We got a call from Amy the other morning for last minute, emergency custom cupcakes. The emergency being that it was her cat’s first birthday and she desperately needed celebratory cupcakes. We get it; Any excuse to eat a cupcake is a good enough excuse for us.

Our policy for custom orders is that they must be placed at least a full three days in advance (although a week is always appreciated). However, being the genuinely nice people that we are, we take joy in making exceptions when we can. Plus, our head baker is a hardcore cat lover as is evident by the pictures and comics hanging at the back of Treat’s kitchen, in addition to the fact that she has two cats of her own. “If it was anything else I would have said no,” she says after I finish gushing over the Tom-like (from Hanna and Barbera’s Tom & Jerry) cupcakes. She laughs, but it is hard to tell if she is joking or not. 

As we had hoped, Amy was thrilled when she stopped by with her kids to pick up the cupcakes. While her cat may be a different color, it does have the same adorably chubby cheeks (I asked). But if cats are colorblind like they say, then he wouldn’t have cared…

1. Stock Cupcakes: We call our pre-made cupcakes “Pick-A-Treats.” On average, cupcake fanatics have the option of choosing from 17 different Pick-A-Treat flavors. When the case is fully stocked it can hold a total of 216 cupcakes. That is a lot of cupcakes that we are constantly replacing. Since our case reaches the ground, re-stocking cupcakes becomes a routine of squats and lunges. It’s almost like getting paid to go to the gym.

2. Let’s just say it’s a good thing this is a cupcake bakery, and not a potato chip factory.

3. Mop the Café: Cupcakes are delicious and, believe it or not, messy. While working in a cupcake bakery can be tasty fun, it isn’t always as glamorous as it may seem. We spend a lot of time cleaning which, as I’ve recently discovered, can be quite the workout. I consistently wake up with sore forearms and shoulders after a good night’s mop. I’m hoping that soon I will have enough muscle to do a pull-up.

4. Color Fondant: Fondant is an edible sugar that has a consistency similar to play-dough, only firmer. We use it to add creative accents to our cupcakes, and also provide it in various colors at our in-store birthday parties. Unlike play-dough, it takes some arm muscle to color a ball of fondant. I can always expect to burn a few calories setting up for birthday parties.

5. Have Fun: One of the best things about working at Treat Cupcake Bar is that I enjoy spending time with my co-workers. We have a lot of fun laughing with (and at) each other, which is great because laughing burns calories. A study by Maciej Buchowski in 2005 found that 10 to 15 minutes of laughter each day could shake off about 4 pounds a year.

6. Resistance Training: Must. Resist. Cupcakes. I don’t feel bad about bringing one home on occasion. After all, I can only go so long without biting into a Half Moon. But if I brought one home every time I worked then I’d start to look like a cupcake: short and fat.

7. Eat: I’ve found that I snack on more candy and munch on more cupcakes if I come into work hungry. We’ve all been told that it’s important to eat 3 balanced meals a day, but it’s even more important if you’re constantly surrounded by tempting treats. Sure, it would be best to eat something healthy but hey — no one is perfect.

8. Organize the Stock Room: We bake hundreds of cupcakes each week from scratch. That means we’ve got a lot of ingredients laying around our small store, and at times we are pressed to find a place to keep everything. Making room for new supplies means moving around heavy bags of sugar, large cases of chocolate, and boxes upon boxes of boxes of ingredients and supplies. It’s a full body work out. 

9. Stay Hydrated: We’re all familiar with those moments when our eyes are hungry but our stomachs are full, only our brains have a hard time communicating this over the cupcakes screaming “Eat me, eat me!” Since you are not actually hungry, the best way to drown out the noise is to drink water. This produces the effect of feeling full in addition to moisturizing your skin, improving your immune system, and helping with digestion. Cupcakes may be small but they can yell pretty loud. I end up drinking a lot of water while at work to drown out their constant noise. 

10. Standing: No sitting on the job! Just kidding. However, researchers have found that standing burns about 50% more calories than sitting, so think twice before you pull up that comfy-looking chair (or in our case, that frosting-covered stool). We spend a lot of time on our feet here at Treat, believing that “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” But knowing that we’re exercising makes cleaning more appealing.

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Here’s the bottom line: Too much of anything is a bad thing. Even too much exercise is detrimental to your well-being. The key to staying thin while working at a cupcake bakery is knowing when to have your cake and eat it too. Then you can not feel guilty about it.

If anyone else has also been avoiding crowded shopping malls, I’ve found some super cute cupcake-themed gifts that can be easily purchased online. Just click on the picture and it will take you to the information and purchase page. Ready, set, get excited!

The Cupcake Wish List

#1.

Make your own cake pops with this super cool cake pop maker from Babycakes! It makes 12 cake pops (or donut holes) and includes all the accessories you will need to make them — It seems like you will just need to buy your own cake mix.

 #2.

At Treat you have the option of making your own cupcake, and now with this gift you have the option of decorating your own cupcake! Save money while having fun. But please don’t try to eat it. Paint and paintbrush are included. 

#3.

We have one of these signs hanging in our store and now you can have one too! 

#4. 

 Earrings are a great way to express yourself! And these are just so darn cute. Show everyone how much you love cupcakes by wearing these handmade earrings with sterling silver posts.

#5.

Forget the Christmas lights, check out these fun cupcake lights! It is a set of 10 lights, but if you can’t get enough of these awesome cupcakes you are able to connect up to 3 strands. And yes, in case you were wondering, these can also be used outside.

Good luck getting all your shopping done on time (I know I will need all the well wishes I can get). Have a safe and happy holiday!

We’d like to see this little guy try to eat two of our cupcakes!

For custom orders placed at least three full days in advance our talented team here at Treat can design cupcakes specifically for you on your special occasion. About once every week we will brighten your day by picking our cutest custom designs and showcasing them here, in our blog, for your viewing pleasure.

This week we were super excited to be a part of Sage’s first birthday by creating a custom “big top” cupcake to serve as the center piece and smaller “jumbo” size cupcakes to be shared with family and friends. These are the tastiest apples they’ve ever had — worms and all.

If you would like more information on custom orders please send us an e-mail or reach us by phone. We’d love to talk with you.    

Don’t forget to smile!

But even when we’re not at work we still have Halloween on our minds. Like, the ever so important decision, what to wear?? Check out these hilariously awesome cupcake costumes:

Whatever you decide to be, have a safe and happy Halloween!

My friends at Treat shared my horror and surprise. Following the initial shock, we began to wonder why I hadn’t found a single cupcake abroad. Was it because I hadn’t been in any major Italian cities? Or, are cupcakes solely an American phenomenon? Where did cupcakes come from, anyway?

Evidently the origin is unknown. The first mention of a cupcake is said to be traced back to a 1796 recipe for cakes baked in cups (ta da: cupcake!) written in American Cookery, by Amelia Simms. The recipe calls for ½ pound sugar, ½ pound butter rubbed into 2 pounds flour, 1 glass wine, 1 glass Rosewater, 2 glass Emptins (a type of yeast obtained from the remains of the brewing process), a nutmeg, cinnamon, and currents [1]. Another popular theory is that the name “Cupcake” or “Cup Cake” was born out of the original measurement system, which called for cups of ingredients. These recipes would later become known as 1234 cakes: 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs [2]. Unlike the first theory, these cakes were not necessarily baked in individual cups.

We can trace the cupcake back hundreds of years, but the treats didn’t actually rise to fame in America until 1919, at the end of World War I, with the introduction of the Hostess Cupcake: a devil’s food cake that originally lacked the crème filling and curly, white icing we’ve come to know and love. In more recent years, with the help of mainstream Television and Martha Stewart, cupcakes have become an extremely popular, diverse and customizable American desert.

In my research I discovered that cupcakes do exist outside of America, but not in their same wide-spread glory. Upon google’ing “cupcakes in Italy” I was able to find one bakery in Rome that does sell cupcakes. I also learned that cupcakes, or better yet “Fairy Cakes,” can be found in Britain as well as other European countries. It seems, therefore, that I just hadn’t been looking hard enough to satisfy my cupcake fix.

Returning from vacation is always bittersweet. Actually, if you work at a cupcake store it is supersweet. While I had an amazing experience in Italy, it is good to be back home. Especially since I don’t have to work very hard to find a delicious cupcake. And now, speaking of tastey deserts, I’m going to treat myself to a Pistachio Turtle cupcake (chocolate cake, caramel filling, pistachio frosting, pistachios). My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Seeing a lot of pink lately? October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a national effort to raise awareness for breast cancer, which is a disease that effects both women AND men. Each year approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed, and 40,000 will die. Additionally, approximately 1,700 men will be diagnosed, and 450 will die [1]. The earlier you can catch the disease, the greater your chances of survival. Save the ones you love through awareness and early detection. 

This month Treat Cupcake Bar is helping to spread awareness through our cupcakes. You will notice that all of the Needham Cream Pies (vanilla cake/vanilla pudding filling/chocolate ganache) have pink “N”s on top. When you see pink this month, think about breast cancer and what you can do to help your family and friends.

Here are some links providing more information on breast cancer and what you can do to help:

• American Cancer Society
• The Breast Cancer Site
• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Susan G. Komen For the Cure
• The Pink Ribbon Shop
• A Message From the President