Cupcake Bites

Chocolate cupcake sugar bowl

Is that a grape balancing atop an upside-down bowl or a head peeking through a scallop-edged brown poncho? It's gotta be one or the other because despite what Burton & Burton claims, there's just no way that verging-on-vulgar oblong protrusion could be a cherry on a cupcake.

I don't like the idea of having to treat it as a knob/handle either. I understand that it's there to make lifting the lid of the 4" ceramic sugar bowl easier (it's normally such an arduous task, isn't it?), but I think we'd be able to manage removing the glossy lid, filling the 3.5" opening with granulated sugar, inserting the 4" spoon, and replacing the lid without it.

Don't believe me? Head over to Amazon with $4.95 to prove it to yourself.

Stainless steel cupcake travel mug

I don't know what's more unbelievable. That the "design" on this 15-ounce commuter mug consists of nothing more than a word that I could probably teach my cat to type out, that the "designer" feels $22 is a fair price (creativity doesn't come cheap, I guess), or that I actually want to buy one.

Everything about the cupcake travel mug can be customized: font, font color, additional text, image, background color, placement, alignment, and border. You can even get rid of the "cupcake" completely, which in my opinion is taking personalization a bit too far. I mean, if you want to change every single thing about the mug, then perhaps this isn't the mug for you, no?

Cupcake vintage-inspired hostess apron

If your craving for dessert-themed merchandise isn't completely satisfied with cupcake gear, then you may be interested in what sister site Ice Cream Bites has to offer. A few weeks ago, for example, you would have been introduced to the ice cream variant of this retro SWEET TEMPTATION cupcake hostess apron ($42), a 19.5" apron handmade by chic to chic out of "the finest quality designer fabrics."

A standard apron has a 21" x 2.25" waistband and 35.5" ties, but other measurements are available via special order. The pink rick rack trim is a nice alternative to the red pom poms used on the ice cream apron, don't you think?

Cupcake dessert plates

Well, technically they're called Sweet Tooth plates, but the four hand-painted earthenware plates still look like cupcakes to me. The "liners" are a little out of proportion, sure, and the cupcake-resemblance of the one without a fruit topper is a bit suspect, but what else could they be?

Each plate in the four-piece set measures 5.5" in diameter and is described as being both "perfect for birthday parties" and fine for salads. Whatever the occasion, the plates can be purchased from Target for $18.

Cupcake kitchen timer

Just because this cupcake kitchen timer was discontinued last fall doesn't mean we shouldn't take a moment to remember it.

It originally sold for $34.95, which seems pretty reasonable for a 3.5" cupcake that's functional and lasts forever, but I suspect its $23.95 sale price had something to do with it eventually selling out. And I suspect it might be gone for good, as there isn't even a single listing on eBay for one right now.

Good thing I don't bake (or cook).

Ceramic cupcake cookie jars

Who said cupcakes can only be filled with custards and creams? Stuff them with chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and peanut butter cookies instead!

These 9.8" x 7.9" ceramic cookie jars by Living Art would make a sweet addition to a counter top or old-fashioned diner display. The pink-frosted cupcake features the requisite cherry topper and looks very much like the quintessential cupcake. The one iced in blue, on the other hand, looks more like a milkshake with a striped straw peeking out at the top than a delicious little cake topped with what is either a wickless candle or a piece of peppermint candy.

Available for $23 each from Home Couture.

Cupcake lollipop mold

Although marketed for use when making homemade lollipops, the professional-grade cupcake mold from UK-based Cakes Cookies & Crafts Shop is also great for chocolate, marzipan, sugar paste, marzipan, and clay (!). And since the mold can withstand short visits to the freezer, cupcake-shaped ice and juice pops could be the perfect treat to cool down this summer.

Each sheet includes five cherry-topped cupcake on a stick (mmm . . . cupcakes on a stick!) molds and sells for £4 (about $8). And if you act now, you can buy two and get a third one free.