Shhh! Can You Keep a Secret?

These cupcakes have a secret. Wanna know what it is? Are you good at keeping secrets? How do I know I can trust you? Alright, alright, first a bit of background.....I made these for my sister-in-law's birthday which is Monday but she's having a part-ay tonight. She doesn't know I am bringing them so that is part of the secret. I wanted to make something special since most of the people there will be French and they don't really know much about cupcakes. Yet.

The big secret though is that hidden behind these humble-looking chocolate frosted cupcakes are a bunch of wild, crazy, "Dazed & Confused" inspired party animals. Or "freaks" as my husband put it so delicately.

Here's a hint:



Here's another one:



Have you guessed it?



Ta-Da!!!

Now the bit about my husband. When I was bandying about ideas for these cupcakes, I said, "Maybe I'll whip up a batch of those matcha cocoa cupcakes. Your sister likes tea." His response was that people will be coming to the party after dinner, they will be drinking wine and other adult beverages, the subtleties of the matcha cocoa cupcake will be lost on them. He said better to stick to more traditional flavors. So I did, just not traditional colors. He thinks these cupcakes are going to freak them out. So I made a batch of chocolate ones with vanilla icing.



I just colored the buttercream really loud. I couldn't help it; they were calling out to me to be dressed up for this evening's festivities. I wish you could see them in person cause the colors on your screen just don't do them justice. The purples are really deep violet like you see on pansies, and the pink is like a day-glo tint any 80's-loving' Madonna wannabe would be proud to bite into. Maybe you can see the color better here (I took this shot with a flash).



Before I go any further, a big thank you to thefrostedcakencookie for the awesome tutorial on how to make these cool fondant candles.

Here's a special one I made for my sister-in-law with little MMF roses.



And lastly, I HAVE to give a shout-out to my mom whose birthday really is today. She's in Palm Beach, land of crocodiles and the original preppy which is why I decorated this cupcake in pink and green. Happy Birthday, Ma!



I just ate it. It was really yummy! Oh, and it begged me to let it show its true colors too!

Getting By With a Little Help from (My) Friends

Paris may be a rather large city, but the expat community here is fairly close-knit. When something new or noteworthy happens, word spreads like wildfire. Such was the case last week when a friend phoned to inform me that the baby boy of one of the local moms was deathly ill and in the hospital. "They almost lost him," were the words that made my blood run cold and I pulled my children close to me in an embrace that was a little bit longer, a little bit tighter than usual when I hung up the phone. As a mother, nothing gets to me more than a tale of tragedy, neglect, abuse, etc. where the victim is a child.


The child in this case is the only boy of 5 siblings and not even a year old. With my friend and her husband spending most of the past week in the hospital, some of their close friends put out a call to those of us in the neighborhood to provide childcare, do some shopping or cook up a warm meal.



I volunteered to do dinner duty for them tonight and whenever else it may be needed. For dessert, I baked a batch of cupcakes as I tend to think of them as a comforting treat in a time of trouble. Just as important as the taste, I wanted them to look good so my friend would have something pretty to come home to after so many hours spent in the cold, sterile hospital environment.

And for the kids still at home, I was thinking of something whimsical and fun -- this must be such a terrifying experience for them.



Last week, I joked about cupcakes helping to find a cure for cancer. If only life could be so simple. This post is dedicated to my friend's son, Baby P, who has been in my thoughts and in those of so many people this past week. I hope he is back home soon where he belongs, and I wish him a long, happy and above all, healthy life -- something all of our children deserve.



RELATED LINK : The Lost Book Cupcake Competition