I don’t do a lot of baking and (spoiler alert!) I did not bake these cupcakes.  It was just my birthday, which, of course means I got to indulge myself.  Sometimes you need to go with delicious over nutritious and I thought cupcakes would be the perfect dessert to serve at the lake.  It’s easy to mix and match several flavors so you can please everyone. Plus, people will often say no to a slice of cake but not hesitate to eat a cupcake. People love cupcakes, which are quite the food craze of the moment.  There is even a reality show, ‘Cupcake Wars’ on Food Network which pits bakers against each other for prize winnings, so I guess we’re on trend.

These yummy treats are from Cupcake Love, a cute little cupcake shop on Maine Street in Bridgton, Maine. The owner and baker extraordinaire, Shannon Lyon, puts her creative spin on traditional cupcakes taking them, literally, to new heights.  For someone like me who enjoys making my food into fun edible towers, her cupcakes are simply irresistible, like this Brownie Sundae.

Or this Vanilla Chocolate Chip which is almost too cute for words.

I love coconut cake so ordered a dozen Coconut Cupcakes and was not disappointed with the yummy coconut buttercream topped with toasted coconut.  Hard to resist?  Why even try?

So you might think it is cruel and unusual to post this when you might be too far away to just pop in and pick up some of her cupcake creations.  On the other hand, those of you that are bakers can consider this inspiration.  Go tall!  Check out Cupcake Love on Facebook for hours or more yummy flavors.  Stop in if you’re anywhere near Bridgton but go early since she usually sells out.