Cupcake Party!

Lucky me. A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a luncheon at Tavern on the Green. Tavern on the Green is practically a New York institution. It's a classic restaurant right in the middle of Central Park. Kind of old school and proper. It's a favorite place to take your mother on Mother's Day. And I had never been before. So I was delighted by the invitation, and the chance to see the famed fabric-covered-garden-lamps that I'd heard all about (they are charming by the way).

But even more fun than the location, was the fact that the gathering was all about cupcakes. For reals. A whole bunch of ladies in summer party dresses, eating a whole bunch of cupcakes at Tavern on the Green. How girly is that?

The purpose of the event was to get the word out about a noble cause: Cancer Care for Kids. What an organization! Any family, finding themselves dealing with cancer, can call this non-profit group and get real, free, professional support for their children — including counseling, education, financial assistance and practical help. And to raise money for this important group, Duncan Hines is sponsoring a huge National Bake Sale Contest — with proceeds going directly to Cancer Care for Kids.

You can find more contest info here, but the basic 411 is: host a bake sale in your school/neighborhood/community center/etc, donate the proceeds to Cancer Care for Kids, let Duncan Hines know about it, and possibly win some cool prizes. Awesome!



In the Tavern Garden, some adorable girls from a high school in Long Island were hosting a bake sale just for party attendees. And I have to say, there were so many pretty ones, and they looked so lovely there on display, that I bought an entire tray. (Isn't it nice to have a bunch of kids that I can use as an excuse to buy sweets?) There's just something about cupcakes. I can't get enough.



For party favors, we were sent home with a box of Duncan Hines yet-to-be-released Decadent Carrot Cake (it launches July 8th, you can see it pictured at the top). Carrot Cake is beloved at our house — yummy. And a darling book, Hey There, Cupcake! by Clare Crespo — a creative cooking genius and one of the contest judges. Clare attended the luncheon as well, and taught us how to make these adorable cupcake hamburgers (directions on page 56 of her great book).



Yay for great organizations! Yay for cupcakes!

cupcake images via Nichelle