Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Cupcake Mix

Happy Friday everyone!  While the crazy hot weather in the DC area hasn't exactly made me want to turn my oven on, I wanted to make something easy to bring into work since I haven't baked in a while.  

Luckily I had just the thing - Georgetown Cupcake mixes from Williams-Sonoma! I bought a few of these before during an online sale, and I thought they'd be a nice thing to have around to make some quick cupcakes.  All you need to add is milk, eggs, and butter to the two premixed bags that are in the package.  To make things even easier, I just added chocolate chips to the cupcake mix and left them un-frosted to bring to work.  So I guess they are technically muffins and not cupcakes, but either way they were enjoyed very quickly in the office!  These mixes make a great gift for anyone that's a fan of Georgetown Cupcake, or to just have on hand for "cupcake emergencies", haha :o)

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Georgetown Cupcake - Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Mix

 

Georgetown Cupcake came out with their cupcake mixes that are sold in Williams-Sonoma stores for some time now, but I was very excited to see that one of their new flavors is Pumpkin Spice!  Georgetown Cupcake's Pumpkin Spice cupcake is always a big fall favorite, and now this mix allows you to make them at home whenever you want! While this mix doesn't come with the perfect frosting swirl included, it's a great way to celebrate the current pumpkin season :o)  Also, right now the mix is currently on sale so pick some up soon if you want to try it out! 

Georgetown Cupcake - Williams-Sonoma Bethesda Event

                                           

Last night was a very fun event at the Bethesda Williams-Sonoma to celebrate the new Georgetown Cupcake baking mixes!  I have been to one of their book signings years ago in Bethesda, so it was fun seeing the co-owners Katherine and Sophie again!  

What a beautiful sight, haha.  These boxed cupcakes were available to take home with a donation to a great organization, No Kid Hungry. 

Katherine and Sophie are always so nice and friendly, taking photos and chatting with everyone that came out to the store.  I was very happy that they remember seeing my photos on Instagram, haha :o)  

Champagne and mini cupcakes were served, which was a delicious way to celebrate their new product!  The mini cupcakes are so cute, and are perfect little bites for a party. Plus it lets you try a number of different flavors without committing to full-size cupcakes.  

Everyone was excited about the idea of baking their own Georgetown Cupcakes at home, and the ones that were available in the store were selling quick! Congratulations to the Georgetown Cupcake team on their new baking mixes! 

Georgetown Cupcake Mixes at Williams-Sonoma

For those of you that love to bake or want to try Georgetown Cupcake and can't get to one of their stores, they now have cupcake mixes available at Williams-Sonoma stores and online!!

Currently the following flavors are available: Chocolate, Red Velvet, Vanilla, Lemon, and gluten free Vanilla.  The cupcake mixes are $14.95 each, or $25 for a set of two (same flavor) online.  While the mixes are only for the cake portion and not the delicious frostings, this is still a fun way to try your hand at baking Georgetown Cupcakes at home!  

Lunchtime Links for October 18th, 2011

• Kirbie's Cravings: Pumpkin bread.
• Williams-Sonoma: S'mores brownies.
• Gossip Girl: Recap from TVGasm. 
• The Kitchn: No-boil chicken and tomato pasta bake. 
• Serious Eats: The best macarons in NYC.

Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake Mix

Since it was the holidays and all, I figured it'd be a good time for me to try out the Sprinkles red velvet cupcake mix that my mom got me from Williams-Sonoma.  I opened up the Pringles-esque container and found cake mix, candy decorative dots, and the REAL recipe, haha.  If you've ever picked up one of these canisters at Williams-Sonoma before, you might notice that they do not include the full recipe on the outside packaging, only the extra ingredients that are needed.  I guess they don't want people to just copy the recipe without buying the mix?  But to be honest I'm not entirely sure why they do this, because presumably you'd need to buy the cake mix inside to make the "official" Sprinkles cupcakes anyway, but oh well.

After a somewhat turbulent mixing process - aka I got bright red cake flour ALL over the counter and even up on top of the stove hood............ - I popped these into the oven and shortly wound up with these little puffy red mushrooms, haha.

Then, after frosting with the cream cheese frosting (not included) and decorating with the candy dot (included):

 

...we've got Sprinkles cupcakes!  Appearance-wise, I think these turned out really well- the domed shape of the cake helped to create a nice and tall cupcake with a swirl of yummy frosting on top.  Overall the recipe was super easy- just be mindful of mixing the bright red flour carefully, haha.   To be honest I liked these much better than the real Sprinkles cupcake I had in LA, but that's because I most likely did not get a fresh-baked cupcake when I went there, haha.  

One possible drawback might be that you're paying $12 for essentially just cake mix.  I'd be inclined to agree, but as a gift, I think it's super cute (and ships well, which is a nice bonus).   If anyone's on the fence about it, I say: wait until seasonal flavors go on sale to try it out (usually the fall flavors go on sale after Thanksgiving), and/or convince someone to get one for you as a gift :o)

Lunchtime Links for December 28th, 2010

• La Fuji Mama: Peanut butter cookies.
• The Budget Babe: Stripe top and wedge boots.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Gingerbread men.
• metrocurean: Chocolate fudge crinkles.
• Re-nest: Neat way of re-using plastic bottle caps.

Williams-Sonoma Chocolate Bar Brownie Pan

After holding off on buying it for so long, I was super excited to see that the Chocolate Bar Brownie pan was on sale at Williams-Sonoma, woohoo!  Say what you will about it being totally a novelty/silly item to buy, I think it's friggin adorable, especially when it's on sale, haha.

 

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I look forward to using it soon, probably to bring brownies into work.  If your local Williams-Sonoma is still having a sale, you should definitely check it out.  There were a few other baking items on the sale tables, as well as oven mitts/towels and other basic things too.

Lunchtime Links for July 14th, 2010

• The Kitchn: East and Southeast Asian recipes. 
• The Hills: Recap from TVGasm.
• Tasty Kitchen: Cold sandwich recipes. 
• Real Housewives of NJ: Recap from TVGasm.
• Serious Eats: Williams-Sonoma's lattice pocket pie mold.
• Graphic Designer Request: So, so funny!

Lunchtime Links for June 28th, 2010

• Cakespy: Red velvet cake shake, woo!
• The Hills: Recap from TVGasm. 
• Tasty Kitchen: Cupcakes!
• DIY: Cupcake wrappers. 
• Serious Eats: Mixed review of the Williams-Sonoma salted caramel gelato mix.

Lunchtime Links for May 12th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Hot fudge sundaes in NYC. 
• The Kitchn: Mango panna cotta recipe.  
• Cake: Heritage Bundt cake recipe.  
• Momofuku for 2: Vietnamese donuts recipe. 
• Budget Babe: Get Lauren Conrad's look for less.

Happy Spring!

I got a fun little Spring package from my mom recently, and just wanted to share :o) The package consisted of:

• Sprinkles Red Velvet cupcake mix
• Lindt chocolate carrots (chocolate and hazelnut mixed, yum)
• Le Creuset mini silicone basting brush (great for soaking cakes, brushing egg wash, etc.)
• Wilton Cupcake-themed baking cups
• Easter-themed napkins
• Last but not least, a set of the Liberty of London for Target notecards!

Hope everyone's enjoying the first days of spring!

Lunchtime Links for February 11th, 2010

• Awwww: So cute!!
• Just Like Microwaved, Haha: Pizza stick pan review.
• It Costs HOW MUCH?: Crazy expensive espresso machine.
• Vermont Brownie Co: Beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown- looked delicious!
• Yum: Desserts at DT Works in NYC.

December Deals

As a result of signing up for every store membership possible, I get a TON of e-mails from the companies with news and special deals.  Not that big of a deal since I have a dedicated e-mail address to get just that mail (highly recommended btw), especially since a lot of them are pretty useful to know.  So this post is for all of you, in case you are also in the market for some deals - hopefully some of these will come in handy for your holiday shopping!

- West Elm: 20% off home scents.  In-store only.
- BCBGMaxAzria: 50% off select holiday tops.
- Ann Taylor Loft: Free shipping on purchases $125 and over.
- Vineyard Vines:  Also, free shipping on orders over $150.
- Lucy: 20% off regular priced items, with code 1209ESNOW (expires 12/24/09). 
- Nine West: 30-50% off select items + free standard shipping.
- Bliss: Free shipping on any order over $25 (expires 12/31/09).
- DSW:  25% off 2 or more items with code CHEER (expires 12/16/09).  Also, free Steuben Glass crystal ornament with $99 purchase and online code GLASSGIFT (expires 12/16/09).
- Qdoba: Purchase a $25 gift card and get a $5 voucher.
- Vera Bradley: Lisa B bag for $25 (expires 12/15/09).
- J. Crew: 30% off all Women's knits and tees, online only (expires 12/15/09).
- Body Shop: 30% off gifts + Buy 3 get 3 free (Buy 3 get 3 in-store only).
- White House Black Market: $25 off $125 (Code 8033) + $50 off $200 (Code 8035) (expires 01/03/10).
- Bebe: Buy one, get one 50% off, in-store and online with code GET50OFF (expires 12/20/09).
- Fat Witch Bakery: 5% off your order with code JINGLE (expires 12/31/09).



I'll be updating this list through December as I see more offers.  Please make sure you double check either on the site itself or in-store for the applicable dates and all that shiz.

Lunchtime Links for December 10th, 2009

• Doughnut Plant: Holiday flavors!
• Real Housewives: Recap of the last episode.
• Food Gifts: Don't forget the instructions.
• Sweet Gifts: Serious Eats' choices of gifts for a Sweets lover.
• CCCC: Brooklyn edition of the cookie ranking.

Love, Love, Love: All-Clad Measuring Cups and Spoons

A while back, I was with S at Williams-Sonoma because she needed to buy a wedding gift.  One of the items she bought was a set of these All-Clad measuring cups.   From the moment I saw these measuring cups, I was totally in LOVE.  They're cups shaped like mini All-Clad stock pots!!!!!!  Tiny little pots!!!  SO cute.  

These cups and spoons are sturdy little things, and from what I've heard/seen online, they will last a long time if handled and used properly.  I like how the 1-cup measure also has marks inside for other smaller measurements, which is handy.  I've also read online about how some people have used the cups straight on a burner, for melting things, like chocolate or butter. 

I decided to get the measuring spoons as well so I can have a full set- plus, buying them as a set meant a better deal ($39 total vs. $30 for just the cups/$16 for just the spoons).  Overall I know these are not CHEAP, considering that plastic measuring cups and spoons can go for under $10 at most stores, but I like how these are sturdy, look nice, can be used on a burner, and I don't have to worry about them bending or melting weird like some measuring cups I've had in the past.  LOVE!    

Happy First Day of Fall!

I'll take a hot summer day over any cold weather, but the start of fall is a nice in-between time where it can still be hot sometimes, but also allow you to bust out your new jackets and cute boots.



Since today is the first day of fall, here are some links/random things to get us all in the spirit:

• Try out Georgetown Cupcake's Fall flavors: Caramel Apple and Cinnamon (September); Chocolate Orange and Pumpkin Spice (October).


• Tailgate/Game-day recipes from Food Network.


• Halloween/Fall foods and tools from Williams-Sonoma.


• Ann Taylor Loft showcases some cute fall-centric outfits. Is it bad that I have about 99% of these pieces already?
• Fall = Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte!