A recent email from a friend documenting her mom's and sister's baking extravaganza of 450 cupcakes made me reflect on just how wonderful these little bits of cake really are. They have a self contained wrapper, are just the right size, and, if made correctly, have a healthy layer of frosting on top.

I have to admit that the cupcake usually gets a bad wrap. Although delicious, they can easily go from wonderfully delightful desserts to quite horrid, unattractive not-worth-it calories. Think of how many cupcakes you have consumed that where either poorly frosted, without taste, or both.

So here is a shout out to all the wonderful cupcakes out there. Little cakes that are moist, packed with flavor, and most importantly, look even better than they taste. I think one of the keys to a well-done cupcake is the application of frosting. If you aren't handy with a knife and can't spend the time getting the frosting even and smooth, I highly recommend investing in a frosting bag and tips. Although it looks hard, it is actually quite easy to frost cupcakes with a tip (and a little practice). I also love the idea of having different colors of frosting and even adding sprinkles or fondant flowers on top.

Due to my obsession with baked goods and my love of dear friends, I recently volunteered to make a wedding cake for a friend's upcoming wedding. And this got me thinking, why not do a hoard of cupcakes for the wedding? I have no idea if my friend will like this idea, but cupcakes can look as fancy and nice as a cake. Plus the serving will be THAT much easier and you can also make a bizillion flavors. And I think cupcakes actually fit with a summer wedding.