By Emily Smith
(CNN) — Cupcakes are all the rage at the moment, and have been for the past few years. October 18, aka National Chocolate Cupcake Day, is the day to celebrate the cocoa-kissed variety.
Here are some tips to spice the bake sale favorite up a bit:
– If you’re adding nuts, candy or flavored chips, dust them in flour before adding them to the batter so they don’t all sink to the bottom of the batter.
– Try using unusual flavorings: Sea salt sprinkled over the top, or cayenne pepper added to the batter.
– Try stuffing a small candy in the center of the cupcake half way through cooking — you’ll have a melted surprised waiting when you bite into the cupcake.
– The sky’s the limit with frosting – literally and figuratively. Frosting is no longer limited to chocolate and vanilla: Try using savory ingredients like bacon, or fruity like orange or raspberry. These days it’s popular to have frosting piped as high as the cupcake itself.
