I never get tired of being called a "cupcake expert"

New article from the Austin American-Statesman, "Cupcake business thrive in Austin," - sadly, I'm not going to SXSW this year, but maybe I can go next year or do a reading there (at the most excellent Bookpeople perhaps?) and visit Hey Cupcake! - it's the cupcake stand in a trailer pictured below (see our interview with owner West hurt at Cupcakes Take the Cake). And while we're on the subject of cupcakes...don't forget to vote for Cupcakes Take the Cake as Best Food Weblog in the 2008 Bloggies - deadline is Thursday, January 31st at 10 pm EST!



From the simple to the gourmet, new cupcake businesses are prospering in Austin.

With a trend that began with New York City's Magnolia Bakery, which was partially made famous by its cameo on HBO's "Sex and the City," cupcake-centric businesses are now popping up nationwide. Austin is already home to three cupcake-delivery services, a cupcake cafe and a cupcake stand, and more businesses are on the way.

Cupcake expert Rachel Kramer Bussel attributes the trend to portion size and childhood nostalgia. She began her Cupcakes Take the Cake blog in December of 2004 and the site now lists more than 100 bakeries in the U.S. and internationally. She said cupcakes are ideal for small businesses because they don't require a lot of baking experience or overhead costs.

"There's something about cupcakes," said Bussel, an editor and writer in New York City. "The amount of growth I've seen in the last three years is pretty amazing."...

"There's just been bakeries popping up really all over," Bussel said. "So I think there's even more of a market for people who are wanting to open bakeries."

She also refutes the idea that cupcakes are a passing fad.

"I keep thinking, 'Oh, eventually I'm gonna get sick of cupcakes.' I haven't at all because there's always something new out there," Bussel said.