Hey There...Cupcake

I absolutely LOVE cupcakes. After working in a bakery and now with The Festival of Chocolate… it made me wonder WHO came up with the brilliant idea to create the perfect 2-bite treat.

Most people think the term “cupcake” comes from idea that a cupcake looks like a cake cooked in a cup. However, after some research, it turns out that cupcakes are so named because this was a snack that could be stored inside a protective athletic cup during baseball games. Abner Doubleday himself may have been the first to tuck a cake there, and he was known to reach down for a nibble of his “cup cake” even while running the bases.

The first cupcakes did not have frosting as we know it, but instead were topped with lard as a kind of cake-moistening gravy. And, get this…Winston Churchill was the first person to suggest a kind of sweet frosting on the top of the cakes.

Lard to Buttercream…that must have been a no brainer!

Cupcake Cottage will leave you Wanting S’more…

So, if I’ve gotten you craving a cupcake now, it’s about to get even more tempting. We just got word that Cupcake Cottage is bringing their Triple Irish Crown and S’mores cupcakes to The Festival of Chocolate.

Their cupcakes are as decadently delicious as they are beautiful. And, yes – for my VERY difficult job, I had to try a few. My drop-to-the-knees favorite was Boston Cream. (a REALLY Moist Cake, Injected with Rich Cream, Topped with Thick Rich Chocolate) Back off donuts…there’s a NEW Sheriff in town. http://www.cupcakecottage.net/index.asp

For those of you unfamiliar with this Royal Palm Beach gem, the Cupcake Cottage is a gourmet cupcake boutique owned by Lisa Hamilton. Just one year ago, Lisa’s love of baking took her from a life of building condos, high rises and shopping plazas to sweet days focused on constructing the perfect cupcake. Smart Lady!

SPEAKING OF CUPCAKES… want to get your photo taken IN a Cupcake? As it turns out, our Cupcake Photo ops that were originally built for the Festival of Chocolate children have actually turned into an adult adventure too! That’s right! At the Festival of Chocolate, even grownups can stick their head through a cupcake while eating a cupcake. What a perfect day.

CUPCAKES BY THE NUMBERS

One cupcake is consumed for every adult in the US every day. If you haven’t had yours, you better wrestle one away from that chubby dude standing in front of the bakery.

The number of cupcakes eaten last year have more mass than the entire Earth!

No, you cannot have my job.

My name is Kacie, and like I said before no, you cannot have my job.

I joined this fabulous chocolate event two years ago. And since then I have literally been eating my way through the best Tampa and Orlando has to offer in the world of chocolate.

I have learned where chocolate grows, that white chocolate isn’t TECHNICALLY chocolate, and that no, chocolate does not give you acne.

When we signed the contract with the Palm Beach County Convention Center to pack over 50,000 square feet with chocolate, it was hard to imagine that this incredible event was held in a tiny Orlando hotel ballroom just three years ago. Now, in 2011 it has been voted one of the Top Ten Chocolate Events in the Nation. Trust me, when you come to West Palm Beach in three weeks, you will understand why.

The chocolate experiences that we now have are absolutely amazing. Where else can you see two grown men wearing pink aprons go head-to-head in an ice cream eating contest? Make your own chocolate lip balm? Or participate in Brownie Bingo, and then eat your playing pieces?

It is my job to let you know all of the most up-to-date information on the Festival of Chocolate. And I promise to provide you with the sweet inside scoop of our vendors, activities and demonstrations.

So eat that piece of dark chocolate tonight because it is good for your heart. Drink that chocolate milk after a work out to expedite your muscle recovery, and come to our festival to be immersed in chocolate in a way you have never imagined!

Yours truly,

Resident Chocolate Chick =)

PS - The cupcakes, a tasty teaser of what you can expect to find November 19th and 20th. And I just had one...jealous?