child we ate "fairy cakes". They were tiny plain sponges in plain papers with glace icing.

The icing was stirred up - in seconds - by us children and apart from birthdays and Christmas was white. My mum was a bit puritan about such things so we never had sprinkles on our's


The only time butter cream went near a fairy cake was when you cut 2 little "wings" out of the sponge and stuffed them in a blob of butter cream to make a "butterfly cake".

So when I first started making cakes with my daughter we made fairy cakes. And we had such fun. Stirring up dribbling glace icing in royal red and blue for last year's jubilee and gruesome green and orange for Halloween.

So much fun and so easy with no arm aching, child defying, icing sugar going everywhere creaming of that pesky butter you forgot to put out to soften 10 hours before.

But then I realised that however much fun we had had - and however easy for mum and child - our poor little fairy cakes really didn't pass muster! On the cake stall at our annual street party our fairy cakes were rejected for their big bold American "cup cake" cousins with their luxuriant sponge in deep rich colours and oodles of twirling butter cream.

And so - with family honour at stake! - I have succumbed. The street party is coming up again soon and I am on the hunt for the cutest "cup cakes" I can find.

I am adoring all of these below - and would love to see your faves, so do link them up at the bottom of the post ... whilst I go and find myself a tutorial on piping butter cream icing with the best of them ... ;-)

Vanilla & Chocolate-Chip-Cookie Cupcakes from Winnie

Coconut & Cardamon Cupcakes with Mallow Frosting from With a Blast

Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes from Creative Play House

Dark Chocolate Gluten Free Cupcakes Stealthy Mom

Salted Caramel with Salted Caramel Frosting from Made from Pinterest

Home Run Cupcakes from the Six Sisters on My Recipe Magic

Cup Cake Sandwiches from Life with Moore Babies

   

Death by Oreos from Spatulas on Parade

Cup cakes with a cause for our annual Red Nose Day from A Thrifty Mum

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes from Winnie 

 

 

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes from Lori's Culinary Creations

Minion Cupcakes from Fidlers Under One Roof

Do link up your favourite small cake and muffin recipes below ... and when you've got a moment come and share all you great old posts at the Mommy Archive ...

More Small Cakes & Muffins

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