IC:E-WINTER WARM UP

Our challenge for JANUARY is WINTER WARM UP! Create a cupcake based on or inspired by ANYTHING you use to warm you up in the cold of winter. Could be hot chocolate, soup, slippers...SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY.

FINAL POSTING DAY is the 24th of every month: SUNDAY, JANUARY 24th at 12 noon. All times are CENTRAL time.

TAKE NOTE - SOME INFO HAS CHANGED - PLEASE READ ALL:
• Photograph your baking experience and then post about it on your blog.
• Posting your recipe on your blog is optional.
• Cupcake Pops are allowed, provided they also LOOK like cupcakes.
• New creations only, please. No previously submitted cupcakes.
• In your post, please be sure mention that you are competing to win the following prizes, be sure to include reference and an active link to our prize providers and sponsors:

Our Generous IronCupcake:Earth Prize Providers:

• The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
• Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
• Bella Cupcake Couture
• Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
• The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
• Beautiful Baking Liners by Vestli House
• Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Bakery & Cupcakey Supply

• Please verify that all links are active.
• Even if you do not plan on baking for the month, please post the announcement to your blog. WE LOVE OUR PRIZE PROVIDERS!
  
• Post your favorite shot (two if you are showing a cross-section) of your cupcake to the Iron Cupcake flickr group, along with a brief summary of your post. Please include a link to your blog in the description and your blog name in the tags. No photos or summaries will be accepted via email.
• There is a THREE ENTRY LIMIT. If you have more than three ideas, pick your favorites. Each counts individually as separate entries. Each cupcake must be submitted to flickr and via email separately as well. NEW CREATIONS ONLY, no previously submitted cupcakes please.
  
• E-Mail your recipe(s), along with your first and last name and blog link to IronCupcakeEarth@wi.rr.com . In your subject line, please include IC:IngredientName. Your cupcake recipe must be emailed in order to be eligible for voting and the prize. Please note: you must do BOTH the email submission and the flickr submission.
• Voting will begin no later than Thursday, January 28th at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com and will be open through Wednesday, February 3rd at 12 noon. Send your readers to that address to vote.
• Winner will be posted the night of February 4th, before 11:59 p.m.
• Please refer your readers to the IronCupcake:Earth cuphub at http://www.ironcupcakeearth,com to become a part of the excitement.

New ingredients will always be announced on the 1st of the month (or earlier). The submission time closes at 12 noon central on the 24th of the month, regardless of the day of the week. Also, please be aware of the revised voting procedures, posted on the Iron Cupcake site.

ONE LAST THING: Any entry that is missing either its flickr post OR a complete email submission will not be included. So…please be sure to submit to both flickr and via email to be eligible for the vote. TIP: The 00X_received tag will be added to your flickr photo(s) when your submission is processed.

By participating in IRON CUPCAKE:EARTH you agree to have your recipe considered for use in a future Iron Cupcake:Earth cookbook – credited with your name and blog address (optional) attached. Actual prizes may vary, at the discretion of the artists/manufacturers.

Big Damn Cold Cupcake!

This is how we party in Milwaukee for the New Year. Thanks to my friend Andy for capturing this awesome cupcake!

Isn't It Time You Started an IronCupcake in YOUR Town?

2010 is about to begin.
Now is the perfect time to bring IronCupcake to YOUR town!

If you have followed this blog for long, you know that Milwaukee's IronCupcake scene is smokin' hot. Other cities are on board and having a blast as well. It is so easy to run and it is amazing the friends that you can make. Visit my ETSY site for more information. Let the cupcaking begin!

Cupcakefitti

09, originally uploaded by xraquelx.

California Cupcakes

I did not make a major cupcake excursion while I was in CA this trip. It was time for some rest. Some long overdue rest. But even in the resting state, there were a few stops that were made.



I wanted to check out Sweet Lady Jane, given that their owner, Jane Lockhart (I hear she has fabulous shoes, by the way); will be featured on tonights Cupcake Wars, along with our friend Natalie from Bake & Destroy!



It was a quick visit, but long enough to endulge in a red velvet cupcake that had the most luscious cream cheese frosting. Tangy and rich...sooo yummy!



Our next stop was totally unplanned. In fact, I had never even heard of Lark Cake Shop. I happened to Tweet that I was in North Hollywood when my new friend, @toomuchmetal, said that I HAD to check Lark out. Supposedly that have most incredible cupcakes.



Damn, Fred was NOT kidding. These cakes were so moist, had gooey fillings and addicting ganache on top. Oh, how I wish I could visit the Lark more often than my occasional visit to CA.



There were also stops at the Johnny Cupcakes shop on Melrose, old favorites - Dot's Cupcakes in Pasadena (which had these fantastic popart paitings by Sam Lea - at top and bottom of this post) and a new store in the Santa Anita Mall called just CB's Cup Cakes. A DIY spot where you pick your cake, frosting and toppings.

Sweet Lady Jane Bakery
8360 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90069-6519
(323) 653-7145

Lark Cake Shop
3337 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-2968

Dot's Cupcakes
21 N Fair Oaks (Colorado Boulevard)
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 744-7719

Johnny Cupcakes
7959 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046-7118
(323) 653-2253

CB's Cup Cakes
Santa Anita Mall
4005 Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007
Phone: (626) 445-7111

My Mom is Bad-Ass!

I wasn't going to blog today, but then I opened this present. CHECK IT OUT! Mom found me a baker nut cracker, which would have been super cool all on it's own. But then...she popped all the little cookies and tarts off of the tray and made these little polymer cupcakes to put in their place. I LOVE IT!!! It was the first thing I opened this morning, and I could have stopped right there.

Merry Christmas to All...

Hope you have been good, and Santa is able to find a place to park!

xoxo - Sandy

Teddy Graham!

Ohhhh, what a lucky lucky girl I am. You would think, the day after the ICPro event I would have slept all day. Nope. Mom and I hopped in the car and cruised down to Chicago. Part of it was my present to mom, a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's studio. Part of it was for me, dinner at Graham Elliot.

Yes, another fabulous celebrity chef. And now, definitely one of my favorites. I learned of Graham Elliot Bowles on Top Chef Masters, earlier this year. I fell in love with his attitude and his sense of humor and his adventurous approach to food. Plus, hell, he is adorable.

We tried some brilliant dishes, including the infamous foie gras lollipops rolled in Pop Rocks. Yep, I said it POP ROCKS!

Just a sampling of our dinner included a rich cheddar, brat and apple risotto named for Sheboygan, WI and topped with CHEEZITS.

A decadent pork belly served with grits, greens, fried pickles and root beer bbq sauce. Mom's scallops with raisin chutney and cauliflower puree looked so good, I didn't even get to try it! I have to apologize for the food photography, while in his exquisite dining room, I could not even consider whipping out my camera with the flash, so I stuck to my iphone.

The staff was superior. Everyone was SO NICE. The decor was sparce and masculine. An intriguing use of seasonal ingredients as art...at the moment, it was pomegranates. Thankfully, later, I was able to use the good camera when Chef Bowles came to our table and invited us INTO THE KITCHEN! He is so NICE. He greeted us with big hugs like long lost friends. His chefs were friendly and smiled and talked to us; the kitchen small and efficient. It was a joy to be treated so warmly. I would be remiss to not wish him well and THANKS for the goodies he sent to our table, I guess it really does pay to make friends in the Twitterverse!! I WILL BE BACK!


As I wrapped up this post, my mom mentioned that I am supposed to write that she is in love with him, but I can't allow that...I saw him first!!!

IronCupcake & AJBombers make great Partners!

Twice, the week before ICPro, I was able to cozy up to the folks at AJBombers and help contribute to two good causes.



On Friday, December 11th, I was the guest bartender. I was there to raise money for Gilda's Club, you know...because cancer sucks! Each Friday, AJBombers hosts a guest bartender who has a special cocktail to raise funds. I HAD to have a cupcake involved.



It was the same week as the Top Chef Vegas finale so I created a cupcake/cocktail based on Kevin's Dark Chocolate Bacon and Banana dessert. It even had a little Kevin/Yukon Cornelious flag on top. Mine, my signature cupcake with a rum roasted banana and chocolate ganache frosting. It was then topped with an edible chocolate shot glass filled with chocolate liquor. I apologize for the photo quality, all I had was the dark bar and a cell phone and the cell phones of others.



On Sunday, December 13th; AJBombers, Streetza Pizza, Blatz Liquor, the Tweet Up Girls and Today's TMJ4 hosted a Holiday TweetUp to thank all their tweeps for their support this past year. Given that IronCupcake has benefited greatly from social media, I tossed in about 10 dozen mini red velvet cupcakes to the party. Everyone brought non-perishable foods to contribute to the Hunger Task Force.



Woo Hoo, my morning pals, Vince Vitrano and Susan Kim for TMJ4! (Oh, and of course, Jim and Joe in the background.)



There were also a ton of raffle prizes, including IronCupcake t-shirts (see @jeffmke with his winnings?!)

ICPro - And the Winners Are!

OK, lets face it. EVERYONE was a winner at IronCupcakePRO. After all, we got to sample some of the best bakery in town. But it wouldn't be an IronCupcake event unless a winner was crowned. Chris Leslie of Metal Forge Heart was the winner sculpture (above left) and the girls from Regina's Bay Bakery were the winning cupcake bakers (above center and right).



Chris created a statuesque piece that featured the trifecta of baking tools, whisk, spatula and spoon; topped with an ornate cupcake that would make any cupcaker drool.



Regina's Bay Bakery presented a spread of the most decadent chocolate cupcakes every, filled with a mousse, topped with ganache and THEN some. Everyone was talking about them and it proved true when the ballots were counted.



Second place went to the Weld Guy, Kendall Polster, and his massive cupcake. And Jennifer Goldbeck of Delicately Delicious in Cedarburg took home the 2nd place trophy for her cupcakes.



Last, but most certainly not least, were the lovely ladies from Cake Lady Designs in Bayview bringing home the third place cupcakes and redeeming the Iron Cupcake Man trophy created by artist Rory Burke (not available for photo).



THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO volunteered, baked, created, tasted, donated, enjoyed, boogied and observed all that was the first ever IronCupcakePRO competition.



all photography ©2009, Jim Conway, JamesConwayPhotography.com

ICPro - Givers, Not Takers

Once again, it is important to point out that as always, IronCupcake would not be a success without the incredibly generous participation of our local Milwaukee businesses and our cupcaking experts across the country. It has never been more true that with the IronCupcakePRO event. I am sure many of you are regulars to many of these places, but in case you are not, now is as good a time as any to check them out. Buy some dinner. Get a hair cut. Pick up a last minute a gift. You get the idea!

The Art Bar
722 E. Burleigh Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212

Blatz Liquor & Market
1121 N Broadway
Milwaukee WI 53202

Bryant's Cocktail Lounge
1579 S. 9th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204

The Cholive Company
1245 N. Water St. 2nd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202

CityTins.com

Eagan's on Water
1030 North Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202-3120

Ferch's Malt Shoppe
5636 Broad Street
Greendale, WI 53129

Fratellos
124 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204

GLOW Salon/Erinn Lobdell
765 N Jackson St
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Goldis
4114 N Oakland Ave.
Shorewood, WI 53211

Great Lakes Distillery
616 W. Virginia St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204

Harley-Davidson Museum
400 W Canal St
Milwaukee, WI 53201

James Conway Photography
1035 S. 5th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204

Marcus Hotels
100 East Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1950
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

Milwaukee Food Tours
2419 North 62nd Street
Milwaukee, WI 53213

MOCT Bar
240 E Pittsburgh Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53204

Rishi Tea
427 E Stewart St
Milwaukee, WI 53207

Roots Restaurant & Cellar
1818 North Hubbard Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212

The Spice House
1031 North Old World Third Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Stack'd Burger Bar
1830 N. Hubbard Street, Suite 700
Milwaukee, WI 53212

StoneCreek Coffee
422 N. 5th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Water Buffalo
249 North Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202



Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publisher of the book, Hello, Cupcake!

Schlitz Brewing Company
http://www.schlitzbeer.com

Jessie Steele Aprons
http://www.jessiesteele.com/

Wilton Cakes
http://www.wilton.com/

Workman Publications
Publisher of the book, Cupcakes from the Cake Doctor

ICPro - More than Cupcakes!

There was more than cupcakes onhand at IronCupcakePRO. Every month, the Milwaukee Art Museum hosts MAMAfterDark. Music, Food, Crafts, and for this one night, IronCupcakePRO.



For some reason, 2009 brought me a huge gift of Jim Conway. He has been so generous with his time and passion for my cupcake whims. A true ninja, he likes to stay behind the camera, but mom snapped this shot and it is good to see him represented on the blog.




Just for our portion of the evening, it took a huge crew of volunteers to hold it all together. Many were IronCupcake competitors of the past, some were fans. It would not have been complete with my biggest supporters, Bob and Jeff and my dear friend Heidi.



Oh yeah, we can not forget that Andy Warhol was on hand to lend his pop culture flair to this awesome night.



Keeping in the theme of A VERY VELVET HOLIDAY, the museam café provided tons of delicious "Velvet"ta Mac and Cheese!



A fun part of every MAM AfterDark event is the DIY stations. On this night visitors could go home with handmade cupcake pins, velvet paintings and snow globes!



The Exotics were on hand for live tunes, as well as the guys from Radio Milwaukee!



It was so much fun, Santa (aka Kendall Polster) and Mrs. Claus (aka Erica) were there. And, if you click on the photo above, you can even see Santa cut a rug!



We are still waiting on final numbers, but as you can see, it was a hugely successful night. Next blog post, a summary of the winners. You won't want to miss that!

photos by Jim Conway and Mom Ploy