Give a Little Bit, Give a Little Bit of Your Love to Me

The elves and I (God, I wish there was a team of elves!) are sending out 68 boxes of Christmas cupcakes just like this over the next 3 days to lots of nice little boys and girls in and around Paris. Maybe if you have been very good, you will be getting one! Don't like your chances? Then, leave me a comment below (or on the French version of my blog) telling me the flavor of your favorite cupcake and you will be entered to win 1 of 2 boxes just like the one above!

Note, contest is open to anyone anywhere but you must be able to come pick up your box of cupcakes on 24 December between 10H-12H30 at a Paris 75017 address(metro: Courcelles or Wagram). Please be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you. 2 winners will receive 1 box of 6 assorted flavor cupcakes with holiday decorations. Good luck!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Sugar Daze is heading back to Printemps Nation to join in the Christmas festivities! Find me there on 11 & 18 December on the 3rd floor; I'll be right next to Santa Claus (either I was very good this year or someone has a serious sweet tooth!). The stand will be open from about 11H30 until we sell out.



If you want to know what flavors will be available, check out my page on facebook. I'll be sure to bring some of my new flavor: Dancing Queen (cardamom-white chocolate-pistachio cupcakes with rose buttercream) and a holiday favorite: The Movie Star (double chocolate gingerbread). Hope to see you all there this weekend!

Later, my sweets........

Printemps Nation
21-25 Cours de Vincennes
75020 Paris

2nd Annual Holiday Gift Guide - Extended & Remixed

So, in preparing this post, I took a gander at last year's gift guide and have to say that a) I still stand behind every item listed and b) I made a pretty good dent in said list over the past 12 months as I personally stocked up on most of the items. I still don't own that Magic Alhambra necklace but maybe this year my husband will get the hint! Ahem....

I've spent the past few weeks scouring the web looking for the best and brightest stars for this year's 2nd Annual Little Miss Cupcake Holiday Gift Guide. There's stuff here for every budget so if you have a cupcake lover in your life, there's really no excuse. Oh, and did I mention there's a give-away? That's right, free stuff. So if you want to skip all the good gift ideas I spent hours putting together for you, that's fine, go ahead, I'm not going to twist your arm into reading this. Scroll on down to the end of the post to find out how you can win some free cupcake merch.

For those of you who bake, I can think of no simpler joy than having access to fine, quality ingredients. Two products that I have discovered over this past year are Vosges chocolate bars, especially their Exotic line which are delicious fresh out of the wrapper or say, melted and mixed into your favorite buttercream, and Blue Cattle Truck Mexican Vanilla. I am dying to get my hands on a bottle of the latter (hint, hint to any of you who may be coming for a visit) but I have it from a good source that this stuff cannot be beat when it comes to vanilla. It's anything but plain old....

Next up is an item I have been coveting for a while: A KitchenAid Stand Mixer. There is a brand new 90th anniversary version out with a glass bowl - which brings cupcake making design to a whole new level! But I just love, love, love this turquoise blue one. If Santa left me one of these under the tree, I would be very happy and I'd be sure to bake up something pretty on Christmas Day!



Speaking of baking something pretty, do you know the site: Bake It Pretty? I can guarantee that any cupcake fan would love just about anything they offer. (And if they don't, well heck, feel free to box it up and regift it to me!) I'm especially in love with their baking cups. Aren't they just gorgeous!


Pretty cupcakes need something pretty to be served on. The tiered cupcake platters may be bulky but they certainly do provide a nice presentation for your cupcake bakers' goods. This one is from Waterford and would be perfect for the holidays:


Or if you'd prefer something a little less formal, how about these adorable plates from Bright & Bold?


For the ultimate statement in cupcake presentation, why not plunk down your serving platter (and/or your fanny) on this awesome cupcake furniture from Jellio. Here's their cupcake end table. Click the link above to see the cute coordinating cupcake seat.


There are a number of varied adorable hand-made goods on Etsy that feature cupcakes. Here are some of my favorite finds:

Cute cotton kitchen towels from shamsandcoverups who is offering free shipping now through December 19th.


A quilted cupcake coloring wallet would be a great place to doodle new cupcake designs. This one from RetroRugrats can even be monogrammed!


If I could figure out a way to get this shipped to me without it going missing in the post, this cupcake addiction wall art would be tops on my list from the Etsy Marketpklace. It comes from seller Beepart.


Since I have a little girl, I easily fall in love with anything cupcake-related for her. Two things that caught my eye recently are this sweet cupcake pillow from Norajane,


and this "really loud but I can't but help but love it anyway" cupcake birthday outfit from Glitzglambowtique.


If wearing cupcakes is more your thing, can I recommend a tee-shirt promoting some of the hottest cupcake bakers out there? My faves (and i have ordered two of these already for myself) come from Jess at Australia's Sugadeaux Cupcakes whose cupcakes bring all the boys to the yard; Las Vegas' Retro Bakery founded by husband & wife team Brian and Kari where it's all about the buttercream; and Chicago's own tattooed mama and baker extraordinaire, Natalie of Bake & Destroy. Rock these with pride!


If tee-shirts just don't do it for you, you can accessorize in style with all these cupcake accoutrements:

I am loving Betsey Johnson's cupcake earrings.


If you want something less flashy, how about these studs from Johnny Cupcakes? I bet they could double as cufflinks in a pinch.


Tiffany has a nice little cupcake bling on offer this year....


And if you really want to dress to impress there's this cupcake bag from Judith Leiber:


But really nothing would make more of a statement about your love of cupcakes than when you pull up in your very own cupcake car from Neiman Marcus!


Last but not least, so that I can get the hubby over here to check out this list and find out what I really want, here's something for him. It doesn't have any cupcakes on it, but designer Patricia Fields calls it a "cupcake ruffle" tank top. Hope your happy, honey! Do I really want one? Only if it comes with a KitchenAid stand mixer to prop it up on....


Alright, I hope you have enjoyed this list and now for the free stuff. To wish you all a very Happy Holiday, I am giving away two (2) copies of the Karen Tack & Alan Richardson Hello, Cupcake 2010 Wall Calendar.


This contest is open to residents of the Continental US (sorry Alaska & Hawaii), the United Kingdom and France. The contest will end at 12 noon Paris time on 24 December, 2009. To enter, leave me a comment below telling me what you are hoping to find under your tree or menorah this year (cupcake-related or not). Make sure you leave your email or blog name so I know how to reach you if you've won. And for 2 extra chances to win, 1) become a follower of my blog, and 2) become a fan of my Facebook page. Okay now go get your cupcake on!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

I've been tossing around some ideas for new Christmas flavors for a while now. Last month, I did a "science experiment" with my son's English class - they were learning about taste buds - where I brought in 5 flavors of cupcakes, all of which were white, to see if they could determine the flavors by taste alone. (This was a really fun afternoon for both the kids and myself!). In any case, one of the buttercreams I made for the event was peppermint and I just loved its refreshing coolness and luscious creaminess. It was tops on my list for a Christmas cupcake.



Yesterday, I baked 3 batches of potential cupcake flavors for Christmas and brought them round to an international panel of experienced, world-renowned taste testers for their reactions. Okay, okay, it was the quarterly meeting of MESSAGE's Executive Committee for which I handle PR but I digresss... The first cupcake was Some Like It Hot: a Devils Food Cupcake with Spicy Hot Chocolate Buttercream. This one got high marks for its hot after-kick which comes from the cayenne pepper and cinnamon mixed in the buttercream.



A Traditional German Chocolate which I didn't really care for - a Chocolate Cupcake with Pecan/Coconut Boiled Frosting - but got the thumbs up from my Dutch friend.



And the aforementioned cupcake which needs a name. It was the clear winner among last night's judges. It's a White Chocolate Chunk Cupcake with a Cool Peppermint Buttercream. Go to my Facebook page, leave a name suggestion, and if I pick yours, you'll win 1 dozen of these cupcakes for the holidays.



The contest is open to anyone anywhere but you do need to come and pick them up in Paris 75017. The contest is open until November 30 and remember, I do love me some pop cultural references such as lines/titles from music, TV and film. Feel free to enter as many names as you want. Good luck and Happy Naming!

PS In case you are not on Facebook, send me an email at info@littlemisscupcake.fr with the word "mint" in the subject field.

Hear Those Sleigh Bells Jingling...

In the States, you can track the Fall/Winter calendar fairly accurately by the selection of goods on offer at your local Walmart or 7-11. A few weeks following the back-to-school rush, you see the shelves filling with all sorts of Halloween candies, costumes and other spooky fare. Once the shelves are cleared of that lot, it's time to get ready for Turkey! And then while you are recovering from all that pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce and tryptophan-laden turkey, you have in quick succession: Black Friday, Christmas, & New Year's.

Here in France, it's quite a different story. Following "la rentrée" (which can only be explained as a cross between back-to-school and New Year's) in early September, there's a big black hole until St Nick makes his rounds, which explains why you can find Advent calendars and other Christmas chocolates on sale at the end of October! And Christmas decorations in the stores, on the streets, and hanging from lamp-posts and buildings everywhere appear not long after. I even saw Christmas trees at my local florist this week!

We had a bit of snow yesterday so I have to admit I am starting to feel the jingle bell vibe! (Or maybe it's just the lack of heat in our apartment as the building's radiator is on its last leg -- perfect timing!). I hosted a pre-Xmas sale at my house today for the parents' association I belong to, MESSAGE.


There was quite an excellent selection of vendors -- all entrepreneurial MESSAGE members -- if I don't say so myself. Exquisite hand-made cards made by Bonne Fete.* Adorable leather shoes for babies, kids and adults from Daisy Roots. (Can you guess which pretty pink booties my little cupcake will be wearing this Winter? Hint: they look good enough to eat!) Educational books by Usborne, cupcakes from yours truly, and stylish hand-made barrettes and the Pockaboo by the gals at lu & roo.
I happily was able to cross some holiday gifts off my list! Thanks to everyone who participated and attended!

* Bonne Fete cards can be purchased by writing to: bonnefete@orange.fr