It's a ladybug, it's a cupcake, it's a cupcake addict!

Update: Want to learn how to decorate cupcakes to look like ladybugs? Check out my tutorial here.

So the more I think about my cupcake addiction (which I totally don't have!), I was thinking that I think the thing I like most about cupcakes is the artictic, decorating aspect. I mean eating cupcakes is always amazing, but I think more than having cupcakes just to eat them, I like creating miniature works of edible art.

Exhibit A: Joe's valentine's day present (well, part of it):

Exhibit B: Close up of the red velvet cupcake pretending to be a ladybug:


Exhibit C: The rest of the cupcake tower. The ladybugs are red velvet, the non-ladybugs are french vanilla:

This is the red velvet cake recipe I used. It is amazing. I got from the What's Cooking board on the Nest:

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups cake flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 ounce red food coloring
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp white vinegar

1) Preheat the over to 350 F and line your cupcake tins with paper

2) Cream shortening and sugar then beat in eggs one at a time

3) Sift flour, cocoa and salt together in a small bowl. Add dry ingredients to shortening mix a little at a time alternating with the buttermilk and food coloring

4) Dissolve baking soda into vinegar and fold into the batter.

5) Fill cupcake tins a little more than 1/2 full and bake for 22 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick.

6) After removing from oven, alow cakes to cool in the pan for 5 mintues then tranfer to a cooling rack.

7) Once cool, decorate to your creative little heart's content.