{noteworthy} cupcakes, cupcakes & more cupcakes!

Nothing says summer quite like a cupcake tour in Manhattan!  Oh, is that not an actual saying?  Well, it should be.  It was such a fun way to spend a beautiful summer day with my sister!  That's us, enjoying our sugar tour above.  Knowing how much I adore cupcakes, my aunt had purchased two tickets for The Cupcake Tour of New York by Great New York Tours for us as a Christmas gift.  We saved the tour for a sunny, warm Sunday, when walking through the city & tasting cupcakes sounded perfect.

    
The great cupcake tour met at Union Square, arguably my favorite part of the city, & we walked half a block to Baked by Melissa, a tiny place I have walked past a million times.  Baked by Melissa is famous for its bite-sized, mini cupcakes.  We tried the flavor of the month, Pina Colada, & it was delicious.  Someday I will return to try the signature tie-dye cupcake!

Next, we stopped at Amorino Gelato Artigianale.  Yes, gelato on a cupcake tour!  But once we sampled the incredible, refreshing mango gelato, it became quite clear why a gelato place is included in a cupcake tour.  The gelato is that amazing!

Hands down the cupcake bakery that has my heart, we went to Crumbs Bake Shop next.  I'm a huge fan of Crumbs' gourmet cupcakes & I frequent the Hoboken location a little too much.  I'm happy to report the cupcakes were just as yummy in this NYC location!  We were given our choice of a mini cupcake from their best-seller pack & I was lucky enough to score a tasty cookies and cream cupcake.

After walking through scenic Washington Square Park, we arrived at the charming Molly's Cupcakes to build our own custom cupcake.  Just to sugar us up more than we ever could have imagined, they ran out of mini cupcakes & they offered us regular-sized "Molly" cupcakes instead.  I created a basic vanilla cupcake with french buttercream frosting & topped it with pastel sprinkles.  It looked pretty cute & tasted so good!

When we arrived at the adorable Milk & Cookies Bakery on a charming, tree-lined street in the West Village, my sister & I decided we would take our treat to go.  We skipped the cupcakes in favor of their famous cookies, specifically the Salted Oat Surprise.  I simply couldn't wait until I got home to try it so I ate half of my cookie & I was instantly in cookie heaven! 

Last but not least, we found ourselves on a sweet corner in the West Village at Magnolia Bakery.  Sex & The City fans may recognize this little bakery!  We were treated to a full-size red velvet cupcake with whipped vanilla icing.  My sister & I finally raised our white flag in sugar surrender.  I guess there is such a thing as too many cupcakes.  Those red velvet babies came home with us & my husband & I loved them!

If you're looking for something different to do in Manhattan, I highly recommend The Cupcake Tour of New York.  & not just for the treats, although the cupcakes are obviously the highlight.  The cupcake tour is a fun way to explore the city too.  It gets you away from the hustle & bustle of midtown & showcases some of the more unique, delightful neighborhoods of the city.

One last thing.  Per Molly's Cupcakes, did you know there are cupcake rules?

May your weekend be lovely & sweet!

Photography: Kate Corpuz for Koru Wedding
  

Fall Spice

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes {Made by Me!}

If there is one thing you haven't seen on Koru Wedding Style, it's cooking & baking.  Let's just say I do not have a natural talent in the kitchen.  Natural disasters in the kitchen, well, I have plenty of those.  However, when I ran across this yummy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes recipe on Hey Gorg & none of the ingredients or instructions scared me, I decided to give it a whirl.  

Please indulge me as I recount one of my first positive baking experiences.  Ever.

First things first, I lined up my ingredients & supplies.  The less surprises & fruitless searches, the better:

I know lots of great bakers who add just a little bit of this & a little bit of that but I followed the recipe to the letter.  Soon, I had a concoction that looked & smelled like pumpkin spice:

Here is my sous chef Beagle Bailey.  He's pouting at my feet because I had not dropped anything delicious his way:

Soon, my pumpkin spice cupcakes-to-be were ready for the oven:

20 minutes later, these perfect cupcakes emerged from the oven.  I couldn't believe it!

Naked pumpkin spice cupcakes in pink foil for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

Now the recipe calls for homemade Chocolate Ganache frosting.  I knew I had already pushed my limited baking skills with the cupcakes.  Store bought cream cheese frosting?  Yes, please.

The Pumpkin Spice cupcakes are surprisingly easy & sooooo delicious- I definitely recommend them!  They draw rave reviews that swell this non-baker's heart.  So far, I have brought them to a new Mom & Dad while visiting their newborn & to a hungry crew at a Jets tailgate.  They're just perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving & Fall weddings too!

From the Heart

I have some fun times ahead to look forward to: a visit with the talented Jen Kim of Craftiness NOW & her new mascot Mila, a celebration of my fabulous sister-in-law's birthday, a day of love, aka Valentine's Day & a personal favorite, our anniversary. No need to run to Hallmark or Crumbs. I'm determined to craft & bake from the heart!

I'm no Betty Crocker- in fact, my little baking project included a very scary moment of fearing I may cause a fire alarm for our entire building. Anywho! Baking from scratch is out of the question for me so I picked up my favorite Funfetti cupcake mix, along with vanilla icing in pink just perfect for Valentine's Day. Here are the baking supplies & the cards in the works:


I had tons of Valentine's Day supplies left from last year for my cards:


Here are the naked cupcakes patiently waiting for pink frosting & pastel sprinkles:


And here are some work-in-progress cards that need some finishing touches:


Tune in next week for the baking & crafting results!

Every Last Detail

When I arrived at my bridal shower at Trinity in Hoboken, the very first thing that struck me was how perfect & beautiful everything looked. Then I realized not only was every last detail fabulous, it was so personal.

The favors were handmade, crystal snowflake ornaments gorgeously presented in a purple organza bags with matching tags:

(I adore purple. I decorate our condo with snowflakes for Christmas.)

The tables were decorated with pretty, white poinsettias, felt snowflakes, Crumbs Bake Shop cupcakes & ornament place card holders displaying photos of me & RZ:

(Winter Wedding = Winter Bridal Shower)

The delicious vanilla or chocolate Crumbs cupcake favors were nested in a white basket with a delicate "Thank You" charm & every photo was from a special day or event like this St. Patrick's Day party photo:

(I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm addicted to Crumbs Bake Shop cupcakes!
And I enjoyed reliving our memories through our photos!!)

Each bridal shower guest was asked to bring us a Christmas ornament for our Christmas tree:

(I love, LOVE decorating our Christmas tree, always have.)

Each guest tagged their ornament & hung it on the Christmas tree as they arrived:

(Guests put thought into the ornaments, like the framed engagement photo above, two beagle ornaments for Bailey,
a NY taxi cab similar to our wedding day transportation, etc, etc)

The bridal shower looked like a photo shoot for Martha Stewart Weddings, yet it was clearly designed with love for me. I'm one blessed Bride-to-be!