004|365 Cupcakes in the Afternoon

I originally planned to have the subject of today's photo and post be about "packing" as it is what I do on most Sunday nights in preparation for the work week ahead. But, this is my vacation darnit and I'm not going to rush the season. So, I'll post about my work travels tomorrow and focus on a more pleasant topic today, cupcakes.

I love cupcakes. I've had an infatuation with the little cakes long before Sex and the City made them popular. They are dainty, and elegant, and offer so many possibilities. Whereas cake inspires guilt, cupcakes deliver indulgance - cake can be a lot of work, but cupcakes are a lot of fun. Even a bout with a rough client who earned the nickname "cupcake" (with irony of course) couldn't destroy my love affair with these sweet little treats. More on the rough client another day.

Today we made cupcakes to celebrate the end of such a great vacation. And not just any cupcakes, but lemon-infused strawberry shortcakes. They are a light lemon cake with lemon-infused whipped cream, pink sugar and a fanned strawberry garnish on top. And, on the inside there is a little surprise - a strawberry put inside after baking. Yummy.

Besides picking cupcakes to celebrate, I made them for Maddie. We were in Barnes & Noble on Friday before meeting Jen and I bought a red velvet cupcake. It was so cute and had so much potential! But, alas, when I took my first bite I realized that it was stale and threw the rest out. That's when Maddie said, "Mom, you know why your cupcakes are so much better than the stores? Yours are made with love. Theirs are just made with batter." How can you not adore that kid?

You can expect to see many more cupcake posts through this project. :)

And now, feeling like I took advantage of the last day of this well-deserved break, I'm finally ready to face going back to work and will start preparing.