I have to do it, even though I already ‘did it’ a couple of months ago on Facebook.  As much as I wish I had the strength to resist, I don’t.  We’re going to talk about cupcakes, a very touchy subject matter for many of us.

Why touchy?  What could possibly be an issue with a little cup of cake?  I really wouldn’t have known how particular people can be about their cupcakes until four months ago, when I received a message from an unhappy customer.  She had purchased babycakes’ cupcakes at a local store, and was dismayed (distraught, agitated, disappointed, unhappily surprised and quite frankly, shocked) to discover that babycakes and confections fills their cupcakes with buttercream.  Apparently, she is a purist and she likes cake, which means (in case I didn’t understand) that she prefers cupcakes that are not filled.  She didn’t see any indication on the outside of the package that these cupcakes happened to be ‘buttercream-filled’ and strongly urged me to do a better job alerting potential buyers of how my products are constructed. After comparing my cupcakes to Hostess cupcakes (ouch…that one left a mark), she concluded her message by making the suggestion that we offer two varieties of cupcakes – plain & filled.

I’m telling this story not to embarrass anyone, but to give you an example of just how strongly some people feel about cupcakes.  This woman did NOT mess around when it came to cupcakes, and unfortunately for her (and for me) my cupcakes pretty much ruined her day.   I’ve had about forty different reactions ever since I first heard her message.

Defensive Karen: My labels do actually say ‘buttercream-filled cupcakes’.
Regretful Karen: Wellllll, it is true that the labels are on the bottom of the cupcake container, and therefore not very obvious or accessible to the buyers.
Curious Karen: What kind of cupcake do people really prefer?
Sad Karen:  There is 0% of me that can ever feel ok about having someone out there who doesn’t fully enjoy my products.
Apologetic Karen:  I wish I knew who she was so I could deliver a fresh batch of un-filled cupcakes.
Hungry Karen:  perhaps it’s time to fully investigate this issue, first hand, with the chocolate cupcake.

This voice message initiated a very heated discussion within the kitchen as well as on Facebook. To fill or not to fill…which do you prefer?

Personally, I would opt for a filled cupcake about 1000 times more than an unfilled one.  I love the element of surprise – ohhhhhh!  Filling on the inside!!!  What kind of filling?  As a pastry chef, I relish the potential of each little cupcake that sits in front of me, and in spite of the number of cupcakes we make each week (a lot), never seem to tire of the process of baking, filling & finishing, repeat.

Now, the fun part:  Talk to me about your cupcake preferences.   I’m going to shake things up a bit too, because everyone who leaves a comment (and lives locally – sorry about that far-away people) will get their name entered into a drawing for one dozen assorted cupcakes from yours truly.